501st Legion
The 501st Legion "Vader's Fist" (German: 501st Legion "Vader's Fist") is a well-known, international Star Wars fan association with over 10,000 members from more than 40 countries.
Members are dedicated to making and wearing a variety of authentic and movie-accurate Imperial Star Wars costumes. The main focus here is on stormtrooper armor and other costumes of the empire or the so-called "dark side", such as those of the Sith lords or bounty hunters. Another main focus is on appearances for various charities, e.g. B. for the American Make-A-Wish Foundation . Many members are also regularly in various science fiction - Conventions to be found.
"Honorary Leader" of the 501st Legion is David Prowse , who played Darth Vader in the first three Star Wars films. Other honorary members are numerous actors such as Mark Hamill ( Luke Skywalker ) and Ian McDiarmid ( Imperator Palpatine ), as well as composer John Williams and director George Lucas . Some of those involved in the making of the films are also regular members who appear in their costumes at events of the 501st, including actors Jay Laga'aia ( Captain Typho ) in a Stormtrooper costume and Jeremy Bulloch ( Boba Fett ) in one Boba Fett costume.
history
Founded the Legion of American Albin Johnson, who (in 1997 the "2551 Detention Block" Inhaftierungsblock 2551 ) - probably an allusion to the Inhaftierungsblock AA-23 in which Princess Leia in Star Wars was imprisoned - to life called. From an initially small circle of sworn fans, thanks to the enthusiasm for the white armor of the stormtroopers, an international costume club with more than 10,000 members, which currently has a presence in 47 countries (as of Sept. 2016).
separations
The 501st Legion is divided into Garrison (garrisons from 25 members) and Outpost (Outpost, from a member). Usually there is a garrison or an outpost for one nation at a time, but there are exceptions. For example, there were 27 garrisons in the United States , two in Canada and two in Belgium . Garrisons can also set up further subdivisions, so-called squads , which are usually based on subnational borders. There are also so-called detachments , sub-departments that unite members with a specific costume.
The 501st Legion in Europe
In Europe , the 501st Legion is represented by 22 garrisons and outposts, including the garrison with the largest number of members within the Legion with over 900 people (as of Feb 2019), the "German Garrison" from Germany, founded in 2000 . The "Swiss Garrison" has stood for Switzerland since 1998. The "Austrian Garrison" (founded in 2006 as Outpost) has existed in Austria since October 2011. Numerous other garrisons in Europe are located in England, France, Italy, the Benelux countries and in the Scandinavian countries. In the last few years the 501st Legion was able to establish itself in Eastern Europe, which led to the successful establishment of various outposts and garrisons and the like. a. shows in Romania and Poland.
additional
As a thank you, Lucasfilm named a clone soldier unit, which appears in Revenge of the Sith at the side of Darth Vader , and also in the PC and console game Star Wars: Battlefront II , after the 501st Legion . On January 1, 2007, around 200 members marched at the request and invitation of Lucasfilm as part of the so-called "Star Wars Spectacular" at the annual Tournament of Roses Parade , the "Grand Marshal" of which this year was Star Wars creator George Lucas .
After only 10 years, the 501st Stormtrooper Legion made it into the Guinness Book of Records . In the 2008 edition, the Legion received the award for the largest Star Wars costume club in the world. This article can be found on page 158 of the German edition.
The DVD documentary Heart of an Empire from 2007 tells the creation of the 501st Legion and looks at the worldwide phenomenon of this group.
Web links
- Website of the 501st Legion (English)
- Organization: 501st Legion. In: Starwars.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008 ; accessed on January 9, 2016 .
- Homepage of the German Garrison
- Homepage of the Austrian Garrison
- Heart of an Empire in the Internet Movie Database (English)