In the immortal words of Obi-wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith,
I’m posting a bit early this week, but today is Star Wars day and, as some of us are painfully aware, this particular May the 4th marks the calm before a Marvel storm. To liven up your Star Wars Day and to keep the celebration going afterward, here are some of my favorite Star Wars fan videos.
John Williams is the Man
Of course this one is a classic, mostly because it’s so easy to get stuck in your head. It’s also been re-made by multiple people. My favorite version is by the University of Tennesse Men’s Chorale. I wish one of the choirs at BYU would do it.
Storm Trippin’
What’s Star Wars fandom without some stop-motion Lego shenanigans? This video is kind of long but it’s hilarious. Filmmaker Aaron Legg also made a sequel called Storm-Trippin 2: A New Home, and a recent new short called Return of the Saber.
The Force Awakens Cast sings A Capella
If you weren’t in love with the cast of The Force Awakens yet you will be now. They did an A Capella medley of the best hits of the John Williams Score with Jimmy Fallon and the Roots before the December premiere.
Star Wars Call Me Maybe
Also a classic. I still can’t believe this came out four summers ago now! If you ever feel in the mood for Star Wars but don’t have time to watch the movies, this will definitely give you your fix.
Ridin’ Dirty BB-8
This is the video that gave BB-8 an attitude. Heck, this was one of the first memes of The Force Awakens. It’s very short, but you can put it on repeat.
Invasion Los Angeles
What if the Empire invaded Earth and landed in Los Angeles? The effects in this are very well-done.
Oscar Isaac Covers the Star Wars Song
Again, the cast of The Force Awakens proves how cute they are, specifically Oscar Isaacs (a.k.a. Poe Dameron).
Electronic Imperial March
You don’t have to watch this one all the way through. Just listen.
Anthony Daniels at Salt Lake Comic Con 2015
Who can forget Anthony Daniels’ stunning one-man show last September in Salt Lake? This in particular was my favorite moment, Reflecting on his career and the different merchandise that C-3P0 has been made into, someone in the audience shouted out “tape dispenser!” and they were called up to demonstrate. Then came the dumbfounded look on Daniels’ face when he saw that his new friend was dressed in a Hogwarts school uniform—Slytherin green, to be exact. Daniels decided to call them Jedi robes and called it good. But of course it got better from there. Watch the clip on ABC 4 Utah: Anthony Daniels on C-3P0 Merchandising
The Wasatch Saber Guild Battle, FanX 2016
The Wasatch Saber Guild put on this flash mob on Thursday night at Salt Lake Comic Con FanX in March. These guys put in a lot of hard work learning and practicing their fighting techniques. They are both telling their own Star Wars stories with personas they created as well as recreating favorite moments and characters. I know some of these people from the Kids Heroes foundation, notably the guys who fight at around 4:35 who are, in fact, brothers. (Also, fun fact, you can kind of see me in the background watching from the sidelines). More importantly, this video also shows that lightsaber fighting in real life can be a sport for demonstrating skill and showing honor, rather like medieval jousting or eighteenth-century sword or pistol duels. Of course, the dramatic fake deaths and the setting remind me a little of my fencing days at the BYU medieval club. Well, anyway, this is kind of a longer video but worth watching.
May the Fourth be With You!
