If there’s one enduring theme of the “Star Wars” movies, it’s to never give up hope.
Today is May the 4th, and Lucasfilm has released a short video for the annual homage to the phrase, “May the force be with you” — but tailored to the particular circumstances of May 4, 2020.
The video is a mashup of scenes from the movies, both live action and animated, that focus on hope:
• “We have hope — hope that things can get better — and they will.”
• “When you find people who need your help, you help them — no matter what.”
• “Stand up together, because that’s when we’re strongest.”
The unofficial holiday of the “Star Wars” franchise celebrates the famous phrase widely attributed to Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi, though it was uttered first by General Dodonna before the Death Star battle in “A New Hope” and repeated by Han Solo in the next scene.
What Obi-Wan said was, “The force will be with you always.”
Regardless of who said it, the phrase has spawned a day of celebration going back to this unlikely beginning: When Margaret Thatcher became the United Kingdom’s first female prime minister on May 4, 1979, her party took out a full-page ad in the London Evening News that included the message, “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations.”
Today, the official “Star Wars” website offers five ideas for celebrating May the 4th at home, from a movie marathon to a costume challenge. There also are recipes for out-of-this-world treats like Yoda pancakes and that Tatooine favorite, blue milk pudding.
Fans also can look forward to that day, seeming far, far away right now, when the next “Star Wars” movie is set to appear — reportedly in 2022.
