Star Wars takes advantage of May the 4th hype with a message from the Empire
By Alex Mansell on Friday, May 3, 2013
May the 4th, the most pun-tastic day of the year for Star Wars fans, has historically been heralded as a national day of celebration for the franchise the world over. And yesterday Star Wars – or should I say the Galactic Empire – released a video on YouTube denouncing the day, claiming that “the Jedi and rebels are traitors to the Empire, and so are all those that celebrate May the 4th”.
A great bit of PR that proves Star Wars really knows its audience, the tongue-in-cheek video appears to come directly from the evil leaders of the Empire, in classic 1984 indoctrination-style.
A voiceover relays the truth about the Jedi traitors and their use of the Force for “mind control, levitation of deadly weapons and haunting the living after death”. Chilling music accompanies the video, which shows clips from the films as well as fans celebrating the national day.
The video ends with “a friendly reminder from the Empire” not to tweet about May the 4th or visit the Star Wars social media channels, a message true allies to the Jedi cause will surely only ignore. I sense the day may be celebrated with extra gusto this year in an act of defiance against the Galactic Empire. May the 4th be with you all!
