Just What Does Star Wars Have To Do With St. Patrick’s Day?

Yesterday was one of the New England Garrison’s biggest events of the year, the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade, held on the Sunday before the holiday every year. It’s been an annual event every year for our group, and this year was probably one of the best ones that we’ve ever done – there was a lot of happy, but tired troopers at the end of the route, which was great.

This was my second year trooping this event. Prior years, I had been busy, and not as into the 501st as I am now. This time around was markedly different from years past – it was warm. 2008’s parade was around 30 or so degrees throughout, which wasn’t too bad while we were walking around, but when we had to stop and wait for things to start, it was frigid. This time around, temperatures were in the upper forties to low fifties, and sunny. It allowed for some fantastic pictures, and time spend waiting not huddled together for warmth.

This year also marked the first year that the Canadian Garrison (at least the members from Montreal), came down to troop with us. I met up with them in Montpelier, and we drove down in a small 501st convoy to Boston. We spent part of the afternoon in Boston walking along the Freedom Trail to sightsee for a bit, which was fantastic, because I haven’t done that sort of thing in a long time.

Saturday night was the Garrison meetup at a Cambridge bar, where everyone socialized, got to talk, play pool and have fun. Things wrapped up around 1 am, where everyone went off to bed to prepare for the long walk. This is the part that I really like about our group – I count many of the New England Garrison as some of my closest friends, and given the distances, I don’t get to see many of them very often. I don’t get out as much as I’d like to, so this was one of the times when I’ve been able to really socialize.

Sunday was game day. I spent the night at a fellow garrison member’s apartment, and we were up pretty early, where we got our things together, picked up another couple members and arrived at our assembly point, where most of the garrison had already arrived. We had to get there early, to avoid the crowds and closed roads, and we waited around before suiting up and getting in formation around noon. There were pictures aplenty. I uploaded all of mine, taken before we all suited up, and you can see them here.

The parade was one of the best troops that I’ve done in a long time. It was long, four miles, and up and down hills, something I’m paying for today, but it was worth it. I used my Clone Trooper for the first time, and was up in front with several other clones and got to see the reactions of people as we appeared. This is one of the fun parts, to watch as people’s faces awake with recognition at who were were. There were a ton of kids who were extremely excited to see us, shake and slap our hands, and to take pictures with us, but also the older college students and adults in the crowd. They called out for Vader and ran out to take pictures of us – at times, a little annoying, because we had to keep a steady pace in the parade. I felt bad at having to motion that I had to keep moving – I’d love to take pictures with whomever wanted them. It’s quite something to bring a character to life for people.

After the parade was over, we rode back on buses, desuited and departed. Unlike last year, we didn’t all go out to dinner, although I was driving back up with the Canadians, and we stopped for dinner on the way up, before we departed our own ways along the route as we stopped for gas or breaks.

This is why I troop – it is events like this that make it worthwhile, to see the faces of the crowds upon us. That sort of excitement is addicting, and I’m more than happy to bring it to life for people.

More Video from St. Pat’s

I’m in there quite a bit, which is funny. Good little clip from the parade!

Cylons invade the 501st!

This past weekend at All-Con, hosted by the Star Garrison, Aaron Douglass, one of the cast members of the hit show Battlestar Galactica, was presented with a Friend of the Legion and his own TIE Fighter pilot costume.

“The big event for the night went hand-in-hand with the party. Our guest Aaron Douglas is a big fan of the 501st and had remarked last year how he would love to be a TIE pilot as it kind of went with his job on Battlestar Galactica. Members of the West Texas Fireteam got together and donated parts for a full TIE Pilot suit to be presented to Aaron! He was also presented with his Friend of the Garrison plaque at this time. He was tremendously excited and immediately went to his room and changed into his TIE Pilot suit. After he came out, the grand unveiling was fun and exciting and everyone was happy, most of all Aaron. “

Woohoo!

Boston St. Patricks Day Parade – Video

New Clone Pictures

Last night, I did some more work on my Clone Trooper, getting a set of pictures together with my friend Seth from Seth Bebee photo. Here’s some of the really good ones:

More pictures here.

501stCast: Episode 36: March 6, 2009: The Flaming Helmet

March 6th, 2009 — Full-Length Podcast

Dedication: With a heavy heart, the 501st Legion reports the loss of yet another valued member. Chad Suppa (TK-641) of the Midsouth Garrison tragically lost his life on Sunday, February 15th, during a recreational BASE jumping accident in Arizona. Chad was a Federal Firefighter and well-loved by his fellow Legion members. Our deepest condolences to his fiancee and family.

In this episode, the 501st TK Project’s first completed submission kicks off the charity art project in style, the Legion represents on Brazilian TV, Clone Wars director Dave Filoni gets payback from the Legion, heads get shaved for a good cause and more.

Show Notes: Episode XXXVI (March 6th, 2009)

Hosts: Dean Plantamura (TK-899), Lor (TK-7883), Nicky Blum (DZ-8397)

Post-Production: Lor (TK-7883) and Jacques (TK-9966)

Content Development: Nicky Blum (DZ-8397) and Dean Plantamura (TK-899)Contributors: Burr Martin (TD-9993)

Recent News

• TK Helmet Project – First helmet completed!
• EvenMore Cities for Fanboys
• 501st sighting on Fox TV’s Bones
• Brazilian 501st member stars in Cartoon Network commercials (Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, Video 4)
• Florida Garrison’s Everglades Squad featured in photo essay (online version)
• Message from the new Legion Commanding Officer

Mission Reports

• Star Garrison attends sold out John Williams concert (photos)
• Taiwan Formosa Outpost attends press conference premiere of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (photos)
• Carolina Garrison’s super trooping weekend – 6 events in 4 days (video)
• Great Lakes Garrison’s Elementary school troop
• Garrison Carida at debut of Vader helmet exhibit at The Warhol
• Spanish Garrison helps present Star Wars to the blind
• Bast Alpha Garrison parades for Mardi Gras (Tucks video, Denham Springs photos, Caesar photos, Tucks photos, Zeus photos)
• German Garrison celebrates Karneval
• WonderCon with Golden Gate Garrison and more
• Japanese Garrison’s smallest recruit – The Story of Kotaro

The Adventures of TD-9993 Radio Show

Upcoming Events

• Facebook Comic Con – visit the 501st’s table!
• St. Baldrick’s Charity Events with Mountain Garrison & Midwest Garrison

Other

• Trooper Shout-Out – Barry, TK-0523 from Midwest Garrison
• Give-Away – Win a cool 501stCast prize pack
• Unit Anniversaries
  • Garrison Titan – 11th Anniversary (March)
  • The Armored Cavalry Detachment – 7th Anniversary (March)
  • Sovereign Protectors Detachment – 7th Anniversary (March)
  • FanWars Garrison – 3rd Anniversary (March 8th)
  • Rancor Raiders Outpost (formerly the Mississippi Outpost) – 1st Anniversary (March 8th)
  • Belgian Garrison – 7th Anniversary (March 13th)
  • Austrian Outpost – 3rd Anniversary (March 18th)
  • German Garrison Arma Candida Squad – 3rd Anniversary (March 18th)
  • German Garrison Coastal Hammer Squad - 3rd Anniversary (March 18th)
  • German Garrison White Shadows Squad - 3rd Anniversary (March 18th)
• Honorary Member Birthdays
  • Jake Lloyd (young Anakin Skywalker) – March 5th

Join us on Facebook – search for 501stCast under groups

But This Life’s Work And Choice Took Far Too Long

Fanboys ends with two of the main characters, Linus and Eric, sit and talk looking on their friends as they finally make up, with the song Fair by Remy Zero playing. It’s a touching end to the film, one that has seen considerable drama over the past two or so years since principle filming ended. Studio intrusions, fan boycotts, lack of advertising and other problems, and it is a relief to finally see it on the big screen.

Fanboys is the story of four Star Wars fans from high school, who, several years after they drifted apart, got back together to do a road trip cross country to Skywalker Ranch to steal a copy of The Phantom Menace. Why not just wait? Because one of the four, Linus, is suffering from cancer, and won’t live to see the premiere of the film. Linus and Eric also haven’t been speaking for years because they had drifted apart, and the film serves as a story of friendship and a mutual love for Star Wars. The film for most people would probably be middle of the pack – above the Adventure Movie! or whatever crap is being released by those writers, but below some of the more pinnacle comedies of similar genre, such as Superbad or something along those lines.

However, to anyone who has ever been a fan of the Star Wars movies, this will be one to see. Actually, really anyone who is a geek, nerd, dork or other so-called social outcast should find this amusing, provided you have a good sense of humor and self-deprecating attitude. Geek references are everywhere, ranging from Star Wars (duh) to things like Thunder Cats, X-Men, Star Trek, GI-Joe, Wonder Twins, any number of things that a geek in the late 90s would get. The movie is essentially a tribute to the genre and its fans, and doesn’t shy away from that in the slightest. Sharp-eyed fans will have a fun time picking out a number of the cameos of celebrities (especially from the SW movies) who range from Carrie Fisher to Billy Dee Williams to Kevin Smith and William Shatner.

But this film is more than just a series of throwaway laughs as the group travels across country to get beaten up by Harry Knowles (of Ain’t It Cool News – who should have been in a wheel chair), to wandering into a gay bar, smashing a statue of James Kirk (and ironically, there was a Star Trek trailer before this. Huh?) to wandering into a Star Trek convention to have William Shatner give them the plans for Skywalker Ranch. The story, once you look beyond the gags, is one that has some good themes to it – the bonds of friendship, a shared love for the Star Wars movies, but also about identity, which is something that I haven’t seen a whole lot of when it comes to films like this, and it really does bring the film up a bit.

There is a perception of the geeks/nerds/fanboys out there that this film plays into, and we see them represented amongst the main characters – you have the overweight guy in need of a shower, the tall, spindly one who has trouble interacting with people, especially the opposite sex and the undersized guy who knows everything about it. To boot, you have the geek-girl who is feisty and geeky, and the geeky guy who’s made efforts to distance himself from the perceptions, and is somewhat normal. The identity crisis really comes with Eric, who had gone to get a real job, and left his friends behind at their comic book store, and is blamed by Linus for this abandonment. I found this to be the most interesting part of the film in a way, because it felt the most honest. Eric has a dream where he sees his father as an Imperial, and essentially realizes that he really can’t turn his back on who he really is, as he sketches comics after hours in his dad’s car dealership, and while still being able to passionately argue about Luke and Leia’s complicated relationship. I particularly identify with elements of all the characters, and together, they show that they are a team, a group of friends who depend upon each other, and fully embrace who they are – fanboys.

At points, I’m a little bothered by the general perception of geeks/nerds/fanboys et al, because it’s an inherently unfair one, perpetrated by people who really don’t understand the passion that we feel towards the genre and the specific works within it. This film, while it reinforces some of these views, goes beyond that, and tells a good story about it, one that made me laugh almost from the beginning to the end, but also brought about a number of sobering moments, such as at the end with Remy Zero’s song, when the film closes without Linus. It is a bittersweet ending, and I can understand why the Weinstein company wanted to alter the cancer storyline to have something upbeat, but by keeping that aspect of the film intact, it made the film memorable, something beyond the gag film. Plus, it has Kristin Bell in a Slave Leia costume.And, the 501st Legion got a mention.

Become a Fan of the NEG!

I’ve been put in charge of the Social Networking activities of the New England Garrison, and one of the major initiatives that we’ve started is a big push into facebook, starting with a fan page of the garrison. We’ll be linking public events through this page, and updating people on what the garrison is up to, with new events and activities.

Become a fan here!

NEG @ UMASS Lowell Hockey Game

My first troop of the year! After an abortive attempt at going to NYCC (the transmission blew in my car), this was the first time this year that I’ve donned the armor and gone out to troop. This time around was at Lowell, MA, where we trooped a year ago, and were such a hit that we were asked back.

I got down to Lowell around 5:30 or so to suit up, and most everyone was already there getting ready. There were several TKs, a TB, TC, RCs, Vader, Fett and a couple others, providing a good variety of imperials to mingle with the crowds for the hockey game. Once we suited up, we went up to the lobby, where we posed for pictures with the crowds arriving for the game. There were a lot of kids and adults who were absolutely thrilled to see it. We posed for a ton of pictures, all the normal things, before going to the second level to patrol and do more of the same. Adam Joyce, our Vader for the evening, was invited to drop the puck for the game, which he did to Imperial March.

At half time, we all went out onto the ice where we waved to the applause of the crowd, before retreating back to the changing area where we all desuited before departing. Overall, a very fun troop!