It’s almost that time again. This fourth of May, rabid fans the world over will celebrate another International Star Wars Day. But what are its origins? And what can we do to celebrate in Germany and beyond? Find out all that and more in today’s Teufel Blog article!
“May the force be with you“ – the origin of Star Wars Day
“May the force be with you.” You hardly have to be a Star Wars superfan to recognize this iconic saying. And while the link might be clear for our native English speaking readership, Teufel has many fans from all over the world who might find it a bit confusing. So, for all of you: the first three words of “may the force be with you” sound very similar to the date “May the fourth.” But where did it really come from? It’s first recorded usage was in 1978, just a year after the first film was released. However, these uses were all related to US Independence Day, the fourth of July. But the next year, to mark Margaret Thatcher’s inauguration as Prime Minister of the UK, many newspapers there ran the headline “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie!” As a day to celebrate Star Wars, however, it was only used in 2001 amid enthusiasm for the new trilogy.
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And ever since, Star Wars fanatics have celebrated their favorite media property yearly on May 4th with fan events, movie marathons, and costume competitions. Since acquiring the IP, Disney has also capitalized on the date, pushing tons of Star Wars merchandise on and around the holiday.
4 ways to celebrate Star Wars Day 2023 in Germany and beyond
We’ve scoured the web to see what you can do to celebrate the holiday in our homeland of Germany. Either way, whether out on the town or chilling at home: May the fourth be with you!
If you can’t make it to any of our options, searching hashtags #MayThe4thBeWithYou or #StarWarsDay on social media to find a treasure trove of content and nearby events.
Star Wars zone at Madame Tussaud’s in Berlin
Want some words of wisdom from Yoda? To stand face to face with Darth Vader? Or take a selfie with Princess Leia? At the Star Wars zone in Madame Tussaud’s Berlin, you can take a deep dive into the world of Star Wars.
Beyond hyper-realistic wax figures, there are three special theme zones with a vast array of special effects and surprises in store.
- Duel of the Fates: “Find yourself looking down on one of the most epic of all Star Wars light saber battles, as Obi-Wan Kenobi duels with Darth Maul,” the website reads. You can also learn some fun facts about the production and the famed scene itself.
- The Jedi Council: Join forces with Master Yoda and take a seat on the Jedi Council. You can also learn interesting tidbits about Yoda and construction of the set.
- Death Star: Give a hug to Sith Lord Vader? In the Death Star, you can! Other famous figures from the original trilogy such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and R2D2 all await!
A day ticket goes for €28, kids for €21.50. Madame Tussaud’s in Berlin is open 10 AM to 7 PM on May 4th for those of you lucky enough to find yourselves in Teufel’s home city.
Stars of the Galaxy in Mönchengladbach
Something our international readers might be surprised to learn is that the German city of Mönchengladbach is host to a Star Wars fan mecca, Stars of the Galaxy. The innovative museum‘s collection includes life-sized models of characters from the movie, extremely rare Lego models and collectibles, lovingly composed Star Wars miniature sets (the Battle of Hoth for instance) and Augmented Reality (AR!). The new AR feature can bring the museum’s exhibitions to life!
Stars of the Galaxy is a permanent exhibition, which will be open from 12 PM to 6 PM on May 4th this year. Guided tours are offered for groups of at least three, and entry prices start at €8 for children. Adults pay €10.
Galactic sound with minimal design: Teufel soundbars
Game and stream until the cows… er, ARC troopers come home!
If you’re not into big crowds, there are big Star Wars treats coming for you, too. On April 28th, EA is releasing Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. May 4th itself, in what is surely a huge coincidence, Disney+ is putting out season 2 of long-awaited animated series Star Wars: Visions. It is an anime style retelling of Star Wars stories. Season 2 includes 9 short films and can be streamed in German, English and the original Japanese among other languages.
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Gamers meanwhile, can finally expect the followup to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. After five long years of waiting, the story of Cal Kestis the Jedi continues and tells a new epic Star Wars adventure for you to play on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
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Since the beginning of march, season 3 of Disney+’s The Mandalorian has been live. So why not binge all eight episodes in a row? It’s definitely how we recommend binging it!
More to watch and read: A fan of the soundtrack? Check out our article on the 5 best film soundtracks of all time.
THX, George Lucas! The audio format that set new galactic standards
What else do we have George Lucas to thank for? Well, THX isn’t just an online abbreviation for thanks, it’s also an acronym standing for Tomlinson Holman Experiment. Its story goes back to the 1980’s, when movie sound was light-years away from the Surround Sound we enjoy today. In fact, the complete lack of audio standards meant different theaters often reproduced the sound of movies dramatically differently.
Read also: The History of Ray Dolby, a Surround Sound pioneer
That was a thorn in the side of both Lucas and his sound engineer Tomlinson Holman, who understandably wanted his highly engineered sound effects to always sound equally good. And so, they developed a system of standards specifically for this purpose with requirements for both the playback technology and acoustics of a location. After a lengthy development process, they released the then-revolutionary THX Sound System.
The THX sound standard trumps all others with its highly advanced performance figures such as extremely high dynamics and undistorted levels for detailed sound reproduction. The linear frequency response also allows for a very wide spectrum of frequencies – all in for natural and balanced audio, so to speak.
Teufel’s THX-certified home theater systems
▶ System 4 THX: This 5.1 home cinema set with THX Compact Speaker certification provides intergalactic super class sound performance and pure home theater goosebumps. For small and medium-sized rooms (up to 30 m²), it performs particularly well.
▶ System 6 THX “5.2-Set“: A high-end home theater setup with THX Select certification for maximum audio performance with no compromises. Suitable even for larger spaces. Let it’s spectacular, room-filling sound inspire you and warp you sonically into another galaxy! May the force be with you!
▶ Discover all THX speakers in the Teufel webshop!
More Surround Sound systems in the Teufel webshop
5 Star Wars Day Fun Facts
Craving a bit more nerd info? Here we have assembled five tidbits of pointless yet useful knowledge.
- In Germany, Star Wars Day has been an official trademark registered with the German Patent and Branding Office.
- Star Wars Day on the ISS? In 2015, astronauts sent an unexpected message to Earth from the International Space Station. In it, they included a photo of themselves with Star Wars characters in the background and wished everyone on Earth a happy Star Wars Day. Pretty cool action, right?
- In Toronto, Canada there have been Star Wars Day festivities since 2011. In 2014, they made it an official government recognized holiday.
- George Lucas himself has never recognized May 4th as a holiday. However, he has often mentioned it in interviews as a fun little nod from his fans.
- For another Lucas fun fact: did you know that he had a connection to Teufel’s hometown of Berlin? In during his early days as a director in 1965, while studying film at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles), he produced an experimental film with the German title Freiheit (Freedom), in which a young man tries to escape across the Berlin Wall.
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