I love the original Star Wars and there’s just something wicked cool about organized evil. When I first heard about the 501st Legion, I thought it was the coolest thing ever and I decided I had to join.
The 501st assigns every member an id for their costume. I picked 2911 by putting together my hockey jersey numbers from college.
Oh and the answer is yes, I am way too short to be a stormtrooper. (If I had a dollar for every time someone used that line on me…) The guys in my garrison, the Golden Gate Garrison, helped me cut my armor down so it would fit me, but for years my helmet was too big for me. I recently picked up a new helmet though so hopefully my bobble-headed days are over.
One of my favorite moments in this costume was the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade of 2007. It was the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, and to celebrate, George Lucas flew in 200 501st members from around the world to Pasadena. We spent 4 days learning to march together and we marched the 5.6 miles of the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade.
First Worn: MTV’s VGA Awards 2003
