"May the 4th be with you" has become a prominent piece of slang among Star Wars fans. So much so that the California Legislature voted May 4 as Star Wars Day in 2019. But from where did it all begin?

As writer Lucas Seastrom himself wrote on the official Star Wars website, the phrase has not emerged from a single instance but is an accumulation of many, per se.

The earliest use of the phrase dates back to 1978, a year after the release of the first Star Wars film. Newspaper writers used the phrase, "May the Force be with you."

A year later, per Seatstrom, the first instance of the phrase with "4th" appeared. The United Kingdom was familiar with the earlier-mentioned phrase. When Margaret Thatcher became Britain's new prime minister on May 4, 1979, The London Evening News wrote "May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations!" in a full-page ad.

Let us discuss more about why and how May 4 became Star Wars Day.

The Establishment of Star Wars Day

Although the previous instances shed light on the phrase, it was the next instance that really sparked a fire, occurring within Lucasfilm itself. Randy Thom, who is now the director of sound design at Skywalker Sound, worked as a location sound recordist on Revenge of the Jedi.

May 4, 1982, was a working day, and Thom thought of the pun and shared it with the crew members on the set. He then continued to write annual messages to the company with "May the 4th Be With You" phrase for many years.

The phrase became more relevant, and fans started holding themed parties or hosting community events and gatherings on the day. While many revisited the films on the day, others also used them to get a laugh or two among friends and family.

But the real adaptation came in 2012, after Disney acquired Lucasfilm. Since then, Disney began to frequently use the phrase in the upcoming films, series, books, comics, and games, along with making T-shirts, bumper stickers, and advertisements, all involving the use of the phrase in some way or another.

As a result of these many instances, the phrase "May the Fourth be with you" has transformed May 4th into a global Star Wars celebration of the franchise.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Yask Kotak