Legion:History
Legion History
Insert general Legion summary here.
Last revised 08/25/2014
1997
Albin Johnson "finds" armor with help of friend Tom Crews and attends premiere of ESB:SE (2/21/97) by himself and ROTJ:SE (3/14/97) with Crews. The reaction between a single Stormtrooper costume and two Stormtroopers triggers the thought of an army of troops. Albin soon forms a small fan website called Detention Block 2551. Soon after, the 501st Squadron is formed at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Rampart/5195. Scott McArthur (Canadian member) designs the first logo.
The late 1997 parody fanfilm Troops by Kevin Rubio makes everyone want to get armor.
Fan sites like Studio Creations Definitive How To and Jedi-Academy, the Parts of Star Wars, and monkeyinadryer.com inspire and help fans track down and build their own armor.
1998
September 3-6, 1998: Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA becomes the first official event for the "501st Squadron." The first face-to-face meeting of members from across the country, and Albin recruits heavily. Sean Burgess, Mike Van Zweiten, Mike Glover, Shannon Wendlick, Steve Hamedl, Alan Isom, and Steve's cousin Gina (as Boushh) were the only ones there. Jeff and Kurt Allen brought their crew to the Star Wars costume contest that Saturday night and we all shared a collective chuckle at the sight of so many stormtroopers in one room. Then Bob Bean strolled in as Darth Vader and we all realized how good it all looked. Mat Clayson (Hi-Impact) and Matt Gauthier (TrooperExpert) were also in attendance, as well as Cheralyn Lambeth (as ANH Leia).
November 1998: Wookiee Cantina (Dale Mattson) opens web store (wookiee.com) to sell all kinds of sci-fi goods including trooper accessories. Somewhere around the beginning of 1999, the domain is appropriated by LFL. Reopens as Galaxy Trading around October 1999. Closes around April 2001.
1999
January 1999: Dave Prowse accepts role as "Honorary Leader" of the Legion at Albin's request. Bob Bean has a scan of the plaque presented.
April 30-May 2, 1999: Star Wars Celebration in Denver, Colorado. Questions, concerns and problems arise from the first mass flight of troopers with replica weapons and boxes of armor crossing the country. $1200 is raised to get an ad in the program.
May 1999: 725th Strategic Insertion Company (Allen Turner in Utah?) co-exists with 501st as small costuming groups trying to build an identity.
2000
March 2000: Prowse accepts Honorary Leader title (again?)
April 8, 2000: The domain 501st.com is registered and webmastered by Jason Brooks.
December, 2000: Name plaques produced
December 30, 2000: Troops at Field Museum Magic of Myth exhibit in Chicago
2001
January 1, 2001: Official launch of 501st.com (but was running prior to this date)
January 26, 2001: The Empire City Garrison's Keith Arbeeny (TK-444) painted his armor blue and marked it up and modified it to support the NY Giants at a Rally at Penn Station in NYC. He did such a great job of sacrificing his Armor for the good of the home team he won the title of "most devoted fan" and won two tickets to the Super Bowl and an all expense paid trip down to the game by Train. We hope you will all search the crowds for the Blue Trooper with the big 92 on his chest. Channel 4 said that he was in a Darth Vader type costume! NY1 also said that he has to return to Penn Station today to catch the 7:00 am train to Tampa, Florida .
May 17, 2001: 430+ members spanning 36 U.S. states and 18 countries worldwide
May 17, 2001: 501st.com featured a "Build Your Armor" section containing tips/links for Stormtrooper, Sand Trooper, Snow Trooper, Scout Trooper, Bounty Hunter, Royal Guard, Darth Vader, Darth Maul, TIE Pilot and AT-AT Pilot. Stormtrooper gallery actually said "Presented by Whitearmor.com" and provided advice and sources for building your own armor. Overview of materials for molds, the vacuforming process, the trimming sanding process, sources for materials and vacuform machines, buyer beware and an FAQ page that lists the option of buying a box of armor for $450-525 for a trimmed kit.
July, 2001: LFL slaps Canadian armor-maker Gerardo Follano with a cease & desist.
August 2001: Chris Skidmore (TK 1028) and Chris Beneke (TK 504) pictured on page 91 of Insider number 55 (Sept 2001 issue). First mention of 501st in Insider? Are they referred to as 501st members? With TK numbers?
September 25, 2001: 700+ members spanning 21 countries worldwide
October, 2001: Dragon*Con 2001. TK878 has pics
October 17, 2001: A Legion Charter is written with the help of Jay Harris, TK-1010, to help conduct Legion business.
??? 2001: The club does away from too many merit-based "ranks" to control infighting. Albin explains:
"Assigning merit-based ranks was proposed (by me no less) at the very outset of the club back in 98 and quickly overturned for the reason that many folks can't make trooping events but are still very active in the club in other ways. The result is a pecking order that some folks find intolerable. I had the idea of putting little colored 'pips' next to each person's profile online to identify charity, convention, or other events attended. Sounded like a good idea. Went over like a lead balloon
I can't argue with this. After all we certainly don't want to create an atmosphere that says one person is a 'better' trooper or more prominent than the next. There are plenty of other ways for a trooper to show their accomplishments, whether they're mods or props or whatever.
I've been reluctant every time we've created a rank or office, and I've only done so if that rank or office has a clearly defined JOB assigned to it. No reason to have ranks for their own sake - if someone wants to roll up their sleeves and work, then we'll put them to work and give them a title for one reason: better-allocation-of-work. I'll be the first to say: the moment this club no longer needs a Legion Commander I'll gladly toss the title - you notice in the Dragoncon photos last summer that I was nowhere near the front. I'm just a regular trooper like all of you.
Ask any of the web team, the folks who are currently busting their humps for days on end to get the membership roster up and running. They won't see a title or rank out of it, but they're some of the hardest working members of the club.
So I can't say I don't like the idea, since I brought it up a long time ago. But I think the practice of trooping doesn't lend itself well to assigning more ranks than is organizationally necessary, or awarding pins etc. for events attended. I'd rather we keep as much of the egalitarian atmosphere as possible.
But I'm glad Alexander brought up the idea. I'm sure there are plenty of ways to improve the club - I hope everyone will feel free to offer them up. This is a discussion forum, after all, and I'm not the only one who can start the ball rolling on changes in this club. That's why we have polls."
November, 2001: Joyce Young (formerly Joyce Evans) develops database-driven member gallery for 501st.com. 614 member records at this time.
November 22, 2001: Commanding Officer Scott Hawkins formally resigns from the Legion after performing criminal acts that leave him outcast to this day. A Legion poll votes him out for good and his Legion ID number (TK187) is retired.
November 25, 2001: The LegionHQ Yahoo Group is activated when Scott Hawkins deletes the former official 501st Yahoo Group (7000+ posts). Most, if not all, of the posts are recovered through backups. The new group ends up with nearly 31,000 message posts until a new forum is established in 2005.
November 27, 2001: Albin names Todd Shingleton as the Legion's first Chief Armorer to develop a web page as a "one stop shop" for armor modifications.
December, 2001: Sins of the Jedi fanfilm is the first to officially mention the 501st on screen. Filming continues for over a year (more?) with on-location shoots in Wilmington, NC in a prop castle environment used for Martin Lawrence's comedy film Black Knight. (pics) Film (like many) never reaches completion.
December, 2001: German Garrison appears in Focus magazine.
2001: TK1023, Kevin-Kim Papart sets record for longest time in armor (33 hours) at Dark Side Con in Münster, Germany.
2002
January, 2002: Pathfinders Scout Detachment is formed.
2002: Web maintenance is divided up with web team members assigned to each costume category.
January, 2002: 501st hits 700+ members. The German Garrison is the Legion's largest at 75 members. Detachments are formed (formerly called "Detail Squads") starting with Daala's Death Squad (all females, started by Joyce Evans (now Young) TB-9449 at http://www.daalasdeathsquad.net/), Jolly Roger Squadron (TIE Pilots, started by Theo Clyatt TI-775), then MEPD (Sandtroopers) and the Pathfinders (Bikers) .
January 15, 2002: Issue 58 (cover date April 2002) of the Star Wars Insider magazine runs article about the 501st.
This is a great moment for the 501st. We've finally garnered the kind of recognition each of YOU deserves for the hard work, the perseverance, the professionalism you've exhibited for the last FIVE years of our existence! This is a mark of excellence for every American trooper, European trooper, Canadian trooper, Brazilian trooper, Scandanavian trooper, Japanese trooper and Austrialian/New-Zealand trooper! (I hope I didn't leave anyone out) We have registered on the Star Wars radar, now we are a PART of Star Wars history!
(When they were interviewing me for the article they asked: "What are your goals for the Fighting 501st?" I almost choked. Because when I first started this club my only goal was to get us mentioned in the Star Wars Insider Magazine!)
In the same issue, Steve Sansweet addresses the issue of costumed fans showing up at events and being confused with LFL reps: The reason you've searched so hard for so long is that no such catalog exists...yet. For many years Lucas Licensing has pondered whether to authorize the manufacturing of high-end replica costumes of fans' favorite characters, such as you mention. There have been great static manikins made by Don Post, and one by Rubies, but nothing wearable. One legitimate concern has been that at "official" events, the public might be confused by whether costumed characters were Lucasfilm employees or fans whose actions weren't controlled by Lucasfilm. But as fans started making costumes themselves and showing up at such events, the point became moot. Lucas Licensing is now reconsidering the replica costumes issue, there might be some exciting news soon on this front. Stay tuned!
In response, member Alexander Rea TK-808 summed it up:
If armor became available to everyone, a rift would form between those that respect us that have built our own from the kits, have toiled hours in piles of Dremel inflicted ABS dustm have had to peel ABS Cement off of orifices that you wonder "How did that get there?", and those that just bought their size of armor (S, M, L, etc.), with a nice Hasbro (for example) stamp on the butt, and wear it "willy-nilly" without having put the work in.
I personally enjoyed having half of my apartment covered in plastic. Spending hours up the night before cons to make last minute modifications. I wear my armor proud because it is mine. There are many ones like it, but this one is mine. It is the little je ne sais quois that makes each of our suits unique. It is the mistakes that we each made that we alone only know about, and hope that the Trooper next to you does not see.
Tim Knapp, TK-1066, writes:
FYI - Our appearance in the SW Insider is in no way evidence of any status "Official" or otherwise. The only thing anyone should draw from our inclusion is that we are a SW club that the editorial staff decide to feature for one issue. We have no more "Official" status then anyone else who pictures have been featured in the Insider. While we may some day be "Official", that is a decision for LFL's team to make, not WOTC. Anyway, try not to read too much in to our current good fortune, we still need to tread lightly where LFL is concerned.
February 3, 2002: 1st round of Charter amendments, establishing the Cadet rank and changing "Detail Squads" to "Detachments."
February, 2002: Cadets (under 1Cool) are still able to join the Legion but must have waiver signed by parent/guardian to attend events.
??? 2002: Minors (Cadets) are removed from membership eligibility due to legal issues.
February, 2002: Wizards of the Coasts recruits Garrison Titan members to take part in a photo shoot for their SW RPG game advertisement featuring a house party with a bunch of costumed characters waiting to get in. (photo)
February 10, 2002: Eastern Squad (part of the ECG) applies for Garrison status as Garrison Carida
February 28, 2002: German Garrison featured on German-based internet TV show (http://www.elton.tv) where they could promote their website for 30 seconds.
2002: Cafe Press was used to produce an assortment of items including t-shirts with every Garrison logo at the time
March 11, 2002: There was a article on Enron in last week's Newsweek - the March 11th issue with Yates on the cover. Page 28. A picture of one of Enron's executives with a stormtrooper and Vader appeared - I scanned it and put it here: 
March 13, 2002: Tim Knapp, TK-1066, is named first 501st LXO per changes in the Charter.
March 16, 2002: 501st inducts its first honorary members, SW authors Aaron Allston, Timothy Zahn and Michael Stackpole at Stellarcon 2002 in Greensboro, NC.
Three authors of Star Wars novels were in attendance: Timothy Zahn, Michael Stackpole, and Aaron Allston. On Saturday we presented them with plaques naming them official Honrary Members of the 501st Legion. All three were genuinely excited and grateful for this gesture and commented at length about how much they enjoyed the plaques and working with us. Even Mr. Stackpole mentioned how he loved to see the TIE Pilots walking around with the 181st red stripes on their helmets and Mr. Zahn responded positively to several suggestions about including the 501st in his future books.
From Albin: The Star Wars legacy owes much of its popular success to the actors, writers, musicians (ie the creative Force) behind the movies and books and games. One of the highlights to attending any sci-fi convention has been the opportunity to meet some of these fascinating people. They are the icons, the heroes, the very fabric of the Star Wars universe.
I think it is high time the 501st Legion pays tribute to these fine folks by extending Honorary Memberships to the key people in the Star Wars community. Much more than just a pat on the back, this is our club's way of saying 'Thank You' in a sincere and inclusive way. And what could do our club more honor than to have these fine folks accept an honorary membership in our club?
This issue was bandied about unsuccessfully during the previous Legion Commander's tenure. Needlessly so, I think. Too much speculation about who would be included and who would accept and will this diminish the meaning of being a member. I think folks were over-reacting about the issue with Kevin Smith, since membership now is pretty inclusive already. The only thing we're bringing on board is celebrity endorsement, and that can only be a good thing.
An honorary membership is a gesture that offers us everything to gain and nothing to lose. It is a tool to get us recognized as a club worldwide, to get us silent endorsement from the celebrities themselves, and to help build our club family.
To this end, I am currently working with a local trophy company to create a series of simple but tasteful plaques that I will begin presenting to Star Wars celebrities at future conventions in a goodwill campaign to win our club more recognition among some of the folks who matter most in the SW community. The plaques are handsome stained wood with black vertical trim lines and an oval-recess at the top. Inserted into this felt-lined oval will be an official 501st Legion patch like many of our members wear now. Below will be a simple black aluminum plate that reads:
-----------------------------
In recognition of your contribution to the Star Wars legacy
NAME OF PERSON
is welcomed as an Honorary Member of the 501st Legion Fan Club
--------------------------------
I will post a picture of these plaques as soon as I get one this afternoon.
This coming weekend will see Stellarcon in Greensboro, NC and the assembling of three contemporary authors in Star Wars literature: Michael Stackpole, Timothy Zahn, and Aaron Allston. I would like to present all three of these gentlemen with honorary memberships. More will follow, but I will always announce them ahead of time to the group in case discussion is necessary. I assure you that the utmost respect will be paid in this matter.
I anticipate little or no contention over this, but the last time this was brought up it was a hot topic for some reason. As founder of this club I hope I've earned the trust of this group enough that you can all appreciate the vision behind this campaign. I look forward to the day our site has an entire gallery of snapshots showing us presenting Star Wars celebrities with plaques and naming them as our own, a gallery that will one day be crowned with the ultimate picture: George Lucas accepting a Membership. What an incredible group we'll have then!
April 6, 2002: MWG members appear on stage with No Doubt during their striking rendition of the Imperial March. No Doubt is inducted as Honorary Friends of the Legion.
May 3-5, 2002: Star Wars Celebration 2 in Indianapolis, IN. 501st works with Wizards of the Coast staff as "Security" to maintain crowd control. It is discovered that crowds actually part at the sight of stormtroopers. Amazing. A whole lot of other SW celebs are made into Honorary Members. An SW Insider issue leading up to the event listed the 501st as one of the groups to look forward to meeting at the con. The Legion places an ad in the event program book designed by Jay Thompson. At the time, it was the largest gathering of 501st members at 172. MTV films a segment for their show about kids embarrassed by their parents which includes the son of a SW fan who dresses as a Jedi eventually getting armored up with 501st members so he can spite his dad, but it brings them closer. The 501st also makes a charity visit to the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children while in Indianapolis.
May 28, 2002: The New England Garrison (NEG) appears on stage with Maestro John Williams and the Boston Pops to present him with a birthday cake for his 70th birthday celebration. After the event, the group meets him backstage to present him with his honorary membership to the 501st Legion.
September 27, 2002: A second wave of Charter revisions is passed, including merchandise guidelines, elimination of minors, probationary periods for new units, and disciplinary measures.
November 1, 2002: Star Wars: Episode II: Attack Of The Clones: The IMAX Experience opens big and on the biggest screens, beginning with a midnight screening on 58 IMAX screens in selected cities in North America. This is one of the biggest openings ever for an exclusive IMAX release and LFL recruits fan organizations (including the 501st) to help promote the events.
December 11, 2002: A third wave of Charter revisions is adopted, including the 501st definition of a Sandtrooper.
2003
January 2003: After a business meeting at Allen Turner's place, local members vote to abide by the 501st Charter and the 725th Strategic Insertion Company officially becomes the Alpine Garrison.
April 24, 2003: Member Jay Thompson distances himself from the Legion to begin impartial work on an independent film about the Legion called "Heart of an Empire." Later in 2003, he enlists the help of Jason Queen, TK-924, to create a poster for the documentary.
May-June 2003: Jerry Jones of the FL Garrison negotiates with Disney-MGM Studios in Florida to allow the 501st to march complete with banners in their daily motorcade-style parade during Star Wars Weekends in 2003. The event is repeated in 2004 (May 15-16, June 4-6) and 2005 (June 10-12). Disney is encouraged to improve their own costumes when comments from visitors are overheard to say that the 501st looks better than the cast members.
2003: URAtoy.com produces custom action figures for 501st members in an exclusive (but unauthorized) "501st Series" of action figures based upon the Hasbro toys. Several 501st members MUST have themselves on a card!
October 25, 2003: The Legion loses one of its own as Chanel Vanecek (TI-6381) of Golden Gate Garrison tragically passes from this world, leaving behind her daughter, Angelica. In Chanel's honor, a college fund is established for Angelica, and the Official Star Wars Fan Club donates proceeds from Attack of the Clones IMAX poster sales to the fund.
November 2003? : Kathy Van Beuningen, TK-9998, and the Midwest Garrison establish a relationship with Charlie Ross and the One-Man Star Wars Trilogy which continues to this day.
November 13, 2003: Legion Founder Albin Johnson's daughter, Katie, is diagnosed with brain cancer. The Legion rallies to her support. ForKatie.org is formed and Jay Thompson's documentary "Heart of an Empire" changes its focus.
Dec 2, 2003: The first Spike TV Video Game Awards are held in Las Vegas, NV. LFL flies 501st members to Vegas to appear on stage with David Spade and Pamela Anderson while they present the award for Best Fantasy Game. The winner is LucasArts' "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic".
December 11, 2003: A fourth wave of Charter revisions, focused mainly on TD requirements, passes with only twelve votes. Nine vote in favor of the pauldron, pack and one other item for qualification as a TD. These revisions also create the position of CotG, allow for member placement in Garrison NONE, make the LCO elected by a simple majority, and defined active/inactive members. The character of Snoova, Chewbacca's disguise from Shadows of the Empire, is suggested but not approved.
2004
January, 2004: Badlands Squad is formed.
January 18, 2004: Terror Australis Garrison is established.
February 3, 2004: Timothy Zahn dedicates his novel Survivor's Quest to "Vader's Fist" and incorporates the 501st Legion into the storyline, marking the first time the Legion is referenced in the official Star Wars universe. Zahn follows this up with more 501st references in the eBook novella "Fool's Bargain," released online on the same day.
February, 2004: The Old Line Squad of Garrison Carida becomes the Old Line Garrison. The squad's graduation to garrison status is celebrated around the Farpoint weekend, which was the February 13th-15th that year.
March 2004: A spin-off group called the 105th Dented Armor Brigade is started by a handful of disgruntled 501st members as a result of "restrictions" and "rules" that felt too heavy-handed in the Legion. The group fades away by the end of the year. The group's mission statement is nearly identical to the 501st Charter begging the question of "why?" EU costumes not permitted, and must have endorsement of 3 existing members to join, one of which must be part of an 8-member "Military Council."
Date? 2004? : The 501st hits 3,000 members worldwide and becomes a bona fide "Legion."
July 2004: Member Chris Bartlett (TK-409) is contacted by illustrator Tommy Lee Edwards to model as Boba Fett for the cover Star Wars: Empire issue 28 by Dark Horse Comics. A tribute to Chris's wealth of knowledge and impressive accuracy of his costume. (photos)
September 26, 2004: The 501st Legion descends upon Network Associates Coliseum as the Oakland Raiders face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN. Visit http://www.raiders.com for more details and a special Flash intro
2005
2005: The availability of more accurate armor and helmets begins to change the ratio of "bobblehead" troopers to more proportional costumes.
January 12, 2005: Garrison Titan appears in the web comic strip Penny Arcade by Mike K.
February 24, 2005: The "70th Explorers Squadron" is established.
March?, 2005?: Costumed Legion members from California appear in Cingular wireless "Orange" commercials which are shown in UK theaters. They also take part in a photo shoot for still ads with stars Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew (also in costume).
March, 2005: The 501st Legion releases its first series of trading cards. The first set contains 100 cards, and they become a sought after collectible when released at Celebration III.
March 17, 2005: George Lucas is made an Honorary Member of the 501st at ShoWest event in Vegas and presented with a unique HM plaque by Damien Metz. Is it at this event that Angelina Jolie says "Damn sexy" and Brad Pitt hums the Imperial march backstage?
April 2, 2005: The Episode III Visual Dictionary makes a small mention of the 501st Legion in regards to the Jedi Temple slaughter led by Anakin. This identifies the "blue" clone troopers as the 501st. There is no mention of the 501st in the actual film dialog.
April 17, 2005: Another offshoot (possibly rogue) group forms under the name Dark Side Troopers. Dark Side Troopers has both Imperial and Rebel costumed members stationed in Oregon and Southwest Washington State. Their rules are essentially the same as the 501st, but allowing for a mix of costume types including customs and Rebels. By January 2006, they had over 30 events under their belt with a focus on charity.
April 21-24, 2005: Star Wars Celebration 3 in Indianapolis, IN, The 501st takes the stage in multiple events and for multiple vendors, Bloodfin Garrison works with local pub (The Ram) making it the official hangout at C3 and the restaurant promotes the Legion to bring in customers. The 501st hosts several fan panels, as well. Through a hastily-formed back-up plan members march to the Capitol and hold a giant group photo indoors. Over $800 in donations is raised in 48 hours so the 501st can have an advertisement in the C3 Program book. Over $10K is raised for Katie Johnson. Jay Laga'aia says he wants the 501st "knighted." At one of Lucas's rare convention appearance Q&A's he calls the 501st "great" and adds "they should have their own marching band." The 501st debuts its own trading cards and they are quickly sought out by collectors and kids (complete sets of cards are privately sold for $350-400 for charity and they appear on eBay almost immediately after C3).
In preparation for the big Episode III launch, the 501st is tapped by LFL to work with several big-name promoters including Pepsi. The work includes live appearances as well as work in several television commercials. Burger King commercials, featuring members of SoCal Garrison and directed by John Landis, air and are re-aired in November 2005 with the release of the Ep3 DVD. (photo courtesy of Rob Bouffard, RobStyle on RPF).
Press Enterprise photo shoot with SoCal's Wm as Vader?
2005: AU Cellular Transit Poster, Japan, 2005, 40x58: True to form, this large Japanese transit poster for AU, a cellular company, presents it product to consumers in a totally fresh and unexpected way. SoCal's Wm as Vader? Note when he is seated, William's less-than-Vaderish height is not an issue.
G4TV promotions/interviews?
May 12, 2005: Ep3 Charity premiere has troopers working with LFL across the country in various locations with big stars.
May 13, 2005: Musical artists Good Charlotte play MTV's Total Request Live at Skywalker Ranch with the 501st to provide stage presence.
June 9, 2005: George Lucas is presented the American Film Institute's highest honor—the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. To help set the stage for the gala event, members of the 501st Legion were recruited for an opening skit featuring William Shatner (Star Trek's Captain Kirk). Even guest/presenter Harrison Ford had to laugh at the sight of Stormtroopers carrying Shatner off stage in a well-choreographed song and dance routine.
Fanwars, a Belgian Garrison Squad (now Garrison), registers themselves with the local government as an actual legal entity. Not sure what this means, how it affect the 501st as a worldwide organization, or how it can be prevented in the future.
July?, 2005: LCO Tim Knapp, TK-1066, goes MIA for several months and panic ensues. Claims of power grabs are met with disputes over accomplishing tasks. Votes of No Confidence are bandied about. Changes to the Legion Charter are suggested to update the Charter so that a VoNC is feasible within the confines of a voting membership of 3000 vs. a few hundred. Albin's return brings trust and calm and the flame wars quickly die down. Tim remains under the radar for months to come.
August 9, 2005: Katie Johnson passes away and the Legion stands beside the Johnsons as extended family. Katie's inspiration continues to drive the 501st in the area of charitable giving.
August 9, 2005: starwars.com features an Ep3 image of Yoda skewering a blue Clone Trooper through the chest with his lightsaber in "Sith Snapshots". The caption reads "The Sword in the Clone" and continues "Yoda retrieves his lightsaber from its temporary holding place--within a member of the 501st." http://www.starwars.com/episode-iii/explore/sithsnap/2005/08/sithsnap20050809.html
August 2005: Similarly, in August 2005, members Thomas Spanos (SL1876) and Jen B Von Ohlsen (SL1378) find themselves as the real-world reference for Expanded Universe characters the Clone Emperor and Asajj Ventress (respectively). Their highly-detailed and carefully crafted costumes, which had never been translated into real world textiles for any official Lucasfilm media, inspired Star Wars artist Joe Corroney to use their photos and likeness as the basis for illustrations in SW Insider article "20 Most Memorable Moments of the Expanded Universe." (Issue 83, September 2005, pages 36-XX). (photos)
September 2005: G4TV Shoot with SoCal members.
September 2005: Member Chris Bartlett TK-409 applies for employment at a video game company by delivering his resume in full Sandtrooper armor, scoring big points with the Creative Director and CEO and ultimately landing him the job.
September 2005: More references to the 501st Legion are popping up in the StarWars.com Databank courtesy of our friends at Lucasfilm and its now common to find custom blue "501st" clone trooper action figures on Ebay.
September 21, 2005: A new forum is launched to improve Legion communication.
September 23, 2005: 5th round of revisions to the Charter includes mandatory contact info for members, clarification of costuming standards vs. event costuming standards, dissolution of Garrison NONE, and expectations for complete, accurate and professional costumes.
September 2005: Due to international membership, there is a notable increase in foreign activity and problems begin to arise as to how a US-based organization can oversee foreign affiliates, especially with a language barrier.
October, 2005: Badlands Squad becomes Badlands Garrison.
October 2, 2005: The 70th Explorers Garrison is established.
October 12-14, 2005: The 2nd national call for 100 troops for a LFL/DigitalLife Event in NYC coupled with Battlefront 2 promo. Although we are still not employees of LFL, Legion members have airfare and lodging comped to ensure our presence. PR Agency botches plan and many are disappointed, but will receive BF2 game and E3 DVD as compensation.
October 2005: Judgment is reached by the Legion Council that Jay Harris (TK1010) has repeatedly disregarded the 501st merchandising guidelines by generating "merchandise for the sake of merchandise" (patches in particular) and done so to generate a profit for himself. Jay is expelled from the Legion. Many 501st items continue to pop up on Ebay fetching surprising dollar amounts, leading to concerns about how to control bootleg items or the illegal sale of 501st merchandise.
October 20, 2005: 501st member Mike Randleman (TK4357) passes away to cancer. His mother decides to lay him to rest in his TK armor in tribute to one of his great passions for Star Wars.
October 2005: Starwars.com posts a downloadable pdf paper mask of a "501st Legion Trooper" by Star Wars artist Tom Hodges. Now everyone can join the Legion!
October 28, 2005: sw.com updates its Databank again with full listings of "Missions of the 501st" (clearly a tie-in to the Battlefront II game release) and a listing for "501st Legion" under the category of "Organizations". The Behind the Scenes tab gives details on the fan organization and shows an image of real-life Legion members marching in the Star Wars Weekends parades in Florida.
November 2005: Donald Trump's Apprentice (NBC) runs a series of spoof commercials to promote an episode focused on promoting the Episode 3 DVD release. Members of the 501st appear as troopers.
November 1, 2005: Star Wars: Battlefront 2 - LucasArts includes the 501st as the default characters in the sequel to their best-selling Star Wars game. Negotiations take place to ensure the 501st name is used appropriately and to determine who "owns" the name. Members find themselves autographing copies of the game for fans.
November 1, 2005: Troopers of the UKG appear on stage with rock band with The Posies at the Fleece, Bristol.
November 2005?: Hasbro toys releases a Clone Trooper figure with the blue "501st" markings. The figure packaging is labeled as "Vader's Legion" vs. "501st Legion"...except in Japan where the Japanese translation insert actually reads "501st". Due to a delay in approvals, the US version doesn't make the production deadline.
November 26, 2005: In acknowledgement for the worthy charitable efforts made by local 501st troops, Nov 26, 2005 was officially proclaimed "Golden Gate Garrison Day" by the mayor of Santa Cruz, California.
December 4, 2005: Music station VH1's award show "BIG in '05" spoofs the reality show "DANCING with THE STARS" using Star Wars characters (A Vader, Troopers etc) titled "DANCING with STAR WARS". 501st members answer the call for talent.
December 2005: Golden Gate Garrison debut's its first Legion vehicle: http://www.goldengategarrison.com/vehicles.php
December XX, 2005: Legion Founder Albin Johnson is granted the perpetual title of Legion Advisor, securing him a permanent seat on the Legion Council.
December 21, 2005: The Aurora Borealis Outpost is established in Alaska, occupying the last territory unclaimed by the 501st in the 50 United States.
December 23, 2005: starwars.com runs a feature web article called "Star Wars: The Best of 2005". #9 is an article called "The 501st: Above and Beyond the Call of Duty" which features a summary of the Legion's history and their involvement with Lucasfilm.
December 31, 2005: New Year's Eve, the Japanese Garrison performs on stage on live NHK television with Japanese musicians "TM Revolution" at the NHK End of Year Concert Spectacular watched by 50 million people as part of a 56 year old tradition. The 501st Legion, Japanese Garrison receives on-screen credits for this well-choreographed event.
