‘Star Wars’ sequel draws crowds to theaters
Mantua's Nicholas Shaw, center, gives a thumbs up in his snow trooper commander suit with brother and sister Bryce Brown, right, and Brittany Walker, left, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, inside Megaplex Theatres at The Junction in Ogden. Shaw is a member of the 501st Legion.
Air Force Tsgt and 501st Legion member Chris Reid, left, gets help with his stormtrooper suit from Ssgt Emanuel Hayes Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, inside an upstairs office Megaplex Theatres in Ogden.
A GALAXY VERY, VERY CLOSE — When Mark Fordham’s children were younger, they used to love to tell the other kids at school, “No, Darth Vader really IS my father.”
It’s true. Sort of. For charity and community events, the Provo man regularly dresses like the supreme villain from the “Star Wars” franchise of movies.
Fordham is the Commanding Officer of the Alpine Garrison, the Utah chapter of the 501st Legion, which calls itself “the world’s definitive Imperial costuming organization.” In membership numbers, the group is “just one short of 100,” according to Fordham.
“It’s awesome, I love suiting up,” said Emanuel Hayes, Staff Sgt. at Hill Air Force Base and 501st Legion member, who is expecting to get a suit of his own. “I can’t wait to get mine.”
The Alpine Garrison has been busy getting ready for Thursday night, Dec. 17’s premiere of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” They’re attending premieres at theaters throughout Utah, and spent all day Thursday setting up “Star Wars” props in theater lobbies to allow selfie photo ops for moviegoers.
“I’ve been here over a year and a half now,” said Chris Reid, Air Force Technical Sgt. at Hill. “As a trooping member since July but I’ve been involved with projects as a spotter for a little over a year now.”
Hayes is so eager to get a suit he keeps trying to buy Reid’s, but both acknowledge that what they do is more important than what they wear.
“It’s not so much about what it costs to get the suit and building it that matters, it’s more about what you do once you have it,” said Reid, who lives in Ogden. “That’s my bottom line with all this stuff.”
This weekend’s premiere is big — huge, even — according to movie insiders.
“It’s almost like the Second Coming of Movie Jesus,” joked one female ticket-taker at Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres at The Junction, in downtown Ogden.
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Some of the theater’s employees were dressed in “Star Wars” costumes for Thursday’s opening; this particular female ticket-taker was wearing a “Star Wars” t-shirt.
“I was going to put my hair in Princess Leia buns,” she said, “but I ran out of time.”
Andy Rhodes is general manager of the Megaplex Junction theaters, and Northern Regional Director for the Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres. He’s been working in movie theaters for 20 years — he started as a ticket-taker — and said this could be the biggest movie premiere ever. He said the original “Star Wars” trilogy was re-released in 1997, and that was a pretty epic premiere. And the “Harry Potter” movies always drew massive crowds.
But in terms of the popularity of movies and their sequels, it’s hard to beat a Jedi.
“I’d say it’s ‘Star Wars’ is first, ‘Harry Potter’ is second, and ‘Twilight’ is third,” he said. “But, ‘Star Wars’ still rules.”
Rhodes admits to being a “Star Wars” fan himself.
“I’ve still got all of my original ‘Star Wars’ toys,” he said. “My Millennium Falcon’s a little beat up, but I’ve still got it.”
So then, Rhodes will get to see the new movie on opening night?
“I wish,” Rhodes said. “I’ll be working.”
And as for when he’ll finally be able to see it?
“That is an excellent question.”
But for those still wanting tickets to see “Star Wars” on opening weekend the options are a little limited, but it’s not unattainable.
“It depends on how late you’re willing to stay up,” Rhodes said. “But prime time? Good luck.”
Indeed, the Megaplex listed a whopping 18 showings of “The Force Awakens” for Thursday’s premiere night, beginning at 7 p.m. and concluding with the last show of the day starting at a yawn-inducing 2:15 a.m.
“And then we start again at 8:10 a.m. tomorrow,” Rhodes said.
Fordham created his first Darth Vader costume in 1996.
“At a Halloween party I wore a really bad Vader costume that I’d made — just sort of wanting to show my fandom — and everybody loved it,” he said. “I was shocked, because it wasn’t a very good costume. But it convinced me of the power of that costume. Even though it was horrible, everybody wanted their picture with me. And so I thought ‘Wow, I wonder how they’d respond if it was a really good costume?'”
Story continues below photo.
SARAH WELLIVER/Standard-Examiner
501st Legion members Daniel Aughney, left, and Nicholas Shaw, back right, watch as Emanuel Hayes helps Chris Reid suit up Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, inside Megaplex Theatres at The Junction in Ogden. Both Hayes and Reid are airmen stationed at Hill Air Force Base.
The 501st Legion has an agreement with Lucasfilm, the creator of “Star Wars,” to use the movies’ costumes — but only for charity and nonprofit community events. Fordham, who spent three years as international president of the 501st Legion in the mid-2000s, said that, for him, it’s the perfect blend of fantasy and serving others.
“I’ve always been a fan of the movies, and I love service,” the former police officer said. “And this combines my two loves — service and ‘Star Wars.’ “
The 501st Legion members design “bad guy” costumes from the films. But there is a second, smaller “Star Wars” costuming group in Utah that is also involved in this weekend’s premiere festivities. Called Rogue Base, the chapter covers Utah, Idaho and Montana, and is a part of the Rebel Legion, an international group that brings the “good guy” costumes of the “Star Wars” universe to life, according to the Rogue Base P.R. officer, who simply goes by the name “Melissa.”
Like the 501st, Rogue Base is a force for good.
“We are able to use these costumes with a focus on charity work,” Melissa wrote in a social media interview. “We are not ‘cosplayers,’ we are ‘costumers.’ We love to make children of all ages smile. Many have said it is like seeing their action figures come to life.”
She said this “good” group has 46 members. It’s a sister organization to the larger 501st Legion, all with the same goal in mind — to promote “charity and our love of ‘Star Wars’ through its costumes.”
And both groups are necessary, organizers say.
“Without one side, there wouldn’t be the other,” Melissa wrote. “We are in this journey together.”
Still, in true Darth Vader fashion, Fordham invites all to join him on the Dark Side.
“The 501st Legion, we’re all the bad guys,” he said. “But as we do like to say, ‘We’re bad guys doing good things.’ “
Contact Mark Saal at 801-625-4272, or msaal@standard.net. Follow him on Twitter at @Saalman. Like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SEMarkSaal.