The Force is strong in Singapore

May 4 isn’t just Free Comic Book Day – today is the day where geeks worldwide gather to celebrate another thing they all hold dearly, Star Wars Day.

If you’re not sure why, the official site has their own take on the origins, while there’s a rather odd writeup on Wikipedia (it kinda suggests two origins), but anyway, it’s pretty much all about a play on words, “May the fourth” sounding very much like “May the Force (be with you)”. General Dodonna was the very first character to say it in Star Wars canon, and now all of us have one day a year where we can all feel very clever about ourselves and make puns while celebrating the best Star Wars related day that is not Life Day.

So, for those of us crazy excited about Star Wars day (or if you’ve picked up all the free comics you can ever carry), there’s no need to stay at home to rewatch your favourite trilogy (but you can if you want) because there’s lots out there to be done. If you’re not sure how to go about it, maybe you should follow the FightSaber crew as they try to make their way around the four major events.

Starting earliest at 1130am we have Nanyang Polytechnic’s May The 4th Be With You event held at Nanyang Poly‘s block M. Organised by the School of Interactive & Digital Media, the event will have food and movie marathons, and all proceeds will go to charity. Here’s an idea of how last year’s event went. I think the tee shirts are the coolest bit. The event is till 430pm, and yes, FightSaber will be there.

Starting at 1230pm will be Kinokuniya’s celebration, as part of FCBD. The 501st Legion will be in uniform at the Ngee Ann City store for photographs and general geekism. Next at 430pm FightSaber will be in store for a performance! Lightsaber battles? You got it here (also at NYP, but yeah)! Both sub-events will last for an hour.

At 1pm Paradigm Infinitum will be holding the launch event for the X-Wing Miniature Game Wave 2. Fans who come dressed up will get a free X-Wing or Tie Fighter miniature, and there will also be Star Wars LCGs on top of the X-Wing Miniature Game competition. This is probably a good time for me to unwrap my copy of the game.

Finally, starting at 2pm will be toy maker Hasbro’s event to be held at Orchard Road. Characters from the Star Wars universe will be lining the streets of Orchard Road, and fans have a chance to win a Star Wars Kenner Vintage Series Boba Fett toy worth S$19.90. It’s not clear how to get a toy according to the press release, but blogger Darryl Kang says all you got to do is identify any one of the characters. Rocket science! This event ends at 6pm, but you should get there early to get the free toy, I think.

So – no plans yet? Just hit NYP early, and be at Kino by 1230pm, and from there you can hit PI and the Orchard Road stretch! Simple!

And of course – May the Force be with you!