May the fourth be with you: Jokes and trivia for Star Wars Day

Draw your lightsaber, gather your Wookies and whip your hair into two tight buns, it’s Star Wars Day. This little know holiday celebrates the epic film series that propelled Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford into mega stardom and pushed Mark Hamill into, well, the next Star Wars film.

Released 16 years apart, the two trilogies comprise the fifth highest grossing movie franchise (after Marvel films, Harry Potter, James Bond and Lord of the Rings), and all six films were nominated for or won Academy awards.

Fox News reports that May 4^th has been recognised as Star Wars day ever since the London Evening News congratulated the newly elected Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher with the following headline: “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations”.

To celebrate, here’s a handful of fun facts and jokes about Star Wars. Use them for good, not evil.

Star Wars trivia

• Creator George Lucas did not attend the premiere of Star Wars: Episode IV – A new Hope because he was convinced the film would be a flop.
• Mark Hamill held his breath for so long during the trash compactor scene in the first movie that he burst a blood vessel in his face and could only be filmed on one side for the rest of the scene.
• Carrie Fisher took shooting lessons from the same person who taught Robert De Niro to shoot for the film Taxi Driver.
• Star Wars inspired numerous scientific names of organisms, including Yoda purpurata (an acorn worm), Darthvaderum (a mite) and Wockia Chewbacca (a moth).
• The phrase “I have a bad feeling about this” is used in every Star Wars movie.
• Yoda was almost played by a monkey but in the end he was created as a puppet, overseen my Muppets legend Jim Hanson.
• The Ewoks speak a combination of Tibetan and Nepalese.

Five dubious Star Wars jokes

 Have you tried the new Wookie burger from Maccas? It’s a bit chewie…

How many Sith lords does it take to change a lightbulb? None; they prefer to keep it on the dark side.

What’s R2D2 short for? He’s got little legs.

What did Obi Wan say to Luke when he tried to eat bantha pie with a spoon? “Use the FORK, Luke!”

What do you get when you cross an elephant with Darth Vader? An ele-vader.

What’s your favourite Star Wars factoid? Did you go see the first film in 1977?