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Albin Johnson Acquires First Set of Armor
Albin Johnson tracks down a set of fan-made Stormtrooper armor on a burgeoning Internet with the help of friend and co-worker Tom Crews. -
TROOPS Fan Film Premieres
Kevin Rubio's late 1997 fanfilm Troops premieres on the Internet and inspires fans around the world to get their own armor. Rubio is later inducted as an Honorary Member in 2006. -
Star Wars Celebration I
Recruited by Lucasfilm as both entertainment and crowd-control, the 501st stuns a live large-scale audience of fans at the first official Star Wars convention in Denver, Colorado. -
Insider Magazine Runs 501st Story
Issue 58 (cover date April 2002) of the Star Wars Insider magazine runs its first full-length article about the 501st Legion. Frequency of 501st references and photos increase steadily over the next few years until it becomes rare to find an issue that doesn't mention the Legion. -
Honorary Member Program Launched
The 501st inducts its first Honorary Members, Star Wars authors Aaron Allston, Michael Stackpole and Timothy Zahn at Stellarcon in Greensboro, NC. -
501st Appears with No Doubt
Midwest Garrison members appear on stage with musical artist Gwen Stefani and No Doubt during their striking rendition of the Imperial March. No Doubt are inducted as Friends of the Legion. -
Heart of an Empire Production Begins
Member Jay Thompson distances himself from the Legion to begin impartial work on his independent documentary film about the Legion called "Heart of an Empire." Five years later the film is premiered and becomes available on DVD. -
Marching at Disney
With Lucasfilm's endorsement, the 501st is invited to march down "Hollywood Boulevard" at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) in Orlando, Florida. The parades continue to introduce millions of fans to the Legion during annual Star Wars Weekends celebrations. -
Chanel Vanecek (TI-6381) Passes Away
Chanel Vanecek (TI-6381) tragically passed from this world. In Chanel's honor, a college fund was established for her daughter, Angelica, and the Official Star Wars Fan Club donates proceeds from <i>Attack of the Clones</i> IMAX poster sales to the fund. To find out more about Chanel, click here. -
Timothy Zahn Makes 501st Canon
As a nod to his friends in the Legion, award-winning author Timothy Zahn incorporates the 501st name into his Star Wars novel "Survivor's Quest." Zahn follows up with more 501st references in the eBook novella "Fool's Bargain" released online on the same day. -
Legion Launches Droid Hunt at Dragon*Con
The 501st hosts the first annual Droid Hunt game at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia. The popular game puts convention attendees in the role of Rebel sympathizers on the run from Imperial troops for fun and prizes. Droid Hunts are now held on a regular basis at cons around the world and the game badges quite collectible. -
501st at Raiders v. Bucs Game
The 501st's Golden Gate Garrison and Southern California Garrison descend upon Network Associates Coliseum as the Oakland Raiders face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The game was broadcast live on ESPN. -
George Lucas Made Honorary Member
Star Wars creator George Lucas is made an Honorary Member of the 501st backstage at ShoWest in Las Vegas, Nevada. "The Maker" is presented with a unique laser-etched plaque. -
Reference in EpIII Visual Dictionary
A small passage on page 39 of the Episode III Visual Dictionary mentions that the troops accompanying Anakin Skywalker during the Jedi Temple raid are none other than the 501st Legion. From this point forward, the blue Clones are officially recognized as 501st. -
3,000 Members Strong
This date marked the approval of the 3,000th member into the Legion. -
Star Wars Celebration III
The 501st supports multiple events and vendors at Star Wars Celebration III in Indianapolis, Indiana. Additionally, the Legion hosts several costuming panels and raises more than $10,000 US for Katie Johnson over the course of the 4-day event. The largest group photo to date is taken inside the convention center. -
Working With Captain Kirk
George Lucas is presented with the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. To help set the stage for the gala event, members of the 501st are recruited for an opening skit featuring William Shatner (Star Trek's Captain Kirk). -
Katie Johnson Passes
After a battle with cancer, the 8-year-old daughter of 501st Founder Albin Johnson passes away. Her memory continues to inspire charity and goodwill in the Legion, and her namesake droid R2-KT spreads awareness of pediatric cancer. -
Mike Randleman (TK-4357) Laid to Rest in Armor
Mike Randleman (TK-4357) of the 70th Explorer's Garrison passes after a year and a half-long battle with cancer. As a tribute to one of Mike's true passions, his mother decides to lay him to rest in his armor. -
Lead Roles in Battlefront II
LucasArts acquires permission to use the 501st name as central characters in the video game Star Wars Battlefront II. The popularity of the game spreads awareness of the 501st, but also causes confusion as to which came first. -
Marching in the Rose Parade with George Lucas
Through a personal invite from "The Maker" himself, 200 members of the 501st converged on Pasadena, California, from all over the globe to march with George Lucas and The Grambling University Marching Band in the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day. -
R2-KT Action Figure
Lucasfilm and Hasbro produce an action figure of R2-KT, the pink Imperial droid honoring the memory of Katie Johnson, daughter of the Legion Founder. Subsequently, $100,000 was donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to make dreams come true for sick children. -
Official 501st Podcast Launched
On Halloween of 2008 (somewhat appropriate for a costuming group), the 501st Legion kicked off its official audio podcast known as the 501stCast. The ongoing show brings behind-the-scenes Legion news, celebrity interviews and mission reports from around the world. Click here to visit the official 501stCast page. -
Stormtroopers Appear on Super Bowl Commercial
During a 60-second commercial for the 2009 film "Race to Witch Mountain," two Stormtroopers are seen clambering into a taxi driven by celebrity/actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. While the troopers were not 501st members, it's clear that the prevalence of the Legion at sci-fi conventions has made its mark on society. The movie clip was aired during Super Bowl XLIII translating to an estimated $600,000 US of free publicity for the 501st. -
Rob Trotman (TR-7080) Passes
Rob "Little Red" Trotman (TR-7080) of the Florida Garrison, Makaze Squad and Sovereign Protectors Detachment passes. -
501st Escorts Snoop Dogg for Adidas
As part of the ongoing Adidas Originals <i>Star Wars</i> Collection launch, members of the 501st Empire City, Northeast Remnant, New England and Carida Garrisons stormed the streets of New York City with rapper Snoop Dogg in a flash mob promotional event. A charitable donation was also made to the Pinwheel Project in lieu of compensation for the 501st volunteers. -
French Vader Promotes McDonald's
501st French Garrison member Julien Vergnes (SL-8106) plays the role of Darth Vader for a French McDonald's campaign with the headline "Come as you are." -
Legion Hits 5000 Members
Just in time for Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Florida, the 501st approves its 5000th active member.
