Post by The SITH OverLORD on Feb 1, 2007 16:50:07 GMT 8
Here is the Full online article written by our fellow 501st MALAYSIA-BRUNEI OUTPOST member arek (who goes by his Official 501st ID : TK 8829 ) who marched in his Stormtrooper costume on the 1st January 2007 118th Tournament of the Roses, or better known as the 2007 Rose Parade.
(Source : www.brunei-online.com/weekend/news/jan27f1.htm )
On January 1, as I stood among a battalion of Stormtroopers, Sandtroopers, Clonetroopers, Biker Scouts and Snowtroopers, I thought to myself, "Well, this is it." The costumed villains from the Star Wars movie series had gathered in Pasadena, California to march in the 118th Tournament of the Rose Parade.
'A' Company marches past the grandstands during the parade.
I am a member of the worldwide Star Wars costuming organisation called the 501st Legion which aim to promote the movie saga and raise money for charities. Legion members wear high-quality Star Wars villain costumes and it's common for them to spend over $1,000 for a set of Stormtrooper armour, not including the helmet.
Having been a Star Wars fan since watching the original movie as a child, I joined the 501st Legion in early 2006 as a member of the Malaysia-Brunei Outpost.
arek with 501st Legion's beloved Founding Father Mr. Albin Johnson.
In June 2006, Lucasfilm Ltd requested the 3,000 members of the Legion to submit a short video of themselves marching while dressed in their Stormtrooper armour. Lucasfilm would not say why they wanted the video or what it was to be used for, only that they wanted videos from Stormtroopers from around the world.
By August, news leaked out that Star Wars creator George Lucas was the parade's Grand Marshal and 200 members of the 501st Legion from around the world would take part in the procession.
After learning about the Rose Parade and its 5.5mile route I was apprehensive about taking part, but soon realised that this was the chance of a lifetime and well worth any discomfort of marching in armour.
Lucasfilm sponsored the airfare, accommodation, food, and transportation expenses and the 501st Legion members from over 30 American States and over 20 countries. We arrived in Los Angeles five days before the parade to start an intensive training programme.
Under the tutelage of US Army Reserves Colonel Anthony Toledo and 501st members with military experience we had three full days of training and a half-day dress rehearsal to learn how to march the 5.5mile route in formation.
'A' Company stands at attention during rehearsals.
During the training we were organised into "A Company" which was the Stormtroopers, "B Company" that included Sandtroopers, Clonetroopers, Biker Scouts and Snowtroopers and the "Colour Guard" who carried the flags of participating countries and US States. A member of the 501st Pacific Outpost carried Brunei's flag.
arek holding the Brunei flag used in the parade.
On December 27, George Lucas greeted the troopers after dinner, he also appeared at the dress rehearsal, meeting the members and posing for photographs. It was great to meet George Lucas and shake the Star Wars creator's hand.
Star Wars creator George Lucas addressed the parade participants during their welcoming dinner on December 26, 2006.
The parade day was a surreal experience, as we had to wake up at 3.30am and be in armour ready to leave the hotel by 5am. During the parade, we were to stay in character and could not remove our helmets at any point during the march.
Shortly before we started, a Stealth Bomber did a flyby and the first float I saw was a 50-foot tall dragon that breathed real fire. I was lined up in formation with the 3rd Squad of "A Company", standing among 200 troops in white armour and ahead of us was the 175 members of the Grambling State Marching Band dressed as Imperial Officers. All of us were led by "Darth Vader" along streets lined with a million spectators. I have never been involved in any event of this sort.
Lucasfilm's entry into the parade included two floats depicting the moon of Endor, seen in "Return of the Jedi," and the garden planet of Naboo.
Turning that first corner onto the parade route was a great experience. Underneath the helmet I couldn't stop smiling. The crowds were cheering, some waved plastic Lightsabers and the excitement was almost palpable.
I lost track of time as we marched and could only guess how far we had progressed and when the parade would come to an end. As it turned out, the final stretch of the parade was uphill and we made one left turn before coming to a halt.
I was unsure if we had finished when I saw one troop in "A Company" take off his helmet. I hadn't heard the order and surely enough our drill captain ordered the troop to put his helmet on. However, shortly after I heard the shout "Helmets off! Congratulations A Company, you have just completed a 5 and a half mile march in full armour!"
Troop Transport 9 returns to the hotel following the parade.
We had achieved our goal and finished the parade that kicked off Star Wars' year-long celebration of the movie's 30th anniversary. Other events lined up for 2007 include Celebration IV, a five-day gathering in Los Angeles in May and the first-ever Celebration Europe, to be held in London during July.
For me, being selected to march had many benefits besides participating in the parade. The bonding experience with other fans from around the world was great and I'll cherish the memories of training and marching for the Empire.
arek takes a picture with C-3PO and R2-D2
(Source : www.brunei-online.com/weekend/news/jan27f1.htm )
Representing Brunei in Star Wars league
On January 1, as I stood among a battalion of Stormtroopers, Sandtroopers, Clonetroopers, Biker Scouts and Snowtroopers, I thought to myself, "Well, this is it." The costumed villains from the Star Wars movie series had gathered in Pasadena, California to march in the 118th Tournament of the Rose Parade.
'A' Company marches past the grandstands during the parade.
I am a member of the worldwide Star Wars costuming organisation called the 501st Legion which aim to promote the movie saga and raise money for charities. Legion members wear high-quality Star Wars villain costumes and it's common for them to spend over $1,000 for a set of Stormtrooper armour, not including the helmet.
Having been a Star Wars fan since watching the original movie as a child, I joined the 501st Legion in early 2006 as a member of the Malaysia-Brunei Outpost.
arek with 501st Legion's beloved Founding Father Mr. Albin Johnson.
In June 2006, Lucasfilm Ltd requested the 3,000 members of the Legion to submit a short video of themselves marching while dressed in their Stormtrooper armour. Lucasfilm would not say why they wanted the video or what it was to be used for, only that they wanted videos from Stormtroopers from around the world.
By August, news leaked out that Star Wars creator George Lucas was the parade's Grand Marshal and 200 members of the 501st Legion from around the world would take part in the procession.
After learning about the Rose Parade and its 5.5mile route I was apprehensive about taking part, but soon realised that this was the chance of a lifetime and well worth any discomfort of marching in armour.
Lucasfilm sponsored the airfare, accommodation, food, and transportation expenses and the 501st Legion members from over 30 American States and over 20 countries. We arrived in Los Angeles five days before the parade to start an intensive training programme.
Under the tutelage of US Army Reserves Colonel Anthony Toledo and 501st members with military experience we had three full days of training and a half-day dress rehearsal to learn how to march the 5.5mile route in formation.
'A' Company stands at attention during rehearsals.
During the training we were organised into "A Company" which was the Stormtroopers, "B Company" that included Sandtroopers, Clonetroopers, Biker Scouts and Snowtroopers and the "Colour Guard" who carried the flags of participating countries and US States. A member of the 501st Pacific Outpost carried Brunei's flag.
arek holding the Brunei flag used in the parade.
On December 27, George Lucas greeted the troopers after dinner, he also appeared at the dress rehearsal, meeting the members and posing for photographs. It was great to meet George Lucas and shake the Star Wars creator's hand.
Star Wars creator George Lucas addressed the parade participants during their welcoming dinner on December 26, 2006.
The parade day was a surreal experience, as we had to wake up at 3.30am and be in armour ready to leave the hotel by 5am. During the parade, we were to stay in character and could not remove our helmets at any point during the march.
Shortly before we started, a Stealth Bomber did a flyby and the first float I saw was a 50-foot tall dragon that breathed real fire. I was lined up in formation with the 3rd Squad of "A Company", standing among 200 troops in white armour and ahead of us was the 175 members of the Grambling State Marching Band dressed as Imperial Officers. All of us were led by "Darth Vader" along streets lined with a million spectators. I have never been involved in any event of this sort.
Lucasfilm's entry into the parade included two floats depicting the moon of Endor, seen in "Return of the Jedi," and the garden planet of Naboo.
Turning that first corner onto the parade route was a great experience. Underneath the helmet I couldn't stop smiling. The crowds were cheering, some waved plastic Lightsabers and the excitement was almost palpable.
I lost track of time as we marched and could only guess how far we had progressed and when the parade would come to an end. As it turned out, the final stretch of the parade was uphill and we made one left turn before coming to a halt.
I was unsure if we had finished when I saw one troop in "A Company" take off his helmet. I hadn't heard the order and surely enough our drill captain ordered the troop to put his helmet on. However, shortly after I heard the shout "Helmets off! Congratulations A Company, you have just completed a 5 and a half mile march in full armour!"
Troop Transport 9 returns to the hotel following the parade.
We had achieved our goal and finished the parade that kicked off Star Wars' year-long celebration of the movie's 30th anniversary. Other events lined up for 2007 include Celebration IV, a five-day gathering in Los Angeles in May and the first-ever Celebration Europe, to be held in London during July.
For me, being selected to march had many benefits besides participating in the parade. The bonding experience with other fans from around the world was great and I'll cherish the memories of training and marching for the Empire.
arek takes a picture with C-3PO and R2-D2