501st Legion (fan organization)

"My reason for joining is two-fold: For one, it allows me to take part in my biggest fantasy world and my favorite sci-fi adventure of all time. Then it allows me to do that while helping out my community. I would say that the 501st is a worldwide organization of Star Wars costumers that use their love of Star Wars to help out and promote community interaction and to bring joy to people's lives in ways they never thought possible. Name any other fan group that does that and looks amazing at the same time!"

- David Reimer, TB-1184, Southern Outpost

The 501st Legion (a.k.a. Vader's Fist) is a worldwide organization of Star Wars fans, formed by Albin Johnson. The 501st Legion is the world's largest Imperial costuming organization, spanning the entire United States and 39 other countries. Its website is 501st.com. The 501st can often be found at promotional events for almost anything related to Star Wars and frequently put their "fame" to use at numerous charity events throughout the year (i.e., Toys for Tots, MDA Telethons, local children's hospitals, etc.). Thanks to their recent inclusion in the novel Survivor's Quest and the film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, members of the 501st Legion are the only known living Star Wars characters.

Formed initially for the pristine white Death Star armored troops, the group has grown to include all Imperial trooper variations as well as Sith Lords, bounty hunters and other villains from both the movies and expanded universe (EU).

As a tribute to the loyal group, the legion of blue clone troopers in Revenge of the Sith that Darth Vader leads into Jedi Temple during the Great Jedi Purge, is designated as the 501st. Although not mentioned in the film itself, much of the support and merchandising material for the film make this reference, including the videogame Star Wars: Battlefront II.

The 501st Legion also publishes Static Burst, its own quasi-quarterly newsletter and the staff is comprised entirely of volunteer members of the 501st. The Legion newsletter profiles current events, interviews, Trooper profiles, and efforts of 501st Legion members around the world. Lucasfilm's Steve Sansweet, Mary Franklin, Pablo Hidalgo, and Jeremy Bulloch have been past interviewees and the newsletter has been compared to the Star Wars Insider with an all-Imperial slant.

The feature-length documentary film Heart of an Empire chronicles the growth of this organization and how, through acts of charity, the group touches the lives of children in need.

The Legion is also featured in the 2008 Guinness Book of World Records (on page 174) as the "World's Largest Star Wars Costuming Group".

Organization


The 501st is divided into a number of Garrisons, local "chapters" with jurisdiction over regions of varying size (anywhere from a portion of a state to multiple states). Garrisons with many members can be subdivided into squads, much more localized versions of Garrisons. Regions that do not have a sufficient number of local members to form a Garrison can form an Outpost of at least one member.

Outside of the Garrison hierarchy, Detachments have no regional boundaries but are instead made up of members who have similar costumes (i.e., a Detachment of Scout troopers). A Detachment focuses on the technical details of its chosen costume(s).

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Legion officials
At the Legion and Garrison level members can be elected to a number of positions to facilitate communication throughout the organization. Other positions are appointed by Legion and Garrison Commanders. These elections are held beginning every January, and any active member in good standing is eligible to hold office in the Legion or in their assigned Garrison.

The elected positions consist of:


 * LCO, the Legion Commander
 * CO, the Garrison Commander or Outpost Leader at the local level
 * SLDR, Squad Leaders
 * DL, Detachment Leaders
 * MBO, the Merchandising and Branding Officer

Positions appointed by their respective Legion or Garrison Commander:


 * LXO, the Legion Executive Officer
 * XO, the Garrison Executive Officer
 * LMO, the Legion Membership Officer
 * GML, Garrison Membership Liaison
 * GWL, Garrison Web Liaison
 * COG, the Captain of the Guard (appointed by LCO, must be confirmed by council vote)
 * LWM, the Legion Webmaster
 * PRO, the Public Relations Officer

Local Garrison Commanders will frequently appoint Garrison-level Public Relations officers, Garrison Webmasters, and other Garrison administrative staff as necessary.

Members of the 501st not holding an official position are referred to as 'Enlisted'.

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Garrisons

 * 70th Explorers Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Missouri and Kansas


 * Alabama Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Alabama. Garrison granted May 14, 2007.


 * Alpine Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Utah, Idaho, Montana
 * Squads:
 * Mustafar Squad


 * Aurora Borealis Alaskan Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Alaska


 * Austrian Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Austria


 * Badlands Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Alberta


 * Belgian Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Northern Belgium
 * Squads:
 * Flanders Dragon Squad


 * Bloodfin Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Indiana


 * Brazilian Division
 * Territory Occupied: Brazil


 * Southern California Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Southern California
 * Squads:
 * San Diego Squad


 * Central California Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Central California


 * Golden Gate Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Northern California


 * Canadian Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Canada


 * Carolina Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: North and South Carolina


 * Central Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota


 * Chilean Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Chile


 * Cloud City Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Oregon and Vancouver, WA


 * Connecticut Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Connecticut


 * Costa Rica Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Costa Rica


 * Croatian Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Croatia


 * Dune Sea Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Arizona


 * Dutch Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Holland


 * Empire City Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Manhattan
 * FanWars Southern Belgian Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: South Belgium (French)


 * Florida Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Florida
 * Squads:
 * Tampa Bay Squad
 * Everglades Squad
 * Makaze Squad
 * Parjai Squad


 * French Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: France


 * Garrison Carida
 * Territory Occupied: Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia


 * Garrison Excelsior
 * Territory Occupied: New York except New York City


 * Garrison Titan
 * Territory Occupied: Washington


 * Garrison Tyranus
 * Territory Occupied: Virginia


 * Georgia Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Georgia


 * German Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Germany
 * Squads:
 * Coastal Hammer Squad (Northern Squad)
 * White Shadows Squad (Western Squad)
 * Arma Candida Squad (Southwestern Squad)
 * Custodes Euroi Squad (South Eastern Squad)


 * Icelandic Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Iceland


 * Israel Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Israel


 * Italian Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Italy


 * Japanese Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Japan


 * Korean Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Korea


 * Malaysia/Brunei Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Malaysia, Brunei


 * Mexican Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Mexico


 * MidSouth Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi
 * Squads:
 * Delta Assault Squad


 * Midwest Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan
 * Squads:
 * Michigan Squad


 * Monaco Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Monaco


 * Mountain Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico
 * Squads:
 * Snowy Range Squad
 * Pikes Peak Squad
 * Mile High Squad
 * Dewback Ridge Squad


 * Neon City Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Nevada


 * New England Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Maine, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire


 * Nordic Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway


 * NorthEast Remnant
 * Territory Occupied: New Jersey, Manhattan


 * Ohio Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Ohio


 * Old Line Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Maryland, Washington D.C.


 * Outpost 42 Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: New Zealand


 * Outpost Argentina
 * Territory Occupied: Argentina


 * Pacific Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Hawaii


 * Philippine Outpost
 * Territory Occupied:Philippines


 * Polish Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Poland


 * Puerto Rican Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Puerto Rico


 * Romanian Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Romania


 * Saudi Arabian Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: Saudi Arabia


 * Singapore Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Singapore


 * Spanish Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Spain


 * Star Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas
 * Squads:
 * South Texas Squad
 * North Texas Squad
 * Bast Alpha Squad
 * Swiss Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Switzerland
 * Squads:
 * The Lake Squad
 * French Swiss Squad


 * Taiwan Outpost (a.k.a. Formosa Outpost)
 * Territory Occupied: Taiwan


 * Terror Australis Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: Australia


 * United Arab Emirates Outpost
 * Territory Occupied: United Arab Emirates


 * United Kingdom Garrison
 * Territory Occupied: United Kingdom

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Detachments

 * Armored Cavalry Detachment
 * Theme: AT-AT and AT-ST Drivers, and Armor Assault Commanders


 * Blizzard Force
 * Theme: Snow troopers


 * First Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment
 * Theme: Stormtroopers


 * Flagship Eclipse
 * Theme: Expanded Universe characters


 * Grand Army of the Republic
 * Theme: Clone Troopers


 * Imperial Gunnery Corps
 * Theme: Imperial Gunners


 * Imperial Officer Corps
 * Theme: Imperial Officers


 * Jolly Roger Squadron
 * Theme: TIE Pilots


 * Krayt Clan
 * Theme: Tusken Raiders


 * Mos Eisley Police Department
 * Theme: Sand troopers


 * Pathfinders
 * Theme: Scout troopers


 * Phoenix Squadron
 * Theme: Bounty hunters


 * Sith Lord Detachment
 * Theme: Sith Lords


 * Sovereign Protectors
 * Theme: Red Guards


 * Spec Ops Detachment
 * Theme: Special Operations Troopers

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Membership
Anyone who is 18 years or older (for legal reasons) and in possession of a high quality 'bad guy' costume from the Star Wars Universe is eligible for membership in the legion. Applications can be submitted on the official site. This process typically consists of the Legion Membership Officer (LMO) checking an applicant's submitted photos, and forwarding the information to the Garrison to which the member would belong. Requirements for the costume can typically found at the Detachment sites listed below.

Upon registration, members are allowed to create their own four-digit number which becomes their Legion ID. Attached to the ID number is a two-letter prefix indicative of the type(s) of costume worn by that member (ex: TK 0000). Members with more than one costume simply have multiple prefixes attached, the one that's currently worn is typically the only one displayed (ex: TK/TB/SL 0000). Prefixes are as follows:
 * TK--Stormtrooper (inspired by the line "TK-421, why aren't you at your post?" from ANH)
 * TD--Sandtrooper
 * TS--Snowtrooper
 * TI--TIE Pilot
 * TA--AT-AT Pilot
 * TB--Scout trooper
 * SL--Sith Lord
 * BH--Bounty hunter
 * ID--Officer
 * IG--Imperial Gunner
 * IN--Death Star Trooper
 * TR--Royal Guard
 * TX--Special Operations Trooper
 * IS--AT-ST Pilot
 * TC--Clone trooper
 * IC--Imperial Crew
 * DZ--Denizens of the Empire

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The armor
The trooper armor worn by the members is all fan constructed and distributed, and is made out of ABS, PVC, vinyl or fiberglass. As the costumes worn by the 501st are often not official Lucasfilm licenses, George Lucas can (and has) sought legal action on those who sell armor. However he has unofficially sanctioned the wearing and presentation of the costumes providing that the participants are not reimbursed financially for their appearances, and that they represent the franchise in a positive and respectful manner.

Amongst veteran members there is a saying that a set of armor is never complete, but is an ongoing project. Members will regularly update, modify, repair, and improve a costume, and no two sets of armor, once assembled, are identical. The most common modifications begin simple with cut sections or trimmed joints to allow for better flexibility. Troopers will typically also have some sort of ventilation system mounted in their helmet (also called the bucket) to assist with cooling. Many members will also build their voice amplification system into their helmet, while some will mount the speaker behind their chest plate.

Costumes that don't require the common armor pieces can vary, and for specifics you can check the detachment websites.

501st Special Operations Detachment
The 501st Special Operations Detachment is an official Detachment of the real-world Imperial costuming group, the 501st Legion and was formed in 2004 by trooper Kevin Christley and formally approved by the Legion Council in October of 2005.

The 501st Special Operations Detachment was created to provide a permanent home for the TX, or non-clone, expanded universe trooper costumes within the 501st Legion. The TX Detachment’s motto is “Swift, Silent, Relentless” and the distinctive Detachment shield, modeled in part from the MEPD shield, was rendered by trooper Chuck Flynn.

In 2007, the Detachment hosted an EU Imperial costuming panel at Celebration IV, led by Costa Rican member and Detachment Captain of the Guard, Luis Carazo. They were the second Detachment to sponsor an honorary member - Craig Rubio, brother of filmmaker Kevin Rubio, from the Troops fan-film and Tag and Bink comics.

Currently encompassing over 310 members world-wide, they join in supporting the 501st Legion's promotional and charitable activities.

Past Detachment Leaders

 * Kevin Christley (TX 1422) (2004-present)