1. Chewie Gets Knighted
We still can’t get over the fact that Peter Mayhew, the man behind our favorite Wookie, passed away. To honor the actor’s memory, Chewbacca was given a special knighting ceremony officiated by none other than New Trilogy heroine, Rey. It’s the least anyone can do for Han Solo’s wingman since Chewbacca missed out on the medals given out by Princess Leia in A New Hope. (Should we refer to him as Ser Chewie of Kashyyyk from now on?)
2. Droid Rescue Scavenger Hunt
BB-8 is missing and willing participants were given the mission of rescuing the droid. BB-8’s puzzle pieces are scattered around the event area and you must accomplish several tasks in order to retrieve the parts. Some of the activities include playing a Jedi Mind Trick on Stormtroopers, forming an X-Wing with Resistance pilots using only your bodies, shouting “Utinni” with Jawas, and reenacting the Luke and Darth Vader’s final battle. Participants posted their task entries on Instagram with the hashtags #MayThe4thPH2019 and #RLScavengerHunt2019
The catch is that you can either return BB-8 to a Resistance member or trade the droid for portions. (Guess the end result depends on your Force alignment but how could you possibly betray BB-8?)
3. Bounty Hunting For Star Wars Merchandise
Toy Kingdom had an area dedicated to everything and anything Star Wars. They’ve got action figures (Black Series), ships, vehicles, and some of the items are up to 70% off the regular price so visitors couldn’t help collecting.
4. Go Pew-Pew-Pew With NERF
Star Wars fans were able to determine their aiming skills by trying their luck at the NERF shooting range. Were they Force-sensitive enough to target a vulnerable point in the Death Star or cursed with Stormtrooper levels of aiming which misses the mark by a mile?
5. Star Wars Trivia
We’re sure that your stock knowledge of the entire Star Wars franchise comes in handy when you’re trying to impress your date but if you attended Star Wars Day, then you could have earned validation in the form of prizes. There were Star Wars trivia contest held throughout the day, which covers all three sagas. (We appreciate that there was a question about Luke Skywalker’s childhood friend, Biggs Darklighter.)
6. Lightsaber Battle
Fightsaber Philippines entertained the audience with sick battle choreography. Listening to the comforting and familiar sounds of “vrrrrmmm” and “kwisshhh” throughout the presentation is ASMR to the ears of any SW fan.
7. Padawan Training
Jedi and Sith training took place at different times during the day in order to provide career options for younglings. Nothing warms our hearts more than seeing a little girl giggle with glee as she Force pushes a pesky Jedi Knight out of the way.
8 Good, Bad, and Morally Ambiguous Helmets On Display
Whether you’re fighting for the Rebel Alliance/Resistance or the Empire/First Order, you’ll need to protect that noggin. The members of local Star Wars groups Rebel Legion: Bagong Pag-Asa Base and 501st Legion Philippine Garrison put their helmets on display. You’ve got Poe Dameron’s pilot helmet, First Order Snowtrooper, Kylo Ren’s helmet (A.K.A. his Darth Vader cosplay), and Imperial Sandtrooper, to name a few.
9. Princess Leia Finally Reunited With Her Parents
It may not have happened in canon but a fan can dream, right? These two pint-sized Princess Leia cosplayers were able to have a family moment with Darth Vader and Senator Padme Amidala (too bad it wasn’t both parents at the same time). And if the book “Vader’s Little Princess” is anything to go by, Anakin pushing a stroller with Baby Leia isn’t that out of character for him.
10. Emperor’s Throne and Millennium Falcon Photo Wall
Fanboys and girls were able to have a social media moment with costumed members of the local Star Wars groups from both the Light and Dark side of the Force against iconic backdrops. The opportunities to recreate favorite SW scenes were endless. After the meet-and-greet photo op, fans were encouraged to support the Make A Wish foundation.
11. Saber Walk and Costume Parade
The members of Rebel Legion: Bagong Pag-Asa Base, 501st Legion Philippine Garrison, and Fightsaber Philippines join Forces (geddit?) as they invite cosplayers to march around SM Aura and greet the normies The parade culminates in a grand photoshoot at the roofdeck.