This past week I was accepted as a member of the 501st Legion. For those of you not familiar with the 501st, it is recognized by Lucasfilm as the premiere Star Wars costuming group in the world. The costuming standards for membership are extremely high and only the best are lucky enough to be a part of its ranks.
The 501st gets to do all kinds of fun events as ambassadors of Star Wars. But most importantly, and the reason I wanted to join, was the work it does for children’s charities. Star Wars has given so much to me throughout my life. As a child, it was the one big equalizer. Rich or poor, popular or outcast, if you loved Star Wars you were accepted. Everyone had a favorite character and everyone got to role play.
My favorite has always been the Empire and in particular Stormtroopers. It seemed fitting that my first costume would be one of the Empire’s finest. Trying the final costume on after eight months of building it was as amazing as I thought it would be 37 years ago when I first saw Star Wars.
To this day, Star Wars still holds a very special place in my heart and I am excited to give back to the community in the name of Star Wars and the galaxy far, far away.
Every trooper is assigned a TK number, after the Stormtrooper in Star Wars identified as TK421, as in “TK421, why aren’t you at your post?” I chose TK31709. It was the day I first met my wife and was the day my world changed.
Hold onto your dreams, they can come true.
Open the blast doors!
CWC
The official Craig W. Chenery website 