New England’s 501st: Bad Guys Who Do Good

When you were a kid, chances are you looked up to the good guys: Luke Skywalker, Superman, that guy from those wizard movies, etc. But have you ever thought about being the bad guy? Since 1997, The 501st Legion, a.k.a “Vader’s Fist,” have been dressing up as the villains from Star Wars and showing up to do some good at everything from Knights of Columbus blood drives to huge conventions.

You may think the life of a Star Wars villain costumer is all groupies and partying, but these guys are all about giving back to their communities. They’ve worked with a long list of charities around the country, including The American Cancer Society, The Jimmy Fund and March of Dimes. They don’t charge for appearances, but instead encourage donations to your favorite charity.

The legion, a worldwide organization with thousands of members and chapters all over the U.S., has left its mark on the whole Star Wars universe, earning their way into the fake history books. Founder Albin Johnson admits that he just made up an official-sounding name to make his fan club sound badass. But in 2004, Timothy Zahn, author of many Star Wars expanded universe novels, added the fighting 501st into his writing. The legion has since gone on to be featured in much of the Lucas universe, including the Battlefront video games and toys.

To find out more about the 501st, I talked to Tim McMahon, representing Maine in the New England 501st.

Jake Bisaro (Motif): How did you get started in the 501st? Were you into costuming before this?

Tim McMahon: I’ve been in the battalion for the last four years. I heard about the group probably 15 years ago, and it had been in the back of my mind since then. I had never done anything like it, but I’ve always loved the aesthetic of the Stormtrooper costume, and the idea of having a legit one was too good to pass up.

JB: From the pictures I’ve seen, the costumes from the 501st look like they were lifted straight from Lucas’ warehouse. Where do you get such quality threads?

TM: Yeah, it’s pretty serious; to even get into the 501st, you need a screen accurate costume, which means the same grade as the movies. We construct them ourselves, bartering and selling things within the group.

JB: But it’s not just Stormtroopers, right?

TM: Nope, it’s pretty much any Star Wars baddie you can think of. There’s usually a Darth Vader and Boba Fett in any given chapter. We have an agreement with Lucasfilm that allows us to use the costumes, and we’re already in the process of making the Episode 7 Stormtrooper.

JB: So does that mean you have a screener of the movie?!

TM: No chance!

JB: I know many Star Wars fans consider the prequels to be the dark ages of the franchise. Do you think the new movie will be a step up?

TM: I’m super excited! I think the filmmakers have been saying the right things, and I love the way the promotion has been rolled out. In general, I try not to hate on the prequels too much … I think of them more as missed opportunities. For big Star Wars fans, the real dark ages were the late ’80s or early ’90s, where there was absolutely nothing — no movies, books, video games, stuff like that.

JB: What recent events stick out in your memory?

TM: For our group as a whole, I’d say it was the Star Wars Night at Fenway Park last May 4 (May the fourth be with you). We’ve been trying to get it to happen for years, but the MLB front office is a bit conservative. But the crowd was loving it, and I think management was really impressed. I think there’s this idea that we’re just a bunch of rowdy nerds, but we try to promote a positive image and do some good.

On a personal note, it was getting to take my son onstage at a Weird Al show this year. He has some Star Wars-related songs and he regularly reaches out to the 501st to get characters on stage.

JB: Do you seek out the events or do they come about by invitation?

TM: I would say the vast majority is invitation. Many times a community organization will invite us to help draw a crowd and generate some interest. As nerds (and proud of it), we also enjoy suiting up at the big events like Comic Con, where we’ll put out a jar to raise money for a charity.

If you’d like to look like a cold-blooded killing machine, but actually do some good, maybe the 501st is for you! If you feel your upcoming event could benefit from the power of the Dark Side, request a New England 501st appearance here: 501neg.com/commlink/event-invite/ (note: Lucasfilm, LTD discourages mock fighting, so don’t even ask for a re-enactment). If you’d like to have the 501st help you recreate that dream you had one time … they probably won’t be into that.