The original series might’ve been made a long, long time ago in a country far away, but that hasn’t stopped Mandurah’s budding Star Wars fans from donning the uniforms for the midnight debut of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The new film – a spin-off from the current trilogy, which began with last year’s the Force Awakens – tells the story of the brave souls who infiltrated the Empire’s secret base to steal the plans of the as-yet unfinished Death Star.
If all of that sounds alien to you, then that’s ok – the 501st are here to inform you.
The costumed sci-fi characters you see are part of a national Star Wars “cosplaying”, or costume playing, group, called the 501st Legion.
The Legion has chapters right around the country and is a mainstay of sci-fi, comic book and pop culture conventions, although Mandurah is relatively new to it.
“Most of the 501st guys in WA are from up north, like Belmont and the city,” organiser Jarrod King said.
“But there’s a lot of guys around here who want to be part of it and have to travel up to Perth, so we want to really get something going here.”
Membership into the “Terra Australis” section of the 501st is pretty simple, with a few qualifications: a complete and detailed Star Wars costume, or the willingness to buy one; undying loyalty to the Galactic Empire; and a passion for helping others, as the Legion often takes part in charity events.
“It’s mostly a bit of fun, and it's a great way for people to get together and just talk about and do the things they love,” Mr King said.
“Mandurah’s population’s growing and there’s a lot more room for these kinds of things to trhive, so we’re definitely looking to do more events in the future.”
As for Rogue One, well, it’s pretty hard to escape the bias.
“It’s a Star Wars movie, so yeah, I really liked it,” Mr King laughed.
“The series is really improving.”
