In March 2003 PanicStruck Productions, which created the fan film Revelations, asked me for an interview. Here is a capture of the website detailing the interview. Revelations was an amazing ground-breaking fan film helmed by Shane Felux and his dedicated volunteer staff. Not only did they pull off an amazing fan film, but they managed to use stormtroopers and other Imperial characters in a way that showed the 501st could put on a good show.

In 2004 famous Star Wars author Timothy Zahn published Survivor's Quest, which featured none other than stormtroopers from the 501st Legion, "Vader's Fist!". For the first time, the unit was mentioned in a recognized Star Wars literary work, establishing it forever in the expanded universe. Mr. Zahn credited the reference to the impressive work the club has done in charities and in representing the Star Wars universe.

In 2005 the Star Wars Episode III Visual Dictionary officially listed the 501st Legion as the unit of clone troopers that marched into the Jedi Temple to carry out Vader's will and wipe out the Jedi Order.

Celebration III The third ever Star Wars Celebration was held again in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 501st formed up for two group shots: one on the steps of the city's state house (an event which called for only twenty troopers but we ended up with ten times as many, snaking through downtown and stopping traffic along the way!) and the official group photo in the convention center. Jay Lagaia, the actor who played Captain Typho, showed up as a surprise in his original costume from Episode II! After talking up the 501st all week he was thrilled to be in the group photo. Of course we put him at the front!
To the Indiana State House!

Official 501st Legion Group Photo

Mark Chu-Lin, Scott Will, and I pose with Eric Gewirtz, director of the Battlefront 2 game from Pandemic Studios. Eric and company featured the 501st Legion in Battlefront 2, and the game ended up being the biggest selling Star Wars game of all time and put the 501st on the map for many gamers. Woo hoo!

At some point in late 2005 / early 2006 a blue clone trooper figure appeared in Japan stores featuring the title "Vader's Legion." This may seem a coincidence, but the bottom of the package left no room for doubt: amid the Japanese lettering, it read "501" in the description. I can only guess they had not secured permission from us yet to use our name and found this description a good compromise.

In July of 2006 Hasbro released a limited edition action figure featuring the 501st Legion stormtrooper! The figure was an exclusive buy at Comicon in San Diego. But Hasbro arranged for 501st members to get their hands on copies of the figure that didn't include the Comicon signage.

In August 2006 Hasbro released another 501st figure, this time the blue-striped clone troopers seen in Episode III. This was part of their Greatest Battles of Episode III collection. This was a nice touch, because not only did it tie the 501st with the scene in the movie with which we were credited, but it completed the connection between the clone troopers and the stormtroopers - the 501st covered it all! Much thanks to Mr. Depriest from Hasbro who helped make this a reality.

2006 also saw Gentle Giant Studios release a deluxe 501st Special Ops clone trooper bust. The advert read: "ROTS Mini Bust - DELUXE 501ST SPECIAL OPS CLONE TROOPER $49.99
When Anakin Skywalker succumbed to the dark side and swore loyalty to Darth Sidious, the newly arisen Emperor assigned his apprentice the best the galaxy had to offer. For Vader's inaugural mission to raze the Jedi Temple, the Emperor provided him with a legion of elite clone troopers. Their distinctive blue-marked armor set them apart from the other ranks. Bust features interchangeable arms and accessories. Designed in 1/6 scale - Stands 8 inches tall."

Another figure announced during the Comicon convention was the 501st Clone Trooper Vinyl Super-Deformed Figure by Medicom Toy Corporation. The advert read: "Medicom has designed and produced one of the most unique Star Wars collectible lines, the Japanese style vinyl super-deformed series (Vinyl Collectible Dolls). The 501st Clone Trooper stands roughly 8-inches tall, and the stylized caricature sculpture captures the menace, but cuteness, of the Episode III – Revenge of the Sith Clone design perfectly." Now we're cool enough to have a cute figure done of us. Nice.

In 2005 Star Wars the official website featured an article on the 501st Legion, citing them as the blue-striped clone troopers in Episode III who accompany Anakin/Vader into the Jedi Temple to wipe out the entire Jedi Order. It was a proud moment to know we were a part of the Star Wars universe, but seeing it on the official website was pretty special.

Legion Patches Legion units around the world have created logos proudly announcing their local communities. Listed here are some of the patches in the Legion archives.

Legion Memorabilia The Legion archives contains pins, medals, buttons, and assorted 501st collectibles from all over the world. Here is the first in a series of shadow boxes showcasing such items.

In preparation for the soon-to-be released Battlefront II game, the official Star Wars website featured a sneak preview of missions players could expect to run as members of the 501st Legion.

Star Wars the website featured the 501st as one of the Best things to happen to Star Wars in 2005. Aw shucks!

Pandemic Studios presented the 501st with an award given to all the members of the game's development team. The award recognized the 501st as a part of the team and saluted all the 501st Legion has done for the Star Wars community. The official letter read:

"Dear Albin, Included is a signed copy of Battlefront 2 and a trophy we made for members of the team. We wanted you and the entire 501st to share in the success of the game. We really appreciate the dedication and effort you guys put in every day to make a difference in people's lives.

While in Edmonton Canada last week I ran into some members of the 501st in full gear while at a mall. They exhibited the same good-natured attitude I've found from everyone in the organization that I have met. Just wanted to let you know.

Hope you enjoy the game and that you all enjoy the trophy. You deserve it. (let me know how I might go about getting my hands on some TK armor if you get a chance!)
Thanks again,
Eric Giz Gewirtz and the Battlefront 2 Team"

Dave Dorman, famous Star Wars artist and an Honorary Member of the Legion, sat down with me over some beers at Celebration 3 and told me he'd love to see the Legion depicted in a really cool battle scene painting. I agreed and for years we shared ideas about old battle paintings and elements we liked about them. Later over more beers in Charlotte, NC during a comic convention he sketched out some ideas on a napkin (which crude as he might have considered them, were intriguing). Now, just in time for Celebration IV, the painting is finished and looks incredible. Behold Dave Dorman's tribute to Vader's Fist, a scene depicting a pitched battle led by Lord Vader himself and the awesome 501st Legion, including the preliminary drawing for the painting that he sent me. I couldn't be more proud! To see more of Dave's work, visit http://www.davedorman.com/

To see how the club has grown, check out these group shots taken over the years. Our 'family portraits' are usually taken at Dragoncon, a sci-fi/fantasy/gaming con in Atlanta, GA we've come to regard as our 'homecoming' event. Every shot here is from Dragoncon except 2002 and 2005, which were taken at Celebration 2 and 3 in Indianapolis, IN. Not a bad growth curve, don't you think?

The following images depict how Garrisons were deployed in the United States. At first, there were very broad regions drawn, but as time went on they were carved up to reflect the areas members felt most associated with.

The following images depict how Garrisons were deployed in Europe in 2003, 2006, and 2008.

These maps show the Garrisons in South America, Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific as of 2006 and 2008.

POPULATION STATS:
1998: 61
1999: 147
2000:
2001: 430, 36 states, 18 countries
2002: 1000+
2003:
2004: 2500+, 21 countries
2005:
2006: