Tell us about the costumes you guys will be wearing.
I have three costumes: Luke Skywalker, X-wing pilot and Stormtrooper. For the Stormtrooper you buy a kit for 30,000-40,000 baht and then you assemble it. These costumes are “scene accurate,” meaning they’d be good enough to be in a movie. This is not like cosplay. We’re not representatives of Lucasfilm but we’re an official costume fan club and we can use the characters to raise funds for charity. Utapau Outpost is the Rebel Legion and 501st is the Dark Side but we’re actually the same club. For the past few months we’ve been raising funds for an orphanage, Baan Dek On Phaya Thai. And we’re planning on raising funds for Nepal at Thailand Comicon.
Are you excited about JJ Abram’s The Force Awakens?
At first, I was a bit worried because it’s in the hands of Disney. I thought the movie would be like Avengers. I don’t like that kind of gags. But watching the second trailer, I feel relieved. It looks really great. You can see Chewbaccaa and Han Solo. But it’s not going to be according to the old novels, because Disney wants to write new things.
Can you explain that, the whole “canon” thing, the accepted Star Wars works.
The canon is now Star Wars episode 1-6, animated series Clone Wars (all six seasons) and Rebels (which just finished its first season). The novels that were written before Disney bought the license are no longer canon. They are considered “legends.”
What’s a piece of Star Wars trivia that will blow our minds?
Since some stories are not canon anymore, it’s hard to say. OK, here’s one: The technology that is used to create General Grievous in Episode is the same that is used to create Darth Vader. Also, General Grievous has Jedi blood injected into him, so he can use a light saber.
How do Star Wars fans feel about Jar Jar Binks?
Most of us don’t like him. If Justin Bieber and Jar Jar Binks were together, I’d kill Jar Jar first.
What’s your one real-world Star Wars dream?
To be an extra in one of the films. When they had the casting in London, some of us wanted to go. Some of my friends in the States actually went but they didn’t get picked.
Episodes 4-6 came out decades before episodes 1-3. So in what order should one watch Star Wars?
4-6 and 1-3 because I want you to feel the same thing everyone felt. And technically, the technology gets better in that order.
What kind of people dress up as Stormtroopers on their time off?
Mostly educated professionals. There are some quite elite people, like a dean of faculty. Most are over 30 so they can afford the costumes. There’s this family they all come together, the dad is a jedi, the mom is Master Plokoon and the two kids are javas.
Make sure to catch 501st doing their Stormtrooper march at Thailand Comicon. 5/F, Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon from May 1-3, 10am-10pm. They will be heading to the PrimeTime booth three times a day (1pm, 4pm and 6pm) during the entire duration of the convention.
To watch the Star Wars movies and many more, check out PrimeTime at www.goprimetime.tv. Packages range from 199THB to 549THB for unlimited Hollywood movies and TV series. Download the app or access the web version, sign up and redeem your Free Trial Code: 3PMZ-M9SN-V2XM-ARVQ (expires Aug 31, 2015).
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