Phoenix Suns ~vs~ Houston Rockets

A Sun’s Game. A pretty normal occurance. But not when Star Wars takes center court. The Sun’s wanted Star Wars, LFL called and the DSG responded, as well as the Rebel Legion and the R2 Builders Club. En force!

Sunday, April 11^th, 2010 the fan’s of the Sun’s and Star Wars alike were treated to not only a great game but also to their favorite characters from all six of the Star Wars Films.

Clones, Stormtroopers, Biker Scouts. Rebel and Imperial Pilots, Darth Maul, Boba and Jango Fett, Princess Leia (during her unfortunate stint as Jabba the Hutt’s slavegirl), R2D2 and of course Darth Vader all came out to thrill their fans.

Pregame, the house lights darkened, and the floor was flanked on either side as the troops marched to face off, center court. The crowd cheered and cameras flashed as Lord Vader held up his Light Saber and escorted his group away.

There were several other appearances of various troopers all around the stadium from before the pregame showdown up until halftime, when the crowds were again treated to up close and personal experiences with their favorite characters.

All in all it was a great success. The Suns, of course, blasted the Rockets right back to Houston and everyone enjoyed seeing the Star Wars Galaxy in their very own front yard.

Here is a link directly to the NBA.com site showing some highlights of the evening, and this shows many still shots, again from the NBA website.

A HUGE Thank You to all who came out to support a great cause, as a portion of every ticket sold went directly to The Suns Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) that supports various children’s charities’, and once again enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow troopers.

By: Will Rogers (TK-2855)

March 26th – 28th, Phoenix Symphony Hall – Phoenix, Arizona

Fans of the symphony and of sci-fi got a treat this last weekend. “Star Wars Mania” is one of The Phoenix Symphony’s themed Family Concerts series, which is part of the Education and Community Outreach Department.

In partnership with ‘The Rebel Legion’, ‘Mando Mercs’, and the ‘R2 Builders Club’, the Dune Sea Garrison chapter of the 501st Legion were honoured guests at the symphony for performances Friday evening, Saturday, Saturday evening, and Sunday.

More than 30 members from the various groups participated in all or some of the events. Prior to the shows and in between, the troopers were mingling with the crowds, taking pictures and all in all having a great time.

Special guest conductor, Bob Moody was almost giddy with excitement when he saw the sheer volume of support for this very special and personal event. At every performance, he proudly introduced the troopers and invited them onstage. He even helped out a couple of Jedi Knights in a duel with Darth Vader. At one point, during a fierce clash between Lord Vader and some young Jedi, he dropped his baton and wielding his own light saber, leapt off the podium (wearing a Jedi robe of his own), and used the force to push the Dark Sith Lord off stage. Each and every time the crowd, children and adults alike, cheered and loved it.

This was a wonderful family event. We felt very welcomed by the orchestra, staff and everyone involved. They all agreed that the presence of the force (both dark and light) was much appreciated and welcomed for future events.

By: Will Rogers (TK-2855)

By: Tristan Moriuchi (TK-9285)

On Saturday night, July 26th, the Robot Chicken on Wheels Tour kicked off in San Diego, CA to promote theirRobot Chicken: Star Wars Episode 2 DVD. Accompanying the local Southern California Garrison and theSunrider Base were members of the Dune Sea Garrison and Mos Eisley Base for a night of pictures and fun. In attendance were Matt Senreich, Seth Green, and Tom Root, who had the honor of being inducted as Honorary Members into the Rebel Legion, the sister organization of the 501st. Matt and Seth are co-creators of Robot Chicken, and Tom is a writer, producer, director, and voice actor on the show. Also present were thousands of fans including roller derby teams and several convention attendees. Along with handing out Sideshow Collectibles gift cards, members posed for pictures and even started up a group dance party outside of the skate area. Both 501st and Rebel Legion members had a blast with fans of Robot Chicken Star Wars!This event took place after the Fox 5 news interview on Thursday with Seth Green and Matt Senreich where DSG members were also present. Fox 5 aired the interview the next day showing members hanging out with the Robot Chicken creators at a drive in.

During the tour event, fans took great pictures with Rebels and Imperials alike to promote the new DVD that is now on sale. It was truly a pleasure for the Arizona groups to work with such great members from California so far from home. Sunrider and Southern California Garrison did an amazing job of making this an awesome event; thank you guys for all of your support and allowing the DSG and MEB to tag along!

By: Tristan Moriuchi (TK-9285)

Thursday and Friday, July 23rd and 24th, marked a first in Dune Sea Garrison history. Fox 5 of San Diego, CA invited the 501st Legion to attend their interview with Seth Green and Matt Senreich. Not only was the taping a success, but the staff was so impressed that they invited the crew back to serve doughnuts, write scripts, and provide an overall Star Wars newscast. Conveniently, Friday was Star Wars day at the San Diego Comic-con when troopers were shown all through the morning.

Clips were shown throughout the show between lie casts at the convention and daily news reports. The morning started off with a biker scout writing for the show, which his co-writer was rather shocked at. This was followed by a couple of troopers serving doughnuts to the staff including Arthel Neville. Meanwhile, off camera the team got to converse with editors, cameramen, and anchors. The entire staff was a huge pleasure to work with; everyone was professional and very courteous. On screen, Vader had a lot of work including zapping crew members and guiding cameras using his very persuasive powers. Before the end of the morning the team also had the pleasure of talking to Tom Kane, the voice of Yoda in the current Star Wars: The Clone Wars series. He showed off a number of his voices and cracked some jokes with 501st members as the Jedi Master…although as a matter of Imperial Security he was under strict watch.

The group who participated from the DSG owes a huge thanks to the Southern California Garrison and the Fox 5 morning team. We all especially appreciated Raoul Martinez for whistling the Imperial March all morning; his enthusiasm was above and beyond. The Fox team was more than generous by providing breakfast and giving the DSG a full tour along with writing up fun activities. Overall it was a terrific experience!

By: Tristan Moriuchi (TK-9285)

The students at the University of Advancing Technology warmed up pretty quickly to the combined forces of the local Mos Eisley Base and Dune Sea Garrison arriving at their Summertime Charity Fundraiser. The school’s Star Wars Alliance Club hosted a week’s worth of fundraising events to support the MMC Children’s Center through Child’s Play. This organization provides children in hospitals with video games that kids can check out from the hospital to enjoy during their stay. As passionate technology students and community members, the Star Wars Alliance Club participated in a number of charitable activities throughout the week including a lunch, raffle, and blood drive. One of the final events of the week was on Friday July 17^th, featuring pictures with Star Wars characters from both the Light and Dark side.

Students and characters alike took pictures in front of a green screen to be edited later to include Star Wars themed backgrounds. Some included action scenes while others were just for fun. After the pictures, students were able to chat one on one with the costumers about their hobby and learn about a new way to expand on their Star Wars enthusiasm. Hopefully we will be seeing a number of new recruits coming from UAT shortly! As the night continued, the raffle winners were decided (one of the prizes included was a Light saber Master FX construction kit), and the winners of the art contest were revealed. Also, some members participated in a Nerf War resulting in a Rebel vs. Imperial battle on the UAT campus including foam darts and a lot of laughs. Some members were inclined to stay out of the dart action after having experienced enough similar action at Trooper Training Camp earlier this year at Phoenix Cactus Comicon.

Thank you to the Star Wars Alliance Club crew for inviting us to this terrific event! From R2 to Darth Vader, we’re looking forward to dropping by again and it was a terrific time at the University. Keep up the good work and supporting the community, thanks again! For more information about Child’s Play, please visit their website at http://www.childsplaycharity.org.