May the 4th Be With You: a Suprising Connection to Margaret Thatcher Star Wars Fans Don't Know About

The informal Star Wars day that celebrates the franchise and its fans is probably the best use of a pun one could ever imagine. For those who are not that into Star Wars: the day's slogan, "May the Fourth Be With You", is a variant of the franchise's catchphrase "May the force be with you", frequently used between Jedi.

This day has been established by the fans, but the studio behind the franchise, Lucasfilm, was quick to ride this wave and jump on the movement, supporting the celebration of Star Wars with some official marketing.

The funniest thing about it is that the first use of the phrase "May the Fourth be with you" was not even connected with the geek community directly. It was a way to celebrate… the election of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the UK.

A day after she was elected, on May 4, 1979, her fellow Conservatives rolled out a congratulatory ad in London Evening News that read "May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations."

Over the decades, the slogan would appear more and more often, turning May 4 into what it is now – the day when Star Wars fans celebrate their beloved story, share fan-art, get together, and rewatch their favorite movies. The love for Star Wars has spread to actual space: in 2015, the astronauts on the International Space Station watched Star Wars to celebrate May 4.

Of course, no day could be more appropriate to, say, release a new trailer for the upcoming limited series 'Obi Wan-Kenobi'.

The new series will start streaming on May 27.