May the Fourth be with you! Why today is Star Wars' Day

It is a case of May the fourth (be with you).

The unofficial holiday originated from a catchphrase from George Lucas' first film of the space franchise, Star Wars: A New Hope, which was released in 1977.

In the film, General Dodonna utters the phrase to the rebel alliance as they prepare for their assault on the Death Star.

"Then man your ships! And may the Force be with you!"

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, "Star Wars" burst into the collective cultural consciousness and has remained immensely popular ever since.

Fans celebrate Star Wars Day on ‘May the 4th’ because it sounds similar to the classic catchphrase, “May the force be with you,” which was first heard in Star Wars: A New Hope.

One of the earliest uses of the phrase “May the Fourth be with you” came on May 4, 1979, when a London newspaper contributor congratulated Britain’s new prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, on her first day of office.

In a full-page ad the writer said, “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations!”

Over 40 years later, fans across the globe continue to spread Star Wars cheer on May 4th and beyond (year-round really if you’re a diehard Star Wars fan).

Hollywood will pay tribute to the late actress Carrie Fisher – famous for playing Princess Leia in the franchise – with a posthumous star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

Fisher died in 2016 at the age of 60.

The Star Wars franchise involves multiple live-action and animated films.

The film series started with a trilogy set in medias res that was later expanded to a trilogy of trilogies, known as the "Skywalker Saga".

Episode IV – A New Hope, was followed by the sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), respectively subtitled onscreen as Episode V and Episode VI; these films form the original trilogy.

Sixteen years later, the prequel trilogy was released, consisting of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).

After creator George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney in 2012, a sequel trilogy consisting of Episodes VII through IX was released, consisting of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

The first three spin-off films produced were the made-for-television Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), The Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985).

Following Disney's 2012 acquisition of the franchise, these earlier films were dropped from the official canon, but the theatrical animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and its television series continuation retain their canonical status.

Two standalone films were produced and released between the sequel trilogy films: Rogue One (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), both set between the original and prequel trilogies.

Untitled movies from Taika Waititi, James Mangold, Dave Filoni, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy have been officially announced as being written, while other unspecified films are reportedly in early stages of development.

The combined box office revenue of the films amounts to over ten billion dollars, making Star Wars the second-highest-grossing film franchise to date.

In celebration of May the 4th, Disney+ is premiering Star Wars Visions Volume 2, a collection of short episodes by anime creators and storytellers who put their own spin on the galaxy.