501stCast Episode 6

The latest 501stCast is now available at 501st.com/podcast (or conveniently through the 501stCast player on the right column of this page). Since this was Episode VI, we gave the show a title that alluded to the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi and joked about how it would be 100% Ewok-Free (us troopers are still bitter about that whole "defeated by teddy bears" thing). As we started reviewing the stories in this podcast, it became evident that there were a few unexpected Ewok references so we had to change the title to 97% Ewok-Free to comply with galactic "truth-in-advertising" laws.

Holiday Greetings from Around the World

Back on November 14, 2007, I posted an internal request to the Commanding Officers of every unit of the 501st Legion to send me their New Year's Greetings in their native languages. I thought it would make a nice minicast for the 501stCast. Additionally, we needed something to round up the past year's greatest accomplishments of the 501st...the 118th Tournament of Roses Parade (I was there, baby!), Celebration IV and Celebration Europe, recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records, a trooper on every continent...the list goes on and on! Anyway, I received 29 different recorded audio messages from around the globe which I compiled into a single mp3 and released on New Year's Day. While the request was for a no-frills "Happy New Year from (insert your 501st unit name here)", I ended up with some very creative submissions, some of which I was able to recycle and edit into the overall message. Click here to check it out or just use the 501stCast widget in the righthand column to listen without leaving this site. Happy New Year from TK-899, a proud member of the international 501st Legion!

501stCast Episodes 4 and 5

Where is the time going?! Okay, the fourth and fifth episodes of our official 501st Legion podcast are now available for download at 501st.com/podcast. We've done our first "celebrity interview" with Star Wars author Karen Traviss (of the Republic Commando series) but it wasn't edited in time for Episode 5, so listen for it in Episode 6 in January 2008. I'm also doing some Skype (you do have Skype, don't you?) interviews with 501st members who participated in the New Year's Day Rose Parade in 2007 for a special retrospective 501stCast episode. Hopefully this will be out during the first week of January as well. Honestly, you should just subscribe to the feed instead of relying on me to blog about it here, but since I like to experiment with new things I just added a 501stCast widget to the sidebar for your convenience. Just select the podcast episode and press the play button (you may have to wait for it to load 100% before you get audio).

Geek Cred, LFL-Style

One of the biggest geek milestones for a Star Wars fan has to be getting on Lucasfilm's holiday greeting card mailing list. Each year, they send out a custom-designed card to their friends, licensees, and partners. Over the past decade, the 501st has developed a great relationship with LFL...particularly in the area of fan relations. As such, many 501st members (including yours truly) are on the list! The 2007 card (featuring pop-up rows of caroling Stormtroopers) seems like it was made for us troopers. Big thanks to Steve and Mary at LFL for their thoughtfulness and support.

'Tis the Season for Toys For Tots

Stormtroopers all across America have been working with their local U.S. Marines to help promote the Toys For Tots toy drive this time of year. The 501st Carolina Garrison is no exception, and if I was going to squeeze in one event during the holidays, it might as well be something in the spirit of the season. I'm normally in the Charlotte, NC, area, but we were visiting the in-laws this weekend which put us closer to Asheville, where TK-7404 had organized a Toys for Tots event at a local Toys R Us store. This would be my wife's first official troop since receiving her 501st ID number back in September, and as a result I ended up working the event out of costume as a handler taking photos and minding the kids. In retrospect, a giant sign explaining our presence as related to the Toys For Tots campaign would probably have helped people understand why Darth Vader was greeting shoppers on this rainy December day, but even so, we did get some donations. Here's some photos from the event.

Are You a Member of the 501st Legion?

This post is really to serve as an archive for past polls that I've put here on White Armor Chronicles. Surprisingly, it doesn't appear that Blogger has an option to archive old polls. There's probably a hack out there somewhere, but until I find it, I'll just post results like this:

Yes, I'm a 501st member. 26 votes (42%)
Not yet, but thinking about it! 31 votes (50%)
No, just visiting. 4 votes (6%)

Total Votes: 61

There. Now I can post the next poll. (See right column)

501stCast Episode 3

These official 501st podcasts are coming faster than I thought! This is old news now, but our third episode is already available for download at 501st.com/podcast. We resolved some audio quality issues and Rich Sigfrit (IC-9577) did an incredible job with the post-production editing this time around. Trust me, when we recorded the show, it was full of awkward pauses, mispronounced words, and inappropriate commentary! We post new podcast episodes every other Wednesday, so the next 501stCast will be available on December 12, 2007. But you wouldn't need to know this is if you simply subscribe to the podcast feed through iTunes or your favorite podcatcher.

501stCast Episode 2

Sticking to the schedule (which I personally feel is paramount to the success of any podcast), we have just released episode 2 of the "501stCast," the official biweekly podcast of the 501st Legion. This time around, we added Lor as a third co-host, just to see how it would go. As a result, the chemistry changed and we ended up scrapping the first take entirely. There was a lot of talking over each other (which is still evident in the final recording) and things didn't flow as well with three of us doing the reporting. I have a feeling we'll go back to the 2-host formula in future episodes. Anyway, enjoy: www.501st.com/podcast

Imperial Barricade Tape

As seen on starwars.com , Timothy Zahn's 501st Trading Card, and even girls at Dragon*Con! I'm doing another run of custom Imperial Barricade Tape in 1000-foot (304.8m) rolls. Perfect for decorating trooping venues, designating areas "off limits", and showing your loyalty to the Empire. Continuous black imprint on durable bright yellow tape reads "IMPERIAL OCCUPIED ZONE" followed by "MOVE ALONG" in Aurebesh lettering and, of course, the unmistakable symbol of the Galactic Empire. Can be tied, stapled, nailed, or taped in place to establish a highly visible barrier. Click here to order yours!

501st Legion Podcast Launched

Finally, after several demos and countless Skype conversations, the first official 501st Legion podcast was published on November 1st, 2007 (although we are calling it our October 31 episode)! We still have a lot to learn as we delve into podcasting, but it's a great medium and adds a bit more personality to the 501st Legion's relationships with fans and the public. You can check out the first episode, subscribe to the feed, and view the show notes at 501st.com/podcast. If you have some show ideas, feel free to e-mail me or reply as a comment!