Matt JohnsonAh, yes. A Jedi’s weapon …
May the 4th be with you! (And also with you …)
At Font Awesome, we love to include icons in our library that bring smiles to folks’ faces. And as such, we thought it would be fun to showcase some icons fit for a galaxy far, far away along with some pertinent factoids from a long time ago. Now you can stuff your brain full of intergalactic nitty-gritty and dominate trivia night!
Get your trench run on with some spacey-icons.
The Beginnings of May 4th Celebration History
It’s popularly believed that the first use of the May 4th pun originated in 1979. Britain’s Conservative Party congratulated Margaret Thatcher in print for stepping into the prime minister post that day by saying, “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations!”
As they say, the rest is galactic history. Since then, and really kicking off in 2011, the fandom community has made May 4th celebrations more “official” each year with trivia games, movie viewing parties, and cosplay. Here’s a great video with a bit more history.
Font Awesome: A Den of Nerd Fandom
This will come as no surprise, but the Font Awesome offices reek of nerd fandom on a variety of subjects. Sci-fi gear easily tops the list for the most paraphernalia, including these our Star Warcade prints from our senior icon designer Noah Jacobus, numerous Lego sets, wall tapestries, and more. We even crammed a slushy machine into a closet that cranks out a much researched and refined Blue Milk recipe.
Heck, we’re so enamored with the ways of the Force that we’ve even sprinkled a few generic references to a certain space western series into our Science Fiction icon category.
jedi
A Jedi is a devotee of the Jedi Order, a religious community of protectors with the Force’s powers — an energy field connecting all living things. Jedi are peacekeepers and protectors of the Old Republic and enemies of the Sith order. Jedi adhere to a doctrine that renounces anger and hatred and aspires toward enlightenment and inner serenity.
book-journal-whills
Going back to the earliest drafts of Episodes IV, V, and VI, George Lucas intended for the Journal of the Whills to connect the movie world to the “real” world. According to Lucas, he imagined the Whills as immortal beings narrating the series’ storyline. Lucas dropped the idea, though, and the concepts behind the Journal of the Whills turned into the Force.
robot-astromech
This generic robot bears a little resemblance to R2D2, a spunky astromech series R2 droid and a key player in pivotal moments across galactic history, including delivering the Death Stars construction plans to Princess Leia in Episode IV: A New Hope. The plans revealed a fatal flaw in the Death Star’s construction that gave the Rebel Alliance an advantage that led to victory at the Battle of Yavin.
space-station-moon
“That’s no moon. It’s a space station.” ― Obi-Wan Kenobi, upon seeing the Death Star.
In this sci-fi movie universe, space stations, or “battle stations,” are often commissioned for military use. And the DS 1 Death Star Battle Station I and DS 2 Death Star Battle Station II are the most recognizable in sci-fi lore.
space-station-moon-construction
“That blast came from the Death Star! That thing’s operational!” ― Lando Calrissian
Also known as the DS-2 Orbital Battle Station, the second “space station moon” appears in episode VI, Return of the Jedi, as an upgrade to the original Death Star, destroyed by the Rebel Alliance in Episode IV: A New Hope.
starfighter
While “starfighter” is a generic name for various spacecraft intended for battle, X-wing Fighters and Tie Fighters are perhaps the most well recognized. X-wing starfighters are marked by distinctive S-foils that resemble the High Galactic script’s character “X” in attack formation and are designed for dogfighting.
starfighter-twin-ion-engine
Known for its bow-tie-styled design and terror-inducing (and most bad assed sounding) fly-by roar, the Tie Fighter was “manufactured exclusively by Sienar Fleet Systems, TIE fighters became one of the most recognizable symbols of the power of the Galactic Empire.”
starship
The USS Enterprise is the main spacecraft for James T. Kirk’s and Jean-Luc Picard’s space exploration missions from the original TV series from the 1960s and 1990s, respectively.
Our favorite scene was when the USS Enterprise destroys the Millennium Falcon in a dogfight.
starship-freighter
“You’ve never heard of the Millennium Falcon_? … it’s the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.” — Han Solo_
“The Millennium Falcon, originally designated YT 492727ZED and formerly known as the Stellar Envoy, was a Corellian YT-1300f light freighter most famously used by the smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca, during and following the Galactic Civil War.”
swords-laser
“An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.” ― Obi-Wan Kenobi giving Luke Skywalker his father’s lightsaber.
Lightsabers are the weapon of choice for both Jedi and Sith alike. Sometimes referred to as laser swords by those unfamiliar, lightsabers are powered by kyber crystals that emit laser blades from metal hilts. The blade can be turned on and off at will and are especially dangerous in the hands of force-sensitives.
user-bounty-hunter
The user-bounty-hunter icon is stylized to represent human bounty hunter Boba Fett — his career spanning decades from the Galactic Republic’s fall to the end of the rule of the Galactic Empire. Boba Fett was a clone of Jango Fett, who raised Boba as a son.
Boba Fett appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and the prequel film Attack of the Clones. Initially, Boba Fett filled a supporting antagonist role who served crime lord Jabba the Hutt and Supreme Commander Darth Vader.
user-hair-buns
You know a culture reference is engrained when a mere silhouette makes an icon automatically recognizable. But where did the cinnamony baked goods-styled hair inspiration come from? Undertake some historical excavation, and you’ll find there’s some debate.
George Lucas states that Princess Leia’s hair buns style came from Southwestern Pancho Villa women Revolutionaries. Still, several historians and zealous fans disputed his claim. As it turns out, Lucas was likely inspired by a historical photo displayed a 2016 exhibition at Denver Art Museum. It featured sketches of Lei’s dual cinnamon bun-styled hair next to an image of a Mexican soldadera sporting the do. ¡Viva la Revolución and break out the hairspray!
Use the Icons Wisely, You Must
Now that you’re armed with all the Jedi mind tricks, you’ll crush it at trivia night and impress your friends with your fan dedication by adding these space-themed icons to your design.
