Force Friday II launches in Sydney

The Southern Cross Garrison were proud to work with Disney and Lucasfilm last week to kick-off Force Friday II activities.

During the week leading up to September 1’s Force Friday, First Order Stormtrooper, Darren Vaughan, visited the iconic Sydney Opera House to shoot video and photographic material to aid in the promotion of Find the Force, a global augmented reality (AR) event commemorating the worldwide launch of new Star Wars: The Last Jedi products.

First Order Stormtrooper Sydney harbour
Photo credit: Sarah Hillier

"We spent our morning capturing footage of the app in action, and shots of our First Order Stormtrooper interacting with the environment and, well, just generally looking pretty cool in front of an awesome view," Darren said.

As the evening of Thursday August 31 descended, 501st Legion members assembled at Zing Pop Culture in Sydney. A small group of dedicated and excited Star Wars fans were already gathering outside the store, eagerly anticipating the midnight launch of Force Friday II.

Shortly after, 3 First Order Stormtroopers emerged to keep the growing crowd under control and for the occasional selfie with fans. They were accompanied by Captain Phasma, an Emporer’s Royal Guard, Scout Trooper, Stormtrooper, Death Trooper, a Mandalorian, a few Rebel Pilots and the mighty Chewbacca.

Fans and costumers were entertained by a DJ, donning a Stormtrooper helmet, and some Star Wars trivia and cake before the curtain was dropped at midnight, revealing the range on the latest The Last Jedi merchandise and toys.

"We were very excited to be involved with the start of 'First Order Season' with lots of exciting activities still to come in the lead up to the December release of The Last Jedi, We're equally looking forward to sharing these events with our Rebel Legion and Mandalorian friends!" Southern Cross Garrison Commanding Officer mentioned.