May

19 May

US release of The Phantom Menace 1999
On this day, after a hiatus of sixteen years Star Wars is back at the cinema with The Phantom Menace in 1999. This is the beginning of the Prequel trilogy and tells the story of Anakin's rise to become a Jedi and subsequent fall to become a Sith.

Other events on this day...
US release of Revenge of the Sith (2005)
UK release of Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Peter Mayhew born (1944)

20 May

UK release of The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
In the UK, cinemas opened to The Empire Strikes Back on this day in 1980. Following the unprecedented success of Star Wars in 1977, George Lucas returns to a galaxy a long time ago and far, far away, introducing new locations and characters.

21 May

US release of The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
On this day, a day after the UK, the US got their release of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. The movie saw the return of the rebel heroes in their battle to overcome the evil Empire. For many this is the greatest of the Star Wars movies.

22 May

Carlos Garzón born (1945)
Today in 1945 Carlos Garzón was born. Carlos is a comic book illustrator & produced a number of comics in the Marvel Star Wars series. He assisted Al Williamson on his Star Wars comic adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi

23 May

Robert Watts born (1938)
On this day in 1938 Robert Watts was born. Robert was a production manager on A New Hope, an associate producer on The Empire Strikes Back, and a co-producer on Return of the Jedi. He also played Lieutenant Watts in Return of the Jedi.

24 May

Original release date (now delayed) of The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
This was the day in 2019 when The Rise of Skywalker was due to be released, before being pushed back to December. The scale of the set was so big that Kevin Smith claimed it was the biggest he had seen in his life.

Other events on this day...
Carmine Infantino Born (1925)

25 May

US release of 'Star Wars' (1977)
On this day in 1977 we were introduced to the greatest story ever. Star Wars (later to be re-titled A New Hope) opens in the US to record ticket sales despite fewer than forty US cinemas initially agreeing to show it, until Fox threatened them!

Other events on this day...
US release of Return of the Jedi (1983)
US release of Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
UK release of Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Frank Oz born (1944)

26 May

Peter Cushing born (1913)
In 1913 the formidable actor Peter Cushing is born this day in Kenley, Surrey. Whilst Peter is credited with 86 appearances in TV and film from 1939 until 1997, he will forever be known as Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin to Star Wars fans.

27 May

Christopher Lee born (1922)
Sir Christopher Lee was born this day in 1922 in Belgravia, London. With a career spanning nearly 70 years, Lee was well known for portraying villains and in 2002 and 2005 played the evil Count Dooku in the Prequel Trilogy.

Other events on this day...
Paul Bettany Born (1971)

28 May

Alan Harris born (1938)
Alan Harris, Bossk from The Empire Strikes Back, was born this day in Enfield, London in 1938. Alan played a plethora of roles in the Original Trilogy & Episode 1, including stormtroopers, Bossk, a Rebel mechanic & doubling for Anthony Daniels as C-3PO.

29 May

Sebastian Shaw born (1905)
In 1905, in Holt, Norfolk, Sebastian Shaw is born this day. A veteran actor, Shaw played the unmasked Vader & Force Ghost Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi, the latter part being replaced by Hayden Christensen in the 2004 re-release.

30 May

Knights of the Old Republic video game released on iPad (2013)
10 years after the game was originally released on Xbox & PC, Knights of the Old Republic was ported to Mac OS X, iOS & Android by Aspyr, released this day in 2013.

31 May

Galaxy's Edge opens in Disneyland (2019)
Today is the grand opening of Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland, set in an outpost on the planet Batuu. The events portrayed there take place between the films The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker.