A Long Time Ago in A Galaxy Not So Far Away, Charis Discovered Star Wars
Charis Boyer is a 20-year-old Junior here at Fairmont State University. Charis is an Elementary Education major with a certificate in Special Education with a love for all things Star Wars. She first developed an interest in the 501st Legion, which is a volunteer Star Wars organization, when her father joined back in 2009, but she has always had a love of Star Wars, she grew up with it. Her favorite 501st event so far is the Air and Scare: A Halloween Event held at the Air and Space Museum.
The 501st Legion is a Star Wars volunteer organization made up of over 5,000 members all over the world, in many different countries. The Legion is a costume group that prides itself with the partnership it has with Lucasfilm and Disney to accurately portray various characters from the Star Wars universe, costumes must be screen accurate, part of how this is done is by using a set of standards to ensure accuracy on their part. The Legion is made up of a few Garrisons and Outposts in many states and countries. A garrison is local chapters, must have a minimum number of 25 members and an outpost is smaller chapters, that have less than 25 members. Each Garrison is comprised of a command staff as its members. This system mimics how the Legion is run.
“Many of the events (troops) that we do include charities and hospital visits. I enjoy the fact that I am able to volunteer while utilizing my fondness of Star Wars. It is always a pleasure to see the smiling faces of children in the hospital when they see an iconic Star Wars character walk into their room and greet them personally”, said Charis Boyer.
Charis attended the John Williams concert in Colebank Hall, with the 501st before becoming an official member when she turned 18, almost 3 years ago. She said that she would certainly enjoy participating in more events on campus, but due to the pandemic several events have been put on hold resulting in many fewer opportunities to troop.
“My favorite costume to wear is probably my Novatrooper Sentinel. This costume is not well known nor is it the most comfortable, but I feel like it is a unique character that allows for the most unique interactions with other individuals. The most comfortable costume I have would most likely be my Jawa. It is a cloth costume that allows for the freedom and mobility that is typically lacking in armored costumes.”
Further information about the 501st can be found at https://www.garrisoncorellia.com/ and https://www.501st.com/
