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Longtime Star Wars Fans Find Joy In Cosplaying As Iconic Characters For Parades, Visiting Kids In Hospitals

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Longtime Star Wars Fans Find Joy In Cosplaying As Iconic Characters For Parades, Visiting Kids In Hospitals
Star Wars Day has long been unofficially commemorated on 4 May, as in “May the 4th be with you”, referencing one of the most widely recognised greetings in all of science fiction (that’s “May the Force be with you”, if you’ve somehow never heard it).
The phrase was first uttered by Jedi knight Obi Wan Kenobi in the original 1977 film, an instant cult classic that went on to spawn a couple of excellent follow-ups – then separate, not so excellent prequel and sequel trilogies– plus a whole ton of books, cartoons, action figures and video games, laser-etching its way into our cultural lexicon and earning its progenitor, George Lucas, a galactic fortune.
Today, almost five decades after the release of the original Star Wars, fever for the franchise remains red hot from far, far away, to right here in Singapore, where many enthusiasts have found new and more passionate ways of expressing their love for the sci-fi films, whether that be collecting figurines of iconic characters – or dressing up as them.

The latter, also known as cosplay (a portmanteau of costume and play), has turned from a once-niche hobby into a pastime enjoyed by a growing number of people here. In Singapore alone, there are multiple chapters of both international and homegrown Star Wars cosplay troops, including The 501st Legion Singapore Garrison, the Kranak Clan – Mando Mercs Singapore, and Cathar Base Singapura – Rebel Legion.

With Star Wars Day looming, SilverStreak speaks to longtime fans who’ve gone more than a couple of parsecs to bring their favourite Star Wars characters to life.
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From Star Wars fans to cosplayers
Longtime Star Wars Fans Find Joy In Cosplaying As Iconic Characters For Parades, Visiting Kids In Hospitals - 501st cosplayers
Muhd Razib fell in love with Star Wars after his father introduced him to the franchise when he was just 10 years old.
He’s kept up with the franchise since that fateful day, splitting his time between catching all of the new movies and TV serials, and amassing a toy collection with many a Star Wars figurine.
It was only in 2017 that Razib finally took his first tentative steps into the world of cosplay, when he started hanging out at conventions and other events where Star Wars cosplayers gathered to “see and decide if I really like it”.
As it turns out, he did – so he decided to cosplay as a patrol trooper, a variant of the standard stormtrooper that rides around on a speeder bike. “Transport is close to my heart, so I chose to play as a Star Wars character that’s all about that,” says the full-time transportation supervisor.
Cosplay can be an expensive hobby
It took Razib “about six to seven months” to put his entire get-up together. It wasn’t cheap or easy, as most of the parts had to be imported from overseas, though he declines to get into specifics.
Longtime Star Wars Fans Find Joy In Cosplaying As Iconic Characters For Parades, Visiting Kids In Hospitals - Tyrene Teo
Image courtesy of Tyrene Teo (right)

This is par for the course for most Star Wars cosplayers – or indeed, cosplayers in general – especially if they’ve opted for costumes made from hard materials, says Tyrene Teo, 43, a projects and events executive.

The cosplayer of 10 years has run through quite the number of costumes and characters over the years. Some, like one of her first costumes of an Imperial officer, took a local seamstress “less than a month” to tailor.

Meanwhile, her current build of armoured warrior Bo-Katan Kryze from Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 4 took a year from start to finish.

Crafting your own costume is possible, though Tyrene says that this generally isn’t as common in Singapore, as most laypeople lack the specialised knowledge or equipment.
Longtime Star Wars Fans Find Joy In Cosplaying As Iconic Characters For Parades, Visiting Kids In Hospitals - Armour party
Credit: Kranak Clan – Mando Mercs Singapore

Those that do, however, are often more than willing to share their skills. Richard Lim, 54-year-old founder of the Kranak Clan – Mando Mercs Singapore (an offshoot of a larger global organisation), shares that his group meets about two to three times a quarter for “armour parties”.

Longtime Star Wars Fans Find Joy In Cosplaying As Iconic Characters For Parades, Visiting Kids In Hospitals - Richard Lim
Image courtesy of Richard Lim
“We don’t do it for them, but we will give newcomers advice on how to make their costumes better,” says the cosplayer of seven years, who works in retail by day. “There are guides on the official Mando Mercs forums with that you can stencil on to Sintra (a type of lightweight foam board) to make armour parts.”
While he agrees with Tyrene that the build quality of cosplay parts overseas is generally better and more show-accurate, there’s a catch: “They are made for European or American sizes, so you often have to trim it down or pad it out to fit into it.”
Having to ship it from overseas also makes the hobby all the more expensive – which makes local specialised talent, like those of 46-year-old Kit Woo, all the more valuable. The longtime Star Wars aficionado has been using his electrical engineering knowhow to craft authentic-looking, LED-lit lightsabers for other Star Wars megafans since 2010.
While these lightsabers can’t actually reflect blaster shots or melt through steel bulkheads, they are sturdy enough to withstand the abuse of choreographed lightsaber battles – something else that Kit participates in frequently as a longstanding member of FightSaber.
Fulfilment in spreading Star Wars love across the galaxy
Longtime Star Wars Fans Find Joy In Cosplaying As Iconic Characters For Parades, Visiting Kids In Hospitals - Hanging out with friends
Credit: 501st Legion Singapore Garrison
Like The 501st Legion Singapore Garrison – which Razib and Tyrene are both members of – the local lightsaber performance organisation give participants a way to connect with other like-minded people.
“I’ve made a lot of friends through the group. Everyone is friendly and willing to share their knowledge,” says Razib. “It’s like we’re one big family.”
“We have around 20 to 30 members who actively participate in weekly training sessions. Anyone can join, regardless of skill level, as we’re all there to have fun and get better,” adds Kit on FightSaber.
Richard, too, finds joy in having managed to forge a little community of around 10 in the Kranak clan.

"It’s not like, 'Wow!', creating a massive company, but we did create something from nothing. We’re the only Mando Merc clan in Southeast Asia, and we’re all able to take time out of our busy schedule to do something we like in our spare time and contribute back to the community."

Indeed, more than just friendship, these organisations also offer Star Wars fanatics an avenue to express their ardour for the franchise in meaningful ways.
These range from crowd engagements, where cosplayers mingle with the public at family carnivals, to marches for the annual Chingay Parade, and even lightsaber performances or charity visits at hospitals and children’s homes.
Longtime Star Wars Fans Find Joy In Cosplaying As Iconic Characters For Parades, Visiting Kids In Hospitals - Donations
Credit: 501st Legion Singapore Garrison
“The children get so excited when we walk in in our costumes. It’s great that something that I enjoy can also put a smile on their faces,” offers Razib.
Richard of the Kranak Clan offers, “It’s a great joy to see how children react to you when you’re out and about. They walk towards you, wave at you – my kids are all grown up, so why not? It makes us feel happy, to make children feel happy.”
Longtime Star Wars Fans Find Joy In Cosplaying As Iconic Characters For Parades, Visiting Kids In Hospitals - Interacting with children
Credit: 501st Legion Singapore Garrison
All of these are done on a voluntary basis, with no obligation for Star Wars cosplayers to participate on behalf of the organisation.

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