March 26th – 28th, Phoenix Symphony Hall – Phoenix, Arizona

Fans of the symphony and of sci-fi got a treat this last weekend. “Star Wars Mania” is one of The Phoenix Symphony’s themed Family Concerts series, which is part of the Education and Community Outreach Department.

In partnership with ‘The Rebel Legion’, ‘Mando Mercs’, and the ‘R2 Builders Club’, the Dune Sea Garrison chapter of the 501st Legion were honoured guests at the symphony for performances Friday evening, Saturday, Saturday evening, and Sunday.

More than 30 members from the various groups participated in all or some of the events. Prior to the shows and in between, the troopers were mingling with the crowds, taking pictures and all in all having a great time.

Special guest conductor, Bob Moody was almost giddy with excitement when he saw the sheer volume of support for this very special and personal event. At every performance, he proudly introduced the troopers and invited them onstage. He even helped out a couple of Jedi Knights in a duel with Darth Vader. At one point, during a fierce clash between Lord Vader and some young Jedi, he dropped his baton and wielding his own light saber, leapt off the podium (wearing a Jedi robe of his own), and used the force to push the Dark Sith Lord off stage. Each and every time the crowd, children and adults alike, cheered and loved it.

This was a wonderful family event. We felt very welcomed by the orchestra, staff and everyone involved. They all agreed that the presence of the force (both dark and light) was much appreciated and welcomed for future events.

By: Will Rogers (TK-2855)

By: Tristan Moriuchi (TK-9285)

On Saturday night, July 26th, the Robot Chicken on Wheels Tour kicked off in San Diego, CA to promote theirRobot Chicken: Star Wars Episode 2 DVD. Accompanying the local Southern California Garrison and theSunrider Base were members of the Dune Sea Garrison and Mos Eisley Base for a night of pictures and fun. In attendance were Matt Senreich, Seth Green, and Tom Root, who had the honor of being inducted as Honorary Members into the Rebel Legion, the sister organization of the 501st. Matt and Seth are co-creators of Robot Chicken, and Tom is a writer, producer, director, and voice actor on the show. Also present were thousands of fans including roller derby teams and several convention attendees. Along with handing out Sideshow Collectibles gift cards, members posed for pictures and even started up a group dance party outside of the skate area. Both 501st and Rebel Legion members had a blast with fans of Robot Chicken Star Wars!This event took place after the Fox 5 news interview on Thursday with Seth Green and Matt Senreich where DSG members were also present. Fox 5 aired the interview the next day showing members hanging out with the Robot Chicken creators at a drive in.

During the tour event, fans took great pictures with Rebels and Imperials alike to promote the new DVD that is now on sale. It was truly a pleasure for the Arizona groups to work with such great members from California so far from home. Sunrider and Southern California Garrison did an amazing job of making this an awesome event; thank you guys for all of your support and allowing the DSG and MEB to tag along!

By: Tristan Moriuchi (TK-9285)

Thursday and Friday, July 23rd and 24th, marked a first in Dune Sea Garrison history. Fox 5 of San Diego, CA invited the 501st Legion to attend their interview with Seth Green and Matt Senreich. Not only was the taping a success, but the staff was so impressed that they invited the crew back to serve doughnuts, write scripts, and provide an overall Star Wars newscast. Conveniently, Friday was Star Wars day at the San Diego Comic-con when troopers were shown all through the morning.

Clips were shown throughout the show between lie casts at the convention and daily news reports. The morning started off with a biker scout writing for the show, which his co-writer was rather shocked at. This was followed by a couple of troopers serving doughnuts to the staff including Arthel Neville. Meanwhile, off camera the team got to converse with editors, cameramen, and anchors. The entire staff was a huge pleasure to work with; everyone was professional and very courteous. On screen, Vader had a lot of work including zapping crew members and guiding cameras using his very persuasive powers. Before the end of the morning the team also had the pleasure of talking to Tom Kane, the voice of Yoda in the current Star Wars: The Clone Wars series. He showed off a number of his voices and cracked some jokes with 501st members as the Jedi Master…although as a matter of Imperial Security he was under strict watch.

The group who participated from the DSG owes a huge thanks to the Southern California Garrison and the Fox 5 morning team. We all especially appreciated Raoul Martinez for whistling the Imperial March all morning; his enthusiasm was above and beyond. The Fox team was more than generous by providing breakfast and giving the DSG a full tour along with writing up fun activities. Overall it was a terrific experience!

By: Tristan Moriuchi (TK-9285)

The students at the University of Advancing Technology warmed up pretty quickly to the combined forces of the local Mos Eisley Base and Dune Sea Garrison arriving at their Summertime Charity Fundraiser. The school’s Star Wars Alliance Club hosted a week’s worth of fundraising events to support the MMC Children’s Center through Child’s Play. This organization provides children in hospitals with video games that kids can check out from the hospital to enjoy during their stay. As passionate technology students and community members, the Star Wars Alliance Club participated in a number of charitable activities throughout the week including a lunch, raffle, and blood drive. One of the final events of the week was on Friday July 17^th, featuring pictures with Star Wars characters from both the Light and Dark side.

Students and characters alike took pictures in front of a green screen to be edited later to include Star Wars themed backgrounds. Some included action scenes while others were just for fun. After the pictures, students were able to chat one on one with the costumers about their hobby and learn about a new way to expand on their Star Wars enthusiasm. Hopefully we will be seeing a number of new recruits coming from UAT shortly! As the night continued, the raffle winners were decided (one of the prizes included was a Light saber Master FX construction kit), and the winners of the art contest were revealed. Also, some members participated in a Nerf War resulting in a Rebel vs. Imperial battle on the UAT campus including foam darts and a lot of laughs. Some members were inclined to stay out of the dart action after having experienced enough similar action at Trooper Training Camp earlier this year at Phoenix Cactus Comicon.

Thank you to the Star Wars Alliance Club crew for inviting us to this terrific event! From R2 to Darth Vader, we’re looking forward to dropping by again and it was a terrific time at the University. Keep up the good work and supporting the community, thanks again! For more information about Child’s Play, please visit their website at http://www.childsplaycharity.org.

By: Tristan Moriuchi (TK-9285)

On May 22nd around 2pm, the Dune Sea Garrison was able to visit Phoenix Children’s Hospital to greet patients and visitors. This is not the first time that troopers have stopped by bearing gifts and well wishes for the children. For years the DSG has had a terrific relationship with PCH allowing us to stop in, shake hands, take pictures, and interact with friends and family. Toy drives like the annual Toy Anxiety in December allow the garrison to not only lift spirits with our presence but also supplies us with predominantly Star Wars toys to hand out.This particular mission had troopers moving around the entire hospital. There was a strong toy and trooper presence maintained in the lobby throughout the afternoon. Darth Vader himself managed to make it to upstairs to a few patients and even over to the dialysis area. By the end of the day, troopers had seen several angles of the hospital. Special thanks go out to the troopers who took the time out of their regular work schedules to make this visit. Also, thank you to the Child Life Council specialists that make these important community outreach visits possible; we appreciate the time you allow us to spread some joy to more Star Wars fans’ lives.

The Garrison is looking forward to our next PCH visit in July, along with many more hospital visits to come across the state. Please check out our event calendar for all of our upcoming visits or fill out an event requestto let us know if we can help in your area!