You’ve heard of May the 4th. Obviously. It’s everywhere. From corporate Twitter accounts trying to be "relatable" to your local bakery selling green-frosted cookies, the "May the Fourth" pun is basically the Super Bowl of nerd culture. But then there’s this weird, quieter sibling: May the 12th be with you. It sounds like a typo. Most people assume someone just got their dates mixed up or forgot to post their meme eight days earlier.
That’s not exactly the case.
Honestly, the internet has a funny way of making things stick, even when they start as a mistake. May the 12th be with you has become a sort of "Second Chance" Star Wars day for the procrastinators, the busy parents, and the people who just really like a good pun, even if it’s a bit of a stretch phonetically. While May 4th is the official Lucasfilm-sanctioned holiday, May 12th has carved out a niche for fans who find the mainstream celebrations a little too crowded or commercialized.
It’s the indie film version of a holiday.
The Weird Logic of May the 12th Be With You
Look, the pun isn't as clean. "Fourth" sounds like "Force." "Twelfth" sounds like... well, if you say it fast enough after three coffees, maybe it sounds like "the wealth"? Or maybe just "the Force" with a heavy lisp? Regardless of the linguistic gymnastics, May the 12th be with you persists because the Star Wars fandom is massive, and honestly, one day a year isn't enough to contain it.
Think about the timing. May 4th happens. Then Revenge of the 5th (the Sith). Then some people try to make "May the 6th be with You" happen. By the time we hit the 12th, the initial hype has died down, the limited-edition merchandise is sold out, and the "normal" people have moved on to talking about the weather or whatever people talk about when they aren't debating lightsaber forms.
This is where the real fans stay behind.
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For many, May the 12th be with you is a "mop-up" day. It’s when local fan groups who couldn't secure a venue on the 4th finally get to have their lightsaber dueling practice in the park. It’s when the art commissions started on May 4th finally get finished and posted to Instagram. It’s a day for the community, by the community, without the pressure of a Disney marketing campaign breathing down your neck.
Why the Date Actually Matters in Star Wars History
If you want to get technical—and Star Wars fans always want to get technical—May is the most important month in the franchise's history regardless of the specific day. A New Hope premiered on May 25, 1977. The Empire Strikes Back arrived on May 21, 1980. Return of the Jedi hit theaters on May 25, 1983. Even the prequels followed the trend, with The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith all debuting in May.
May the 12th be with you sits right in the heart of this "Star Wars Season."
Back in the late 70s and early 80s, May was when the world changed. You didn't have 24/7 access to Wookieepedia or Disney+. You had a ticket stub and a dream. The excitement didn't just last for twenty-four hours on May 4th; it built up all month long. By the time May 12th rolled around, the lines were still around the block at the Chinese Theatre. People were going back for their fifth, sixth, or tenth viewing.
In that context, celebrating on the 12th feels a lot more authentic to the original experience than a single day of hashtags. It represents the "long tail" of fandom. It’s about the staying power.
Is it a "Fake" Holiday?
Some purists get annoyed. They’ll tell you that "May the 12th be with you" isn't a real thing. But what makes a holiday real? If enough people say it, it exists. That’s how language works. That’s how culture works.
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If you look at search trends, you’ll see a specific spike every year around this date. It’s not a mistake. It’s a conscious choice by a subset of the community to keep the party going. Some call it "The 12th of the Force." Others just use it as an excuse to re-watch Andor for the third time.
There’s also the "Mother’s Day" factor. In many years, May 12th or the days surrounding it fall on Mother's Day. Considering the Star Wars saga is essentially one giant, messy family drama, there’s a poetic irony in celebrating "May the 12th be with you" alongside the women who probably tolerated our action figure collections for decades. Shmi Skywalker deserves a holiday, doesn't she?
How to Celebrate Without Looking Like a Newbie
If you’re going to embrace May the 12th be with you, you have to do it with a bit of a wink. You can't just post a generic picture of Yoda and call it a day. That’s rookie stuff.
- Focus on the Deep Cuts. Since this is the "alternative" Star Wars day, highlight the stuff the general public ignores. Talk about the KOTOR remake delays. Post a tribute to the Ewok movies (Caravan of Courage, anyone?). Discuss the tactical errors made by Admiral Ackbar at the Battle of Endor.
- Support Small Creators. May 4th is for the big brands. May 12th is for the Etsy sellers, the fan-fic writers, and the YouTubers who spend forty minutes analyzing a single frame of a trailer.
- Host a "B-Side" Marathon. Instead of the main trilogies, watch the stuff that sits on the fringes. Watch the Clone Wars shorts (the 2D Genndy Tartakovsky ones). Dive into some Tales of the Jedi.
The vibe of May the 12th be with you is "I know my stuff." It’s relaxed. It’s for the people who don't need a calendar to tell them to love Star Wars, but they’ll take the excuse anyway.
The Economic Side: May the 12th and "Post-Hype" Sales
If you’re a savvy collector, May the 12th be with you is actually a better day than May 4th. Why? Because the "May the 4th" sales usually end on the 5th or 6th, and then retailers are left with overstock.
By the 12th, the secondary market (eBay, Mercari, local comic shops) starts to settle. The "hype buyers" who grabbed everything in sight on the 4th start to realize they can't afford their rent, and the "second-wave" deals begin to appear. If you’re looking for that specific Black Series figure or a vintage Lego set, the period around the 12th is often when the prices dip before climbing back up for the anniversary of the original movie release on the 25th.
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Looking Toward the 50th Anniversary
As we head toward 2027—the 50th anniversary of the franchise—every "May the" pun is going to get amplified. We are likely to see May the 12th be with you gain even more traction as the official window for celebrations expands.
Lucasfilm has shown they are happy to let fans run with these things. They didn't invent "May the 4th," after all; fans did. The earliest recorded use was actually a congratulatory note to Margaret Thatcher in 1979 ("May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie"). If a political ad can start a holiday, a bunch of dedicated fans can certainly make the 12th a thing.
The reality is that Star Wars isn't just a movie series anymore. It's a lifestyle. It’s a shared language. Whether it’s the 4th, the 12th, or the 25th, the sentiment remains the same. It’s about the hope that the story provides.
Actionable Steps for the "12th" Fan
If you want to actually "do" something for May the 12th be with you, here is how you handle it like a pro:
- Audit your collection. Use the 12th as a day to organize your shelves. Clean the dust off your Lego UCS Millennium Falcon. Check the batteries in your FX lightsabers (seriously, they leak and ruin the electronics).
- Donate to a "Force for Change" style charity. Don’t just spend money on plastic; spend it on something that helps people. Many fan groups use the 12th to highlight smaller, local charities that get overshadowed during the big corporate pushes earlier in the month.
- Introduce a "Casual." May 4th can be intimidating for people who don't know the difference between a Gungan and a Gamorrean. Use the lower-stakes environment of the 12th to show a friend your favorite episode of The Mandalorian.
- Check the "May the 12th be with you" hashtags. You’ll find a surprisingly tight-knit group of people who are just as obsessed as you are, minus the "May the 4th" gatekeeping that sometimes happens.
Ultimately, May the 12th be with you is what you make of it. It’s a glitch in the calendar that became a tradition. It’s a bit silly, a bit late, and entirely unnecessary—which is exactly why it’s great. In a world that takes everything so seriously, having a "backup" holiday for a space opera about wizards with laser swords is just the right amount of ridiculous.
So, if you missed the boat on the 4th, or if you just aren't ready to let the feeling go, remember: the calendar is just a suggestion. May the 12th be with you, always. Or at least until next year.