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The 501st Legion is an international fan-based organization dedicated to the construction and wearing of screen-accurate replicas of Imperial Stormtrooper armor, Sith Lords, Clone Troopers, bounty hunters, and other villains from the ''Star Wars'' universe. The 501st Legion, called by its nickname Vader’s Fist, is made up entirely of volunteers. Formed by South Carolina residents Albin Johnson and Tom Crews in August 1997, the Legion now has over 8,000 active members worldwide, with over 11,000 approved costumes among them. The Legion is active on 6 continents, with local units known as "Garrisons" and "Outposts" in over 50 countries around the globe. Legion members make appearances at casual, promotional, and charitable events, often at the request of Lucasfilm's Fan Events department. Although not officially affiliated with the Walt Disney Company or Lucasfilm LLC., the 501st Legion is Lucasfilm's preferred Imperial costuming organization. ==Origins== In 1997, Albin Johnson set up a humble Geocities website called "Detention Block 2551" as a place to post photos of himself and his friend Tom Crews in their homemade Stormtrooper costumes. Arnie DeHerrera started "Stormtrooperland" at the same time in 1997 and started email conversation with Albin and Tom. Shortly after that, Scott McArthur of Canada got involved and developed the original logo with the words, "The Fighting 501st!" as its catch phrase with a stormtrooper helmet with red eyes in front of a purple Imperial logo. This evolved quickly into the current red, black, and white logo with the phrase, "Vader's Fist" to express the force with which the 501st led. Within weeks of launching the sites, Albin was fielding email requests from people across the country and around the world looking to be featured on his website in their own homemade Stormtrooper armor. What he started soon blossomed into a global phenomenon – a fan-based costuming club unlike any other. The Legion ranks swelled, and regional subdivisions called Garrisons, Squads, and Outposts were created to facilitate the organization of events and appearances on a local level. While the Legion was initially based only on the white-armored stormtroopers stationed aboard the Death Star, as the group expanded, it grew to encompass every other canon trooper variation, such as Sith Lords, bounty hunters, and other villains from the Star Wars saga. Custom creations are generally not eligible for membership, and all applicants are reviewed by their local units and Legion Membership Officers prior to approval into the member database. Early events attended (or "trooped") by the Legion were mostly science-fiction and comic book conventions or related to the release of the Star Wars movies in theaters and on video. But members were looking for more frequent reasons to meet up with their new-found Legion friends and show off their costumes together. The Legion then became a force for doing good, expanding into a charitable organization that has been likened to a Shriners or Lions Club for a modern generation. A decade after Albin and Tom founded the Legion, on January 1, 2007, two hundred members of the Legion marched in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, with George Lucas himself as the Grand Marshal. At this watershed moment for the club, Lucas and Johnson discussed the future of the rapidly growing Legion, and an unofficial partnership was born. Lucasfilm would grant the Legion a limited use of their copyrighted characters, as long as members of the 501st promised never to use their costumes for personal profit and that they represent the franchise in a positive and respectful manner. The Legion does not charge for its services or appearances; however, event hosts are encouraged to make donations to a charity in the Legion's name in lieu of compensation. Since its inception, the membership numbers have grown by thousands, and the 501st has gained renown as one of the most respected and professional costuming organizations in the world. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「501st Legion」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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