Here we are celebrating May The 4th, also known as Star Wars Day, once again. And I was going to try and write up something based on the new movie coming out or something cool about the cast…but I decided to go a different route. Today, I’m going to tell you about some of the most influential Star Wars-related things that have occurred in my life, starting with the original movie.

I was six when the first Star Wars film hit theaters and, as we all know, that’s a highly impressionable age. The film amazed me, as I’m sure it did virtually everyone. But the true influence at that time was the line of toys that accompanied it. My first three figures were Darth Vader, R2-D2, and C-3PO. I remember being angry that the local stores were sold out when we were out shopping, but my ever-awesome Aunt Cathy managed to find those three action figures somewhere and gave them to me for my birthday about a month after the movie came out. It was the beginning of 35 years of collecting, though I had no idea of that at the time.

The $10 t-shirt deal of the day over at RIPT Apparel is the Star Wars-themed Stormtrooper shirt “The Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades” by artist iwilding.

The sale at RIPT began today, Friday, September 30, 2011, at midnight CST, and will continue for 24 hours from then, and once it’s over, it will not be sold on the site anymore.

Whovians are everywhere!

Our crew down at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA, this weekend has gotten some awesome Doctor Who-themed photos, as this Con is the kind of place you’d expect a property like Doctor Who to be well represented.

Also happening this weekend in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert is Burning Man, and as it turns out, a fully working Dalek art car was on the scene.

And to guard the Dalekmobile? A stormtrooper!

Check out the video here below of the Dalek car in action at Burning Man.

The New Zealand Mint is set to offer a very special new set of coins featuring the likes of some of your favorite characters from George Lucas‘s classic Star Wars series.

The first series includes eight 1oz 999 silver coins in two separate sets. The first comes in a Darth Vader helmet case (that even makes the iconic villain’s breathing sound when you open it), and features Vader, Emperor Palpatine, a Stormtrooper, and the Death Star. The second comes in a Millennium Falcon case (which makes the “jump to light speed” sound when opened), and features the dynamic duos of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, R2-D2 and C-3PO, and Han Solo and Chewbacca.

Have You Seen The Surfing Trooper?

He’s a stormtrooper on vacation from the Empire who’s surfing around the world.

Visit Surfing Trooper to see photos of his travel adventures so far and be on the lookout for him in your area. You never know when and where he’ll show up!

Chances are, he’ll have a surfboard, but even when he doesn’t, the pics are great, like this one — probably my favorite one of his travels thus far — where he goes to kick some hobbit ass in Hobbiton in New Zealand!!!