May the Fourth Be With You

**Also enjoy Mark Hamill — who plays Luke Skywalker — surprising fans**

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — It’s May the Fourth, and for fans across the galaxy, its meaning — "May the Force Be With You" —  touches the hearts of everyone everywhere. 

The "Star Wars" franchise began in 1977, when George Lucas created a world that nobody had ever seen before. Since then, the series has grown to include nine episodes (with eight and nine being released in 2017 and 2019) and two side-story films.  

All seven films have been nominated for Academy Awards (with wins going to the first two films) and have been commercial successes, with a combined box office revenue of over $7.5 billion, making Star Wars the third highest-grossing film series.

While May 4 is not an official holiday, fans everywhere use the day to honor the pop culture phenomenon. 

The following day, May 5, has come to be called "Revenge of the Fifth", a play on Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. On this day, fans join the "Dark Side" by celebrating the Sith Lords from the Star Wars series

At the end of 2016, Carrie Fisher — best know for her role as Princess Leia — passed away at the age of 60, followed just days later by her mother, Debbie Reynolds.

On Thursday, Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd shared a sweet throwback photo of her with Fisher and Chewbacca with the simple hashtag, #maythe4thbewithyou.

Fisher recently reprised her role as Princess Leia in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Fisher had been touring to promote her latest book, "The Princess Diarist." She was also in London filming episodes for the Amazon Prime series "Catastrophe" where she played the mother of one of the characters.

The Guardian used the day to compile a list of some memorable quotes from the series. Below are some of our favorites from the list: 

7. “Remember – the Force will be with you, always.”
A ghostly Obi-Wan’s final line to Luke, in Star Wars.

16. “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?”
Leia meets a disguised Luke, in Star Wars.

20. “You can’t win, Darth. Strike me down and I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.”
Obi-Wan predicts his own immortality during that first lightsaber battle, in Star Wars.

25. “Why, you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking, Nerf-herder!” 
Leia is unimpressed by Han’s cocky attitude, in The Empire Strikes Back.

30. “If you end your training now – if you choose the quick and easy path as Vader did – you will become an agent of evil.”
More Yoda wisdom as he encourages Luke not to try and rescue Han and Leia, in The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

32. “Crazy thing is, it’s true. The Force. The Jedi … All of it. It’s all true.”
A soulful moment from Han Solo after he first meets Rey and Finn in The Force Awakens.

And their number one? The greatest twist in Hollywood history between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker: “No, I am your father!”

And of course, Twitter was flooded with photos, gifs and videos to celebrate the day.

May the force be with you.