Stormtroopers March … the Rose Parade?

This year’s Rose Parade will have George Lucas as grand marshal, so naturally, stormtroopers, Royal Guards and other characters will make an appearance:

The scene was surreal — the troupe wore blue jeans, cargo shorts and T-shirts but had donned elaborate helmets of the Imperial forces. On the sidelines was the Darth Vader understudy, preparing in case the real one got sidelined.

They are members of the 501st Legion, an international organization of more than 3,000 people devoted to re-creating scenes from the "Star Wars" movies.

They painstakingly mold, sew and paint costumes to dress up as stormtroopers, Royal Guards and other characters, mostly to realize childhood fantasies — but also to appear at charity events and Civil War-style reenactments.

LA Times Article: Link (Photo by Damon Winter)