Rebel Legion

The subject of this article concerns a fan topic in Star Wars culture.

This article documents a fan organization that has affiliated or collaborated with Lucasfilm at some point.

The Rebel Legion is a worldwide costuming group of Star Wars fans in Rebel Alliance costume that often participates in charity work and community service. Following its formation in 2000, it has often worked with Disney and Lucasfilm, as well as other costuming groups such as the 501st Legion. Several members of the Rebel Legion portrayed background characters in the themed attraction Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, and the organization has been the subject of numerous StarWars.com articles.

History

Founding and purpose

The Rebel Legion is a worldwide costuming group of Star Wars fans in Rebel Alliance costume.^[2] It was founded in January 2000 by Tony Troxell, Richard Fairbrother, Doug Fesko, and Ed O'Connell.^[1] often participating in charity work and community service. The Rebel Legion was initially formed in reaction to the 501st Legion fan organization—another costuming group—and both organizations regularly work together with shared members. In the time since its formation, the Rebel Legion has grown to become one of Disney and Lucasfilm's preferred costuming groups. Some Rebel Legion costumes are submitted for Lucasfilm approval for feedback after their construction.^[2]

The Rebel Legion's commanding officer is elected from its membership and serves as its figurehead and spokesperson, operating as the organization's primary point of contact for Lucasfilm. As of 2024, the Rebel Legion's commanding officer is Anthony Wilson.^[3] Member costumes include Jedi, clone troopers, rebel pilots, rebel troopers, rebel commanders, royalty and senators, smugglers, and creatures.^[1]

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

In 2010, Lucasfilm asked several members of the 501st Legion—some of whom were also part of the Rebel Legion—to participate in a photo shoot for the upcoming themed attraction Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. In August of that year, several members attended the recording session, including Star Wars Blog contributor Lawrence Green, who was a member of the organizations.^[4]

One other member of Rebel Legion—Rob Howe—portrayed a snowspeeder pilot on comms on the ice planet Hoth. Other members of the group portayed various background characters throughout the attraction in silhouette form.^[4] The attraction ultimately first debuted at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida on May 20, 2011.^[5] The Rebel Legion's contributions to the project were were later published in a StarWars.com interview with Green conducted by author Amy Ratcliffe, which was published on August 29, 2014.^[4]

Futher work

Stephen Stanton is an honorary member of the Rebel Legion.

The costuming group was also featured amongst several others in a Celebration Europe II lead-up video done by Ashley Eckstein, the voice actor for Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated television series.^[6] Mark Newbold, a contributor to Star Wars Insider and the Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon magazines, is an Honorary Friend of the Rebel Legion.^[7]

Members of Rebel Legion was at Celebration VI in 2012,^[8] as well as Long Beach Comic Con the same year, inducting Stephen Stanton—a voice actor from Star Wars: The Clone Wars—as an honorary member.^[9] Rebel Legion maintained a presence at San Diego Comic-Con^[10] and the WonderCon conventions in 2013,^[11] both of which had respective StarWars.com articles.^[10]^[11] Also in 2013, the Rebel Legion worked alongside several Disney employees to volunteer for Operation Gratitude, which was later documented on StarWars.com.^[12]

Post-canon reset

In 2014, Rebel Legion maintained a presence at the WonderCon alongside the 501st Legion, which was included alongside a list of the event's other Star Wars-related programming in an article on StarWars.com.^[13] An article further detailing the organization's presence at the event was published by Green on April 29 of that year.^[14]

Several Rebel Legion members were invited to the premiere of Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi. — Several Rebel Legion members were invited to the premiere of *Star Wars*: Episode VIII *The Last Jedi*.

Rebel Legion and 501st Legion members Alexina Duncan^[15] and Emily Schram^[16] were interviewed as part of Ratcliffe's "Galactic Costuming" series of articles highlighting members of fan costuming groups worldwide for an article on StarWars.com, which were published on August 17, 2017,^[15] and January 3, 2018, respectively.^[16]In December 2017, members of Rebel Legion were invited to the red carpet premiere of the 2017 sequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi. They met several cast and crew while dressed in costumes of new characters from the film, and some parts of their interviews were included in a StarWars.com article by Dan Brooks.^[17]

One member of the Rebel Legion—Lisa Liebig—was interviewed at Celebration Anaheim in 2022 as part of a set of fan interviews conducted for a StarWars.com article published on May 29 of that year.^[18] Also during May of that year, Rebel Legion and several other fan costuming groups worked alongside Lucasfilm to raise money for Starlight Children's Foundation, raising thirty thousand dollars. Their efforts were mentioned in June 9, 2022, episode of This Week! in Star Wars on theofficial Star Wars YouTube channel, hosted by Kristin Baver.^[19]