The Palmerston North Knights Lightsaber Group is the biggest of its kind in New Zealand, with more than 180 active members.
The Palmerston North Knights Lightsaber Group is the biggest of its kind in New Zealand, with more than 180 active members.
The Palmerston North Knights Lightsaber Group has comfortably established itself as the country’s largest Star Wars lightsaber group.
The Knights Lightsaber Group is for Star Wars enthusiasts, and facilitates cosplayers, competitive duelists and stage combat choreography for its members.
The group was founded by Giovanni Maglalang in 2020, with hisfriend Matthew Tasker.
“We were both from Auckland originally, I think we just got bored and needed to do something,” Maglalang said.
Over six years later, the group has more than 180 active members.
“The lowest we have ever had is 20 to 25 and for some groups, 20 to 25 is like their biggest one,” he said.
“We keep on growing and growing every year, it is all about word of mouth, it’s all about getting people amongst it - it is pretty great.”
The Palmerston North Knights Lightsaber Group started in 2020.
He said the free group was an attractive proposition for people because it offered a form of escapism.
“We are a diverse group, I’ve had members come to me and say that they always look forward to Sundays because some of them don’t live in good environments, so it is an escape for them,” he said.
“The camaraderie that we have in the group; we are more like a family now - it has taken people out of dark times.
“We are there to not judge, you can go as yourselves, you don’t have to fit a certain mould. We have different types of people on different spectrums so we are very, very open and very diverse.”
Star Wars has stood the test of time because of the nostalgia it produces and the relatability aspect, Maglalang said.
“Taking out the sci-fi aspects of it, it’s about friendship, it’s about finding your place in the galaxy from far, far away,” he said.
“The franchise is an ever-evolving story. I believe that Star Wars has been around for so long because there are people out there that can relate to it - it is a big part of our lives, I think.”
To celebrate May 4, also known as Star Wars Day, the group has a weekend of festivities planned.
Some will be participating in the Feilding parkrun in full costume on May 2. The following day, they are holding a May the Fourth be with you market in collaboration with Palmy BID at Downtown Mall.
On May 4, the group will collaborate with Massey University, which runs its own Star Wars Day.
The group meets up every Sunday at the Palmerston North Clock Tower from 6pm-8pm.
Star Wars Day began in 2011, on May 4. The date stems from the pun “May the 4th be with you” - a play on the iconic line “may the force be with you” from the original movie.
Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
