(Columbus Dispatch photo by Jeff Hinckley)
Civil War re-enactors are joined by pop culture cosplayers including members of the Rebel Legion and the 501st Legion who got into the fun at the Ohio Statehouse lawn to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Sunday, April 10 , 2011.
Tags: Cosplay, Costumes, Rebel Legion, The 501st Legion
Kind of surprising given that most Civil War re-enactors don’t consider themselves the same as cosplayers or costumers. I learned that you never ever refer to a re-enactor’s uniform as a “costume.” They take the living history stuff very seriously.
I’m all for costumes, but I’m wondering why they felt it necessary to dress up in SW costumes and go to an event commemorating a historical event. I think it’s kind of disrespectful. What’s next, Slave Leia at the D-Day ceremony at Normandy?
I also see Captain Jack Sparrow and the Ghostbusters were in attendance.
Considering my two main hobbies are Star Wars and Civil War, and I’m a 501st member and a Reenactor this is just plan perfect eye candy for me.
lazypadawan is correct, despite the fact that most of these Civil War re-enactors take it TOO seriously, as many of them wish the South won or something.
Jason, speaking of taking things too seriously… “historical event” or not, it happened a really long time ago and they’re just “dressing up and playing”. now if it were some sort of official “200th-ish year” type of commemoration thing, then that’d be COMPLETELY different, but these people do this same freakin’ thing eeeeeeeevery single year. come on.
your “point” is worthless because there is no “D-Day ceremony at Normandy”. ever. only these people do this for the American Civil War because apparently only certain Americans (usually Southerners) want to re-live LOSING a war that they, like i said, wish they’d won. :-/
I’m the stormtrooper in the middle. We were a few blocks away at a toy show, and we wanted to go and meet them. We held back while two of our members went to ask permission to see if we could get some pictures with them. That was all that we wanted. Permission was granted, and we got some pictures.
The SW costumers were not there to disrupt the Civil War ceremony. They didn’t dress in Star Wars costumes for the purpose of going to the Civil War event. They were at a local Toy Show, and then decided to go walking outside. It was actually sunny and warm in Columbus that day, for once. And they had seen the Civil War re-enactors up the street and went to say “Hi.” The two groups were just posing for pictures together.
And the Civil War re-enators absolutely enjoyed having the Star Wars people there.
Remember, you’re reading this on a “Star Wars” blog, not a Civil War re-enactment report.
This was all for fun and no disrespect was intended. Both groups were all smiles and had fun.
Relax!
Actually, we were trying to be very respectful. The Columbus Toy Show (in which the 501st and Rebel Legion were asked to attend) was only 3 block away from the Civil War re-enactors. Some of us wanted to go check them out and were afraid we would miss it, so we all walked in our costumes. We didn’t crash their event. We were very considerate and asked the “General” in charge if it was okay that we moved in to mingle with them. Since the majority of their photos and demonstrations were over, they enthusiastically welcomed us and it was *their suggestion* that we take a photo with them. It was a good time, and everyone was pleased.
Rebel Forces vs. The Empire = Civil War.
In fact, I am sure I remember the read along storybook I listened to as a child beginning like this – “It was a period of Civil War. Rebel Forces headed out from their hidden base.”
well the civil war is the same as the galtic civil war but the american civil war was on a smaller scale
I don’t necessarily find it disrespectful. Both groups are commemorating a civil war, just one of them is from a far off Sci-fi galaxy.
I agree, Jason. Seems kinda pointless and silly to me.
I also find it strange, some of the re-enactors dont seem very happy about it, either.
Yeah, I agree with Jason, that strikes me as very inappropriate. Jack Sparrow, a couple of Ghostbusters, and a bunch of Star Wars characters crash a fairly solemn commemoration… why? Reminds me of the guy who showed up at the Renaissance Faire here, dressed in his Star Trek: TNG costume, saying he was in the holodeck. A friend of mine used to do the Civil War stuff pretty heavily… until he went to one event and someone in the crowd of onlookers thought it would be funny to fire real bullets into the reenacted battle. Wouldn’t Chewbacca be surprised by something like that?
I agree, Jason. I do both Civil War re-enacting (15 years) and Star Wars and quite honestly, the two don’t mix. For fun…? Maybe. But, yes, we do take our hobby very seriously and our uniforms are just that…uniforms, not costumes, ergo my previous statement of the two not mixing. I know I wouldn’t have taken part in the photo. What next, Abraham Lincoln in a Darth Vader outfit?
I’m guessing the 501st was on the North. It is fitting since that time period in star wars was considered the “Galactic Civil War”
Read the dictionary, These are all costumes. You all need to lighten up!!!
The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period.
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