Blue Milk Special

Inside the Rebel Legion – Part 1

You may have enjoyed our recent feature on the 501st Legion, but been wondering “what about the good guys?” Fortunately, there is a sister organization dedicated to cosplaying movie replica costumes based on the heroic characters from Star Wars. The Rebel Legion sprang up in 1999 and has grown rapidly across the world, supporting good causes within their communities by “trooping” in costume at countless events.

Ed Bartlebaugh is the Commanding Officer of one of the many regional chapters, known as a “Base”. Like the 501st Legion’s Old Line Garrison, his branch of the Rebel Legion covers our local Maryland and Washington DC area and goes by the name “Terrapin Base” after the State’s predilection for turtle themed mascots. Last week, I invited Ray Rogers, Commanding Officer of our local 501st Legion to talk to us, so in an effort to appear fair and balanced (no, I’m not a blond unicyclist), I asked Ed if he would speak to Blue Milk Special about the struggle with the Empire.

Q. So, Ed, why rebel against the Empire?

We feel the policies of the Empire do not truly represent the freedom of the sentient beings of the Galaxy.

What sets the Terrapin Base apart from other Rebel Legion Bases and Outposts around the world?

We are largely based in the Baltimore DC metro area. Also we do have a few members of the Cast and Crew that worked on the films that live here in MD. More on that soon…

Q. What are some of the most memorable events you and the Terrapin Base have trooped at?

Wow! Way too many to list. We have done so many. Two that stick out in my mind would be: 1.) While trooping Star Wars in concert, I ran into a child that was fighting cancer, and he was very timid. So I walked up to him and asked if he would like a photo, and he lit up like a Christmas tree, and I let him hold my lightsaber for the pic. He had a really good time. So If we (Terrapin Base) were able to put a smile on his face, even for a short time, it was worth it.

The other event was Air and Scare at the Smithsonian. We were doing photo ops and a little boy came to get a photo with us, but he would not speak. His mother told us that he was autistic and that he was unable to speak. Well, he reached down into my glove and grabbed my hand and would not let go. Even when we were done with the photo, he would not let go. So I walked around with his family for about 45 minutes. His mother was basically in tears because he was communicating through facial expressions, and she stated that this was the most communication he had made in almost a year. I was truly touched by what she told me.

Q. The Rebel Legion implies, by name, an emphasis on Original Trilogy and New Republic Expanded Universe characters. I’m assuming with the advent of the Prequels, the Clone Wars and Old Republic, the name has become a little misleading?

Well, you do have a point with that one, but “We are the Good Guys”. In all conflict there is a good and bad side depending upon your point of view. We like to be on the side that we see as the good guys (The Republic) fighting for democracy. The Old Republic stood for democracy within the galaxy before the rise of the Empire.

Q. For anyone interested in joining the Rebel Legion, they can go to rebellegion.com and identify the “Base” or “Outpost” for their region. The first step is registering to join their local Base’s forum followed by the appropriate Detachment forum. The Detachment forums specialize in giving expert advice on your chosen costume, such as how to make it from scratch, or purchase components made by others. Do you have any suggestions on easy Rebel uniforms for beginners?

I would say do your homework. If you’re looking to get into any costuming, not just Star Wars, it can be somewhat costly. Costumes can start in the hundreds up to thousands of dollars to complete. The Legion and 501st (The Bad Guys) take pride in trooping in movie quality costumes, meaning that we look as if we just stepped off of a movie set; and we do hear that a lot form the public. Because of that Lucasfilm has utilized us for events.

As far as an easy costume? Not really. They all require work of some sort. We do make a lot of components from scratch, but I would say a Rebel Fleet Trooper may be the fastest to put to together. The second, I would say is Jedi.

Q. What was your first costume?

Jedi.

Q. Which Rebel costumes get the biggest response from the general public?

Well I would say Vader, Stormtroopers / Clonetroopers, Cap Rex, Jedi and pilots. I would say, from what I have seen, Vader always steals the thunder… hehehe.

Q. One of the big differences between the Rebel and 501st Legions are the number of alien masked and prosthetic characters. What can you tell us about the popularity of cosplaying characters like Ackbar, Nien Nunb, Ahsoka, Twi’leks or Chewbacca?

I can say the prosthetics can be a little taxing upon the troopers, due to the limited amount of sight and sometimes it’s a bit hard to breathe in the masks. Some get recognized real fast, while others kids run away from. I was, at one time, thinking of putting on the mask for Jedi Master Plo Koon, but doing a dry run, as it were, it was extremely hard to see out of the mask. So for now I remain unmasked.

Q. The 501st Legion seems, at first glance, fairly strict with characters and uniforms. However, I’ve noticed what look like a few made up characters in the Rebel Legion. If someone wanted to make up their own character based on a Star Wars character’s look, is that acceptable? For example, is there a generic Jedi, Rebel Pilot, Trooper, to which you can assign your own fictional identity that is recognized by the Legion?

Yes, as long as it falls within the guidelines and parameters of the Star Wars universe and is acceptable to our charter.

Q. Something I didn’t ask the 501st about, but I know the Rebel Legion participates in, are customized member trading cards. What can you tell us about them and other forms of collectable trading activities within the Bases and organization?

We do have different collecting within the Legion, collectors cards, coins, and patches among other things. Most are for members only, as they are not produced for sale to the public, but for the enjoyment of our members. The collectors cards we do pass out to the public and most have been signed by the member portraying the character on the card. And the kids love them.

Q. What does the Terrapin Base have lined up for the next year?

As much as we can handle. LOL. We do have some irons in the fire, but have to wait and see how our plans play out.

Q. What does your involvement with the Rebel Legion mean to you, personally?

Friendship, and knowing I can bring a smile, or a good memory, to someone.

A big thanks to Ed for talking to us! Look for Part 2 on Wednesday where we ask the Rebel Legion a question…

Check out the Rebel Legion website for more information.
Check out the Terrapin Base (serving Maryland and Washington, DC)

In today’s strip we gave a small shout out to Ray from the 501st Legion‘s Old Line Garrison. Thanks, bud. Also a note to anyone in the Maryland / DC area interested in attending Star Wars Night at the Baysox Stadium in Bowie, MD on Saturday 22, 2013. The 501st Legion and Rebel Legion will be there courtesy of the Old Line Garrison and Terrapin Base in costume. A great opportunity to experience a mixture of Star Wars and baseball for the whole family. Leanne and I will be there to drink it all in and have a great time. If you see us, don’t be shy to say hello.