Inside the Fighting 501st

Once Johnson and Crews trooped more in their new costumes, Johnson created a website to showcase their appearances. "I named it Detention Block 2551 and mocked it up as if Tom and I were a couple of bored stormtroopers reporting from our post on the Death Star," Johnson smiles. "Pretty soon other fans from all over the world were sending us pictures of themselves in their stormtrooper armor and asking if they could be members of Detention Block 2551. I thought back to my dad's aviation graduation book back from WWII, and all those pictures of the airmen lined up and ready to fight. I thought it would be cool if we could somehow capture the romantic imagery of a squad of fighting stormtroopers and create a fictional fighting unit for people to join and display their pictures."

As they began to organize the fan photos for the website, they created a numbering system for identification that even the Emperor could appreciate. "When Tom and I thought back to the lone stormtrooper in the Death Star docking bay in A New Hope, the one referred to as TK421," Johnson explains. "I figured that must be the numbering system the Empire used to identify stormtroopers, so we adopted our own TK numbers and just picked our birthdays in numerical form. As people joined, they got first pick of whatever four-digit number they wanted, first-come first-served. Then, when new costume categories appeared such as biker scouts and TIE pilots, I had to think about how to create creative space for them. So I created new prefixes for their numbers that I thought made intuitive sense: TI for TIE pilots, TB for Biker Scouts, etc. We now have almost a dozen prefixes to fit every category of costume that would cover the 'bad guys' of the Star Wars universe. Numbers are assigned for life and have become a point of pride among members. Many members cherish their TK number and often refer to themselves that way."

In addition to the numbering system, Johnson also devised a way for fans to come together and form "chapters" in their area, spreading the fandom while maintaining a certain level of order and structure. "Today we require there to be at least 25 members to form a Garrison," Johnson explains. "If members appear in a country with no Garrison, we make them an Outpost until such time as they have enough members to become a Garrison. The Legion supports its Outposts and works to help them grow because we know it's hard starting out. Garrisons form the backbone of our club and it is considered a big honor to be approved as a new Garrison."