Here's How to Respond to 'May the Fourth Be With You' Like a True 'Star Wars' Fan

Melanie Yates

May 3, 2024 at 10:30 PM·2 min read

darth vader and stormtrooper at daytime parade — What Does 'May the Fourth Be With You' Mean?Getty Images

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Every year, fans across the galaxy commemorate Star Wars Day on May 4 by greeting each other with the phrase, “May the Fourth be with you.” This is, of course, a play on Obi-Wan Kenobi's famous quote, “May the Force be with you.” But, what's the proper response when someone says this to you?

What started as an in-joke among the fandom has become a Disney-official holiday — the latest releases from the Star Wars franchise now frequently have a May 4 launch date. In fact, the newest installment of the Disney+ animated series, Star Wars: Tales of the Empire, will be released on May 4, 2024.

May the Fourth isn't going anywhere, so you may as well learn the right way to respond so you don't make a wookie mistake! Here's how to respond when someone says, “May the Fourth be with you.”

How to Respond to “May the Fourth Be With You”

To know how to respond to “May the Fourth be with you,” it's a good idea to consider what the original quote means. “May the Force be with you” is essentially a phrase that wishes the recipient well or encourages them. Numerous Star Wars characters, both Jedi and non-Jedi have used the phrase, most notably Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.

While no character in the original Star Wars trilogy offers a response to this phrase, the captain Carson Teva replies in season two of The Mandalorian, “And also with you.”

Oh, but the fun doesn't end on May 4. On May 5, many fans now use the greeting, “Beware the revenge of the Fifth!” This phrase is a play on the title of the 2005 Star Wars film Revenge of the Sith.