[11] TK-47933 Troop Log

[Tilheyra[TK]]

I give permission to FISD, the 501^st Legion, and all relevant garrisons to post photos on their respective social media accounts as deemed appropriate for our mission.

 

Troops:

 

1. January 20, 2024 – Star Wars Night with the Indy Fuel, Indianapolis, Indiana

2. February 3, 2024 - Quadcon Comic & Toy Expo, Champaign, Illinois - trooping with the Midwest Garrison

3. February 3, 2024 - A birthday party, Monticello, Illinois - trooping with the Midwest Garrison

4. March 23, 2024 - Indiana Comic Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana

5. March 29, 2024 - Live A Dream event, Lebanon, Indiana

6: April 7, 2024 - A New Hope in Dine (Navajo), Indianapolis, Indiana

7. April 8, 2024 - Anna's Eclipse Celebration, Indianapolis, Indiana

8. April 12, 2024 - School Carnival, Lafayette, Indiana

9. April 13, 2024 - Indy Eleven Star Wars Night, Indianapolis, Indiana

10. April 20, 2024 - 12th Annual Republic Airways Plane Pull, Indianapolis, Indiana

11. April 20, 2024 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert, Indianapolis, Indiana

Edited Sunday at 03:01 PM by Tilheyra

[Tilheyra[TK]]

My first troop!

 

I had great timing with my first troop as Star Wars Night at the Indy Fuel was probably one of the biggest troops of the year! The Indy Fuel is the professional hockey team in Indianapolis, Indiana, and they played against the Toledo Walleye of Toledo, Ohio. The Indy Fuel won the game, so I like to think we helped bring about the victory! The Indy Fuel contributed a portion of the price of each ticket sold to a charity providing free school supplies to teachers.

 

As with many troops here in Indiana, the Bloodfin Garrison teamed up with the Taakure Clan of the Mandalorian Mercs and the Mos Espa Base of the Rebel Legion for this event. All three groups collaborate under the name Star Wars Indiana.

 

The doors to the arena opened one hour before the game, so after getting a group photo, we stationed ourselves around the entrance hall.

 

 

Having been told it would be really cold right in front of the main doors, I decided to begin the evening in the warmer climes of one of the far sides of the entrance hall. I was there with a couple other members, and we were still able to take many photos with game attendees as we were near one of the ticket checks for the arena.

 

 

After a while, I figured it was my turn to protect Lord Vader, so I went to the coldest part of the entrance hall, where Vader was standing with multiple members of the Imperial Officer Corps.

 

 

Standing just past the security check, we were front and center as the game attendees walked in! Lots and lots of photos were taken here, with both children and adults anxiously waiting their turn! Meanwhile, the outside temperature had dipped to 0 F (-17 C), and that air was getting into the building as the doors were propped open at that point, so I knew it was time to move to a different area when I started to shiver. Lord Vader was left in good and friendly hands when I was relieved.

 

In due course, the crowds started to draw down as they went into the arena for the game, so it was time to talk amongst ourselves and take any photos with stragglers heading into the game. I also did other fun things, such as conducted some observations of the zamboni during half time:

 

 

I got to take some photos with another trooper’s E-11:

 

 

Pretended to be in the 1980s:

 

 

And then we all took one last group photo before heading back to the changing room.

 

 

Overall, it was an amzaing experience to have for a first troop! Seeing the absolute joy on kids' faces as they got to take photos with us was incredible! The joy on the adults' faces was fantastic too! We received numerous complements on our costumes, and I hope we inspired others to join the Legion, Mando Mercs, and/or Rebel Legion through our efforts!

[BAZINGA[TK]]

Excellent!  Congrats on your first troop!  The first one you will always remember.

 

Bart

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Congratulations on your first trooper, just one of many more to come 

[Sly11[Admin]]

Congratulations Brian!

[Cybergrunt[TK]]

Congratulations Brian!

[magni[TK]]

Congrats on your first Troop 

 

Great job on your armor 

 

You'll always remember your first.

[Nairy[Staff]]

Congratulations!!! Lovely to see!! 

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

Congratulations on troop 1. Looks like it was a fun one. 

[Tilheyra[TK]]

Troop #2

 

I live far enough west in Indiana that many sizable towns in Illinois are within a reasonable driving distance. Knowing this, I reached out to the Midwest Garrison to see if I could occasionally troop with them (in addition to my trooping with Bloodfin). They welcomed me aboard their forum and Facebook chat just a few days ago, and I was in luck as they had a troop coming up soon! That troop was today, and it was the Quadcon Comic & Toy Expo in Champaign, Illinois.

 

This expo was mainly used as an opportunity to recruit new members into the garrison and Legion, so I was happy to help by talking with individuals interested in joining! We met someone who has built a complete Anovos ANH Stunt kit, and his partner who has a complete TIE pilot costume, but have yet to take the next step of applying for membership! Needless to say, we gave both all details about the CRLs and the application process, which they were very receptive to. Hopefully we convinced them to apply!

 

I didn't have much time for photos, but I made sure to get a photo of me under the Midwest Garrison's banner, and next to the mannequin we dressed as a Mandalorian:

 

 

Interestingly enough, the venue was not open to masks or head coverings (strange for a place hosting a convention where may people were in cosplay), so I was only able to wear my bucket when in the immediate confines of our booth, and I had to be bucket-less when venturing anywhere outside our booth. Venturing around bucket-less seemed to be very helpful in that I could invite anyone who showed interest in my armor over to our booth! This especially happened when I made my way to and from the food court. I was able to get many people interested enough to visit our booth, and sure enough, just about everyone I had talked to came by at some point!

 

I went to this troop thinking it would be the only one of the day, but during the troop I was told another TK was needed for a birthday party later in the day. It didn't take much for me to say yes, so soon enough I was off to the next troop!

Edited February 4 by Tilheyra

[Tilheyra[TK]]

Troop #3

 

This troop was an appearance at a birthday party (for the child of a member's friend), and this was a quick appearance of about 20 minutes given the short attention span of children. We were a hit with both the children and the adults present, with ample photos taken among all! 

 

I made sure to snag a selfie of us just after we returned to the changing room (it seems I have a trampoline as a halo...):

 

 

The trooper on my right was the only one of us with a voice amp, which really came in handy for interacting with the group! Looks like I need to prioritize getting my own voice amp as that will certainly help with interacting with others when I am wearing my bucket!

[Tilheyra[TK]]

Troop #4

 

Indiana Comic Convention marks the beginning of a busy couple of months for the Bloodfin Garrison, and what a way to kick off this busier season! As usual, Bloodfin joined the Mos Espa base of the Rebel Legion and the Taakure Klan of the Mando Mercs as our Star Wars Indiana umbrella group to have a presence at all 3 days of the con! I was only able to attend on Saturday, March 23rd, but it was a jam packed and amazing day!

 

Highlights of the day include us all making an appearance on the local morning news, witnessing a marriage proposal between cosplayers dressed as Padme and Anakin (they were non-members, and it was gladly agreed to when the Padme cosplayer asked a few days beforehand, so we were ready to celebrate and take many photos of the happy couple), enjoyed a visit from Bad Batch voice actress Vanessa Marshall, and just had a fabulous time with fellow fans!

 

Shortly before doors opened, I was able to pose like an action figure in our specially made box! The box was a hit with just about everyone, so there's was almost always a line of at least a few people wanting photos!

 

 

Much of my day was spent taking lots, and lots, and lots of photos with people visiting the booth and passing by. I also had opportunities to patrol the vendor hall with other troopers and were frequently stopped for photos (thanks to TK-5961 for letting me use an extra blaster he brought)! I think a couple hundred photos were taken through my estimation of just how frequently people asked to get photos! As many here have probably experienced, once one person asks for photos, those around them see that they can get photos and then ask as well! It helped that we have 4 TKs at one point, so many people congregated around us! I don't have any photos that I have permission to show from all the picture taking, but I have seen myself appear in different Instagram and Facebook posts when searching the comic con tags on social media!

 

I was able to take some brief rest breaks in our Cantina scene that we had set up. We had a lot of fun doing different poses our group photographers asked us to do. One fun photo was of stormtroopers and Mandos hating each other (Edit, March 24: The other TKs in this photo are TK-5961 and TK-4408 @Hyper and it was an absolute pleasure trooping with them):

 

 

We then put aside our hatred to play rock, paper, scissors (it's a video, so I can only post the link):

 

https://i.imgur.com/DZ5665x.mp4

 

I also posed for a photo of 5 different types of troopers:

 

 

I also had a brief, peaceful encounter with a droid and a Jedi (I dubbed this photo 'Larry, Curly, and Moe go to Indiana Comic Con'):

 

 

In all, I spent about 8 hours in armor! I was able to go about 6 hours until my back gave too many warning signs to take a break (yay chronic back pain), so I rested in civilian clothes for about an hour before getting back in armor for 2 more hours.

 

Despite this, I have to say this was the best troop yet, and I am so excited that my next troop is only a couple weeks away and will be part of the couple of days of local celebration around the upcoming solar eclipse! I am really happy that trooping season is here!

Edited March 25 by Tilheyra

[Tilheyra[TK]]

Troop #5

 

I was able to get away from work today to attend a small troop at an assisted living facility in Lebanon, IN. The troop was an event put on by an organization known as Live A Dream, which grants wishes to elderly individuals. The person having a wish granted wanted to meet a stormtrooper! The Bloodfin Garrison was able to provide 2 stormtroopers today, as well as an Imperial Cadet, and an officer!

 

We weren't able to get photos, but as many can guess, it was a fun experience for those there. Adults get just as giddy as children when they get to meet a stormtrooper!

 

EDIT: Some photos have been shared with us (with permission to share) by the family of the man having his wish granted! I still want to honor his privacy as he is in assisted living, so here is a photo where he is not facing the camera.

 

I also did not mention we made him an Honorary Member of Star Wars Indiana! We had a little ceremony in front of the other residents of the community!

 

 

 

Edited March 30 by Tilheyra

[Tilheyra[TK]]

Troop #6

 

The Eiteljorg Museum of Native American & Western Art in Indianapolis, Indiana hosted a screening of A New Hope in Diné (the Navajo language) as part of their programming around the upcoming total solar eclipse! Naturally, the Bloodfin Garrison was invited to provide the right atmosphere leading up to the show, and a Jedi from Mos Espa Base of the Rebel Legion joined in the fun.

 

Before I get into the troop log, I did some searches online to learn more about how A New Hope was dubbed over in Diné and found this informative article! As noted in the article, it took plenty of persistence and patience to make the dub in Diné, and it is wonderful that films can be used as a way to preserve and strengthen cultural heritage!

 

Now, to the troop log:

 

Much of the troop occurred during the hour leading up to the showing of the film, so we wandered around the different areas of the museum. We were even allowed to go through the different exhibit galleries (carefully), so we made sure to visit just about every part of the museum. We mostly stuck to the common areas on the main floor and the children's exploration area on the lower level. The museum's photographer also got many shots of us for the museum's social media accounts, and we all posed under the main sign for the building:

 

 

The two officers with us on the troop are former Bloodfin members who recently moved to the U.S. state of Virginia and, thus, Garrison Tyrannus. The eclipse drew them both back to Indianapolis for a visit and troop! 

 

 

The children's exploration area is where we found the opportunity to take lots of goofy photos.

 

 

 

I also worked up the courage to fit myself into the stagecoach...and regretted it as soon as I got in (no armor was damaged in the making of these photos - but Vader looked on disapprovingly)...

 

 

In time, the exploration and goofing around was over and it was time for the film! We settled into the front row (despite what it looks like, I had not had too much popcorn), but I ultimately ended up with Vader and the snow trooper in the back of the theater:

 

 

 

A fun time and a cool experience that not many people get to have! Trooping lets me do a bunch of awesome things!

[Tilheyra[TK]]

Troop #7

 

Finally!!! Eclipse day!!!! I had the pleasure of trooping Anna's Eclipse Celebration in Indianapolis, Indiana. The watch party was hosted by a charity for children with special needs, named Anna's Celebration of Life. The organization went all out with a DJ, photo booth, tabling by other human services organizations, a TV meteorologist discussing weather and eclipses, free food, and of course the main event, a stormtrooper! Well...actually, the main event was the eclipse, but you all get my point...

 

I was the only one from the garrison to sign up for this event, so I was lucky to have a friend accompany me as a handler. It took a lot of persuasion (it did not) to get my friend Melissa to go with me, and she was so happy to be part of this troop!

 

Melissa also has a real eye for good photos, as shown in this photo during the eclipse!

 

 

My XO had previously told me to take some time for myself during the eclipse and not keep my helmet on. I took his advice and I am happy I did! I was fortunate to also be in the path of totality for the eclipse in the U.S. in 2017, and I am so thankful to have had the chance to be in the path of totality today! Even better, I got to troop during this eclipse!!!

Edited April 8 by Tilheyra

[Tilheyra[TK]]

Troop #8

 

The Bloodfin Garrison and the Taakure Clan of the Mando Mercs teamed up for a showing at a school carnival in Lafayette, Indiana.

 

 

Most of the troop was spent inside in a designated area for taking photos with Star Wars characters, but we did venture around the school and went outside at one point. Vader wanted to get some photos of his cape fluttering in the wind, so I provided some help as well.

 

 

Like many troops, we got a bit goofy toward the end. One of the students told me I slayed, so I joined her and her friends in different slaying poses! I later recreated one of the slaying poses for the camera:

 

 

I think it is a decent pose! 

[Tilheyra[TK]]

Troop #9

 

It was an eventful evening with the Indy Eleven to put on Star Wars Night! The Indy Eleven is the professional soccer team in Indianapolis, Indiana, and they played Charleston Battery of Charleston, South Carolina (Charleston Battery won). Like usual, the Bloodfin Garrison teamed up with the Mos Espa base of the Rebel Legion and the Taakure Clan of the Mando Mercs to make this event a success!

 

The Indy Eleven incorporated us into many different aspects of the evening to make Star Wars Night very immersive! They requested some of us to walk with the players as the players gradually arrived for the game, and the Indy Eleven social media team was quick to post photos of us walking alongside many of the players.

 

 

We also got a photo of the crew for the players' walk.

 

 

After the players' arrival, the Star Wars crew was guided into the stadium to provide the right atmosphere for some of the before-game activities, such as Star Wars bingo and visiting with many of the season ticket holders who were allowed to enter the stadium early. We were then stationed near the various entrances to greet the spectators as they entered the stadium!

 

 

After some time greeting the spectators, we were then ushered near the stands to be part of the players' introductions as they entered the stadium. The Indy Eleven social media team made sure to take a photo of many of us with the game ball shortly before the players took to the pitch.

 

 

Once the game began, we were then ushered over to the fun zone for families with kids, and I remained there until the troop was over. We made sure to get a group photo at this point.

 

 

I also stumbled upon the rebel base!

 

 

It was a tiring evening with lots of walking, but there's no doubt it was a super fun experience!

[Tilheyra[TK]]

Troop #10

 

A favorite troop among many members in Star Wars Indiana is the Republic Airways Plane Pull. This is a charity event put on by Republic Airways to raise money for children's hospitals, and teams that sign up for the event (and raise money) are given their turn to, literally, pull a plane a short distance. The Republic maintenance hangar at the Indianapolis airport was set up for the plane pull itself, as well as included different food vendors, booths and activities with the local professional sports teams, and different aircraft on display.

 

The event started with the mascots of the local sports teams pulling a small, single engine airplane. This was followed up with children directly benefiting from the charity event pulling the small plane! Star Wars Indiana was then given our turn, but we were given the rope to the plane all the other teams would be pulling, which was an Embraer 175 regional commercial airliner. Wikipedia notes the empty weight of an Embraer 175 as 21,890 kg (just above 24 tons). I was surprised that we were able to get the plane moving so quickly and covered the pull distance (15 feet) in such a short time, but we also had 18 of us pulling the plane, and aircraft are supposed to roll pretty easily. Someone was in the cockpit of the plane to apply the brake as soon as we reached the max pull distance, and they certainly weren't playing around with getting the plane stopped!

 

Here's a photo of us pulling the plane! 

 

 

After we had our turn with the plane, we were let loose to roam around the open areas of the hangar and tarmac. I headed with some of our TIE pilots to go in the other commercial aircraft on display. We made sure to verify the credentials of the captain before the TIE pilots examined the controls of the plane. Not being able to negotiate the small space of the cockpit, I decided to make sure the coffee maker was in working order in the event our pilots needed coffee. 

 

 

 

Our pilots may have had the more exciting job:

 

 

Plenty of photos were also taken with the smaller aircraft on display on the open areas of the tarmac! TIE pilots and rebel pilots alike had fun taking various cockpit photos, and like usual, the public absolutely loved us!

 

[Tilheyra[TK]]

Troop #11

 

April 20th was a two-troop day for me! The second troop was at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert! We provided the proper atmosphere for the performance by trooping the lobby of the theater before the show and during intermission. Following Legion guidelines, we remained outside the ticketed areas. 

 

Many photos were taken, and I should receive those soon, but here's the one photo I have in the mean time:

 

 

We took part in the Star Wars Indiana tradition of getting photos near the Soldiers & Sailors monument (the theater is right next to it) that Indianapolis is known for. I'll also post that photo when I get it!

[dblcross[TK]]

On 4/12/2024 at 10:39 PM, Tilheyra said:

Troop #8

 

The Bloodfin Garrison and the Taakure Clan of the Mando Mercs teamed up for a showing at a school carnival in Lafayette, Indiana.

 

 

Most of the troop was spent inside in a designated area for taking photos with Star Wars characters, but we did venture around the school and went outside at one point. Vader wanted to get some photos of his cape fluttering in the wind, so I provided some help as well.

 

 

Like many troops, we got a bit goofy toward the end. One of the students told me I slayed, so I joined her and her friends in different slaying poses! I later recreated one of the slaying poses for the camera:

 

 

I think it is a decent pose! 

I can't help but hearing, " All tha pretty girls walk like this..".

[Nairy[Staff]]

17 hours ago, Tilheyra said:

Troop #10

 

A favorite troop among many members in Star Wars Indiana is the Republic Airways Plane Pull. This is a charity event put on by Republic Airways to raise money for children's hospitals, and teams that sign up for the event (and raise money) are given their turn to, literally, pull a plane a short distance. The Republic maintenance hangar at the Indianapolis airport was set up for the plane pull itself, as well as included different food vendors, booths and activities with the local professional sports teams, and different aircraft on display.

 

The event started with the mascots of the local sports teams pulling a small, single engine airplane. This was followed up with children directly benefiting from the charity event pulling the small plane! Star Wars Indiana was then given our turn, but we were given the rope to the plane all the other teams would be pulling, which was an Embraer 175 regional commercial airliner. Wikipedia notes the empty weight of an Embraer 175 as 21,890 kg (just above 24 tons). I was surprised that we were able to get the plane moving so quickly and covered the pull distance (15 feet) in such a short time, but we also had 18 of us pulling the plane, and aircraft are supposed to roll pretty easily. Someone was in the cockpit of the plane to apply the brake as soon as we reached the max pull distance, and they certainly weren't playing around with getting the plane stopped!

 

Here's a photo of us pulling the plane! 

 

 

After we had our turn with the plane, we were let loose to roam around the open areas of the hangar and tarmac. I headed with some of our TIE pilots to go in the other commercial aircraft on display. We made sure to verify the credentials of the captain before the TIE pilots examined the controls of the plane. Not being able to negotiate the small space of the cockpit, I decided to make sure the coffee maker was in working order in the event our pilots needed coffee. 

 

 

 

Our pilots may have had the more exciting job:

 

 

Plenty of photos were also taken with the smaller aircraft on display on the open areas of the tarmac! TIE pilots and rebel pilots alike had fun taking various cockpit photos, and like usual, the public absolutely loved us!

 

Republic airways, from the old days before the Empire!

[revlimiter[Staff]]

On 4/21/2024 at 9:06 AM, Tilheyra said:

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert!

 

I am so SO very jealous. A concert troop has been on my list for ages now. And TFA has an incredible soundtrack.

 

Congrats on breaking 10!!!

[Tilheyra[TK]]

On 4/21/2024 at 5:26 PM, dblcross said:

I can't help but hearing, " All tha pretty girls walk like this..".

 

I ended up singing Barbie Girl in my head for the rest of the event.

[Tilheyra[TK]]

On 4/22/2024 at 3:46 AM, Nairy said:

Republic airways, from the old days before the Empire!

 

I didn't even make that connection! I'll have to put in a suggestion for their name change to get with the times.

[Tilheyra[TK]]

16 hours ago, revlimiter said:

I am so SO very jealous. A concert troop has been on my list for ages now. And TFA has an incredible soundtrack.

 

Congrats on breaking 10!!!

 

I wish I was able to hear more of it! We didn't hear much as we did not go into the ticketed areas, but it was great to hear the opening theme through the open doors to the auditorium! 

 

Thank you! The first 10 (and 11th) have been amazing and have been quite the range of events as well!