Issue 58 (cover date April 2002) of the Star Wars Insider magazine runs its first full-length article about the 501st Legion. Frequency of 501st references and photos increase steadily over the next few years until it becomes rare to find an issue that doesn’t mention the Legion.
In 2002 the Carolina Garrison attended Stellarcon in High Point, NC where three famous Star Wars authors were in guests: Timothy Zahn, Michael Stackpole, and Aaron Allston. It was a chance for me to launch a project I’d developed for inducting Honorary Members into the club, something I felt would bring us closer to various Star Wars celebrities and help us show them how much we appreciate their efforts. That weekend we inducted all three authors as the Legion’s first three Honorary Members. All three were very appreciative and made us feel like friends. On a side note, Mr. Zahn came by our fan table late Saturday night as he was wandering the con. Little did he know that the Carolina Garrison had been drinking heavily and enjoying ourselves. So when he came up to the table to learn more about the club, I was put in a rather awkward position: how to explain the club to Mr. Zahn while bombed out of my mind? Mind you, I struggled through best as I could, but I’m sure I looked ridiculous. Regardless, the pitch must have been worth something, because just two years later….
April 6, 2002: 501st appears onstage with No Doubt
Midwest Garrison members appear on stage with musical artist Gwen Stefani and No Doubt during their striking rendition of the Imperial March. No Doubt are inducted as Friends of the Legion.
In 2002 the Celebration convention was moved to Indianapolis, Indiana and to a MUCH more accommodating convention center across from the RCA dome. It was here that the 501st cemented its reputation as an elite professional costuming organization as it volunteered to staff the security at the convention. Wizards of the Coast, running the convention, had no idea how big the crowds would turn out to be. So it was a great relief to see armored stormtroopers at the critical check-points, keeping the crowds controlled and the mood light. CII was also the first large-scale involvement of the celebrities. Over thirty Honorary Memberships were presented on Saturday alone, inviting the stars of Star Wars to become partners with the 501st.
CAMERA 
Sins of the Jedi movie shoot : Wilmington, NC
The following summer the Sins of the Jedi crew called us back to do another round of shoots. This time we were joined by Legion members from all up and down the eastern seaboard. The castle had been demolished, but shoots went into the forests where we filmed exciting battles! I volunteered to be the designated ‘dead trooper’ in almost every scene. So much peat moss in those explosions! I was digging it out of my helmet for months. And in one battle scene they hid some strange eggs in the woods. You can see me as the unfortunate victim of a face hugger just as the explosions kicked in.
DragonCon 2002
Empire City Garrison : Halloween Parade Manhattan
Wizards of the Coast Advertisement
In 2002 members of Titan Garrison were invited to pose in costume for an advertisement Wizards of the Coast ran for their upcoming Star Wars role playing game.
