May the 4th be with you: 4 things to celebrate on Star Wars Day

A man dressed as a Stormtrooper poses for photographers next to people queuing to attend the steaming of Star Wars Celebration from the Anaheim Convention Center in California, in Paris, France, Thursday, April 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

It's a good time to be a fan of a galaxy far, far away.

With "The Force Awakens" now out on home video and "Rogue One" slated for release later this year, Star Wars fans have a lot to celebrate on May the 4th, the unofficial Star Wars holiday.

Star Wars is in the early days of a major renaissance in pop culture, largely thanks to Disney buying the franchise's movie rights in 2012 for a whopping $4.05 billion. The company spent a few years to get things off the ground, but now, Disney and fans are reaping the benefits of a fully armed and operational Star Wars franchise.

So, as fans mark the unofficial Star Wars Day known as May the 4th, here are four things they can be very thankful for.

1. The Force is strong on social media

Fans are marking May the 4th with all kinds of tributes on social media, from Star Wars-related jokes and puns to sharing photos and videos to celebrate the franchise.

Several companies also got in on the fun, with Star Wars-themed jokes and ads. Volkswagen tweeted a photo of a hybrid VW van/AT-AT, while Heathrow Airport shared images of the Millennium Falcon and a pair of X-wings sitting on the runway.

2. Star Wars is cool again

Star Wars' popularity is at one of the highest points it's ever been. It may never recapture the fandom that swept through society in in the 1970s, but there are now generations of fans, and that fandom is coming out in some exciting ways.

With the new films coming out, many well-known individuals have been showing their Star Wars fandom in exciting ways. Prince William and Prince Harry, for example, recently visited the set of "Episode VIII," to pose for photos with Daisy Ridley, Chewbacca and BB-8.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also frequently come out as a Star Wars fan. He and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau dressed as Han Solo and Princess Leia for Halloween, and in December, Trudeau took a bunch of sick children to see "The Force Awakens" ahead of its public debut.

3. The Star Wars story is bigger than ever

Disney has big plans for the Star Wats universe, and while those plans centre around more adventures for Luke, Rey and the rest of their gang, the franchise is also setting up all kinds of side stories that will continue in spinoff films, animated series, novels and comic books. Some of those setups are lead-ins to new films, but others are more subtle.

For instance, in "The Force Awakens," the golden droid C3PO is shown in most of the movie with an out-of-place red arm. He acknowledges it but never explains it, because it's deliberately there to tease fans into reading a tie-in story published by Marvel Comics. (The arm, for those who don't want to read the comic, belonged to a First Order droid that sacrificed itself to save C3PO on a desert planet.)

Expect these deliberate teases to become common in the Star Wars movies, as the franchise sets up these tie-in stories while also building up toward standalone movies like "Rogue One."

"Rogue One" is just the first of a number of non-episodic tales that will be set in the Star Wars universe. Casting is currently underway for the lead in a young Han Solo movie, and rumours suggest that Boba Fett and Ewan MacGregor's young Obi Wan Kenobi may also be getting their own movies in the future.

4. Toy technology is catching up with Star Wars

Star Wars toys have come a long way since the 1970s, when the coolest toys were flashlights with tubes attached to them to make lightsabers.

Now, there are lightsaber-maker kits, Darth Vader and Kylo Ren voice-changing masks, virtual reality experiences to put you in the world of Star Wars and, best of all, drones that bring the franchise's robots to life.

The Sphero BB-8 drone, for instance, was one of the hottest toys of the Christmas season, and Disney continues to improve upon it. When "The Force Awakens" came out on blue ray last month, Disney updated the smartphone app so BB-8 could watch the movie and react to it as it played.

Who could have predicted in 1977 that, 39 years later, fans would be able to watch a Star Wars movie with a droid at their side?