On Monday night, ABC aired a special edition of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (the weekly show was canceled last year). This is a Christmas themed episode for a family that lost their home to a wild fire in Texas.
Here is information on this episode. (Stay with me, it does get geeky)
It was fitting that the Zdroj family settled on a property next to The Heart of Pines Volunteer Fire Department. Mizzy Zdroj had long dreamed of being a firefighter just like her hero, her grandfather. The Zdroj family practically lived off of the land, growing their own food and trying to live a “green” lifestyle. Mizzy kept a small art studio in a camper on the property, and made money by selling the dolls she crafted by hand.
A small wildfire in the area quickly raged out of control and consumed more than 34,000 acres. It was the largest wildfire in Texas history. While Mizzy Zdroj and other unpaid heroes from the volunteer fire department fought the flames, more than 1,600 houses, including the Zdroj family home, burned to the ground. The family not only lost their house and belongings, but Mizzy’s livelihood as well when her farm and art studio went up in flames. (ABC-EMHE)
This sounds like a heartwarming episode. What could anyone complain about?
Some of the viewers were Star Wars fans and found this episode to be quite perplexing. What were Stormtroopers and Darth Vader doing on this show? They are bad guys and they wouldn’t help Ty build a house and fire station would they?
It became clear to some people Disney must have been directly involved. After all, Disney just purchased Star Wars from George. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition airs on Disney’s own ABC. The Disney bigwigs must be trying to “Disney-ize” Star Wars. This has to be the final sign of the Star Wars apocalypse. It could be true except for a few major details these viewers didn’t know.
The largest wildfire in Texas history, which destroyed the Zdroj family home, was in 2011. Ty and his gang of builders and designers build this home around a year ago in 2011. Yes, this episode was taped a year ago when Star Wars was not the property of the Mouse.
The volunteers in the Star Wars gear were not actors nor did they work for George Lucas in any manner. They are all members of the Central Texas 501st Legion. 501st Legion is a global group of Star Wars fans, who make their own costumes which have to be inspected for authenticity before they can join the Legion. Most areas have a local Legion garrison such as the Central Texas garrison.
Why would a group of cosplaying Star Wars geeks join together with Ty and company to build a home. Well check out their mission statement below.
“The Legion is an all-volunteer organization formed for the express purpose of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate. The Legion seeks to promote interest in Star Wars through the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes for Star Wars-related events as well as contributions to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work.” (501st)
A big portion of what the 501st does is local charity and volunteer work. This family is a great cause. The father and the twin sons are huge Star Wars fans. The father, Chris Zdroj, had a bunch of Star Wars memorabilia from the late 70s through current Star Wars stuff but they lost it all in the fire that destroyed their home. Many of the 501st contributed their own memorabilia for the family. I heard the kids were super excited to see the Star Wars characters. This made it very special for this family. You can check out their other charity appearance here.
As a long time Star Wars geek, I applaud the Central Texas 501st volunteering and charity for the Zdroj family. It brings up the desire in my heart to make my own stormtrooper outfit and to join the 501st. For more information on the 501st and how to join their ranks, check out their website: www.501st.com.
For my fellow Star Wars geeks, some times we just need to take a deep breath and a chill pill. Remember, assuming leads to the Dark Side.
Below is the home tour after the house was finished. Check out the young boys Star Wars bedroom. It is Uber Geeky KOOL. Hey honey, I want one of these.
