May the Fourth be with you: Learn about Michigan’s Jedi Council

Phil Pinarski
·2 min read

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Benjamin Reinhard remembers seeing “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” when it first came out in 1999.

It was his first interaction with Star Wars and ever since that day, he has always wanted to be a Jedi Knight. Well, now he is.

Reinhard is the vice president of the Jedi Council of Michigan and also the lead for the Southwest Michigan chapter. There are over 700 members in the group and it has since spawned councils all across the United States in 41 different states and 12 other countries.

But what is the Jedi Council?

“The Jedi Council is a cosplay group. That’s what we mainly started as, but we also work on like dueling. If people are interested in dueling in the group. But we also go to events like Comic Cons, movie and TV show premieres,” Reinhard said.

It’s the perfect group to be in for Star Wars fans like Reinhard. he said he joined back in 2017 after the founder of the Council saw him at the Grand Rapids Comic Con and invited him to join.

Although joining the council and dressing up in Jedi garb on a somewhat regular basis was something Reinhard never thought he’d be doing.

“I kind of thought to myself that whenever I saw people walking around at the Grand Rapids Comic Cons that I don’t think I’d ever be the the type of guy who walks around in costume,” he said. “But after actually being there and participating in it and multiple people coming up saying, ‘Hey, can I have a picture?’ the bug kind of bit me.”

Ever since that fateful day, Reinhard said he has been a part of the council and has enjoyed every minute. He said it allows him and its members the chance to engage and interact with fellow Star Wars fans in a variety of different ways.

“I think Star Wars is pretty much for anybody like you could find anything in the Star Wars universe if whatever tickles your fancy kind of thing,” he said. “I think it’s how everyone can relate to at least something in the whole Star Wars universe and I think that’s what brings people together and wants people. It gets people to come together and have that community..”

And you don’t need a high Midi-Chlorian count to join the council, you can find a council near you and join by clicking here.

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