Once a month, in a galaxy not too far away, hundreds of students share their love of “Star Wars” at Western Washington University’s Red Square.
“We get a lot of people who walk past our events and think it is so cool,” grandmaster and club president Hazel Culpsmith said. “We are such a feature of this campus that the tour guides tell the groups about us. We are a bit of a club legend around here.”
The Bellingham Order of the Saber is one of 325 student-run clubs on campus. The club hosts three meetings a month to watch “Star Wars” movies, discuss safety protocols, practice lightsaber choreography or play trivia. On the third Friday of each month, the club hosts a large gathering at Red Square where members split up and play minigames like Jedis vs. Siths, Inquisitors, cops and robbers, and capture the flag.
In Jedis vs. Siths, members split into even teams and face off in multiple one-on-one lightsabers duels. The members continue to fight each other until one team is eliminated. During Inquisitors, the Sith team tries to tag Jedi members with their lightsabers while the Jedi team tries to escape.
“On the surface, this is a club where a bunch of nerds get together,” former grandmaster Ryan Martin said. “In reality, this is a family.”
Martin was one of the club’s first members when it began at Western in September 2018. He found five people for the club to be recognized by Western, however, the ability to spread the word about the club and its inclusiveness was a challenge.
“You hear ‘Star Wars’ and think it is a bunch of people with no lives,” Martin said. “It is the opposite of what we try to show. It was difficult to grow as a club.”
Bellingham Order of the Saber began when founder Steven Fischer brought a lightsaber to class to use as a pointer for a presentation. He then created a lightsaber flash mob in May 2018 at Red Square.
The club became popular a few months afterward and grew quickly until COVID-19 hit. Since the club relies on in-person attendance and events, it nearly disbanded — however, it resurged when Western students returned to campus.
“During COVID, we only had a couple people show up,” Martin said. “We got back in person and at the first event, we had more people than sabers.”
Since 2021, the club has grown to nearly 200 members in its discord and about 50–100 members show up to the events at Red Square. Compared to most clubs at Western, Bellingham Order of the Saber does not have student fees to join.
“You can be on a Top-Ramen budget and still come because we loan out lightsabers for people to use,” Martin said. “We have a very low barrier of entry because inclusivity is the most important aspect we show here.”
If a member wants to climb the ranks from an initiate to Padawan — an apprentice in the “Star Wars” world — to Jedi Knight, they must follow a few guidelines.
Before being knighted, club members must attend four events and six general meetings. They also need to own a lightsaber or anything that resembles a lightsaber — like a pool noodle. Next, members need to do a trial of craft by drawing or creating a garb or lightsaber. At the end, members learn two choreographies with a lightsaber and go through a trial.
Most people do not attend the events to become the next Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader. Instead, they use it as an opportunity to destress after a long day.
“We can be away from the stress of the world, turn it all off and be all equal,” Martin said. “It doesn’t matter who you are, people are always welcome.”
And in a fun, carefree environment, people can share their interests in “Star Wars” and make new friends. Culpsmith, the club’s president, said the Bellingham Order of the Saber fosters an environment where members don’t have to feel ashamed for being a part of the fandom.
“In high school, many people get picked on or bullied because they are nerds,” Culpsmith said. “We are here waving sticks, wearing costumes and happy to show it. This is one of the closest things to being popular on Western’s campus.”
A few friendships have even trended into romance through the Bellingham Order of the Saber. Martin met his wife Heather Laderer, in the club when it was formed and the two have been together ever since.
“It’s honestly amazing,” Laderer said. “We are really big dorks, in general. We respect each other and connect with a lot of people.”
Although the club is run through Western, the council is interested in bringing more members from outside the campus. They also discussed doing some events off campus in the future.
The next event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21 at Red Square.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
