Skip to main content

The Force is strong with Google Assistant on this Star Wars Day

Star Wars The Last Jedi Review
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It may just be May 4 to some of the world, but to the rest of us (which is to say, dedicated Star Wars fans), it’s practically the most important day of the year. And here to help us celebrate is Google Assistant, who certainly understands the gravity of this most hallowed day. On Friday, product management director of Google Assistant Lilian Rincon introduced a couple new ideas for how Star Wars devotees can celebrate May the Fourth with a little bit of help from Google Assistant.

“What started as a fun pun — May the Fourth — has now become an official holiday for Star Wars fans,” Rincon wrote. “On this day known around the globe as ‘Star Wars Day,’ fans celebrate the lore of the galaxy far, far away.” But with your nearby Google Assistant, you can really get the party going.

Google Assistant can serve as your official box office guide, helping you find, learn about, and purchase tickets to the movies. While this new action is debuting just in time for the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story, which will open on May 25, you can also use this feature to search for plenty of other movies. All you need to do is ask Assistant for “showtimes near me.” If the smart helper returns a title that interests you, ask for more information by asking, “Who stars in it?” or “Show me the trailer.”

Then, if you want to take the plunge, you can now buy movie tickets simply by saying so — thanks to a new partnership with Fandango, Google Assistant will let you make purchases simply by saying “buy tickets” once you’ve decided on a film. And those films don’t have to be in theaters now — you can already buy advance tickets for the latest Star Wars installment by telling Assistant to do so. Fandango will also help you pick your seats before you finish your purchase (if you go to a theater that requires that sort of thing).

Google is also offering discounts and deals on Star Wars apps, games, movies, books, and more on the Google Play store. For more about what you can do with Assistant, check out our handy guide.

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
The Acolyte’s first trailer embraces the Dark Side of Star Wars
Amandla Stenberg in The Acolyte.

Since the launch of Disney+ in 2019, there have been four live-action Star Wars series, including The Mandalorian and Andor. But the one thing that each of those shows had in common was that they followed the hero of the story. This summer, The Acolyte is flipping the switch on that by putting the spotlight on Mae (Amandla Stenberg), a former Padawan in the Jedi Order who seems to have quite a grudge against her onetime masters. That may be why Mae is attacking and apparently killing Jedi with knives in the first trailer for The Acolyte.

The Acolyte | Official Trailer | Disney+

Read more
Star Wars could’ve had Christopher Walken as Han Solo and Jodie Foster as Princess Leia
An old man talks in Dune: Part Two.

The great thing about a hit movie is that you tend to find out things during interviews, premieres, and press conferences that would have never surfaced otherwise. Dune: Part Two is one such movie. In the lead-up to the movie's blockbuster opening weekend, we've discovered Josh Brolin's hidden talents as a poet and photographer, Javier Bardem's dedication to his children, Zendaya's love for the sci-fi classic Metropolis, and Austin Butler's appreciation for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The most recent revelation, however, tops all of those. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Christopher Walken, who plays Shaddam IV, the film's fearsome Emperor, explains why he came out of a four-year break from acting in films and joined Dune: Part Two. One reason was due to his admiration for the first film, which cemented Denis Villeneuve's status as one of the best sci-fi directors ever, and his appreciation of the sequel's impressive cast, which also includes Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, and Dave Bautista.

Read more
10 surprising facts about Star Wars you didn’t know
Han Solo points at himself in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

Thanks to its status as one of the most popular franchises in the history of movies, Star Wars has a hoard of fans that rivals any out there.

It's also got plenty of trivia that has accumulated for decades, and if you're someone who digs deep on everything from Star Wars shows to even the Star Wars movies that don't happen, then you might be interested in some of the facts we've assembled here. Here are 10 facts about the mega-franchise that may surprise even some major fans.
Obi-Wan was supposed to survive

Read more