May the 4th Be With You

A long time ago, in movie theaters not far away, Star Wars: A New Hope revolutionized American entertainment. In honor of May the 4th, we explore how a scrappy space fantasy reinvented a tale as old as time — and gave Americans hope in a time of difficulty. We'll also trace the journey of two bickering droids from a galaxy far, far away to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Guests: Ryan Lintelman, curator of entertainment at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History Eric Jentsch, curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History Dawn Wallace, objects conservator at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

You can listen to May the 4th Be With You online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

May the 4th Be With You is an episode from Sidedoor by Smithsonian Institution .

This episode is 30:29 long.

This episode was published on Apr 29, 2026.

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