Montreal's St. Patrick's Day parade welcomes the dark side

​In the movies, it's Luke, Leia and Han Solo who get all the glory — but on the streets of Montreal this weekend, it's the stormtroopers and Sith lords who will be waving to the crowd at the St. Patrick's Day parade.

"The first goal is to have fun and spread the love of Star Wars through our costuming," said Christian Lorin, also known as Malgus — a Sith Lord who distinguished himself during the Great Galactic War, according to the Star Wars Wookieepedia website.

The Star Wars-inspired group the Forteresse Impériale Garrison of the 501st Legion is organizing their members to participate in the parade. 

The garrison boasts nearly 100 members across Quebec, mostly in Montreal and Quebec City, but also in Trois-Rivières, Shawinigan, the Eastern Townships and Gatineau.

It's part of an international network of Star Wars enthusiasts who make their own professional-looking costumes to wear to Comiccons, charity events and, apparently, St-Patrick's Day parades. 

'Bad guys doing good'

While the parade has become a tradition for the group, members also don their costumes for conventions, fundraisers, and visits to hospitals, such as Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal and the CHU Centre Mère-Enfant Soleil in Quebec City. ​

Lorin said the group also uses its appearances at Comiccons to raise money for charitable causes.

"The children were really so happy and a lot of parents said that it did them some good too," said Amélie Deschênes, spokesperson for the CHU Quebec's hospital foundation.

Deschênes said the visits also help the medical staff reassure the children. 

"Our staff will [tell the kids], 'You had a really good treatment today and we've brought in a special visitor to help you,'" she said.

While Deschênes said even the littlest patients don't seem to be afraid of the stormtroopers, Lorin said stormtroopers have to take off their helmets to show the children they're real people. 

"We have those who are way too excited to see a stormtrooper so they just jump on us," he said.

The Forteresse Impériale generally teams up on visits with other groups, the Rebel Legion, the Mandalorian Mercs and Astromech Quebec, who represent the good guys, the bounty hunters and the droids of Star Wars. 

But for Lorin, his fascination with the villains harkens back to his childhood. 

"My father brought be to see The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 when I was five, and from that day I always dreamt of becoming a stormtrooper," he said.

And when he found a group with the motto "bad guys doing good" he felt it was a natural fit for him.

"It's about a love of Star Wars and feeling like you're making a difference in the galaxy," he said.