In "Star Wars," family lines are blurred and father-son relationships are severed, separating the light from dark. But in this story, father and son are working together.
The Auburn-Opelika stormtroopers are commonly known as Ronnie Sparks, a self-employed artist and substitute teacher for Auburn City schools, and his son Will Sparks, a ninth-grader at Auburn Junior High School.
The two have spent time and money into crafting the perfect act. The stormtroopers attend events such as birthday parties, sporting events, church get-togethers and community events to share their love for "Star Wars."
Ronnie said he first thought of the Auburn-Opelika stormtroopers after hearing about the 501st Legion, a national "Star Wars" costuming group out of Birmingham. The love for the movie and culture spawned from his early years of fandom.
"I remember standing in line at a little bitty theater in Georgia," Ronnie said. "I was almost 7 years old. The signs, the movie, the characters ... I remember thinking how great it all was."
Being able to live the dream of being a stormtrooper is great, Ronnie said, but doing it with Will is what is the best. Will shares this appreciation and has taken up the extensive hobby as well.
"I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a part of it at first," Will said. "I changed my mind, and I'm glad I did. Now I can say, 'Yes, I am a stormtrooper.'"
The pair have been patrolling the Auburn-Opelika area since October. According to Will, the costume constructing process is tedious, nitpicking and took close to three weeks to complete. Each stormtrooper suit costs about $1,000.
"The building process is ongoing," Ronnie said. "Things bump, scratch and tear every time you wear the suit."
According to Ronnie, events can last eight hours with little time for rest. While entertaining guests for the release of the new "Star Wars" movie at Carmike Tiger 13, Ronnie and Will were busy taking photos with fans and were begged to come back on later occasions.
Chris Warren, Auburn Public Library director, was thrilled with their performance at the library's "Star Wars"-themed gala on Feb. 4.
"The stormtroopers were a big hit that appealed to little kids as well as their parents," Warren said.
Both Ronnie and Will said their favorite venue so far was the Auburn versus Mercer basketball game. Shooting fake guns and messing around with Aubie was a highlight of the night, Ronnie said.
"Kids came up to me and asked me if I was a real person," Will said. "That's my favorite. You can tell they are amazed."
Ronnie said the children are one of the main reasons he loves being a stormtrooper, but the best fans are the adults.
"People of all ages eat and breathe 'Star Wars,'" Ronnie said. "These costumes are as cool to the parents as they are to the kids sometimes."
The Sparks hope to continue being the Auburn-Opelika stormtroopers for a while and look forward to many more pictures with fellow fans.
"I'd like to keep being a stormtrooper for as long as I can," Will said.
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