Star Wars content creator wows Metro customers as the Mandalorian

Chris Saunders came up with the idea for Star Wars Day after his kids said the red and green indicator lights on the train doors reminded them of the lightsabers from the legendary sci-fi franchise.

It inspired Chris to do something that he’s never done before – put on his authentic Mandalorian body armour and helmet and take a trip on the Metro, delighting and surprising his fellow customers along the way.

And he filmed the experience for his popular Star Wars‑themed TikTok account, @screenandbeyond, which boasts almost 300,000 followers. It is also available to watch on the Tyne and Wear Metro’s own Instagram and Tik Tok accounts.

May the Fourth, or Star Wars Day, is celebrated annually by fans around the world. The date stems from the famous pun “May the Fourth be with you”, inspired by the franchise’s classic line, “May the Force be with you”.

Chris, 44, of North Tyneside, said: “The new Metro trains aren’t quite from a galaxy far far away, but they are out of this world, so I just had to feature them for Star Wars Day this year.

“The idea came to me after both of my daughters noticed that the indicator lights at each set of the train doors look a little bit like the lightsabers from the Star Wars universe.

“After that I just thought why not bring Star Wars Day to the Metro by taking a ride in my Mandalorian suit, which everyone always says looks pretty amazing.

“A huge thank you to Nexus for allowing me to get on the new trains in the Mandalorian armour. The passengers loved it and quite a few were asking for photos. Star Wars has fans off all generations, and it was great to see so many delighted people both young and old smile and have fun with it.  Star Wars is for Everyone.

“The main message was simple – ‘May the Fourth be with you’.

“It’s a big day for Star Wars fans all over the world, and it’s always a trending topic on social media. We love to celebrate the day as the franchise continues to evolve and become even more successful than it already is, ever since the first film came out in 1977.”

Chris picked the Mandalorian costume as it’s so visually striking, and in anticipation of the new film – The Mandalorian and Grogu – which hits cinemas in the UK on 22 May.

The armour is entirely bespoke. It was made using a 3D printer before Chris carefully painted it himself.

Lynne Dickinson, Station Delivery Manager at Nexus, said: “It was amazing to welcome Chris on board for Star Wars Day.

“The sight of the Mandalorian travelling around the system certainly didn’t go unnoticed – it’s safe to say that it’s not something we see every day.

“It brought a real sense of fun for our customers and our own teams. The new trains feature cutting‑edge technology, and it’s easy to see why Star Wars fans have drawn comparisons between the door lighting and lightsabers. The lights are there to clearly indicate when doors are opening or closing, flashing from green to red.”

Chris also posts content to his @screenandbeyond Instagram page, which has 13,000 followers, and his YouTube channel, which has over 2,000 subscribers.

Star Wars Day has been widely celebrated since 1999, with fans marking the occasion through themed events, premieres, special releases, and social media celebrations worldwide.

The Disney+ series The Mandalorian launched in 2019 as the platform’s flagship Star Wars show, set five years after Return of the Jedi. Pedro Pascal stars as Din Djarin, a lone bounty hunter navigating the galaxy alongside Grogu – affectionately known as “Baby Yoda”.