The 501st Legion
The 501st Legion is the largest cosplay club dedicated to the Star Wars universe. Founded in 1997 by Albin Johnson, it has more than 14,000 active members across more than 70 units worldwide as of 11/2026.
The Legion's specialty is to represent the "bad guys" of Star Wars. Along with its allied groups, the Rebel Legion, the Mandalorian Mercs and the R2 Builders, it helps bring the Star Wars universe to life for fans of all ages.
All club members are volunteers. Although it is not directly sponsored by Lucasfilm or Disney, the 501st Legion is Lucasfilm's favourite cosplay group for villains. The company often calls upon the Legion for promotional and corporate events.
The 501st Legion distinguishes itself by the quality of its costumes. Each costume worn by a member has been through a rigorous construction and approval process where every detail was scrutinized in order to match the quality of the original movie costumes.
The Legion has more than 20,000 approved costumes as of 11/2026. Its costumes represent characters from across the Star Wars universe, including films, television series, animation, comics, and games.
For more information on the 501st Legion, we invite you to visit the organization's main website at 501st.com.
The Forteresse Imperiale
The Forteresse Imperiale Garrison is the Quebec chapter of the 501st Legion. It was founded in 2009 as a sub-group (squad) of the Canadian Garrison.
As of 11/2026, the Forteresse Imperiale has around 150 members. In 2017, following the examples of the Ottawa region and the western provinces, the squad became an independent garrison. A committee was formed to oversee this transition, and a new logo was created. Designed by the talented JP Rivard, the logo was approved by an almost unanimous vote of the members.
The Forteresse Imperiale participates in community events throughout the year. One of its major gatherings is Montreal Comiccon, held in July at the Palais des congrès.
For that event, and also Quebec City Comiccon, the Forteresse created several sets recreating iconic locations from the films, such as the Endor bunker, Echo Base on Hoth, and the Emperor's Throne Room. These sets provide backdrops for photos with the public and help raise donations for charitable organizations.
Other notable events include the Montreal Santa Claus and St. Patrick's Day parades, visits to sick children at Sainte-Justine Hospital and the CHU de Québec, and appearances at theatres across Quebec when new movies are released.
Our allies
The Forteresse Imperiale also has the privilege of working with other groups during events. With these allies, the club is able to offer a wider and more complete experience to the public.
The Rebel Legion - Spectre Base
The Rebel Legion is the sister club of the 501st Legion. Unlike the 501st, which specializes in the villains of Star Wars, the Rebel Legion represents the heroes of Star Wars with the Rebel Alliance, the Resistance, the Jedi, and other characters of the Old Republic.
Rebel Legion - Spectre Base website: https://facebook.com/SpectreBase
Rebel Legion main website: https://rebellegion.com
The Mandalorian Mercs - Gaht Kyr'bes Clan
Mandalorians are a warlike people from the Star Wars universe. To the general public, two are particularly known: Jango Fett, and his son Boba Fett. Aside from their fierce and military-style outfits, Mandalorian costumes have the advantage of being easily adaptable and customizable.
In Quebec, the Mandalorian Mercenaries (often called Mandos) are represented by the Gaht Kyr'bes Clan, a group founded in 2013.
Gaht Kyr'bes Clan website: www.facebook.com/quebecmandos
Mandalorian Mercs main website: www.mandalorianmercs.org
R2 Builders Club – Astromech Québec
It's hard to think about Star Wars without thinking about droids. But building a fully functional droid is not an easy task. The R2 Builders Club was founded so that builders could help each other in making their own droids.
Having droids at our events is always a crowd pleaser. The Quebec chapter of the Builders Club helps share knowledge about droid building and promotes cooperation with the Forteresse.
Astromech Quebec website: www.facebook.com/AstromechQuebec/
R2 Builders Club main website: www.astromech.net/
Neighbouring garrisons
