Look, we don't do a lot of fluff pieces here at The Dissent, but some things are sacred — and the fact that the entire Star Wars universe was born right here in our backyard is one of them. George Lucas built his empire (pun intended) from Marin County. Industrial Light & Magic revolutionized filmmaking from San Rafael. The galaxy far, far away? It started a short drive across the Golden Gate.

So yes, today we pause from our regularly scheduled programming of BART audits and housing policy to tip our cap to the franchise that gave the world lightsabers, the Millennium Falcon, and the single greatest lesson in limited government ever put to film: that a scrappy band of rebels can topple a bloated, authoritarian regime that's terrible at allocating resources. (Seriously, two Death Stars? Talk about wasteful spending.)

If you're looking to celebrate, you could do worse than hitting up a local Target for some LEGO kits — though one Bay Area shopper reported that the sales clerk simply shook his head and whispered, "We're sorry, but we don't have the droids you're looking for." Respect.

The Bay Area's contribution to pop culture is genuinely staggering when you stop and think about it. Star Wars, Pixar, the tech revolution — there's a reason creative people have always flocked here. The challenge, as always, is making sure we don't price out the next George Lucas with $4,000 studio apartments and energy bills that would make even Darth Vader wince.

But that's a rant for another day. Today, we celebrate. Grab your lightsaber, marathon the original trilogy (and only the original trilogy — we will die on this hill), and remember that the Force will always be strongest in the Bay.

May the Fourth be with you, San Francisco. Always.