There are no figurines or movie posters or other giveaways.

But if you ask nicely, he might just show you his original ticket stubs to the first "Star Wars" movie released in 1977.

Oh, and there is the $2,400 Darth Vader costume in his closet.

Fordham is the commanding officer of the 501st Legion, an international Star Wars fan group that does charitable work dressed in homemade movie-quality costumes. Local chapters, called garrisons or outposts, are in all 50 states and 42 other countries, he said.

He will lead 200 Imperial Stormtroopers in the Rose Bowl Parade on New Year's Day, with "Star Wars" creator George Lucas serving as grand marshal.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for the legion. It's a tremendous thank you from George Lucas to his fans," Fordham said.

LucasFilm is footing the bill for the broadest gathering ever of 501st members, with 36 states and 22 countries providing the

participants. They will march down Colorado Avenue in Pasadena, Calif., to new arrangements of John Williams' movie music played by the 176-member Grambling State University Marching Tigers. The parade will serve as a kickoff for the 30th anniversary of "Star Wars" this May.

Before becoming the elected leader of the entire Legion, Fordham, who was a police officer for 20 years and is working toward becoming a freelance artist, served as the commanding officer of the Alpine Garrison, which serves Utah, Idaho and Montana.

Twin brothers Shane and Shawn Gordon, 36, are members of the garrison, and also will march in the Rose Bowl Parade.

Shane Gordon, who lives in Ogden, will march as one of the 200 stormtroopers while Shawn Gordon, who lives in Preston, Idaho, will be the only Darth Maul in the parade.

The two joined the Alpine Garrison in 2003, and have participated in dozens of events, raising money for groups such as Toys for Tots and participating in granting wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Shawn Gordon said.

The two regularly attend fundraising events for charities as part of the garrison, and when LucasFilm started asking for footage of stormtroopers marching in July, Shane Gordon donned his nearly $1,000 costume and got in front of a camcorder.

"They didn't tell us why they wanted the three-minute videos, but I knew it would be for something big," he said.

He got word in October he would be participating in the parade, and then the call went out for other characters.

Shawn Gordon, whose other hobby is special effects makeup artistry, donned his elaborate, handmade $800 Darth Maul costume - replete with yellow and black contacts and horns - submitted photos, and was asked

to march as well.

"Shane's an überfan, I'm just a basic fan," Shawn Gordon said. "But I am totally excited."

Sharon Hertzig of Logan also will march in the parade. She could not be reached for comment.

The 501st Legion features only the bad guys from the films. Its sister organization, the Rebel Legion, features the good guys, a few of whom were tapped to ride on the two floats accompanying the marchers. One float will feature three women dressed as Princess Amidala in ceremonial gowns on a float of her home planet of Naboo.

The second float is of the Forest Moon of Endor, where four Ewoks will hold a sign saying "Save Our Forest" to meet with the parade's theme of "Our Good Nature."

The marchers are meeting four days before the parade in order to go through a marching boot camp in order to meld international marching styles.

The practice also will help the stormtroopers tolerate marching the 5 1/2 miles in their 20-pound costumes while wearing vision-restrictive helmets. The only full dress rehearsal will be the day before the parade.

Fordham and the Gordons are ready to put in the work, and look forward to future events with the Alpine Garrison.

"There are different kinds of Star Wars fans. Some are into gaming, others the books and comics and others are into collecting. This club focuses on costuming and charity," Shawn Gordon said. "It allows us to express our geekiness in the most positive way."

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* SHEENA McFARLAND can be contacted at smcfarland@sltrib.com or 801-257-8619.