New York state senators voted Monday to commemorate a cultural phenomenon that's spanned almost five decades — and unites lawmakers both Sith and Jedi.

Senators who are major fans of the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas adopted a bipartisan resolution Monday to celebrate Star Wars Day — an informal holiday celebrated every May 4, or play on the catchphrase "May The Force be with you."

Disney sent two imperial stormtroopers to the Capitol for the occasion, which was pushed back two weeks because of the late budget.

"How many times have you gone to the supermarket and pretended to use the force to open the doors?" Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris said on the floor to a room full of laughter. "I do it at the parking garage on my way in here every time."

The stormtroopers stood beside Gianaris as lawmakers spent about 10 minutes on the resolution at the start of session. The Senate leader said Disney sent the fictional soldiers to Albany at no cost to the state. 

Gianaris said the politics of the Galactic Empire, and the story of rebellion against an authoritarian regime, is inspiring.

"It's fiction, obivously right? We get that," he told Spectrum News 1. "But the fact that it's presented in a way that makes you think about real life is what makes it special."

Gianaris saw the original 1977 "Star Wars" film in the theater as a child, and a lifelong fan was born.

It's a love he's shared with his daughters in themed costumes last Halloween, and was cemented when actor Mark Hamill, who portrayed his favorite character Luke Skywalker, tweeted at the Senate leader about his love of the franchise during the pandemic.

And the fandom has united lawmakers across the aisle. Gianaris, Sen. Gustavo Rivera and Republican Sens. George Borrello and Dan Stec have a group text chat where they frequently discuss the franchise.

Borrello said it's sparked a friendship between the group, who typically disagree on major policy issues.

"That's what Star Wars is all about," Borrello said after the vote. "It's about bringing people together from around the world of different cultures."

Borrello said he and Stec have found common ground with their progressive colleagues in their love for Star Wars and proposed the resolution.

Some lawmakers were critical of the display in the Senate with very little time left this session to finish important legislative business after the budget passed over a month late for the first time in 15 years.

But both Democratic and Republican senators said it was an important display of unity after a grueling budget season.

"Just like in Star Wars, we didn't give up no matter how much adversity we faced," Borrello said.

Borrello and Sen. Rivera brought custom lightsabers to the floor they each built at separate trips to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge in Disney World.

Props are usually banned on the Senate floor, but the secretary made an exception for the stormtroopers and lightsabers for the Jedi and Sith.

Rivera says the franchise captivated him as a child and still does to this day.

"And then it just stayed with me throughout my entire life," said Rivera, who keeps his custom lightsaber in his office. 

Rivera said the political parallels in Star Wars are influential to his daily work, but the franchise has served as his much-needed respite to a far-away galaxy for decades.

And also serve as a chance to ally themselves, and use The Force to fight for New Yorkers.

"When you look at Star Wars, the Empire is clearly what we should be fighting. We should be fighting organized fascist orders [that] need to be resisted, need to be fought, need to be sabotaged, need to be stopped," Rivera said.