In a galaxy far, far away, the Star Wars Club meets weekly on Tuesday evenings. Well, maybe not that far away, depending on your perception of Wartik Lab.

Penn State’s Star Wars Club is led by four force-sensitive students collectively called the “Galactic Senate.” Noah Sachs, a finance major from Plum, Pa., proudly leads the group as its supreme chancellor.

Sachs says he’s loved Star Wars since he was 9 or 10 years old. Some of his earliest memories of his passion for the franchise include a make-your-own lightsaber birthday party. So, once he arrived at Penn State, he knew he had no choice but to keep that love for Star Wars going.

“I kind of knew that some colleges had a Star Wars club,” Sachs said. “I just kind of browsed the clubs [before coming]. I saw that Penn State [had a] Star Wars club. So, I knew I was joining that right away before I even went to the Involvement Fair.”

While you may remember the club from its famously viral HUB lawn lightsaber duel earlier this semester, what you might not know is that the club duels all the time — and not for attention. The Star Wars Club’s members have put together a scoring system for lightsaber duels.

“We have a rule for headshots now because one of our more aggressive duelists kept popping everybody on the head and was causing injuries,” Sachs said. “One point [is taken away] if you lose and one point if you have a headshot. If you hit the arms or the legs, you get the point. There are three rounds. It’s best to three. The first one to five points wins the round.”

Besides the club’s weekly meetings, there are other activities that the club will partake in. The Star Wars Club plays laser tag downtown once or twice a semester (with Star Wars music playing, of course). Members gladly partake in bowling, tailgating, and, of course, watching and discussing Star Wars content, new and old.

The club has an open membership policy, so any student can come to its meetings without worrying about paying dues or committing too hard.

“We’re just a bunch of people hanging out who love Star Wars,” Sachs said. “Even if you aren’t a big Star Wars fan, [we encourage those to come] who want to learn more about Star Wars.”

Tyler Dickerson, a junior who cosplays as Cobb Vanth and currently serves as the club’s treasurer, has been in the Star Wars club since his freshman year. For many, including himself, Dickerson says the club has given him a place to call home on campus.

“It is a place I can hang out and share a common interest in a franchise that I have loved since I was young,” Dickerson said. “The opportunity to duel with lightsabers and talk Star Wars with a bunch of people who love the same franchise that I do is something special.”