Star Wars cosplayers at the Cradle of Aviation

Cosplay — role playing in costume as a character from a movie, book or video game — is not just a trend among millennial fans of "The Avengers" and "Harry Potter." Baby boomers old enough to have seen "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" on the entertainment franchises’ first intergalactic go-rounds are also part of a hobby — some say lifestyle — that often requires dropping hundreds of dollars online or with convention vendors. On June 1, a pair of cosplayers who looked straight out of "Star Wars" central casting talked about being a part of the 501st Legion’s Empire City Garrison, the Long Island branch of the Lucasfilm-sanctioned nonprofit cosplay society, while hanging out at Cosplay Alley at Cradle Con, the comic, collectible and pop culture convention held June 1-2 at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. Credit: Newsday / Steve Pfost; Jeff Bachner