The Force is strong with Google Assistant on this Star Wars Day

By Lulu Chang May 4, 2018

Star Wars The Last Jedi Review — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It may just be May 4 to some of the world, but to the rest of us (which is to say, dedicated Star Wars fans), it’s practically the most important day of the year. And here to help us celebrate is Google Assistant, who certainly understands the gravity of this most hallowed day. On Friday, product management director of Google Assistant Lilian Rincon introduced a couple new ideas for how Star Wars devotees can celebrate May the Fourth with a little bit of help from Google Assistant.

“What started as a fun pun — May the Fourth — has now become an official holiday for Star Wars fans,” Rincon wrote. “On this day known around the globe as ‘Star Wars Day,’ fans celebrate the lore of the galaxy far, far away.” But with your nearby Google Assistant, you can really get the party going.

Google Assistant can serve as your official box office guide, helping you find, learn about, and purchase tickets to the movies. While this new action is debuting just in time for the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story, which will open on May 25, you can also use this feature to search for plenty of other movies. All you need to do is ask Assistant for “showtimes near me.” If the smart helper returns a title that interests you, ask for more information by asking, “Who stars in it?” or “Show me the trailer.”

Then, if you want to take the plunge, you can now buy movie tickets simply by saying so — thanks to a new partnership with Fandango, Google Assistant will let you make purchases simply by saying “buy tickets” once you’ve decided on a film. And those films don’t have to be in theaters now — you can already buy advance tickets for the latest Star Wars installment by telling Assistant to do so. Fandango will also help you pick your seats before you finish your purchase (if you go to a theater that requires that sort of thing).

Google is also offering discounts and deals on Star Wars apps, games, movies, books, and more on the Google Play store. For more about what you can do with Assistant, check out our handy guide.

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