Mandalorian spotted on Tyne and Wear Metro in Star Wars Day stunt

Chris Saunders came up with the idea after his kids said the red and green indicator lights on the train doors reminded them of the lightsabers from the legendary sci-fi franchise.

It inspired Chris to put on his authentic Mandalorian body armour and helmet and take a trip on the Metro, delighting and surprising his fellow customers along the way.

He filmed the experience for his popular Star Wars‑themed TikTok account, @screenandbeyond, which boasts almost 300,000 followers.

May the Fourth, or Star Wars Day, is celebrated annually by fans around the world. The date stems from the famous pun ‘May the Fourth be with you’, inspired by the franchise’s classic line, ‘May the Force be with you’.

Chris, 44, of North Tyneside, said: “The new Metro trains aren’t quite from a galaxy far far away, but they are out of this world, so I just had to feature them for Star Wars Day this year.

“The idea came to me after both of my daughters noticed that the indicator lights at each set of the train doors look a little bit like the lightsabers from the Star Wars universe.

“After that I just thought why not bring Star Wars Day to the Metro by taking a ride in my Mandalorian suit, which everyone always says looks pretty amazing.”

Metro operator Nexus said it was delighted to feature its new trains on Star Wars Day.

Lynne Dickinson, station delivery manager at Nexus, said: “It was amazing to welcome Chris on board for Star Wars Day.

“The sight of the Mandalorian travelling around the system certainly didn’t go unnoticed - it’s safe to say that it’s not something we see every day.

“It brought a real sense of fun for our customers and our own teams. The new trains feature cutting‑edge technology, and it’s easy to see why Star Wars fans have drawn comparisons between the door lighting and lightsabers.

"The lights are there to clearly indicate when doors are opening or closing, flashing from green to red.”