Ah, my friends, much has happened since I last put fingers to keyboard. I attended Celebration Anaheim, I went on an epic hunt on Force Friday, we had a brand new Star wars movie that exceeded all my expectations, we are approaching the first non-saga stand alone Star Wars film, and finally, I got married.
With all of that, you might see why I have not sat to write in more than a year. But as we get older, life becomes about priorities. For the last year, everything I listed above, along with sitting on my butt playing Star Wars Battlefront, have been the priority. However, the nice thing about priorities is that they can change and evolve, so I believe it is time for this to move up on the priority scale and for me to re-enter a larger fandom.
This blog has been a way for me to explore my Star Wars fandom and try and connect with the larger world. Unfortunately, there has been so much negativity in fandom, especially over the past couple of years, that I honestly lost a desire to connect.
I am an older Star Wars fan. I am 48 years old and one of the OT generation. I was 9 years old when A New Hope came out in theaters and I was hooked from the moment that Star Destroyer flew overhead. I loved Star Wars and I loved talking to anyone else who liked it. Back in those days, there was no internet (I'll give the younger readers a few minutes to let that sink in), so you generally found other kids who liked Star Wars and you would talk about it, argue about it, play with the action figures and just love Star Wars. That was fandom to me; sharing a love of something with others who loved it just as much.
After Return of the Jedi, it seemed that fandom would eventually fade out and die. I hung in there during those dark times, trying to get my hands on any Star Wars merchandise that actually made it's way onto shelves. Then the novels were published and a new era began. Books, home video releases and finally announcement of the prequels. This new invention, the internet, made it possible to connect with even more people who loved Star Wars. It seemed we were about to enter a golden age of fandom.
Then everything changed.
The prequels, while overwhelming commercial successes, were met by some, especially those of my generation, with a certain amount of disdain. From what I have been able to gather over the years is that the movies didn't make people feel the way they did when they were 9. Or else they were not the way that people had imagined the story in their mind. Or one of a thousand other reasons. George Lucas, once almost worshiped, was suddenly public enemy number one for not delivering a movie exactly as people thought it should be. This new invention called the internet made it possible to spread that hate very far and very quickly.
Things have not gotten better.
Instead, there now seems to be a certain element of fandom that feels that unless you think exactly like they do, like only what they like and agree with them 100% then you are not a "real" fan and should be shouted down or publicly shamed. There seems to be a sense of entitlement that doesn't sit well with me. Lucasfilm decided to reboot the old Expanded Universe and make those existing novels "Legends". This did not go over well with a small, loud minority and this was my first glimpse at the ugly side of what fandom had become. From online comments to actually disruption of panels at events, certain elements of the the bring back the EU crowd has harassed, attempted to intimidate and generally been an annoying pain in the ass to anyone who doesn't agree with them. I get their passion; to this day love the X-Wing series of novels. But you know what? When Lucasfilm rebooted things, no one came to my house to burn my copies of the books! They are still there! I can read them whenever I want! I can still enjoy them! The bring back the EU crowd says "well now they aren't canon!". I love this new obsession with what is "canon". I hate to tell these people, but none of these things actually happened! They only exist in the pages of books or on film. Make your own canon. If you love a certain series of books, make that part of your personal canon. If another story comes along to contradict it, SO WHAT? When I see a Star Wars blogger who quits because of the abuse he has taken for daring to disagree with these people, then that is when things have gone too far.
So why, given all of that, would I even want to try connecting with fandom again?
Good question, and one that I have pondered.
I guess it comes down to this; most fans are not like that. I really want to believe that the whining, entitled little dweebs are a small, but vocal minority. I want to believe that most fans are like the ones who I found myself waiting in lines with at Celebration. I met some of the coolest, most interesting and fun people while waiting in those lines. I want to believe that most fans are like the group of people that inhabit the Rebel Force Radio Facebook group; passionate fans who support each other and just want to share their love of the Wars. That group is made up of some of the best people I have met online. I am incredibly cautious about online interactions, but that group has helped restore some of my faith in fandom.
That is why I am back and attempting to expand my fandom again. Because I want to believe that if I put my love of Star Wars out there, no negativity, then that is what I will attract back to me. All I ever really want are friends who I can talk Star Wars with. They can love what they love and I will love what I love. Does that seem like a lot to ask?
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