With the semester coming to a close here at Rowan, there are so many things to do to prepare for my final projects (luckily no actual finals this time!) But I think what’s most on my mind is December 17th. Yes, the pre-release date of the newest Star Wars film.
The time was noon on this past Thanksgiving. My uncle, aunt, and my cousin had arrived and were talking about the latest Star Wars cruise and, finding that I know more than I should about the franchise, my aunt grilled me on what I know about the latest film (Is Luke Skywalker the bad guy? Where is the new franchise headed? What will be the role of the old cast? Etc.) I reveal that I have tickets to go on the day before it officially premieres. And to prove my commitment to my Star Wars experience, I later come down, lightsaber in hand and a Jedi robe hood hiding my face, to share my commitment. Obviously, many pictures were taken and poses made.
But you may ask, why all the hype? And why the talk about Thanksgiving put in the mix, like, isn’t Star Wars a “nerd” thing that as a “nerd” thing actually isolates you from reality and thus your ties with family and friends? Well here’s the thing; once I came out, EVERYONE recognized my costume. And there isn’t a person I know in my immediate family who isn’t familiar in some way with the franchise. It’s a phenomenon that transcends traditional “fandom” where only those who live and breathe the series know what it is such as has happened with much of Japanese animation, and to a lesser extent videogames. For example, my Aunt Lynda (who actually requested I show off my costume) was considering dressing up herself, changing her mind only when it turned out the costume she had was too “flattering.” And get this—I actually am not a huge Star Wars fan myself. I just simply have a good memory regarding movies (as you may have gleaned by my multiple articles on media) and the source of my information is largely a childhood friend of mine who simply can’t shut up about Star Wars.
But I’ll get into that all in a second, because there’s one fan that for the most part made Star Wars special for me. My father. He saw the original trilogy back when he was young and throughout my life has always been quoting them, particularly “Do or do not, there is no try” when I complained about my impending project deadlines for high school and later college. And this is the same guy who didn’t see E.T. because he thought the alien was going to kill everyone, and who’s idea of a perfect movie is the inclusion of “helicopters” and “explosions,” preferably together. As you may tell, the latest Bond film Spectre is more his thing rather than an epic story about psychic monks and starships that can destroy planets. And among his generation, Star Wars inspires the same level of adoration, among men and women. They were simply the right films at the right time, and what with the passing of the torch from generation to generation many of us have also inherited a love for a galaxy “Far Far Away.”
And fandom can be infectious. Frankly I’m a bigger fan of Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” than I am the Star Wars series, simply because I’ve seen the films so many times as a child that I likely will ever have an urge to rewatch them for the rest of my natural life. But for my friend David, Star Wars is made for him. He knows that Kylo Ren, the next movie’s antagonist, has origins in the Star Wars “Expanded Universe” as the leader of the “Knights of Ren.” He knows the story that the Sith’s red lightsabers are canonically (in the expanded universe) explained to be not a fashion choice, but because the Sith are reckless and use powerful crystals that increase the blade’s power while making it more unstable (and which only coincidentally makes it red). It was his idea to spend two hundred dollars on costumes (this included the lightsaber) and to dress up for the premiere, and perhaps for other movies as needed. If it weren’t for him, I’d be seeing Star Wars for the first time with my father a week after it becomes impossible to get tickets, eating so much popcorn that we have to refill even the biggest popcorn size money can buy, rather than for the second time under the same circumstances. In other words, due to its popularity, Star Wars isn’t a selfish interest, as one can claim “geekdom” is what with the collecting and proselytizing; it’s a bond between friends, family, and even strangers who complement a random girl with a cute Ewok on her shirt. And with the latest films and TV shows having been popular among this latest generation of kids, even the very young will clamor to their seats to see the Millennium Falcon for their first time on the big screen (aside from the constant trailers of course).
So if you see a man with a brown robe and a green lightsaber struggling with the unfamiliar challenges that befall a man who is essentially wearing a dress, know that he will likely be joined by an army of millions. And like the series or not, it’s likely that someone you know will be dressing up as well, and will be wanting you to join them.