Second Look: Homer, Virgil, and That Guy on Twitter

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For those of you who have just joined us recently, Second Look is a twice-yearly feature where the staff takes a week off and I highlight five pieces from the previous six months that I think deserve, well, a second look. First up is a piece by guest writer David Tayman III—in Homer, Virgil, and That Guy on Twitter, David used his personal theory regarding the origin of Snoke (derived solely from the placement of his scars) as a vehicle to explain why speculating is so fun, and why it can be fun without needing to conform to the story as it ends up being told:

Basically, what we’re doing when we speculate is creating our own fun, what-if timelines. Our own Legends, you might say. People who scoff at the idea of fanfic create it every time they speculate, or entertain a speculation. I like to think the collective brain-trust at Lucasfilm (enough of whose members are keenly aware of fan desires, wishes, expectations, and no-fly-zones) is more clever and willing to think outside the box than I am. But that doesn’t mean others don’t have great ideas, too, with potential to enrich one’s experience of the Legend.

After all, he concludes, Star Wars is a myth, and the best myths expand past the boundaries of any one telling, “official” or not.

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