So, once upon a time you watched a Star Wars movie. You got hooked and starting seeking other tales, books, comics, video games and time went by. Years later you’ve changed, as has SW, and new films are coming out, with their own spin and there was a reboot no less. Amid all of this, what’s an old fan to do? The answer is surprisingly simple – no matter what, you hold onto that which got you into the story in the first place, regardless of what that may be.
It can’t be that easy, right? No. For instance someone may think it a great idea to kill off characters like Chewbacca because no one was using him. Or that it’s a great idea to put an ex-Imperial with untreated psychotic and megalomaniacal tendencies in charge of the galaxy. Or that there must be one unchanging Jedi Order across millennia with no variation permitted. Any long-running franchise will throw up challenges to the perspective of the long-time fan, which they must decide how to respond to. Often people look at development X and conclude whatever drew them to the story is no longer in place and it’s time to go. Others seek to sideline and mitigate the effect of development X.
And then, of course, there are the new fans. The ones who’ve just found it and are full of bubbly enthusiasm and think it’s all wonderful and not at all cynical about crap story development or high-handed corporate moves. Still, they’ll learn better, won’t they? Really? A better question to ask is why should they do so at all? If you look at an enthusiastic post about SW and are cynical about it, then you ought to consider that the problem is with you! New fans are fun and they bring new insights, new perspectives – and part of being a long-time fan successfully is embracing this, not resisting it. Read More