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Star Wars Geek and Proud

"May the Fourth be with you!"

By Jessica FreebornPublished 2 years ago 4 min read
3
Star Wars Geek and Proud
Photo by Daniel K Cheung on Unsplash

I became a Star Wars fan at the age of five. It started with a cassette tape that told the story of The Phantom Menace. We all have to admit our humble beginnings.

Then there was a lightsaber, a solid, green plastic one and a blue one for my friend. The duels that followed were numerous. I actually still have that lightsaber. It's one that I've kept all along. My sixth birthday party had a Star Wars theme. I started collecting Star Wars action figures, some of which are now probably worth something to someone.

My uncle had a lot of Star Wars books that he happily passed onto me, and I became the owner of a treasure trove.

Early on, Obi-Wan Kenobi became one my favorite characters, partly because of the Jedi Apprentice series by Jude Watson. I guess all those stories are "legends" now. However, I still appreciate how the series explored the master and padawan mentorship and how Qui-Gon influenced and trained Obi-Wan.

Maybe it wasn't cool to like Star Wars back in the day, but I liked it. As a child, I didn't really care what other people thought of me and my enjoyment of Star Wars. And as I started to branch out and make new friends as an adult, I discovered others who geeked out over Star Wars too.

I had my wisdom teeth out in my senior year of high school. They were impacted, so my recovery time after was a bit longer. I texted my friend Trevyn about a potential X-Men movie marathon, but he had something better in mind.

When he came over, he brought lightsabers. And not just the plastic ones you have to be careful not to break. No, high quality with metal handles and awesome "they light up and look like the ones in the movies" lightsabers. (Insert epic lightsaber battles commencing and distraction as an excellent form of pain management.)

I'm one of those people who is down for a Star Wars discussion, from character arcs to recent TV series. The final season of The Clone Wars, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett have provided the grounds for new Star Wars conversations with friends. It was fun to talk about the series and share our thoughts about what would happen next as the episodes were released.

I've enjoyed watching Star Wars become more mainstream. (My trip to Disney World back in December had me utterly wowed by the Star Wars world recently built in Disney's Hollywood Studios.)

But Star Wars being "popular" might have more serious fans up in arms. Are these people "real" fans? Suddenly Star Wars becomes mainstream, everyone has Baby Yoda merch, and kids can build their own lightsabers at Disney. Where were they when being a Star Wars fan was lame? Aren't they all just jumping on the latest trend?

The acceptance of the mainstream crowd is the latest in a long line of internal debates in the Star Wars fandom. Not that I'm an expert. I'm just picking up bits and pieces. People have been fighting about whether or not the prequels were good since the prequels came out. Debate is nothing new in the Star Wars fandom.

But I look at it this way: mainstream Star Wars has done good for both hardcore and casual fans. For the hardcore geeks, it's given us more material to enjoy. For the masses, it's given them more TV shows and films to enjoy in-between the latest football games. And from those masses, some will shift more into the fandom, and others will remain on the fringe. That's okay.

But it does make me pause and do a bit of reflection. Why do we like activities, TV shows, or hobbies? Is it just because everyone else is into them? Is it because we think people will like us or respect us more if our interests align with what is popular?

Obviously, we are all influenced by the people around us. We can't get away from our likes and dislikes being swayed to some extent. But there is something to be said for simply liking what you like without caring about the opinions of others.

As C.S. Lewis put it, there is something good about the person "who truly and disinterestedly enjoys any one thing in the world, for its own sake, and without caring two-pence what other people say about it."

I like Star Wars. I've enjoyed it since I was five, and my Star Wars geek side isn't going away anytime soon. I'm going to keep liking it regardless of the number of people who join me in that liking. So, if you want to jump on the Star Wars bandwagon, come on over. We have lightsabers. Let's make some popcorn.

Original artwork by my awesome sister

May the Fourth be with you.

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About the Creator

Jessica Freeborn

Passionate writer that is enthusiastic about writing engaging, compelling content. Excels in breaking down complex concepts into simple terms and connecting with readers through sharing stories and personal experience.

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Nice work

Very well written. Keep up the good work!

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    Well-structured & engaging content

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