Prior
to 1999 Star Wars fans were simply just that, 'Star Wars fans'. Star Wars
fandom enthusiastically revolved around the Original Trilogy, and everyone was
happy. While mixed opinions on the Holiday Special, Droids, Ewoks, and the
budding Expanded Universe existed, none of those were widespread enough to
really make a difference at the time. Star Wars fandom didn't yet have
distinctions. That all changed with the Prequel Trilogy, which divided the
fandom for the first time. For many Star Wars fans, their fandom now had an
asterisk next to it, which was new territory for the fandom. By the end of
2013, the Clone Wars micro series, The Clone Wars (movie and TV series), and an
extremely rich and dynamic Expanded Universe introduced even more various
factions of Star Wars fans. However, despite the varying degrees of likes and
dislikes, everything available fell under the same canon and chronology. Enter
2014, the year that saw the death of the Expanded Universe and original canon,
and the start of the Disney-era canon, beginning with Rebels and The Force Awakens.
If Star Wars fandom was splintered before, 2014 absolutely blew it to
smithereens. And that was just the beginning. For the next four years (2015 to
2019), fandom continued to fluctuate with every new release. And unless you completely
avoided all platforms of social media (or going outside), we are all aware of
how vocal, passionate, and in some instances, combative, Star Wars fans can
be...on all sides and perspectives. The old cliché, "No one hates Star
Wars more than Star Wars fans", couldn't be more accurate for some.
What’s
the point of all this? To illustrate that (as 2020 gets underway), no two Star
Wars fans alike. And you know what? There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Shocker, right? But it's true. Whether one only likes the Original Trilogy,
likes everything ever made, or any combination in between, its’ okay. Within
Star Wars' forty two year history; movies, shows, novels, characters, stories,
two canons, etc., every fan has a list of what they love and have emotionally
connected with. Star Wars resonates differently with each individual, and has
the power to inspire and captive people in a multitude of ways. Consider who
Star Wars fans are. They are people of every gender, age, ethnicity, social and
economic status, and country of origin. Given that level of diversity, spanning
four generations, it would be absolutely absurd to expect everyone to all like
the same things. Therein lies the beauty of Star Wars, it truly offers
something for everyone.
For
the sake of argument let's assume all Star Wars fans are accepting of each fan having a distinct list of his/her 'Star
Wars likes'. Sadly that’s probably not the case, but let’s roll with it. Where
does that leave the canons? From May 1977 to April 2014 George Lucas and
Lucasfilm depicted what was canon. Beginning in May 2014, Disney and Lucasfilm
rolled out their new canon. While the two canons do overlap and contradict one
another, the best way to view them is as completely separate entities. A prime
example is Luke Skywalker. In the original, Lucas-era canon [post-Return of the
Jedi] Luke goes on to become arguably the greatest Force user in the history of
the galaxy. Disney-era canon also has a Luke Skywalker character, but the
events of that character’s life are dramatically different. Same character
name, two different characters, two different canons. Star Wars is an insanely
powerful force (no pun intended), and fans live and breathe the stories and
history at a religious-type level. Because of this fans sometimes forget one
crucial factor, it’s all fiction. All of it is fiction. Therefore, just as fans
are free to choose which pieces of Star Wars they enjoy, they are also free to
choose what they consider, for them, to be canon. Keep in mind that choosing
one’s own personal canon will never change what is actually recorded as
Lucas-era canon, or Disney-era canon. But if sticking to a particular canon
brings you more joy out of Star Wars, then that is your canon. When an artist
writes a song, or a poem, or paints a picture, said artist does so with an
understanding of what the piece means to him or her. However, when that art is
shared with the world, the listeners, readers, and viewers gleam their own
interpretations based off how the piece speaks to them. Star Wars is
storytelling, and storytelling is an art form.
To
be fair, I would not have said this prior to there being two canons. When there
was only one canon, it felt more like gospel, and you took the good with the
bad, and focused your time on the pieces you enjoyed most. Having two fictional
canons in existence changes the game. I love the Original Trilogy, the Prequel
Trilogy, Clone Wars, The Clone Wars, and the Expanded Universe. The 1977-April 2014
chronology that put all of that together in a timeline spanning over thirty
seven thousand years means the world to me. That is Star Wars to me. Thus, when the Disney-era canon began I was
furious. The sequel trilogy and Rebels were taking place in time periods
already covered in the EU. And Rogue One and Solo were blatant re-tellings of
stories already told in the EU. I wasn’t happy, and I wasn’t enjoying Star Wars
anymore. That’s when it hit me, and I realized three important things. One,
life is too short to be upset and not taking pleasure in things I like. Two,
while Disney/Lucasfilm will go on making their new version of Star Wars, they
can never erase or take away the first thirty seven years of Star Wars. Thus, I
can forever hold onto and keep my
Star Wars, and my Star Wars canon.
And lastly, I didn’t want to be another one of those negative Star Wars fans. I
will always have my personal feeling about Disney and post-George Lucasfilm,
but that has nothing to do with other fans. Just as no one can tell me what my
Star Wars is or is not, I have zero desire to depict or influence what Star
Wars should be to anyone else. I’m
perfectly content just doing me, as other fans should be perfectly content
enjoying whichever forms of Star Wars makes them happy.
This
change in perspective was huge for me, and not only rekindled my love affair
with my Star Wars, but in a sense
increased the intensity because I realized how truly precious it is. It only
dies if I let it. As the old Jedi proverb goes, “Your focus determines your
reality”. And I’d much rather have my attention focused on all the amazing things
the OT, PT, CW, TCW, and EU gave us. I have a deep connection with the
Lucas-era of Star Wars, and am emotionally invested in those stories, those
characters, and that history. In addition, because I do not have a connection
with the new canon, I can treat it as I would any other form of fan fiction, thus
allowing me to enjoy some of it, just on a different level. My point of view
going in is different, therefore there’s zero chance for disappointment, but
always a chance I’ll enjoy it. Take The Mandalorian for example, I absolutely
loved season one. It will never be my canon, but it was Star Wars I enjoyed and
could get excited for. It’s a great balance, for me, to hold onto the Star Wars
I love and cherish, but still be able to partake in the new era of Star Wars
content.
Obviously
that was just my experience, and it won’t hold true for every fan. But I do
encourage all Star Wars fans to separate themselves from the negativity and
collective voice(s) of the fandom at large. Its’ okay to like what you like,
don’t worry about what anyone else is doing, just do you. I’ll end on this last
thought. From George Lucas to Timothy Zahn, from Dave Filoni to Troy Denning,
and from JJ Abrams to whomever is creating Star Wars content a decade from now,
everyone who has ever worked on providing the world with stories from the Star
Wars universe has done so with the intention of sharing amazing tales from a
galaxy far, far away. But just like any piece of art, it won’t please, impress,
or satisfy every fan. That’s an impossible feat. So whatever you choose to be your Star Wars and your Star Wars canon, love and appreciate those for what they mean
to you. No two Star Wars fans are alike, but we’re all Star Wars fans in one
form or another.
May
The Force Be With You!
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