Defining Star Wars by what it's survived, not what it's lost
The toxic nostalgic focus has become real fans' unfortunate reality.
It’s time to start gatekeeping Star Wars.
Not from those with a genuine interest in and love for the franchise. Not from those who ask questions about movie viewing orders or book recommendations. Not from those who want to connect with other fans around the world to nerd out. Not from those who engage in good faith discussions and share their context-filled opinions about something they may or may not like in Star Wars.
It’s time to start gatekeeping Star Wars from those who harass, ridicule, bully, make death threats, and engage in toxic trolling in online spaces. And from those who use fandom spaces to spread harmful bigotry and hate speech that goes beyond opinions about popular culture.
They are not real fans, nor should they be treated as such. And they certainly shouldn’t be the identifiers of the Star Wars fandom.
They are loud, of course. But so are we. And there are more of us.
With new episodes of The Acolyte every week, it feels like we can’t go more than a day without someone being harassed because they tweeted or posted a video about something they loved in the show. I talked about the issues of media and cultural literacy in last week’s newsletter, where I said the toxic discourse had hit a fever pitch.
Unfortunately, I was so wrong. The vitriol churning after episode four has reached truly vile levels. Over what? — you might ask. The age of a certain Cerean Master Jedi with a handful of lines in the prequel films.
That’s right. Some people are mad that Ki-Adi Mundi appeared in The Acolyte. And they got even madder when Wookieepedia adjusted the character’s biographical page on the fan-run website. What happened next was horrific — Wookieepedia, the real humans who contribute to the site, content creators, and other fans received scary and disgusting comments and messages.
All over a fake, alien space wizard. Seriously.
#WeStandWithWookieepedia
The Star Wars fandom should not be defined by those who pick apart every new project, looking for the most inconsequential details that supposedly “break lore.” It should not be defined by those who cannot get over Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm OVER 10 YEARS AGO. It should not be defined by those who harass and ridicule fans of the current canon of movies, shows, and books.
It certainly should not be defined by“fans” who try to hide their racism and misogyny under the guises of “free speech”-backed opinions about space witches and what they think George Lucas wanted for Star Wars.
The fandom should be defined by what Star Wars is all about — hope, light, and love. The franchise and the fandom are not defined by what it’s lost over the decades. I argue that Star Wars hasn’t really lost anything since the first movie premiered in 1977. It’s changed, evolved, grown, for sure. Those stories and characters the toxic minority shout about “losing” because of Disney — the Expanded Universe — have not disappeared. They’re still there for anyone to enjoy.
You can go to any bookstore and find Legends books and comics. You can turn on Disney+ and find all nine Skywalker saga films, the latest live-action and animated shows, and classic favorites like Caravan of Courage (1984) and the Clone Wars 2D Microseries from 2003.
Don’t like the Star Wars sequels? Don’t watch them. Don’t like some of the new Star Wars books? Don’t read them. Read what you want and what brings you joy. Don’t like The Acolyte or other TV series? Don’t watch them. Just want to engage with EU/Legends content? Go for it.
Star Wars isn’t ruined because you don’t like a change made to a character — who’s not even your favorite or one you know that much about if we’re being honest. If Star Wars is ruined for you because it’s not the EU stories you wanted or because it’s telling nuanced, diverse stories — that says much more about you than it does about the franchise.
The Star Wars fandom will survive this harmful, backward rhetoric. And we will be better for it. Star Wars has been and will always be for everyone who finds joy and connection in this galaxy far, far away.
100% to all of this!