Happy Monday, and May the 4th be with you.
That's right, it's Star Wars Day, and I've recorded a little video in celebration.
I've loved the Star Wars movies for as long as I can remember--though for different reasons. Growing up, I was all about those lightsaber fights. You could trash that whole sub-plot with the Death Star and the backstory--I wanted laser sword on laser sword action.
Though I also tended to skip the rancor--too scary.
As I got older, though--and the prequel trilogy came out--I found myself getting invested in the lore. Now, not enough to actually go out and read the 500,000,000 books of the Expanded Universe (now known as Legends) but enough to understand some of the philosophy and spirituality therein.
Thankfully, this was the age before Wookieepeedia, or I might never have surfaced.
After the release of Revenge of the Sith, my love of the franchise diminished--I simply moved on to new things. Unlike today, there wasn't a whole lot of official media being released. There weren't any new TV shows, no yearly movies--just a few games that I wasn't interested in playing.
Now, however, the world has changed. I can watch numerous TV shows from the Star Wars universe, from The Mandelorian to Rebels (though I still don't have Disney+, so YouTube clips only and episode summaries). I can delved into Lore, I can read thesis arguing for the inherent nihilism of Palpatine.
I can order waffle maker in the shape of Darth Vader's mask.
And I still love the show.
At the end of the day, May the 4th reminds me of several things.
1) Never be ashamed of your fandoms. Like what you like--so long as it doesn't physically hurt someone, there's no reason for everyone to like the same thing.
2) Have your escapes. There are many scary aspects of the world today. Some are still wonderful. Others...aren't. It's up to us to figure out what we want to accomplish, and when we need a few minutes to forget about the problems around us.
3) Fans create media. Disney has come out to say that they own everything that uses the hashtag May the Fourth. I'm here to say that they don't. The holiday preceded their ownership of the franchise, and it was created by fans. Without them, A New Hope would just have been a forgotten space opera from the 70's. With them, it has transformed into an important part of our culture.
Think about it: thousands of years from now (if the story is preserved) students in a classroom could be studying the ancient texts of Gilgamesh, the Ramayana, the Bible, and Star Wars.
Give the fans their due, and give them their space. I know that it's hard to give up control. But, to paraphrase a character, "the force binds us: you, me, the tree" and the franchise. We are all an equal part of it.
And there's something rather special to that.
This has been another Adventure in the Austentations. If you liked it, tell your friends; if you hated it, tell your enemies; and if you don't care either way, then tell everyone! Stay safe, be amazing...
And happy quarantine!
