Geeks love to complain, and other than comic book geeks, no one even rivals the wailing of Star Wars fans. So it is no surprise that the Disney (a monolithic company that evokes images of the Empire)-Star Wars acquisition has caused an uproar so great that fans might start a rebellion (farm boy hero not included). To quote Darth Vader however, “You don’t know the power of the dark side!” The dark side in this case being Disney. Star Wars has finally found the benefactor it so desperately needs. Short of building the Death Star, the sky’s the limit with Disney.
For the past few years the Star Wars franchise has been lethargic and stagnant, the biggest event being a new Star Wars video game on the Kinect.
Don’t think for a minute though that I wasn’t apprehensive when I heard that Disney added Star Wars to its one big happy family. My mind was filled with nightmares of Goofy on Endor, Luke becoming a Disney prince and worst of all, another Star Wars Christmas Special. Once these images subsided I began to see this new development in a positive light. I think Star Wars fans everywhere deserve closure on the issue of Jar-Jar, preferably in a fatal Ewok related “accident.”
Oh yes, the announcement of a new Star Wars trilogy had me a bit worried initially, but Disney has proven that it can take an old series (Marvel) and make it highly successful again. This doesn’t mean Disney shouldn’t proceed with caution. There can be no plot holes, no selling out and absolutely no thermal exhaust ports. The stakes are higher than most would like to consider.
I grew up in a world filled with Star Wars. My bedroom still has the impossible to remove X-Wing, TIE Fighter and Millennium Falcon stickers. I can safely say that most boys my age have been Jedis for Halloween at least once (or multiple times in my case). Star Wars has shaped my view of the world, defined my moral code and charged my imagination. I’ve spoken to many others who share this feeling and experience, proving this phenomenon isn’t unique to myself.
This brings us full circle again, back to why there has been so much controversy surrounding this change. Star Wars is something that unites people of all ages, genders and cultures. It brings out the unadulterated and pure, childlike joy and enthusiasm in all of us. No wonder fans are afraid, everyone is afraid of change at first. But true fans should know that “fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” If fans hold on to their fear of the unknown everyone will suffer, especially Star Wars and its supporters.
We, as fans, need to accept that this is the new direction Star Wars is going, and unless we want to get left behind in a galaxy far, far away, we need to do our best to support the series. Let’s welcome Disney with one big, “May the force be with you.”