At 5 years old, I had already been indoctrinated into the intoxicating world of Star Wars. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” was being released at the time. The toys and merchandising were omni-present in my life. But after a long day in the sun pretending to deflect blaster bolts with my imaginary lightsaber, my dad invited me inside to watch the movies for the first time.
In hindsight, I resent my dad for starting me with “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.” However, nothing came close to the indescribable feeling seeing Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi ignite their lightsabers for the first time to destroy a battalion of Trade Federation battle droids. I was hooked.
It was the first media franchise I was ever obsessed with. I had all the action figures, lego sets, encyclopedias, books, toys, lightsabers and more. I would watch “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” all the way through over and over before I decided to watch something else.
I was enamored with the captivating world of the battle between good and evil. The dramatic space drama spanning an entire galaxy. The scale and grandeur was exhilarating.
Star Wars instilled in me an immense love for sci-fi and great story telling. These movies carried a finesse of dramaticism and seriousness that made these far away fantasies feel urgent and real.
No matter how gray my hair gets, Star Wars will always be a monument of childhood experiences that shaped who I am today.
~ Oliver Camu
Before I was aware of it, I was a Star Wars fan. Some of my first toys and clothes as a child were Star Wars related. My parents were products of their generation. While neither were what you would describe as nerds or even fans of the franchise, the cultural zeitgeist was already embedded.
I was 5 or 6 when I remember first watching the original trilogy on my dad’s VHS copies. They became weekly, sometimes daily viewings for me as I began to consume anything Star Wars related. Once I learned to read, that was it. The door was open into a world ripe with a glut of comics, novels and other materials to absorb into my hungry imagination.
By the time the internet became a thing, one of the first AOL chat rooms I joined was a Star Wars related one. I remember watching as the official Star Wars” Databank website was built, article by article. The prequel trilogy was a huge part of my young adult life and it came at a time where it helped shape the moral philosophy I have today.
What some people saw as a cash grab science fiction series, I saw as revolutionary hope. The original story is one of a scrappy bunch of rebels fighting a fascist empire and ultimately prevailing. As George Lucas said himself, the Rebels are meant to be the Viet Cong and the Empire is the U.S. A message I heard loud and clear.
Now I will admit, the purchase by Disney has soured many things for me. Disney has not done well to preserve and extend the legacy of the franchise. Nearly all my childhood novels, comics, games and favorite characters are no longer canon or have been retconned. The sequel movies were movies by definition and little else. The TV show that have been churning out often start out strong, but quickly lose steam.
The only thing the Disney era has given us of any note is “Andor.” “Rogue One” is easily my favorite movie in the franchise, but “Andor” is antifascist art. Tony Gilroy somehow pulled off what other showrunners seemingly could not under the watchful eyes of the Disney executives.
“Andor” was not only an excellent show, but it has given this cynic some hope that the future can get better if we remember this: try.
~ Corey Lyon
