Why I Love "Star Wars"
Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, now that 90's Throwback Month has concluded, I find myself talking about one of my favorite film series of all time: Star Wars. Having reviewed every Star Wars film ever made, with one exception, there's not a lot more to review. However, I think that there is something I can discuss, and that is why I love Star Wars.
Being born in December of 1991, my early childhood was in that in-between period where the original trilogy was over a decade old, and the prequel trilogy was a few years away. So, my only exposure to Star Wars was with the original trilogy on VHS, and a whole slew of toys, including the Millennium Falcon. My fandom of Star Wars kicked into high gear in 1997 with the release of the Special Editions of the original trilogy, and while I missed seeing the Special Edition of Return of the Jedi on the big screen, I still enjoyed all three films once the Special Editions were on VHS. So, that's how long I've been a Star Wars fan for. In fact, I was thirteen when the first PG-13 Star Wars movie, Revenge of the Sith, was released in theaters.
Okay, so now I've told you guys how long I've been a Star Wars fan. Now, I should tell you about what makes me a Star Wars fan, and the reason I'm such a big Star Wars fan is because Star Wars is an expansive universe that can thrive with multiple forms of media, and with all kinds of merchandise for both kids and adults. Even before Disney bought Lucasfilm, and rendered the old Expanded Universe as Legends, the Star Wars franchise had a lot of stories outside of the movies in the form of comics, cartoons, and video games. Among my favorites were the Knights of the Old Republic and The Force Unleashed video games. I also enjoyed the 25-chapter animated micro series titled Star Wars: Clone Wars that was produced by Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of such hits like Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack, on Cartoon Network. In fact, Clone Wars was stylized very similarly to Samurai Jack, which is really cool. Even to this day, with all new content produced being canon with the movies, there are still many cartoons, comics, and video games being made, with some of my favorites including the recent Jedi Fallen Order video game, which I have for PS4, and the animated series Star Wars Rebels, which I own all four seasons of on Blu-ray.
Along with the expansive nature of the Star Wars universe, another thing I like about Star Wars is how the characters are not only enjoyable, but they've also become icons of pop culture. Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Poe Dameron, Jyn Erso, the list goes on. These larger than life heroes and villains line the walls of many fans' bedrooms, and are the subject of many a fan's cosplay. In fact, a number of costuming fan groups, such as 501st Legion and Rebel Legion, are out there, and they are spread out all across the globe. Fans everywhere go all out with their Star Wars cosplay, and it's a lot of fun seeing people, both kids and adults, dressed up as their favorite characters, or even fun mash-ups like Jedi M&M. And with so many new characters being added from many new stories in the Star Wars universe, fans won't be running out of characters to grow up with and enjoy watching on film and television, or playing as in video games. In my opinion, the universe of Star Wars is a truly rich tapestry with which to tell a wide array of stories with unique heroes and villains within a widespread timeline. Whether it's a series of stories set many hundreds or thousands of years before the events of The Phantom Menace, or during the height of the Galactic Empire between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, or during the in-between period set after Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens, or even the new boundless time period set after The Rise of Skywalker, there is a lot of space between the events of the movies for unique stories to be told in the Star Wars universe, which it why I love the universe of Star Wars so much.
Another reason that I love Star Wars is how it has transcended other franchises with its continually growing fandom over multiple generations of fans. Unlike other pop culture franchises, Star Wars is truly generational. By that, I mean that many generations of kids got to grow up with the many eras of Star Wars films, whether it's the fans who were kids when the original three were made, the fans (like myself) who were kids when the prequels were being made, or the kids growing up with the Disney era, which is where we are now with the sequel trilogy, the DisneyXD and Disney+ shows, the stand-alone Anthology films, and whatever the future holds for this franchise. Needless to say that Star Wars will continue to expand, and future generations will have their own heroes to follow in this ever-expanding franchise. And while some very vocal fans may not like the direction of newer films, others, like myself, are willing to give our support to the newer films and stories in the Star Wars universe, and that's what I love about it. No fans are wrong or right about their opinions, and Star Wars as a whole is open to multiple interpretations.
Thank you guys for taking a look at a lot of the things that make me such a big Star Wars fan. Whether you prefer the originals, the prequels, or the Disney-era films, three things are definitely certain: Star Wars is awesome, The Child/Baby Yoda is adorable, and Maclunkey will always be stupid. This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time, and may the Force be with you. Always.
Being born in December of 1991, my early childhood was in that in-between period where the original trilogy was over a decade old, and the prequel trilogy was a few years away. So, my only exposure to Star Wars was with the original trilogy on VHS, and a whole slew of toys, including the Millennium Falcon. My fandom of Star Wars kicked into high gear in 1997 with the release of the Special Editions of the original trilogy, and while I missed seeing the Special Edition of Return of the Jedi on the big screen, I still enjoyed all three films once the Special Editions were on VHS. So, that's how long I've been a Star Wars fan for. In fact, I was thirteen when the first PG-13 Star Wars movie, Revenge of the Sith, was released in theaters.
Okay, so now I've told you guys how long I've been a Star Wars fan. Now, I should tell you about what makes me a Star Wars fan, and the reason I'm such a big Star Wars fan is because Star Wars is an expansive universe that can thrive with multiple forms of media, and with all kinds of merchandise for both kids and adults. Even before Disney bought Lucasfilm, and rendered the old Expanded Universe as Legends, the Star Wars franchise had a lot of stories outside of the movies in the form of comics, cartoons, and video games. Among my favorites were the Knights of the Old Republic and The Force Unleashed video games. I also enjoyed the 25-chapter animated micro series titled Star Wars: Clone Wars that was produced by Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of such hits like Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack, on Cartoon Network. In fact, Clone Wars was stylized very similarly to Samurai Jack, which is really cool. Even to this day, with all new content produced being canon with the movies, there are still many cartoons, comics, and video games being made, with some of my favorites including the recent Jedi Fallen Order video game, which I have for PS4, and the animated series Star Wars Rebels, which I own all four seasons of on Blu-ray.
Along with the expansive nature of the Star Wars universe, another thing I like about Star Wars is how the characters are not only enjoyable, but they've also become icons of pop culture. Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Poe Dameron, Jyn Erso, the list goes on. These larger than life heroes and villains line the walls of many fans' bedrooms, and are the subject of many a fan's cosplay. In fact, a number of costuming fan groups, such as 501st Legion and Rebel Legion, are out there, and they are spread out all across the globe. Fans everywhere go all out with their Star Wars cosplay, and it's a lot of fun seeing people, both kids and adults, dressed up as their favorite characters, or even fun mash-ups like Jedi M&M. And with so many new characters being added from many new stories in the Star Wars universe, fans won't be running out of characters to grow up with and enjoy watching on film and television, or playing as in video games. In my opinion, the universe of Star Wars is a truly rich tapestry with which to tell a wide array of stories with unique heroes and villains within a widespread timeline. Whether it's a series of stories set many hundreds or thousands of years before the events of The Phantom Menace, or during the height of the Galactic Empire between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, or during the in-between period set after Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens, or even the new boundless time period set after The Rise of Skywalker, there is a lot of space between the events of the movies for unique stories to be told in the Star Wars universe, which it why I love the universe of Star Wars so much.
Another reason that I love Star Wars is how it has transcended other franchises with its continually growing fandom over multiple generations of fans. Unlike other pop culture franchises, Star Wars is truly generational. By that, I mean that many generations of kids got to grow up with the many eras of Star Wars films, whether it's the fans who were kids when the original three were made, the fans (like myself) who were kids when the prequels were being made, or the kids growing up with the Disney era, which is where we are now with the sequel trilogy, the DisneyXD and Disney+ shows, the stand-alone Anthology films, and whatever the future holds for this franchise. Needless to say that Star Wars will continue to expand, and future generations will have their own heroes to follow in this ever-expanding franchise. And while some very vocal fans may not like the direction of newer films, others, like myself, are willing to give our support to the newer films and stories in the Star Wars universe, and that's what I love about it. No fans are wrong or right about their opinions, and Star Wars as a whole is open to multiple interpretations.
Thank you guys for taking a look at a lot of the things that make me such a big Star Wars fan. Whether you prefer the originals, the prequels, or the Disney-era films, three things are definitely certain: Star Wars is awesome, The Child/Baby Yoda is adorable, and Maclunkey will always be stupid. This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time, and may the Force be with you. Always.
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