The Star Wars Fandom

The Star Wars Fandom

    Star Wars is perhaps one of the most popular and successful franchises of all time. Even if someone doesn't know much about Star Wars, the name is still recognizable and exposure to some sort of Star Wars media is almost inevitable. The Star Wars franchise is a collection of movies, TV shows (Figure 1), comics, and videogames that all take place in a galaxy far, far away and tells a connected story over a long period of time. The main storyline is referred to as the Skywalker Saga, stretching through nine movies in order from episodes one to nine, telling the tales and struggles of the force wielding Jedi, Sith, and Skywalker family. It's popularity exploded in 1977 when the first ever Star Wars film, A New Hope, debuted in theatres and kickstarted the Skywalker Saga. Despite the initial low expectations and many issues while filming, A New Hope ended up being one of the most successful movie releases to date. As more Star Wars movies and shows released following the first film decades ago, the franchise has continued to grow massively and a fanbase emerged that is still very active today. With Star Wars being the juggernaut of the entertainment industry that it is, it comes as no surprise that the fandom surrounding it is massive with there being many ways to participate in it.


Figure 1: Current Star Wars Movies and TV Shows in Chronological Order

Social Media Discussions:

    The first way people participate in the fandom is by discussing Star Wars media on the internet. Star Wars is not just about space battles and lightsabers, but it has several levels of immersive storytelling. The fandom has an extremely strong passion for these stories told in Star Wars, and one effective way people talk about them is through social media. There are no shortage of Star Wars online forums and communities on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and Discord, where users can share their thoughts, praises, memes, and critiques regarding all things Star Wars. There are also many YouTube channels that discuss the lore of the movies and shows, with two notable content creators being Star Wars Theory and Star Wars Explained, with each channel boasting a large following (Figure 2). These and other YouTube channels will discuss many Star Wars related topics, such as "what-if" scenarios, scene breakdowns, news, and reviews of the movies, games, comics, and episodes. Regardless of your preferred social media platform, there are a plethora of Star Wars communities to join online that just about every can fan interact in and enjoy.


Figure 2: Subscriber Count of Star Wars Theory and Star Wars Explained



Fan Made Content:

    Consuming Star Wars media has no doubt inspired many to create their own Star Wars content. Fans have made their own Star Wars inspired short films on YouTube, with some reaching millions of views. Additionally, some fans will even edit existing Star Wars footage by adding different music over an iconic scene. Below is a completely fan made Star Wars fan film, as well as one of my favorite Star Wars videos of Luke Skywalker going on a rampage with Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out for a Hero playing in the background.



Wookieepedia:

    Star Wars is an astronomically big franchise with tons of lore to be found. Since there is so much material to digest in the movies, games, and shows, the fandom have created a massive Star Wars database through Wikipedia, calling it Wookieepedia (Figure 3). Through this entirely fan-written website, anyone is able to easily research everything about Star Wars, and that is not an exaggeration. On Wookieepedia, there are articles on every planet, character, location, event, item, and just about anything featured at any capacity in all of Star Wars content. No matter how relevant or obscure something is, if it appeared in Star Wars, there's bound to be a Wookieepedia article on it due to the sheer dedication of the fandom. For instance, if someone is interested about everything to do about Luke Skywalker, there is an entire page about him on Wookieepedia (Figure 4). As new Star Wars material is released, some members of the fanbase will add new articles or edit existing ones to ensure the relevance and accuracy of the information. For the more dedicated fans of Star Wars, writing and editing articles on Wookieepedia is an excellent way to participate in the fandom. If you're a more casual fan, simply learning more about your favorite characters or planets on Wookieepedia is a great way to spark greater interest in the franchise and its fandom.

Figure 3: Wookieepedia Logo



Figure 4: The Fandom Made Wookieepedia Page for Luke Skywalker

Toys, Props and Replicas:

    Regardless on whether you're a fan of the franchise not, one fact is undeniable: Star Wars is extremely marketable. Star Wars toys and replicas come in all sorts of shapes in sizes, but there are two that come to mind in regard to fandom participation, the first of which are Legos. With Lego and Star Wars having a partnership, fans are able to purchase and build their very own star destroyer (Figure 5), death star, x-wing, and many other things derived from the Star Wars galaxy. Beyond Lego, replica lightsabers are also beloved by the Star Wars fandom. Some replica lightsabers are cheap and flimsy toys designed for only children to use. However, many in the Star Wars fandom have managed to create prop lightsabers that are capable of dueling much like in the movies, and there are entire companies dedicated to manufacturing these sabers. An example of one lightsaber company is Ultrasabers, which allow costumers to customize their own lightsabers that can be used in a duel. Below is a video of a high school assembly where mock Jedi and Sith fighters duel in front of a live audience with their prop sabers.


Figure 5: Lego Star Destroyer Being Built



Cosplaying and Conventions:

    While the methods above are all valid ways to become part of the Star Wars fandom, others will take it a step further to cosplay as their favorite characters and attend massive Star Wars themed conventions. The most popular Star Wars convention is called Star Wars Celebration, with the most recent event scheduled to be held in Anaheim, California in 2022. At Star Wars Celebration, people will arrive dressed as several iconic characters (Figure 6), such as Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker (Figure 7), Princess Leia, Emperor Palpatine, C3P0, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and many more. Also, these conventions are a great way for fans to gather and experience to the first reveals of upcoming Star Wars projects, with fans being able to see new trailers and react to them, as the video below shows. As a whole, Star Wars conventions are a great way for the fandom to interact with each other, dressing up as beloved characters and sharing their excitement for new entries to the franchise.

Figure 6: A Crowd of Star Wars Cosplayers at Star Wars Celebration 2019


Figure 7: Luke Skywalker Cosplayer



Takeaway:

    Overall, it's clear to see that the Star Wars fandom is truly passionate and dedicated to the franchise. With there being many online forums and YouTube channels to explore, all fans have the opportunity to discuss Star Wars media and enjoy creative fan made content. In addition, more curious Star Wars fans are able to learn just about anything they wish about the galaxy far, far away thanks to the completely fan written and supported Wookieepedia that details everything there is to know. Also, fandom creations such as Legos and prop sabers provide Star Wars entertainment for fans to enjoy off of the screen. Lastly, conventions such as Star Wars Celebration are a hub for the huge fandom and gives people the chance to cosplay timeless characters with people that share their love for Star Wars. To end, Star Wars is a huge franchise that has a massive fandom that shares their passion for it in various different ways.





Works Cited:

Star Wars Theory: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8CbFnDTYkiVweaz8y9wd_Q

Star Wars Explained: https://www.youtube.com/c/StarWarsExplained

Star Wars: Forgotten Enemy Fan Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ1Nqi8yB7s

Luke Holding Out For a Hero Fan Edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHgY7LIiaSM

Wookieepedia Home Page: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page

Luke Skywalker Wookieepedia Page: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker

High School Assembly Duel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfc-DQAfORc

Clone Wars Season 7 Crowd Reaction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkUr0JA6L30&t=202s

Figure 7, Luke Cosplay: https://screenrant.com/star-wars-luke-skywalker-best-cosplay/





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