What is mankind’s greatest achievement? The mysterious construction of the colossal pyramids in Giza? The moon landing? The invention of the wheel? Sure, all of these are great achievements, but what we should be most proud of leaves all of these in the dust. It has the power to unite the entire world under one banner, to take a people in turmoil and create order from chaos. It is without a doubt the most powerful creation in mankind, and may even be the catalyst for world peace. I am, of course, talking about Star Wars.
Never in history has anything ever been created that has been so widely beloved by so many. An entire subculture of people have emerged all because our Lord and Savior, George Lucas. Sure, Attilla the Hun could create the single largest land empire in the history of the world. Yeah, the sun never set on the British Empire. But could they ever keep their people happy? No. Nobody ever willingly joined with the Mongols, nobody ever volunteered to be conquered by Napoleon. George Lucas has an empire greater than that of any conqueror, and he never once had to ride into battle.
The beautiful thing about Star Wars, as I have said, is its unique ability to unite an entire world of people. Jews and Muslims, Blacks and Whites, Republicans and Democrats, Crips and Bloods, Team Edwards and Team Jacobs all come together to wave the flag of a galaxy far, far away.
With so many different types of people within our fellowship of fantasy (or reality, depending on who you talk to), it is natural for different types of fans to arise. There are those who make Star Wars a priority in their lives, who delve into the Expanded Universe (EU). These are core fans. Then there are those who may think less of the Star Wars, but still show interest in one way or another. These are casual fans. Within each faction of fandom, there are certain subsets that further categorize the fan.
A core fan, as I have said, is one who sets time aside each day to do something Star Wars related. The core fan spends his or her resources on Star Wars related stuff, and does so without hesitation or regret, no matter what financial shortcomings may result from said purchases. For instance, one may notice a distinct lack of household staples such as curtains for the windows, or sheets for the bed, or a table to eat on. In place of these “useful” and “necessary” things that just take up space, a core fan will instead have a plethora of Star Wars memorabilia such as a screen accurate Obi-Wan Kenobi Force FX Lightsaber, or the complete collection of the films on Blu-Ray, set on a place where none can disturb it. The social life of a core fan may or may not be existent, as they often times scare off potential mates and companions with their unapologetic and sometimes abrasive outward expression of fandom (some may phrase it as “a foul odor, probably coming from the same t-shirt worn for six consecutive days”). This is a natural defense mechanism designed to weed out those from his life that would not be worth interacting with. This means, however, that when a core fan does find companionship, he often creates a long lasting, strong connection with his partner with Star Wars being a common denominator in their relationship.
Within core fandom, you may come across those who adhere strictly to the canon (a set timeline) of the original series of Star Wars and ignore, or even fervently condemn any story other than the original three. These are known as Purists. Although all is peaceful between fans of Star Wars, Purists come the closest to causing unrest within the community. Their dislike for the prequel trilogy or the expanded universe is most of the time kept at bay, and they can be great companions; but the radical Purist is not to be trifled with. When provoked, these fanatics get loud, uncontrollable, and many times violent. Some say that even the mere mention of the name “Jar Jar” can send a radical purist into a whirlwind of rage. If you ever find yourself caught with a raging Purist, grab the nearest copy of the unedited VHS of Empire Strikes Back (use it the same way a helpless teenage girl would use a crucifix to fend off a vampire) and repeat the phrase “Han shot first” until the purist returns to a restful state.
In stark contrast to the purist, we have the fan who likes anything and everything Star Wars. The originals, the prequels, the video games, comics, TV shows, books, anything related to Star Wars, this fan loves. This subset is known as the Revanite, named after the famed Darth Revan of the Old Republic. A Revanite has an appreciation for everything within the Star Wars universe. Though he may not like some aspects of it, he acknowledges that all things within the universe have their place and thus, shouldn’t be discriminated against or antagonized. A Revanite has a unique ability to spend hours on end delved into various Wookiepediapages, videogames, basically anything that can advance their understanding of the Star Wars universe. Revanites are true students of Star Wars scripture, and are greatly respected by each other as well as others. A word of caution, however: the Revanite can be the most anti-social and publically dysfunctional of the Star Wars fandom subsets. If you see a Revanite struggling to interact socially (don’t worry, you’ll know it when you see it), offer him a kind gesture of good faith my maybe starting a conversation with “So, do you feel the Last of the Jedi series should be considered canon?”
There are an incredibly vast number of core fans in the world, and they do make up the majority of Star Wars fandom, but not everyone has the passion for core fandom. And while this may frustrate some core fans, we are still welcoming of anyone who shows interest in our culture.
Those who, for one reason or another, show only moderate or, George forbid, only little interest in Star Wars, but still appreciate it are casual fans. A casual fan does not make Star Wars a priority in his life. He prefers the dull, harsh, unforgiving world that is reality over the adventures and thrills of fantasy. The casual fan would rather spend his time on things that are “important” in life like getting and maintaining a job, raising a family, and all that dumb stuff. However, the casual fan still makes time every now and then for the Force, and at least that should be acknowledged.
The first, and maybe most common type of casual fan is the one who indulges into Star Wars only by relation. This type of person may have never thought of Star Wars even once in their lives before meeting someone who would introduce them to it. This type of fan is called the Girlfriend. The Girlfriend has a kind heart because she, though she may not have any particular interest in Star Wars, gives it an effort because she knows it’s important to her significant other. She has little to know understanding of common literature, and probably couldn’t tell an Ewok from a Bantha, but she gives it her all because she loves one of us. And these types of people will always be welcome in our community.
And finally, we have the Fakers. The Faker is the last, in most definitely least, classification of Star Wars fan. The Faker is so disliked that I didn’t even bother coming up with a better name for their kind other than “Faker”. In fact, I’m getting angered just writing this right now. The mere fact that I am spending my time thinking about such a person makes my blood boil. But I digress. As I’ve said before, I must follow what is dictated in our understood code of fandom, and not turn away any who show interest in our universe. The Faker is one who wants to look like core fan, but for whatever reason, does not have the time or passion to put in the time to actually be one. Thus, the faker will spout out useless facts that everyone already knows and rehash old news that he thinks will make him sound knowledgeable, when really he’s just making an ass out of himself. If you ever hear someone say “did you know that the 2004 remake of Episode 4 made it so that Han didn’t shoot first?” try to contain the rage. Just remember that these people should be pitied, not punished. Maybe, if you’re feeling generous, take him under your wing and show him what it means to actually be a core fan.
Though there are many different types of us (many, many more than can be listed in a mere essay), we all come together to make the wonderful culture that is Star Wars fandom. All jokes aside, it truly is a wonderful thing to be a part of a world where people of all different walks of life can come together and just have fun. Amid a world wrecked with terror, violence, hate and chaos, people like me take refuge in a different world. Granted, that world is still wrecked by terror, violence, hate and chaos, but the great thing about Star Wars is that it’s more than a movie. The fans have taken George Lucas’ original cinematic creation and expanded it into an entire culture. And I’m proud to be a part of that culture.
