Until January 1997 , George Lucas was the barely weak god of geekdom thanks to " Star Wars . " Sure , a few outspoken fans had cavil about ewoks , but , for the most part , George Lucas had given the world a firebrand - new mythology . The Campbellian hero ’s journeying verbalise to a generation about the need to hit one ’s personal devil and crusade an evil imperium for the greater goodness .
But Lucas go back to tinker with the films that had made him famous and , in the early month of 1997 , free the " Star Wars : Special Edition . " Though some fanswondered at the wisdomof devising changes to a 20 - year - erstwhile movie , this re - release brought in C of one thousand thousand of dollars and one thousand of new " Star Wars " fans . This was the outset of the end of George Lucas ’s honeymoon with fans and the root of fractures in fandom .
The fracture became full blown respite just two unretentive years afterwards when the long - awaited prequel , " Star Wars : Episode I - The Phantom Menace " was released . Fandom was split up in two . In one refugee camp were , for the most part , an older generation of fans carry a gloomy film about the sweeping slaughter of the Jedi . In the other camp you had a generation of nipper who had a stigma new " Star Wars " film to link with in a way they ’d never antecedently been capable to . Between them was a brand - new internet to fight with .
" Generational split happen in the fandom for the same rationality they happen in general culture , " Bobby Roberts , a pillar in the " Star Wars " community and an editor at the Portland Mercury News , told us by e-mail . " People tend to be more conservative the former they get , and variety becomes check as an violation into a routine rather than a patterned advance into a good future . "
Over time , that vocal dislike of " The Phantom Menace " and the sleep of the prequels has recede as the younger lover got quondam and obtained more of a voice in the culture , but these generational split are n’t the only ones in " Star Wars " fandom .
In some places , these splits were more toxic . As " Star Wars " entered a new phase angle with " The Clone Wars " cartoon series , a new generation of kids find " Star Wars " as a animated cartoon and did n’t care about as much about the film . And they found their fandom in a female character named Ahsoka , voice by Ashley Eckstein . Then " The Force Awakens " fall along was and Daisy Ridley ’s character of Rey brought the longtime female fans of the saga front and pith . Some multitude cried , aloud , that " Star Wars " was n’t for the fan anymore , and these change were somehow ruining " Star Wars . "
Tracy Duncan runs the popular " Star Wars " fansiteClub Jadeand emailed to shed some light on this , explaining that female sports fan have always been there . " I ’m nearly 40 and I ’ve been here since I was 16 and I know woman who saw ' A New Hope ' in ' 77 when they were 16 and are still fans . "
Women simply found their own , quiet position to congregate , but social media broke down those barriers , make mass of clash . " The walls between these various parts of fandom are coming down . The more women you see publicly sweep up fandom , the more unforced others are to come forward , " say Duncan .
Sexist fans were n’t the only unity complaining . White supremacist fan came out in forceto decryJohn Boyega ’s cast in " The Force Awakens . " Other swarms of fans claimed to be " true fans " because they liked or disliked specific parts of the narrative and anyone who enunciate otherwise is a " fake fan . "
" There will always be saccade , " Duncan warned . " Sometimes those dork will be us . That ’s just human nature , and there ’s no remedy for that . I see a lot of material viciousness out there , which may have more to do with the universal ethnic wave than anything specific to fandom . "
As long as more " Star Wars " keeps come out , there will be rifts broaden and bridges build up . " Star Wars " fandom is get better , but every lazy , gaudy Jar Jar Binks joke in an article or loud charge about distaff Italian sandwich take fans one stair further from the finish line .
Roberts cue us , like Qui - Gon Jinn in " The Phantom Menace , " that in " Star Wars " and in fandom , " ' Your centering determines your reality . ' Fandom ’s always go to seem like a shattered shipwreck of warring view if all you focus on are the myriad disagreements . centre on the good voices , the helpful voice , the unresolved , considerate , heedful voices . It helps drown out the beggarly - spirited , factious rabble . "
