Do You Think Star Wars Will Be Everything You Want It To Be?

The Star Wars fandom is buzzing with emotions. Lots of emotions. Excitement, trepidation, contempt, apathy–these probably sound familiar, and you may fall into one or more categories. Amongst all the buzz, there is one question I’m tired of hearing, answering, and hearing others answer:

Do you think Star Wars will be everything you want it to be?

I have a theory. The answer to that question is always: YES.

Do you want another Star Wars film that takes you back to a galaxy far, far away?
YES.
Then you’ll get it.

Do you want another Star Wars film that you know you won’t love as much as the originals?
YES.
Then you’ll get it.

Do you want a Star Wars film that gets everything wrong so you can whine on every internet forum possible?
YES.
Then you’ll get it.

Do you want a Star Wars film that will be almost good enough but with enough flaws that you can’t help but nitpick and be disappointed?
YES.
Then you’ll get it.

Do you want another Star Wars film simply so you can complain that there are now too many Star Wars films?
YES.
Then you’ll get it.

Do you want another Star Wars film so you can use it to write a grad school thesis on the commercialization of Hollywood (and, of course, as a prime example of “there are no original ideas in Hollywood anymore?”).
YES.
Then you’ll get it.

Do you want a Star Wars film that, because it will be nothing like your beloved EU, will automatically suck by default?
YES.
Then you’ll get it.

Do you really not care about Star Wars and legitimately don’t care what happens this week?
YES.
Carry on with life. I won’t judge.

Where do I fall? I can answer Yes multiple times above. Overridingly, I’m stoked about this movie. I hide it some because, well, most of my friends aren’t, or they’re more worried than excited, or they stare at me from an inability to comprehend. Star Wars has so thoroughly affected my life that it’s impossible to not be excited. Emotionally, I can’t explain how thrilled I am to see “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….” (four dots, not three, I hope you noticed) in front of another movie. I will be crying, I will be smiling, I will be cheering.

But I also can’t wait to pick it apart, to discuss character development, to dig at holes, to workshop the heck out of it. Because guess what? I do that to IV, V, and VI, too. I love talking about how flawed and, occasionally, bad they are and yet we love them so. It’s a fun talk; let’s do it sometime.

I expect to go into that theater with a crowd every bit as crazy about Star Wars as I am. There will be cheers for every Original Trilogy cast member appearance. I expect to leave the theater happy to have had the chance to be with some of my favorite people in new places and new situations and to meet new friends along the way (yes, I’m talking about movie characters, not the people I’m attending the movie with. We can talk about my mental stability later).

So to my other fandom fellows, I say:

Go. Have fun. Don’t feel guilty about smiling, and don’t feel guilty about criticizing. We’ve all said at some point in our lives that we wanted Episode VII. Find your inner self that desperately wanted Episode VII and don’t forget to take them to the movie with you.

May the Force be with us.