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A New Rule for SW Fandom! [Archive] - The Galactic Senate

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Rabid Whiphid
04-04-2007, 02:48 PM
Hi, guys.

I propose a new rule for SW fandom. A new rule that I think makes perfect, logistical sense and which all people everywhere should agree with, and adhere to!

I have met a number of people who describe themselves as SW fans, who say that the first two movies (ANH and ESB) were perfecto, two of the greatest films ever made, and then ROTJ was disappointing and everything that came after 1983 ranged from disappointing to downright awful. This seems to be a fairly common opinion that I have run into over and over again.

Equally prominent (if slightly more forgiving) is the opinion that the "Original Trilogy" (episodes 4,5,&6) was good but the "Prequel Trilogy" (episodes 1,2,&3) was bad.

Well, here's my theory, and the new rule I'd like to propose. SW is 6 movies. If you hate half of it (3 out of 6 movies) or certainly more than half of it (4 out of 6 movies), you are no longer allowed to describe yourself as a SW fan!!

Seriously, consider this logic, before you begin flaming in a fury of indignaion. SW is not Star Trek. SW is not Lord of the Rings. It is not a franchise that was started by one creator, then taken away and continued by other people who "didn't get it", or adapted by other people whose interpretation of the original work is open to debate.

The 6-part Star Wars saga is entirely the product of one author, who claims that all 6 little parts make up one big story. Now - if you read a novel which consisted of 6 chapters, and you loved 2 or 3 chapters, but disliked 4 or even 3 of those chapters, wouldn't you normally just say, "I didn't like that book. It started out good but it fell apart halfway (or more than halfway) through."???

Yet many people who describe themselves as "SW fans", openly despise half (or in some cases more than half) of the story they claim to be a fan of. Why not just simply admit, "I'm not a fan. I thought I was when it started, but then it went in a direction I didn't care for, so I guess I'm not a fan."

Doesn't that make sense?

Consider also that in school, a 50% test score is a failing grade. Getting only half the questions right means you still flunked, and the entire effort is a failure.

So once again I must proclaim - If you hate half or more than half of SW, you're not allowed to call yourself a SW fan! Haha. :nahnah:

Oh yes, one more thing - before responding, I ask that you please bear 2 things in mind: First - that I am only being semi-serious, though I think this logic seems perfectly agreeable, and second - that the EU does not figure into this equation. We all agree that the heart and soul of SW are the 6 films. There's a large percentage of SW movie-viewers who disregard the EU, if they are even aware of its existence. So limiting this discussion to the 6 films, what do you think of my new rule? Personally, I think I am a genius. :yoda:

-

Kam Solusar
04-04-2007, 03:31 PM
Logic applied to fandom? SW fandom at that? Inconceivable.

92se-r
04-04-2007, 07:44 PM
Let's face it, like them or not, the PT gave the back-story for the questions fans had for YEARS!! Without them, people would still be speculating about what happened when. While they may not have been the cinematic blockbusters the OT were, they were necessary for the entire story to be told.

I personally rank RotS as my favorite SW film. Yes, I saw RotJ in the theater, and it is a VERY close 3rd behind ESB (which is a very close 2nd).
You either like the whole, or you don't. It's that simple. :D

Talcy
04-04-2007, 07:54 PM
Er...no.

No on all counts.

This just reeks of prequel fans who cannot take the criticisms levelled at the new films (my opinion only). I like the new films, I don't love them. I love the old films. I loved SW when it came out. Does that disqualify me as a SW fan?

I consider this foolish, silly and ill thought out and frnakly slightly offensive. That is not to say that is my opinion of the original poster, but get real.

You cannot dictate by a rule who is a fan and who is not. There are no ruels for liking things.

This is not a club or a gang.

Rabid Whiphid
04-04-2007, 09:09 PM
Er...no.

I consider this foolish, silly and ill thought out and frnakly slightly offensive. That is not to say that is my opinion of the original poster, but get real.
You cannot dictate by a rule who is a fan and who is not. There are no ruels for liking things. This is not a club or a gang.


Did you read the part where I said I was only being semi-serious? Anyway, my ingenious new theory is not intended to be taken as an attack on anyone's character. It's just an observation, based on simple math.

And for the record, what are you getting defensive about. Your own self-description clearly keeps you within the borders of SW fandom. As long as you don't HATE half or more than half of the SW saga - even if there is one half of it you only LIKE while you LOVE the other half, you certainly still qualify as a fan.

Talcy
04-05-2007, 08:26 AM
It's the whole thing about "qualifying" as a fan. Even as a joke, it's the kind of thing I feel gives Sci-Fi fans a bad name.

RollaFett
04-05-2007, 03:16 PM
Logic applied to fandom? SW fandom at that? Inconceivable.

:rofl: That was pretty funny.


While they may not have been the cinematic blockbusters the OT were, they were necessary for the entire story to be told.


Necessary? No. If they were never made, I'd still consider the OT to be a pretty damn complete trilogy of films. Would I still be curious about the Clone Wars, and what made Anakin turn, etc.? Sure, but I wouldn't consider those tales necessary.

Oh, and Rapid, I think you're completely off your rocker. :wink:

Rabid Whiphid
04-05-2007, 05:32 PM
Oh, and Rapid, I think you're completely off your rocker. :wink:

Fair enough. Haha!

Miasmo
04-08-2007, 02:43 AM
Well what if someone loved the OT when it came out? Each film. That was the case, after all, for many, MANY, fans all those years. So lets say you hated the SE's when they came out. Understandable. And you hated the PT. Understandable. That means you're no longer a Star Wars fan? Honestly, it sounds like you have to follow blindly in order to be a fan. Someone cannot call themselves a Star Wars fan anymore, by your logic, serious or not, unless they love the majority of Star Wars films.(Why not say all?) There are OT fans? There are PT fans? There are particular fans? And then there are Star Wars fans?

Why don't we save ourselves a whole lot of trouble and not call ourselves fans at all and just enjoy what we can before our hearts stop pumping?

Yes, I know you're being semi-serious, but you're being serious enough to have created the topic. So, that's the response you get from me.

thepepgal
04-08-2007, 09:07 AM
When you consider that Ep4 was originally only called Star Wars, you can be a SW fan and never seen the others or like the others.

Recently the Australian edition of Empire magazine did a poll of the readers' greatest films and the original film made number 1 again. ESB was 8 and ROTJ was 52. None of the other SW films made the list.

http://greatest.empireonline.com.au/index.php?page=1

For this reason you will never be able to stop people describing themselves as SW fans if they don't like half the films.

I had other fans tell me I'm not a true fan because I mispronounced a SW name and couldn't quote the films verbatim. I love all the films. I am a fan but not fanatical about it. There are differences between the 2.

Vesper
04-09-2007, 04:36 AM
I only like the first two (Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back) - the others are all examples of poor/shoddy film making in my opinion. The scripts are dull, the direction is dull, and the whole thing is lowered to a level to cater to a demographic that they already had coming to see the films anyway (children).

I think the story of Star Wars as a saga is great, it was just shoddily dealt out after the second film.

Jedi Master Harrison
04-09-2007, 09:32 AM
^ *Boos ring round the arena*

Just kidding mate, I respect everyone's opinions.