Last week, I had an interaction at my local comic shop that is likely of a familiar type to those who frequent such establishments. Me, an early middle-aged mumbly man, slid my respectable stack of Star Wars comics onto the counter. The cashier, a late middle-aged mumbly man, noted the dominance of Star Wars books, and in the way such introverts do, avoiding eye contact at all costs, noted “Star Wars, huh? You must be really excited about the Ahsoka show.”
In my experiences, such interactions amongst Star Wars fans have been a bit more fraught in the years since the sequel trilogy (or maybe even specifically Last Jedi). While my impulse would normally be to geek out and gush, there’s so much toxicity in Star Wars fandom of late, that I can be a bit hesitant to do so. As one does, I kind of sized up the interlocutor, and given that this man was slightly my senior (I’m 40), I made the assumption that he probably was an Original Trilogy fan, and tempered my response to a “I guess I am, though I am not really a big fan of Rebels, so I’m a bit nervous.”
“Not a fan of Rebels!?!” He gasped. “Really? It’s my absolute favorite part of Star Wars!”
What followed was a generally amiable (if still mumbly) conversation about the upcoming show and how great the Rebels characters were. We parted ways (still never making eye contact) and though pleased, I felt that slight burn of shame as I walked away, knowing that I had completely misjudged the cashier. He was wholeheartedly a member of the animated Star Wars generation.
You Must Unlearn What You Have Learned
My takeaway from the comic store encounter was a staunch reminder that membership in the Star Wars fandom is a lot different than it once was. While it’s folly to say it was ever completely monolithic, at its start you simply were a Star Wars fan, or you were not. Of course individuals had their favorites, but it always felt like membership in the fandom meant being all in or completely out. Yet, now looking at the 46 years of Star Wars culture, it has become clear that almost all fans have a generation or sub-fandom that they belong to. That is, a place where their love is a bit stronger, or a subculture that they are a bit more fluent in. At its worst, fandom uses these groupings as cudgels, trying to “other” or exclude some (which is, in a word, stupid). Alternatively, I want to spend a bit of time celebrating this unique part of Star Wars and the ways in which these generations make me appreciate the content all the more.
In fear of those that would weaponize this idea, let me set a necessary caveat at the beginning of this. Any such broad examination is going to paint with a brush that, careful as I may be, misses the nuances of individual experience and understanding. While I want to celebrate all that I can, it’s hard to do so in a fandom that includes members who use these same categories to exclude and diminish instead of celebrate and embolden. So my two key disclaimers: I am not here to dictate the shape or structure of anyone’s fandom, and I am certainly not here to evaluate and rank groupings. Instead, let’s use these generations as a tool for understanding and welcoming, as there aren’t many other fandoms that feature such a long history.
Every Saga has a Beginning…
There’s an old joke about how Saturday Night Live is not nearly as funny as it used to be. It seems that even people who still watch the show regularly are always referring to some golden age that ended at some point prior to now, maybe with the departure of a certain writer or cast member, a different Weekend Update host, or just a different ethos behind the sketches. Lorne Michaels, the creator and showrunner, is quick to note that he has heard this complaint since the second season (the show is now approaching season 49). Gather a group of comedy fans, and you will likely hear a wide set of answers for when the show was actually at its best[1].
With all due respect to Saturday Night Live, the reality is that the show has had various ups and down, but has largely stayed at around the same level of quality across its lifetime (which is actually quite a feat!). However, the venerable late night show has a magic quality at a certain time in the lives of a lot of viewers. At some point, the ability to stay up a bit late, see some risqué jokes, and witness the subversive mockery of public personalities grabs us in a particular way, and maybe feels like a bit of a rite of passage to adulthood, silly as that may seem. We’re nostalgic less for a particular set of episodes and more for the feelings we had: staying up late, sleepovers with friends, and jokes that felt naughty to repeat.
This is at the heart of the Star Wars generations phenomenon: at some point, at some age, we first encountered a part of the franchise that really spoke to us. Whether we saw ourselves in it (I’m a farmboy who yearns for adventure!), or cared about a particular plot (I see you Reylo’s), or maybe just found something that sparked our imagination to create costumes, fan fic, or art, that moment is what matters most to each fan. As years go by, our personal fandom may grow and change, but we feel a special love for whatever that first thing was that brought us in.
As Star Wars has shifted from a monolithic community, towards the many generations, it’s been hard for some fans to understand that the new content may not be for them, but there’s no need to diminish those who feel that it speaks to them. Unfortunately, we’ve seen this cycle repeat continually: Ewok fans, prequel fans, animation fans, sequel fans, and more have all felt the sting of seeing their fandom mocked, or even been threatened by those fans that don’t like the next thing. While the toxic fans are the minority, it’s the responsibility of all of us to call out this negative behavior and help end it.
But the beauty here, as my comic store encounter demonstrated, is that these generations are not defined by age or gender. In fact, Star Wars generations often cut across these categories because there’s a piece of art that speaks deeply to an individual. My son (age 8) thinks the prequels are the best Star Wars films. One of my best friends (age 50) thinks Andor may just be the best Star Wars ever created. The comic cashier thinks the same of Rebels, what others would dismiss as a “kids show.” While age may loosely correlate to some of these categories, it is not the dominant factor in determining membership.
I am Fluent in Over Six Million Forms of Communication
In its now 46 years of existence, the Star Wars fandom has weathered various vicissitudes, at times being a nearly universal phenomenon, and at other times seeming to “end” or disappear from the public eye (clearly it hasn’t). Like actual generation categories, we shouldn’t see these boundaries as hermetic. Indeed, as someone born in the early 80s, I never find myself at home in Gen X or the Milennial generation. Instead, these generations tend to be groupings that gain focus through one particular piece of content, while still appreciating many or perhaps most others. In Star Wars storytelling, this happens naturally as characters or plot lines switch between these focus areas. I would divide the fandom into six generations as follows, thinking about how each generation brings in a different set of fans.
The Originalists
Perhaps the easiest fan group to identify are the fans that hold George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy (Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) closest to heart and find a lot of what followed to be less fulfilling. People who were somewhere age 8-12 when these films premiered (or when they were first given a VHS/DVD/Disney+ account with them) often find themselves here, and often with the guidance of a Star Wars mentor, a mother, father, or other figure who made an event of viewing these films and welcoming them to the club. Many of this group found the prequel trilogy to be too childish for their liking, and greatly value practical effects when used in later media (as they recall the spirit of the originals). This group often fills the stereotypes of science fiction fans, and may still feel some stigma from being a part of what we now call “nerd culture” before that culture was cool. They can be protective of it for this very reason.
Children of the Dark Times
From 1983-1999, Star Wars went into its longest period of dormancy, without a new theatrical release. Given modern IP-driven culture, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see so long a period again. Yet, during this 16 year stretch, the franchise was alive with books, comics, video games, and (of course) toys that were the lifeblood for many fans. Fans native to this era often encountered Star Wars on home video and then felt deeply connected to the other media because that is where the new content was coming from. They had hand-me-down toys or maybe just heard rumors of what Star Wars was like. This was the Star Wars that felt like it was being created just for them, and they would never think of it is lesser than the films. Other members of this generation found Star Wars in their library long before seeing the films, even if there were 6, 9, or 11 films out by then. Many of these fans were deeply hurt by the “canon reset” Disney made in 2014, making the older materials “legends” in order to make room for new stories. However, as the success of initiatives like The High Republic show, there’s still a large space for these fans to thrive.
The Prequel Kids
If one were to study mass media from 1999-2008 (or so), you would assume that the Star Wars prequel films were universally hated. The much derided films, while having their technological advances celebrated, seemed to please no one, and particularly not the early internet. We now know, of course, that this was completely false. Over the last few years, this problematic narrative has been inverted and the kids (young and young at heart) for whom those movies were made have reclaimed them, and changed the narrative for stars like Ewan MacGregor, Hayden Christensen, and particularly Ahmed Best. These fans are often a strong force in online discourse, as having borne the brunt of a lot of negativity, they helpfully build up other groups. These fans are largely attached to the characters of this era, and follow them to other media, animated and streaming shows, as well as books like EK Johnston’s very successful Queen trilogy, which focuses on Padme Amidala. While this generation felt a sense of an ending with 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, much more recent additions, such as the Obi Wan Kenobi show, continue to show that these fans are vibrant. They may also have a particular love for the political storytelling/allegory of the era, which sneaks its way into many current content areas.
Animation Domination
With the “ending” of Star Wars in 2005, and a lot of “Complete Saga” merchandise, it felt to many fans that the saga was going dormant again. However, the ten years between 2005 and 2015 saw the proliferation of animated Star Wars, first in the Clone Wars and then later in Star Wars Rebels[2]. These shows innovated what Star Wars had been with an aesthetic filled with balletic lightsaber duels, innovative camera movements, not to mention a swath of animated characters, planets, and cultures that became core to many fans’ experiences. While other fans may dismiss these programs as “kid shows,” fans of this generation value the mythology and storytelling they show as often deeper and more important than that of any Star Wars films. With the arrival of Star Wars Ahsoka, we see a major group of these characters transitioning into live action, and the initial responses seem hugely positive.
The Nobodies
With the arrival of Episodes VII, VIII and IX, Star Wars had moved definitively back to the center of pop culture. With the rise of superhero and IP franchises between the prequels and the sequels, a huge new group of fans was prepared to join the ranks of fandom. With the central characters of Rey, Finn, and Poe, a new range of people could now see themselves in the characters on screen, and feel recognized in the galaxy far far away in ways they had not before. While this generation also saw huge schisms in the fandom (enflamed by a variety of bad actors), the dominant mode of storytelling across these films seems to be the themes of identity, individuality, and choice. Rey is a central figure in this, and an array of communities see her rise from a “nobody” into a found family and identity of her choice as truly powerful. Fans of this generation seem most interested in understanding themselves and their universe (a quite ancient power of myth) through Star Wars and the rise of “Star Wars is for Everyone” as a rallying cry in this era has only benefitted the fandom.
The Baby Yoda Way
Finally, the latest generation in the fandom seems to rest on the tiny head of Grogu, known colloquially as Baby Yoda. The rise of this generation coincides not just with the debut of The Mandalorian and other streaming programs, but also with the effects of the CoVid-19 pandemic and the comfort so many drew from the franchise while isolated and suffering during 2020-2021. While the theatrical releases (and really, theaters period) were at rest in this era, the rise of Disney+ allowed a fast number of fans to join, and a huge amount of time with which to binge them all. For this generation, fandom seems to be defined through choice. The ease with which content is accessed has never been greater, and the fandom expresses itself through an array of online platforms (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, podcasting). With this choice has also come a greater ability to find a niche and build a community obsessed with small pieces of fandom that can mean so much to individuals. For this group, and increasingly for all of us, fandom becomes a highly individual expression.
It’s True. All of it.
In a lot of online discourse, there’s perhaps no faster dismissal of some content than saying “Not my Star Wars!” Usually, this signals a disagreement with a creative choice, or a disregard for a particular creative. I have certainly been stung by someone deploying this against something I treasure and love. But what I’ve come to realize by watching these generations at work, is that there’s a real beauty in a franchise that is able to give us so much and let so many people see themselves within its mythology. While I am sure there are some out there reading this with clenched fists that are asserting “I LIKE IT ALL!” the truth is, the fandom is better for having so many dimensions and we get better content because it aims to be interesting and challenging and not just the milquetoast generic content that offends no one while not truly pleasing everyone. To be a modern Star Wars fan is to recognize that not every bit is for you, but to be glad for those for whom it is.
So, mumbly comic book store cashier, I am sorry to say that Rebels and Ahsoka may just not be my Star Wars, but I am really glad that it is yours. I will watch and enjoy as your generation celebrates the saga and what you love, and even if I feel just a bit left out, I will find comfort in knowing everything I love about the saga remains intact and will no doubt be fed by a future show, film, book, game or comic.
In 2017, as the Last Jedi neared theaters, Star Wars released a behind the scenes video where the cast of the film discussed the approach to storytelling and what to expect from the new film. While many cast members were quite eloquent, the mic drop moment at the end was when recently departed Carrie Fisher spoke and gave the most simple definition of the franchise and the fandom as only she could: “It’s about family. That’s what makes it so powerful.” Carrie knew this fandom better than anyone, having spent vast hours at conventions and lived her daily life with the blessings and burdens of being Princess Leia. Here she tells us all we need. Families are difficult, but they are powerful because generations come together and choose empathy and understanding over their differences. Sure, there may be an uncle or two you don’t want to talk to, but you keep your family, biological or found, close at heart and love them for each piece of who they are, even the flaws. This is what our fandom is at its best: a multi-generational family that deserves our understanding and kindness. As always, I choose to follow the Princess.
[1] The real answer, for this writer, is 1997 to the 2000 election.
[2] It is tempting to separate Clone Wars and Rebels fans into separate generations, but as my friend Ben recently pointed out to me, the rise of streaming services/decline of cable during these years, and the various labyrinthine licensing agreements means that many of these fans first encountered these shows via binge on a streaming platform, not airing in their respective seasons.
Absolutely loving this.
Thank you!