Saturday, May 28, 2005
Musings On Star Wars And Fanaticism
I've always liked Star Wars. In terms of movies that are just plain fun to watch, it's hard to beat them. A few years ago I was literally obsessed with it, reading the novels left and right. Chances are, if you ask me anything about Star Wars that was revealed more than two years ago, I could answer it.
Once I got to El Salvador, however, I started to have less time to read and I shifted my focus to film. Now I seem to more or less have broken away from total Star Wars geekiness. After all, I got a girlfriend - in many ways that separates me from the majority of Star Wars fanatics.
However, I still like Star Wars a ton. This past month my geekiness seems to be returning. It must be because of the release of Episode III, which will most likely be the last Star Wars movie. At least for a while. I want to go back and watch all the movies - I've already started watching them with Souwa, and I've already written a review of Episode I. I want to watch the Clone Wars cartoon, since it's supposedly very informative on what happens between Episodes II and III. I want to read the Episode III novel, since it supposedly makes the entire movie much clearer, in terms of character motivation and plot revelations. I'm also tempted to start reading the other novels again.
Is this a phase? Will I go back to merely being a casual Star Wars fan with an actual life, or will I suddenly return once again to the depths of total fanaticism? I know people who are much bigger fans than I am, and there's no way I want to be as, er...passionate...about it as they are. Is it possible to be a big Star Wars fan (not absolute fanatic) and still retain some shred of a decent social/romantic life? Is it possible to be a big Star Wars fan and still retain some shred of humanity? Do I want to go back to being such a big Star Wars fan?
In terms of storytelling, Star Wars has spawned an endless supply of novels and fanfilms. I'm still addicted to fanfilms, since they manage to combine Star Wars and filmmaking into one. If I go back to reading the novels, will I still have time to read other, more classical and more inspiring things? Is it possible to embrace Star Wars, discover all the tiny details and backstory that make it one of the most intriguing epics ever constructed, and still use the majority of my time for other pursuits?
*sigh*
The struggles of being a geek. I suppose I can only sit back and see what happens. I suppose being a Star Wars fan is a better fanaticism to have than others - *cough*religious*cough* - but I wonder if it's worth pursuing.
I can only assume this is a May thing.
In other news, being a geek is incredibly awesome. It lets me wonder about things like Star Wars instead of acknowledging life's bigger problems. As one friend once told me, Star Wars kept him from going into a chronic depression. I'm not sure if it's good or bad to hold onto a work of fiction that tightly, but who am I to judge?
I wonder if one day I'll be able to create something like that. Something that helps people through times of struggle.
God forbid I ever make something that attracts the kind of people Star Wars attracts, though. Some people just take things way too far. Geeks should not be freaks.
Quote of Da Moment:
There is only one step from fanaticism to barbarism.
--Denis Diderot
Once I got to El Salvador, however, I started to have less time to read and I shifted my focus to film. Now I seem to more or less have broken away from total Star Wars geekiness. After all, I got a girlfriend - in many ways that separates me from the majority of Star Wars fanatics.
However, I still like Star Wars a ton. This past month my geekiness seems to be returning. It must be because of the release of Episode III, which will most likely be the last Star Wars movie. At least for a while. I want to go back and watch all the movies - I've already started watching them with Souwa, and I've already written a review of Episode I. I want to watch the Clone Wars cartoon, since it's supposedly very informative on what happens between Episodes II and III. I want to read the Episode III novel, since it supposedly makes the entire movie much clearer, in terms of character motivation and plot revelations. I'm also tempted to start reading the other novels again.
Is this a phase? Will I go back to merely being a casual Star Wars fan with an actual life, or will I suddenly return once again to the depths of total fanaticism? I know people who are much bigger fans than I am, and there's no way I want to be as, er...passionate...about it as they are. Is it possible to be a big Star Wars fan (not absolute fanatic) and still retain some shred of a decent social/romantic life? Is it possible to be a big Star Wars fan and still retain some shred of humanity? Do I want to go back to being such a big Star Wars fan?
In terms of storytelling, Star Wars has spawned an endless supply of novels and fanfilms. I'm still addicted to fanfilms, since they manage to combine Star Wars and filmmaking into one. If I go back to reading the novels, will I still have time to read other, more classical and more inspiring things? Is it possible to embrace Star Wars, discover all the tiny details and backstory that make it one of the most intriguing epics ever constructed, and still use the majority of my time for other pursuits?
*sigh*
The struggles of being a geek. I suppose I can only sit back and see what happens. I suppose being a Star Wars fan is a better fanaticism to have than others - *cough*religious*cough* - but I wonder if it's worth pursuing.
I can only assume this is a May thing.
In other news, being a geek is incredibly awesome. It lets me wonder about things like Star Wars instead of acknowledging life's bigger problems. As one friend once told me, Star Wars kept him from going into a chronic depression. I'm not sure if it's good or bad to hold onto a work of fiction that tightly, but who am I to judge?
I wonder if one day I'll be able to create something like that. Something that helps people through times of struggle.
God forbid I ever make something that attracts the kind of people Star Wars attracts, though. Some people just take things way too far. Geeks should not be freaks.
Quote of Da Moment:
There is only one step from fanaticism to barbarism.
--Denis Diderot
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 5/28/2005 06:34:00 PM 
