Upon its release in 1977, nobody could have truly expected the box office phenomenon that came of George Lucas’ Star Wars. But even after that, it was even more unlikely that anyone could have guessed that the franchise would become one of the biggest of all time, spawning a fandom that stretches across the whole planet.
Ever since then, people all around the world have become Star Wars mad, with the connection of fans reaching far further than the films themselves. The space opera has dominated comic conventions in the shape of fans in cosplay. Star Wars cosplayers have ensured a ubiquitous presence of the franchise at pop culture conventions, even those that don’t offer an official representation of the series.
Over the last 42 years, there have been nine mainline films to tie up the Skywalker Saga, two spinoff movies (and an animated movie), multiple animated series, and a new live-action series in The Mandalorian – not to mention video games and countless novels and comic books. The series is accessible to everyone across so many platforms and has given way for masses of creatives to try their hand at adding to the ever-growing Star Wars canon. The series can be developed by anyone, and it can be enjoyed by anyone too.
Something that truly sets the Star Wars franchise apart from others is how it’s managed to bridge the gap between generations of film and comic fans. Those who grew up with the original trilogy raised children who grew up with the prequels, and again with the new age of the Resistance. There’s also more supplementary material to bridge the gaps between mainline films than any other film franchise. For many, it’s not only an adored film series but a special tradition in families of nerds that span the four decades that Star Wars has existed.
Being a story with so many open ends, more fans have committed themselves to fill in the gaps of Star Wars than any other franchise. Fans across the globe build whole new stories based on the mythology of the galaxy far far away, creating fan films and novels galore.
This adoration of the Star Wars mythos also brought Star Wars Uncut to life, a project that cuts the original film 15 seconds at a time, with each segment animated by a different fan. The project was huge and has thousands of individual fans to credit. The creativity of Star Wars fans truly knows no bounds.
Star Wars has the power to connect people everywhere, much like the force itself. Whether it’s on an innovative level or not, whether it’s between fans of the comics or the movies, people truly love these characters and connect with them deeply, and thus can connect with each other. Fans of Star Wars are passionate and creative, and it makes the fandom one of the most revered in pop culture.
