The Last Crybaby: A Star Wars Fan's Critique of the Star Wars Fanbase
I am a huge Star Wars fan. Always have been. My mother has frequently recalled that I was regularly humming Star Wars music as early as two years old. Being a huge Star Wars fan, I am not without my opinions. I LOVE the original trilogy, I don't like the prequels, and I love the sequels so far. I even love The Last Jedi. If that previous sentence made you stop reading, you may just be why I'm writing this blog post. Not because I want to convince you to like it, though. Not at all. This goes a little deeper.
Remember how I said I don't like the prequels? Well, just two years ago, I would not have left it at that. I would have gone on a tirade against these three films and ruined three podcast episodes over it. You see, two years ago, I was the worst kind of Star Wars fan, one that is all too common (or, at the very least, all too vocal). I was a crybaby.
You may not like me using that term, but that's the reputation we've earned for ourselves. My goal for this is not to change your opinion on anything. If you like the prequels, great. If you don't like The Last Jedi, great. More power to you! Don't let anyone tell you that your opinion is wrong. And I'm not being sarcastic at all. We'll talk more about that in a bit. But back to my point here. So, as I said before several times, I don't like the prequels. Have I fantasized about remaking them? Absolutely. Have I gone to the point where I act like I know how to make a multi-million dollar film with one of the biggest film studios on Earth just because I think I can do better? No. I wouldn't even sign a petition to get the prequels remade. Two years ago, I might have. But now? Absolutely not. Besides, if there's any film that needs to be remade because I thought it was a horrendous follow-up to a great film, it's Highlander II: The Quickening.
Even with that said, there are things I do like about the prequels. Ewan McGregor was an inspired choice to play the young Obi-Wan. The duel on Mustafar is one of the most well-choreographed swordfights I've seen in film. But obviously, there are many things I dislike about the prequels. Two years ago, I would start listing the things I don't like and write in a ton of all-caps right about now. But I've changed my ways for the better.
Over the past couple of years, I've come to understand and accept opinions much better than I have before. We're all wired differently and as a result, like different things. And sometimes, we can even stop liking something. For this reason, I never trust reviews or user ratings before watching a movie, reading a book, playing a game, et cetera. I hate to break it to you, but these things are unreliable. Even from people who do it for a living. They can only speak for themselves, for they are people with their own opinions. For example, John Carpenter's The Thing is one of my absolute favorite movies ever made. A perfect ten for me. A ton of other people clearly like it, as it's one of the top-rated films on IMDb. However, professional critic Vincent Canby called this movie the "quintessential moron movie of the '80s." I don't think he liked it. If I had read Canby's review before watching and took it as truth, I might not have watched it. Well, actually, I would have. I watched Battlefield: Earth willingly, after all. But I wouldn't have watched The Thing to see a good movie. I would have watched it to see a "quintessential moron movie."
This whole thing isn't just with movies, either. A lot of people feel attacked when someone has a differing opinion, especially when it concerns something we're passionate about. It's a natural reaction for many of us, but that doesn't make it good. Luckily, it can be outgrown, as I used to be terrible about this. Like a couple of years ago, a friend of mine didn't like the TV show Twin Peaks (my absolute favorite, by the way), and I got in an angry panic, trying to point out why he was wrong and why it's a great show. Nowadays, I realize OF COURSE Twin Peaks doesn't appeal to everyone. My reaction back then is how things often seem to get when it comes to The Last Jedi. I've come to realize it's not even worth it to full-on debate whether a film, TV show, book, et cetera is good or not, unless it's all in good fun for the participating parties. Opinions are entirely subjective and they shouldn't ruin friendships, especially when they're about movies. There's no right or wrong answer as to whether The Last Jedi is good or bad. Same goes for any other film.
Also, angry debates over these films aren't going to do any good for anyone. Nobody's opinion is going to change because they know what they like and don't like. There's no way I could honestly tell you right now that I think Attack of the Clones is a great movie, no matter what you pointed out about it. Remember how I've said that we've earned the reputation of being crybabies? When we fight over these films, what do we look like to people who have never seen Star Wars? We look like spoiled young children and these people completely turn away from ever wanting to see these films because the fanbase appears to be cancerous. THIS is what is ruining Star Wars, if anything. Not Disney. It's the fans that get angry over movies not being how they personally wanted them to be. This was me two years ago and it's many other fans now, such as the "remake The Last Jedi because it sucks" crowd. But man, we really are spoiled when it comes to Star Wars. Let's be grateful for what we've got. I don't like the prequels, but hey, I've got SEVERAL other films in the series I really enjoy. And could we all just be friends and bond over this franchise we all love in some way or another? Please?
Now, this is going to be a difficult one for many of you, but you all need to come to realize something if you don't already. I had to come to this conclusion as well. As a Star Wars fan, you are not entitled to anything (but your opinion, of course!). It doesn't matter how big of a fan you are or how long you've loved Star Wars. It doesn't matter that you've read all of the books or stood in line for the twentieth time in 1977 because you really wanted to see it again. We weren't even entitled to the original film getting any sequels at all. Nowadays, it's all up to the writers Lucasfilm has hired for the movies, books, TV shows, video games, comic books, and whatever else. And there's no possible way they can make something "the fans want" because there are all sorts of different fans. Especially within this large and diverse fanbase. No one fan or group of fans can speak for everyone who likes Star Wars, which is best represented by how polarizing The Last Jedi has been. Some fans wanted Rey to be a Skywalker. Some wanted her to be a Kenobi. Some wanted her to be related to nobody important. You can't honor all three of those without being completely convoluted.
Like it or not, Rian Johnson is a huge Star Wars fan and has been one since he was a kid, just like many of us are. He made a Star Wars film that appealed to him as not only a filmmaker, but a Star Wars fan. And I'm thinking it was mostly the latter. It appealed to me as well, and I'm sure many other fans agree. And of course, there are fans it didn't appeal to and there's nothing wrong with that. But you could say that about any Star Wars film. There are fans who hate The Empire Strikes Back, I'm sure of it. I'm not sure if I know anyone who does, but they're out there somewhere. What I'm trying to say is that it's okay to not like something, even when it's a portion of something you love. It's a part of life. If you don't like how Star Wars is being handled right now - get out there! Get noticed by Lucasfilm by doing something that cannot be perceived as whining and/or saying "I can do better than you can, Rian Johnson!" Remember the words of our beloved Master Yoda - "Always in motion is the future" - YOU can be part of Star Wars' future if that's what you really want to do. But you won't get there by whining. And you especially won't get there by driving actors off of social media.
That's something I wanted to get into more, but I felt it was just plain common sense and basic human decency. You don't have any right to harass an actor from a movie, regardless of their performance. People did it to Jake Lloyd (who, must I remind you, was a child when he was in Star Wars) and now they're doing it to Kelly Marie Tran. If you're doing this, congratulations, you are the ultimate Star Wars crybaby. Now stop it.
At the end of the day, Star Wars is just a movie. Well, several movies. They're just movies. Well, and books, video games... whatever, but primarily, they're movies. Sure, they're movies that are important to many of us, including me. Star Wars is a part of me that will never leave. But is it really the end of the world that there's a part of Star Wars you don't like? Is it really worth the time and energy it takes to actively hate something? I can say from experience is that life is a lot nicer when I'm not complaining about the prequels eight days a week.
So please ponder what I have written here. I was not the last crybaby. But I wish I had been. It's time to let the crybabies die.
Remember how I said I don't like the prequels? Well, just two years ago, I would not have left it at that. I would have gone on a tirade against these three films and ruined three podcast episodes over it. You see, two years ago, I was the worst kind of Star Wars fan, one that is all too common (or, at the very least, all too vocal). I was a crybaby.
 |
| To be fair, Luke had every reason to cry here. But it makes a good thumbnail. |
You may not like me using that term, but that's the reputation we've earned for ourselves. My goal for this is not to change your opinion on anything. If you like the prequels, great. If you don't like The Last Jedi, great. More power to you! Don't let anyone tell you that your opinion is wrong. And I'm not being sarcastic at all. We'll talk more about that in a bit. But back to my point here. So, as I said before several times, I don't like the prequels. Have I fantasized about remaking them? Absolutely. Have I gone to the point where I act like I know how to make a multi-million dollar film with one of the biggest film studios on Earth just because I think I can do better? No. I wouldn't even sign a petition to get the prequels remade. Two years ago, I might have. But now? Absolutely not. Besides, if there's any film that needs to be remade because I thought it was a horrendous follow-up to a great film, it's Highlander II: The Quickening.
 |
| Alternatively known as Highlander II: Connery Wants a Paycheck and Booze |
Even with that said, there are things I do like about the prequels. Ewan McGregor was an inspired choice to play the young Obi-Wan. The duel on Mustafar is one of the most well-choreographed swordfights I've seen in film. But obviously, there are many things I dislike about the prequels. Two years ago, I would start listing the things I don't like and write in a ton of all-caps right about now. But I've changed my ways for the better.
Over the past couple of years, I've come to understand and accept opinions much better than I have before. We're all wired differently and as a result, like different things. And sometimes, we can even stop liking something. For this reason, I never trust reviews or user ratings before watching a movie, reading a book, playing a game, et cetera. I hate to break it to you, but these things are unreliable. Even from people who do it for a living. They can only speak for themselves, for they are people with their own opinions. For example, John Carpenter's The Thing is one of my absolute favorite movies ever made. A perfect ten for me. A ton of other people clearly like it, as it's one of the top-rated films on IMDb. However, professional critic Vincent Canby called this movie the "quintessential moron movie of the '80s." I don't think he liked it. If I had read Canby's review before watching and took it as truth, I might not have watched it. Well, actually, I would have. I watched Battlefield: Earth willingly, after all. But I wouldn't have watched The Thing to see a good movie. I would have watched it to see a "quintessential moron movie."
This whole thing isn't just with movies, either. A lot of people feel attacked when someone has a differing opinion, especially when it concerns something we're passionate about. It's a natural reaction for many of us, but that doesn't make it good. Luckily, it can be outgrown, as I used to be terrible about this. Like a couple of years ago, a friend of mine didn't like the TV show Twin Peaks (my absolute favorite, by the way), and I got in an angry panic, trying to point out why he was wrong and why it's a great show. Nowadays, I realize OF COURSE Twin Peaks doesn't appeal to everyone. My reaction back then is how things often seem to get when it comes to The Last Jedi. I've come to realize it's not even worth it to full-on debate whether a film, TV show, book, et cetera is good or not, unless it's all in good fun for the participating parties. Opinions are entirely subjective and they shouldn't ruin friendships, especially when they're about movies. There's no right or wrong answer as to whether The Last Jedi is good or bad. Same goes for any other film.
 |
| Yes, even the original trilogy. |
Also, angry debates over these films aren't going to do any good for anyone. Nobody's opinion is going to change because they know what they like and don't like. There's no way I could honestly tell you right now that I think Attack of the Clones is a great movie, no matter what you pointed out about it. Remember how I've said that we've earned the reputation of being crybabies? When we fight over these films, what do we look like to people who have never seen Star Wars? We look like spoiled young children and these people completely turn away from ever wanting to see these films because the fanbase appears to be cancerous. THIS is what is ruining Star Wars, if anything. Not Disney. It's the fans that get angry over movies not being how they personally wanted them to be. This was me two years ago and it's many other fans now, such as the "remake The Last Jedi because it sucks" crowd. But man, we really are spoiled when it comes to Star Wars. Let's be grateful for what we've got. I don't like the prequels, but hey, I've got SEVERAL other films in the series I really enjoy. And could we all just be friends and bond over this franchise we all love in some way or another? Please?
Now, this is going to be a difficult one for many of you, but you all need to come to realize something if you don't already. I had to come to this conclusion as well. As a Star Wars fan, you are not entitled to anything (but your opinion, of course!). It doesn't matter how big of a fan you are or how long you've loved Star Wars. It doesn't matter that you've read all of the books or stood in line for the twentieth time in 1977 because you really wanted to see it again. We weren't even entitled to the original film getting any sequels at all. Nowadays, it's all up to the writers Lucasfilm has hired for the movies, books, TV shows, video games, comic books, and whatever else. And there's no possible way they can make something "the fans want" because there are all sorts of different fans. Especially within this large and diverse fanbase. No one fan or group of fans can speak for everyone who likes Star Wars, which is best represented by how polarizing The Last Jedi has been. Some fans wanted Rey to be a Skywalker. Some wanted her to be a Kenobi. Some wanted her to be related to nobody important. You can't honor all three of those without being completely convoluted.
Like it or not, Rian Johnson is a huge Star Wars fan and has been one since he was a kid, just like many of us are. He made a Star Wars film that appealed to him as not only a filmmaker, but a Star Wars fan. And I'm thinking it was mostly the latter. It appealed to me as well, and I'm sure many other fans agree. And of course, there are fans it didn't appeal to and there's nothing wrong with that. But you could say that about any Star Wars film. There are fans who hate The Empire Strikes Back, I'm sure of it. I'm not sure if I know anyone who does, but they're out there somewhere. What I'm trying to say is that it's okay to not like something, even when it's a portion of something you love. It's a part of life. If you don't like how Star Wars is being handled right now - get out there! Get noticed by Lucasfilm by doing something that cannot be perceived as whining and/or saying "I can do better than you can, Rian Johnson!" Remember the words of our beloved Master Yoda - "Always in motion is the future" - YOU can be part of Star Wars' future if that's what you really want to do. But you won't get there by whining. And you especially won't get there by driving actors off of social media.
That's something I wanted to get into more, but I felt it was just plain common sense and basic human decency. You don't have any right to harass an actor from a movie, regardless of their performance. People did it to Jake Lloyd (who, must I remind you, was a child when he was in Star Wars) and now they're doing it to Kelly Marie Tran. If you're doing this, congratulations, you are the ultimate Star Wars crybaby. Now stop it.
At the end of the day, Star Wars is just a movie. Well, several movies. They're just movies. Well, and books, video games... whatever, but primarily, they're movies. Sure, they're movies that are important to many of us, including me. Star Wars is a part of me that will never leave. But is it really the end of the world that there's a part of Star Wars you don't like? Is it really worth the time and energy it takes to actively hate something? I can say from experience is that life is a lot nicer when I'm not complaining about the prequels eight days a week.
So please ponder what I have written here. I was not the last crybaby. But I wish I had been. It's time to let the crybabies die.
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