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There's No Such Thing as ONE Star Wars Fandom - Introducing the Gen X Star Wars Fandom

By Zonk 2 min read

Summary

There’s a common narrative that the Star Wars fandom is toxic or divided, but I think it’s more accurate to say it’s diversified. Star Wars has been around for close to 50 years, so there are multiple generations with different perspectives, and YouTube shows this perfectly. I take a tour of a few channels I follow. Star Wars Explained, run by Alex and Molly, is my favorite: the “all of it” crowd who cover canon, legends, comics, shows and films with mostly positive energy and measured critique. Star Wars Theory is the biggest channel in the space and gives voice to fans who feel something was lost in the Disney era. Star Wars Meg is the news desk, covering what’s happening right now.

Then there’s my tribe. For me the original trilogy was everything. I had the movies and dialogue memorized, played with the action figures, and made up my own adventures, and I’d happily take on anyone at original trilogy Star Wars Trivial Pursuit. Back then Star Wars was much smaller: three movies, the novelizations, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye and the old Marvel comics, with no idea what happened to Luke after Return of the Jedi or what young Obi-Wan was like.

That’s why I was so happy to find Star Wars Explorer, a brand-new channel with only about seven videos that covers Star Wars from the OG fan perspective. I share a clip about the 1976 novelization that came before the film, and I admire the guts it takes to start a Star Wars channel these days. My takeaway is that Star Wars is art, appreciation of art is subjective, and the point is to find your tribe.

Key Points

  • There isn’t one Star Wars fandom; it’s more diversified than divided
  • Star Wars Explained, Star Wars Theory and Star Wars Meg each serve a different kind of fan
  • As an original trilogy kid, I loved the movies, toys and trivia from when Star Wars was much smaller
  • Star Wars Explorer is a brand-new channel that covers Star Wars from the OG fan perspective, and it’s my tribe
  • Star Wars is art and appreciation is subjective, so the goal is to find your tribe

This post was automatically generated from my YouTube video. Watch above or view directly on YouTube.

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