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With Further Ado #248: Ithaca College Guest Column Winner – A Look at Toxic Star Wars Fandom

With Further Ado #248: Ithaca College Guest Column Winner – A Look at Toxic Star Wars Fandom

Posted on by Ed Catto

It’s the big finish for that class I teach at Ithaca College that focuses on pop culture, running conventions and entrepreneurism.  Classes have ended and the final is this week.

Here’s our third and winning entry for this year’s column contest. Nina Singh is an impressive student, and a good writer too. I think her column will give you something to think about!

Congrats on a great year, Nina.

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Star Wars Toxicity: A Look at Lizzo’s Backlash and Beyond

By: Nina Singh

Lizzo as Duchess Bombardier

It is a sad reality that many Star Wars fans have devolved into a toxic and intolerant community. This became apparent yet again when Lizzo, a popular musician and actress, appeared in an episode of The Mandalorian. The backlash against her casting is a prime example of how some fans have lost sight of what it means to be a true fan of the franchise.

For those who are unfamiliar with The Mandalorian, it is a popular Disney+ show set in the Star Wars universe. It follows the adventures of a bounty hunter named Din Djarin, who is also known as the Mandalorian. In one of the recent episodes, Lizzo made a brief appearance as Duchess Bombardier, one of the glamorous and wealthy rulers of Plazir-15, an independent planet. Continue reading “With Further Ado #248: Ithaca College Guest Column Winner – A Look at Toxic Star Wars Fandom” →

Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 – A Fan’s Eye View

Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 – A Fan’s Eye View

Posted on by Holly Saks

Looking for news about the latest Star Wars releases, trailers for the new season of the Mandalorian, or interviews with the biggest guests from Star Wars Celebration 2022 Anaheim? Move along, move along. This is the not the article you are looking for.

True, this is an article about Star Wars Celebration 2022 Anaheim, but we will leave the trailers, spoilers, and celebrity interviews to the other news sites. Instead, we will look at what those other outlets won’t cover and what is at the very core of Star Wars Celebration: The fans and the fan experience. The other guys are missing a lot just focusing on the big names.

It is fair to say that Star Wars draws fans from all around the world with varying degrees of interest in the fandom from the casual to the super nerdy die-hard have a 4-foot stormtrooper in the hallway of my house type fan (I may or may not be the latter). Despite the reputation of having a toxic and divisive fanbase, I found nothing but love and kindness from my fellow celebration attendees especially at the FedEx office.

I believe that is because Celebration welcomed and offered programming for all types of fans from a collectors track that focused on vintage and modern toys to workshops on cosplaying the galaxy far, far away to building and racing droids. There was something for everyone and my group of friends, with vastly different interests within the Star Wars fandom, all found plenty to make our weekend memorable.

For me, the best part was attending with people who love Star Wars as much as I do. I am usually that weird, nerdy chick with the major Star Wars obsession. Not at Celebration. For one glorious weekend I was just another fan among thousands of others who adore Star Wars. It was nice to be able to display my love for the franchise without eye rolls or comments about how much of a nerd I am, it was nice to finally fit in. While I have been to celebration several times before, this time I went with my usual Comic Con Crew: my twin Scott, his wife, Alex, and Nick our best friend since kindergarten. My husband unfortunately couldn’t take the time off work (due to the change of date from August to May).

Even though I did go with three of my favorite fans, the second-best part of the convention was meeting new fans and conversing with like-minded people. While my companions were off exploring and attending panels that fit their interests, I was attending as many new panels and fan experiences as possible. The following is the highlight reel of my fan experience at Celebration Anaheim 2022.

These Are the Droids You Are Looking For

Continue reading “Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 – A Fan’s Eye View” →

So Long and Thanks for the Fish, Man #057: “The Mandolorian” Broke Me of My Star Wars Malaise

So Long and Thanks for the Fish, Man #057: “The Mandolorian” Broke Me of My Star Wars Malaise

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

A long time ago in a galaxy far away… a nerd convinced a studio to give him money to make a visual effects masterpiece with significant merchandizing appeal. He mashed together the tropes of the science fiction and fantasy serials he loved growing up, and put together a wonderful homage to the hero’s journey. It made a lot of money, and soon thereafter, Star Wars became an empire. But you already knew that.

As I’ve detailed before: my personal Star Wars fandom was mild to possibly salsa verde at any given point. As an only child of parents not into pop culture, I didn’t actually sit down to enjoy the original trilogy in earnest until the late 90’s special edition releases. And while I’d been inundated to all the significant moments through delightful pastiches abroad, as well as avidly played through any number of Star Wars licensed video games (Tie Fighter, Rebel Assault, and Dark Forces)… in the battle between the light and dark side, I was quite the mercenary. That’s to say that I was a fan only when it suited me to be. Continue reading “So Long and Thanks for the Fish, Man #057: “The Mandolorian” Broke Me of My Star Wars Malaise” →