SWC How has Star Wars helped you?

We are all fans of Star Wars and all it contains. Everyone had their own favorite character or planet or story, but we can all agree that Star Wars as a whole is an amazing thing that we all love to watch and read and play.

The subject of this thread is how does Star Wars help you, both in minor, ordinary ways or in major ways that help you cope with stressful days. I'll share an experience of mine, how being a Star Wars fan helped me.

A couple weeks ago, I was working 12 hour days, and only had a couple hours at home after work, before I had to go to sleep for the next day. Every evening that week, I watched a bit of Revenge of the Sith, starting on Monday and watching a bit of the film every evening, and when the project was finally over I finished the last hour on Friday night. One of the amazing things about Star Wars is that it's so fantastical that it takes you out of the mundane world, takes you away from your troubles and transports you to another place. The escapism is one of my favorite parts of Star Wars, and I really want to know what you guys think about this topic.

Edit: I'm unfamiliar with rules of this particular forum, I hope this type of thread is allowed.

 

Hope.

 

It began my journey to discovering *the* signpost of my life.

 

It helps me through day to day life. If I have a bad day at school at least I know I can come home and read the latest insider or watch TCW or browse fan sites.

It basically is my life outside my life.

 

Gave me an identity. It gave me a hobby. It really shows that imagination can really bring some wonderful things to life!

 

It gives me hours of enjoyment watching my son play with toy lightsabers and blasters as well as answering his constant questions concerning the Galaxy far far away.

 

I've found my time on the JCF (the SWC in particular) to be quite a de-stresser, and that wouldn't have happened without SW

 

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown":

 

Gave me my childhood.
The books and comics kept my interest going in the off years since the movies.

 

In many ways that I can't say, but thank goodness for it.

 

I'll get into more detail another time, but I'll say this: While Star Wars has enriched my life in countless ways, the most important thing I've taken from the story is that we're all redeemable (though also accountable for our actions), and that the sins of the father do not have to pass on to the sins of the son. I was raised by a very good man, but my biological father was troubled to the point of suicide. I can identify with Luke in that I share a lot of my father's weaknesses and demons, but through faith in goodness, the help of my true family, and sheer inner strength I've managed to break the pattern that no doubt started many generations before my father.

Just because we have darkness inside us does not mean we're evil, and love (the Light Side) conquers all.

 

If only that was always true

 

The vast expanse of the Star Wars galaxy and the rich story contained within it are in some ways as I see it, the greatest symbolic myth of our times. The expanse of the Star Wars, galaxy, the vast variety of worlds, species, cultures, the history of the Republic, Jedi, Sith... all sorts of fantastic technology.... It seems like the ultimate use of human imagination. Star Wars, especially because of the Expanded Universe, created a macrocosm of our world on a galactic scale. Everything you could imagine about the future of science, every possible alien life form can be found in the Star Wars galaxy, and many of these people places and things have been defined in ways that make them seem like they could possibly exist than mere objects of fantasy. Many of these fictional species of people have their own distinct history, behavior and tendencies, culture, and many other aspects that set them apart from other species. The organizations such as the Jedi also have a detailed way of life, history etc. The scientific technology in some ways can be used to show potential scientific goals that we could aim to achieve, regardless of how feasible they seem in this century.

The story of Anakin Skywalker that takes place within this amazing setting has much inspiration for reflection on human nature, human weakness, morality, and the effect of personal choices on relationships, and things much greater than ourselves. There are so many layers in the prequels, that provide insights about human behavior and choices with more depth than many other movies.

Star Wars provides a great escapist outlet for idly imaging life in a much more advanced world, it gives an interesting perspective on life in the present, and it causes thoughts of how far we have progressed technologically in the last several thousand years, and gives us an idea of how much farther we could go.

 

Probably taught me how to use a VCR as a kid.

 

You're showing your age.

 

Goodness... I can't imagine how much Star Wars has taught me. I was born in 94, and my first experience with the films was in 97. So I started seeing them from age 2.5 (came out in January, my birthday is in August). I can't remember a time without Star Wars. It affected my imagination, in the best possible way. It sparked an interest in reading. An interest in creating stuff out of Legos. It's done more than I can ever attribute.

To this day, I still "use the force" to open automatic doors at the grocery store. When I get mad, I repeat " control, control, you MUST learn control!"

 

The realization in 1987 that there would never, never, ever, ever again be another Star Wars movie made me start researching, and researching, how to build my own sci-fi world. And who hasn't. Unfortunately, bullheaded belligerent tenacity trumps mere ingenuity. If all you have is visions of what could be, but cannot push the pencil, forget it. As you get older you discover that your brilliant idea has been developed by stochastic co-evolution in the mind of some totally different, unrelated person, thus verifying that 'there is nothing new under the sun', and that all net tears are conserved if you cannot push the pencil: because someone will. The explosion of Star Wars texts and parallel and overlapping narratives I used to sniff at (Thrawn, Emperor clones, etc), but the more salient point is that Star Wars has entered the cultural unconscious lexicon and it is branching, or forking into opposite or conflicting or differentiated streams of narrative, and this is the way of great, formerly monolithic narratives. Seeing Star Wars blow up now gives me an unforeseen sense of great satisfaction.

 

Fangirling gives me a sense of joy like none other. I remember my first week of college, I was sitting alone in the cafeteria when I overheard a discussion about NJO. I'm not usually one to insert myself into other people's conversation, but I took a chance and instantly had friends. Wish it were so easy now that I'm out of school.

Now when it feels like everything is falling apart, I come looking for episode 7 spoilers and even though there isn't much I still feel as excited as a child on Christmas. And I think that's worth something.

 

Yes.



There's no depth or darkness from which we can't be redeemed by love and faith. That's what the saga taught me.

It triggered my interest in Greek and modern non-naturalistic drama, mythopoeia and a whole lot of other literature stuff. There are books I've read and music I've listened to which have immeasurably enriched my life and which my Star Wars fandom led me to, one way or another.

It gave me role models who were larger than life but whose heroism coexisted with very human flaws.



Also, I think watching Qui-Gon in TPM, at the age I did, was what made me become aware of the opposite sex...yeah, I'm shallow

 

It provides me with an escape and it always has..from the time I was a child, even when the boys at Elementary school told me in the 3rd grade that I couldn't like Star Wars because it was "for boys".
I love the way I can watch any of the OT and instantly remember what it felt like to see it for the first time.
That's why Star Wars will always be eternal for me

 

I can't really articulate the feeling of awe that I experienced as an 11 yr old watching ESB on VHS with a rented VCR for the first time. I had always had the tendency to become almost completely absorbed in stories that I loved, including my own, but it was like finding a "friend" that you had been waiting for and somehow always knew existed.

Now I see the Saga as a mirror. What I notice and resonate with show me quite clearly the current state and interests of my heart and mind.

 

Star Wars, along with being a fan of Star Trek. Doctor Who and a particular sports team, has allowed me a sense of perspective and to keep my feet on the ground. It has taught me when you can go a little too far and lose perspective of life, but at the same time relax into things that give you pleasure.Well, perhaps it's more accurate to say the fandom has taught me that rather than the product itself.

That may sound like a back handed insult to those that I have deemed in my mind take the object of their affections too seriously. It's not meant that way. It's just a personal consequence of my own fandom is all, one that I am grateful for as it has helped me in terms of the level of effort I put into my career, relationships and so on. When I was younger I was very much someone who could get too far into something, and since being exposed to other followers of the same things, it has helped be bring balance to my life (no pun intended!).