Hi New member, first thread/post here, got questions

Hi all, joined a week or so ago so I could discuss TLJ and other ST topics that have been on my mind as well as a bunch of other topics pertaining to the whole SW universe in general (strictly canon, never really got into the EU or "Legends"). Nothing earth-shattering or unique, probably the same topics and questions most here have regarding backstories, possible story and character developments, etc.

I've read through a bunch of FAQs and forum guides here so I think I've got the basic gist of things, and have been posting on other forums for several decades now so I know the basic rules of forum posting (e.g. don't troll, spam, insult, get personal, etc.). But there are a few things I'm still a bit confused about, and since this site has been around a long time and has its own unique set of rules and conventions and I don't want to get off on the wrong foot here, I thought I'd ask before getting into actual SW discussions.

Meta rules...

First, what constitutes a spoiler? Are we talking allegedly leaked info about an upcoming film or other work (animated, comic, novel, etc.) that if true we're not supposed to know about officially, that came from an anonymous inside source or was inadvertently revealed by an actor (e.g. finding out about Luke's parentage before TESB came out)? Or does this also include theories that one comes across online, or even came up with oneself, especially ones that make sense, that if true would spoil things for some (e.g. Rey's parents are...)?

Second, in Spoilers Allowed forums, are there certain kinds of spoilers that are nevertheless still not allowed (e.g. Daisy Ridley accidentally reveals that...)? And the spoilers that one is allowed to reveal, can they be part of one's post, or do you have to hide them with some special tag or code or button?

I've got a bunch of theories and ideas I'd like to discuss, specifically regarding TLJ & Rebels (usual stuff, Rey's parents, Snoke's backstory, what happens to Kanan and Ezra, etc.), but before doing so I want to make sure of the ground rules so I don't do anything wrong or risk getting banned.

Btw as my profile indicates, been a SW fan since ANH came out in 1977, have seen every film multiple times, read every canon novel and most of the comics, seen every episode of TCW & Rebels, pretty familiar with most of the major theories regarding the ST. Nor a "hard core" fan like some (never been to a convention or done cosplay and own no paraphernalia), but definitely not a casual fan either. It's great escapist entertainment that manages to be more than just great escapist entertainment because of the deeper themes it explores--that whole Joseph Campbell power of myth nature of good vs. evil thing.

Also, can't wait till TLJ comes out, like everyone else here. Already got my tickets for the 15th (but might trade them in for the 14th although the best seats left are in the 4th row).

 

RexTano I like your username

 

Thanks! I like it too.

She's my favorite character in the entire Star Wars canon. Fierce, compassionate, smart, brave, funny--and takes no guff from no one! Who wouldn't want to have her as a friend? Rex was also my favorite clone, and the two made a great friend and warrior pair. Since he never really had a proper family (but TONS of "brothers"), I thought it would be nice if she "adopted" him.

 

Thanks, and nice to be a member of this community.

 

Welcome to TFN!!!!!!

 

Bazinga'd,

Thanks for the welcome and detailed response. So, basically, a spoiler is any information about yet to be or still fairly newly released (and thus which not everyone's seen or read yet) Star Wars content, be it a film, TV episode, book, comic, etc., that didn't come from official channels AND was officially approved for release. So, the following are clearly spoilers:

• A supposedly inside anonymous source who leaked some juicy tidbit about an upcoming work
• A slip of the tongue by an insider that potentially reveals something that Disney wouldn't want us to know
• A co-branded product, such as a toy or video game, not meant to be released until the work it's associated with is released, that gives us hints about that work, that was accidentally released or leaked

I assume that the above are all considered to be spoilers even if they're not necessarily verified as true, and even if they might be intentional misinformation put out by an insider to misdirect or simply toy with us, correct?

But, what about theories and speculation, that one comes across here or there or even thinks up oneself, based entirely on what is currently officially known, but which could "spoil" things for some?

E.g. before TESB originally came out (and assuming that the internet existed then), correctly speculating on who Luke's dad really was (I assume that I'm not putting out a spoiler here as anyone who doesn't know who he is is probably not a good fit for this site, but I suppose that there are young people who are just getting into SW who still don't know).

So, if I have this really cool theory on who Snoke really is, I can't post it in forums where spoilers aren't allowed, whether or not it's true? Or is that technically not a spoiler and just speculation?

Finally, in forums where spoilers are allowed, do I still need to hide a potential spoiler with spoiler tags and such, or are there places here where one can openly discuss spoilers without hiding them?

I'll just add that, while I'm new here, I'm a veteran of other, completely unrelated forums and blogs, and fully realize that they all have their own unique and complex "culture" and norms, and fully intend to tread carefully until I learn the ropes here. So vast, complex, long-lived and rich is the SW world, both in the actual works and in the people who follow them, that joining and taking part in a site like this is sort of like moving to a new country.

Like, where does one discuss favorite characters across the entire canon, where does one debate flaws in various SW works, to what extent is one allowed to discuss real-world events that might relate to SW (so as to not let things devolve into political pie fights and such), where do people discuss ships and gear and blasters and armor and all that, and so on. I'll figure out most of that over time, by observing and gingerly participating. Should be fun!

 

Thanks, my fellow Newbling!

 

Got it (I think!). So basically, info we're officially not supposed to know about, per Disney, however it came out, and whether or not actually true, is a spoiler. Theories and speculation, however astute, that are based on officially known information, are generally not spoilers.

So that thing that Adam Driver said a couple of weeks ago that generated a lot of speculation about you know what, whether it was a slip of the tongue or playful trolling, that would be a spoiler, right?

But if I come up with this amazing theory that appears to prove that Snoke is Dr. Aphra's father's evil twin brother that everyone agrees finally solves the mystery (hey if I'm hypothesizing then I might as well make myself look good), that's not a spoiler, unless a forum indicates otherwise?

Also, is there a certain amount of time one has to wait after a given work comes out before one can discuss its contents openly, and if so does each forum have its own rules on that? I mean, I assume that everything from the 8 films already released is fair game at this point, but it wouldn't have been cool to discuss details of Rogue One while it was still in its second run or even early in its video release, right?

Finally, I'm not sure what you mean by consecutive posting? Do you mean cross-posting, i.e. posting basically if not literally the same post in more than one place here? Or do you mean something else, and have I inadvertently violated this rule here?

 

Thanks again. I do realize that there are going to be exceptions to and nuances with such general rules. In the end I suppose it'll come down to spending some time here and getting the feel of things. So, I'll try to tread lightly at first.

Btw, still not sure what consecutive posting is, and whether I've done it here.

 

Ah, I see. I think I actually just did that in a different forum. I'd just made a post and wanted to add something to it, but when I hit edit it brought up a popup editor that was blank and I wasn't sure what to do. So I did in fact make a second post. Is there something you need to do to edit a just-posted post? Shouldn't hitting the edit button do it? Do I have to wait a few minutes before it works?

 

But that's the thing, I did try to use it, and nothing happened. Nothing to "edit", just a blank field. What was I doing wrong?

...

Ok, I posted the above, then immediately hit edit. It VERY briefly showed the original post, which then disappeared. On a hunch, I hit "More Options", and it brought up the original post, which I'm now editing. Not sure why the initial edit function isn't working on my machine. I'm using Firefox on Windows 7, if that matters.

 

Actually, I hit the edit button literally seconds after the initial post, and it did work, but only after hitting the More Options button. So this isn't why Edit initially didn't show my original post so I could edit it.