What makes you a fan?

I hope nobody questions someone else's fanhood in the club so I thought I'd start a thread where members could tell stories about some of the things they have done because they love Star Wars. You can brag, tell stories or tell about stuff you have. Just dont belittle anyone else's accomplishments. If you think ths thread is a fun idea post away!

 

Along time ago....
When I first saw the previews to Star Wars, I was not that impressed. My Mom talked me into taking my little brother and sister to see it.
We sat in the front row, and I was totally blown away from the opening sequence.
By the time the Death Star battle was taking place, I leaned over and told my brother, that we have to see this again, back to back.
We ended up hiding in the bathrooms until they were done cleaning up the theatre, then we snuck back in.
Sorry George, I owe you $4.75.
I was hooked again when ESB came out, I stood in line for the first show. Saw it again that night.
I saw ROTJ in England, again, stood in line on day one to see it.
I have lost count how many times that I have seen these movies, I'm not into the collecting, but seeing all of the things they come out with worth looking.
As I got older, a lot of the spark went away, replaced by work, home,and family.
Meeting up with the group has rekindled the flame.
Thanks

 

Hmmm...does doing things, or having stuff, make you a fan?

In 1995, my Star Wars collection consisted entirely of 8 action figures that I had been in possession of since my childhood. Oh, and a very worn-out set of the trilogy on VHS. Did that make me less of a fan? I don't think so. What you have done, or what you have collected, doesn't MAKE you a fan. Those things are a RESULT of your fandom, not the cause.

Having said that, what makes me a fan? The films. Plain and simple. The adventure, the excitement. I remember being awe-struck at the giant Star Destroyer flying overhead in the opening shot of Star Wars. I remember how cool R2-D2 was the first time I saw him. I remember sitting in a McDonald's at 10 years old, having just seen "Empire", and absolutely HATING the Empire because they froze Han. I remember waiting 3 years to find out if Vader was really Luke's father...and the excitement waiting in line to find out. I remember how bad it hurt my chin when my jaw hit the floor in the theater when I discovered that Leia was Luke's twin. And every time I watch the films, I feel that youthful excitement all over again. And I see that excitement in my boys' eyes when they watch the films.

Have I done cool stuff because I'm a fan? Sure. I've met Ray Park, Daniel Logan, and Peter Mayhew. I've dressed as a Jedi in public. I've been in parades. I have a nice collection of replica SW props. I've had people at work come to me with SW questions because they know I'm the resident expert.

Have I made the pilgrimage to SW Mecca, Skywalker Ranch? No. Will I? Who knows. Will I go to Star Wars Celebration III? Doubtful. And I'm sure I'm not alone. But does that make anyone less of a fan? No. I know people who watch the trilogy at least monthly, love the movies, but don't own a single book, figure, ship, statue, bust, lightsaber, blaster, poster, or costume. Some of the members of our own club fall in this category. But they are fans nonetheless. I'm very impressed by those that have had the means to put together an impressive Star Wars collection. I'm glad they have been able to do so, and express their fandom that way. I think it's great. Someday I hope to have a home theater room, decorated with Star Wars items. It will be my retreat, my sanctuary so to speak. But if it never happens, if I have to sell all of my stuff tomorrow to pay a bill, will I stop being a fan? No way. I will always love SW, unless Jar Jar saves the day in episode III.

To sum it up, I had a student of mine, an older gentleman, ask me once why I liked SW so much. I explained that when I was a kid, that was all any of us (the kids I went to school with and I) talked about, played, etc. It was everywhere, and we loved it, we ate it up. He replied with "Oh, so it's your Beatles!" Yes, I guess so. Star Wars is my "Beatles".

 

I don't think one can really measure fandom. There may be people who buy every toy only because they look cool, and at the same time, be people who can't afford all the toys, costumes, etc., but can recite every line from every movie. I think each person knows how much of a fan they are, and no one else can judge them on that. I think the definition of a hardcore fan is a personal thing, we all know in our hearts if we are or not. There shouldn't be any need to prove anything to anyone else on these boards. I would say that by showing up to the fanforce meetings is proof enough that you are a fan.

And despite my statement that no one need prove how much of a fan they are, here are just a few of the ways I show to the world my love for Star Wars.


1. I lined up for Star Wars Episode 1 at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood for three weeks. During that time I did sound bits/short commercials for the Sci-Fi network wearing my Mara Jade costume and saying things like, "Sci-Fi me" and "this is my Sci-Fi" etc.

2. I named my first born child after a Star Wars character. Leia will be turning 16 this month.

3. I have been a hard-core fan since I was 11 years old, and saw the movie 114 times the first year in the theatre.

4. I have a Star Wars room in my house. You can find some pictures of my Star Wars room here:

Collection pics

5. My car is covered in Star Wars decals and my license plate reads "Vader 6."

6. I have read all the books and comics

8. I spend a lot of my day doing something Star Wars related such as moderating the Collecting forum for TheForce.net, or moderating the fanforce forums.

9. I am a member of the 501st and Rebel Legion and have the following costumes: Stormtrooper, Sandtrooper, Royal Guard, Tie Pilot, Jedi, X-Wing pilot, and am planning on getting Rebel Fleet Trooper and Imperial Officer in the near future.

10. I founded the fanforce chapter in San Diego and served as their CR for 2 years. I went to every meeting and event in those two years. Today I am still an officer of the club and am organizing a three week line for Episode 3 here in San Diego to raise money for a children's charity.

11. I have bought a bus for the San Diego Fanforce chapter that we are turning into a Star Wars vehicle and have named "Rogue Runner." We have an R2-D2 dome that will be mounted on the hood, and the bus will be decorated much like the millenium falcon on the inside, and will have blasters mounted on the outside along with carbon scoring and blast marks. We will use the bus to promote our chapter and to travel to various events. On our maiden voyage of the bus, we had 23 people turn out to an event in a neighboring city - the largest turnout to an out of town event ever. Some pictures of the bus are here:

Bus Side view

Close-up

Front of the bus with Los Angeles Chapter Rep and his dog, Darth-Bubba

Back of the bus

12. I was lucky enough to get to help Lucasfilm at the Comic Con here in San Diego last month. I worked the register in the Star Wars shop on Thursday, and before the convention I helped put the 25 foot X-Wing together, and helped take it apart Sunday night after the convention. Pictures of putting the X-Wing together:

X-Wing pics

13. I flew to Indiannapolis for Celebration 2, and plan to attend Celebration 3 as well.

14. I travelled all the way up to Marin County in Northern California just to get a picture of myself standing OUTSIDE the Lucasfilm gate.

15. I've made several trips to the California/Arizona border where Jabba's Sail Barge Scene was filmed collecting parts from the filming o

 

Why am I a Star Wars fan?


That's a tough question. But here's a few reasons.

- Because at 4 years old, with a broken leg, sitting in a wheel chair in the middle of the aisle, with no one in front of me, I watched Return of the Jedi and was absolutely in awe, forming my 2nd earliest clear memory (second only to breaking my leg)

- Because squads of guys in white armor look really cool.

- Because The Millenium Falcon could outrace the Enterprise anyday.

- Because a farm boy from a desert planet can save the universe.

- Because I still have the same toys I had as a kid, and I wouldn't sell any of them.

- Because when I was a kid, my older brother got me hooked on it. And to some point, it still represents our relationship.

- Because 16 years before Titanic made a thousand 13 year old girls cry, Empire taught us that love is worth getting frozen over. and Harrison's so much cooler.

- Because my nephew's think it's cool.

- Because walking around a theatre in Jordan, Utah dressed in an Imperial Officer uniform and having Darth Vader tell you, "I only came for the doughnuts" is not an experience a lot of people have.

- Because I can't go to Celebration III, but for a few seconds I thought about giving in and using my college funds.

- Because Ray Park is the nicest symbol of evil I've ever met.

- Because every one who ever picks up a light-saber replica makes the sound effects.

- Because no matter what you've done in life, what sins you've committed, what mistakes you've made, you can always redeem yourself by doing the right thing and throwing your boss into a reactor.

- Because John Williams is the greatest symphonic composer of the Contemporary period.

- Because I'd still rather own an astro-mech droid then a puppy.

- Because I've gained countless numbers of awesome friends through Star Wars.

- Because I've been an incompetant star pilot, a trekkie director of photography, and a Rodian Repo Man.

- Because Peter Mayhew is wiser then you'd expect a wookie to be.

- Because Ben Burtt is a master artist at what he does.

- Because I know I'll never be ashamed to tell any girl, parent, child, or church leader that I watch Star Wars.

- Because a drug smuggler and self confessed scoundrel can become a hero and family man.

- Because Mark Hamill is the best actor that people say can't act.

- Because the Jedi represent different cultures, races, and genders.

- Because Jar-Jar isn't as annoying as Obi-Wan is cool.

- Because Larry Kasdan writes better dialogue then any one else in movies.

- Because I hope someday my kids play with Star Wars figures.

- Because C-3PO makes me laugh as hard as any of the comedy greats.

- Because I love old-time serials.

- Because Figriin' Da'an and the Modal Nodes are the best Jazz band that never existed.

- Because we give toys to kids in a shelter every Christmas, and (I hope) that when they play with those toys, for a couple minutes their galaxy gets a little happier.

- Because Alec Guinness is still the representation of wisdom for me.

- Because Vader's breathing still scares me.

- Because I drew Tie Fighters all over my Jr. High binder.

- Because there's no nudity or F-Words in Star Wars.

- Because in 1997 I talked my grandparents into going to see Star Wars with me.

- Because standing in the toy section of Wal*Mart and hearing kids yell "Look!!! R2-D2!!!!" always makes me smile.

- Because the correct answer to "I love you" isn't "I love you too" it's "I know"

- Because as house warming presents a good friend gave me a vinyl Star Wars poster that'd been hanging on her wall, and a guy I hardly knew gave me a cardboard 3PO whose eyes blink.

- Because to a four year old, watching teddy bears take out an army is pretty cool!

- Because Boba Fett once called me a "non-billingual yank" in German.

- Because no other movie series has ever gotten to the fifth film and been this good.

- Because Clone Wars rocked!

- Because countless other sci-fi films have tried to do "bar ful

 

Greetings from Boise.

It's funny that this subject came up. Lately I have been rethinking what my status as a Star Wars fan really is.

This is the thing that immediately came to mind. I gave my one year old nephew the Playskool X-wing fighter for his birthday. He loves playing with that thing. And I guess this is why I love Star Wars. It brings out the kid in me.

I know we all feel the same excitement when we here things like the title of the new movie or that a new picture or spoiler is online. I love that feeling.

My signature moment as a fan was sitting in a theater in November of 1999 and seeing the first trailer of the first Star Wars movie in 16 years.

I love collecting, although I am scaling back alot now. I love seeing the cool costumes people create and going to Celebration II was very cool.

Bottom line is Star Wars has allowed me to meet alot of cool people and made me realize that there are many others like me, when I often thought I was alone.

 

I think it's very simple: because I stil get chills every time I see the big SW logo fly off into space and hear John William's score burst out of the speakers. It's an very amazing feeling and nothing (no other movie, no rock band, not even a girl I had the hots for) has ever made me feel that. It's magical.