By KAITLYN HENSON
Staff Writer
I was around 10 at the time, and I had very little knowledge of pop culture and what people were into during 2014. So when I decided to tell my mom I wanted to try watching Star Wars, it felt that I was getting out of my comfort zone a little bit. She mentioned to me that my grandpa was a big fan of Star Wars, so every day after school he’d pick up my brother and I and go over to his house, where we watched all of the movies for the first time. And since that time, I became hooked onto the series.
I never knew the impact that Star Wars had on pop culture until actually watching it, and I was genuinely surprised. I became fascinated with this world and these stories that connected with each other and reflected off of each other so seamlessly. There was action and fighting and spaceships and friendships and love and so much more I couldn’t comprehend just how cool it all was. Since that time I considered myself a big fan of the franchise, so I bought books and shirts and movie collections and learned more and more about the lore that not everyone knew about, and I was very proud of that. Star Wars was this story that was so different from anything I ever saw before at that time and it was exciting as I was growing up. My brother became a fan along with me as we watched marathons and the cartoon series together and fact-checked each other to make sure we got everything right. It was a really fun time, especially when “The Force Awakens” came out and we were among the younger fans that would finally get to experience what it was like to see a Star Wars movie in theaters. That time of my life was so exhilarating and fun, there was no way anything would change my love for the series.
Around the time I turned 14 however things became — different. I didn’t get that same spark of excitement from Star Wars that I had before. It started to fall apart after I watched “The Last Jedi” for the first time, and that was when I realized that the Star Wars I knew as a kid was kinda different now. It lacked the joy it once had, and the characters I once cheered for from the previous films weren’t the same characters on screen anymore. It was like a detachment from the story that I knew — because it didn’t feel like the story I knew. I became conflicted.
The releases afterwards didn’t give me much hope either. “Solo” felt very bland and not like the Han Solo I remembered from the original movies. New cartoon series were coming out, and I couldn’t bring myself to care about them like everyone else did. It was just not fun anymore. When “The Rise of Skywalker” eventually came out I was at a loss. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t like it either. I didn’t know what to think of it, and I wasn’t sure if I should care or not. It was a time of my life where I wasn’t sure whether to consider myself a fan anymore, and it felt like I was betraying the story I loved for so long. And saying it out loud sounds dumb, but to me it speaks truth — because of the impact Star Wars has had on me when I was younger. It was my safe space for so long and now it wasn’t the same. But despite what I told people about what I thought, I wanted to enjoy Star Wars again. I still wore the shirts and I still explained plot details of the franchise whenever it was brought up. I still knew all of this information and my brain wasn’t letting go of it. How can I let go of something special to me that’s been with me through tough times of my life? How can I consider myself a fan of Star Wars if I now rolled my eyes at every new thing Lucasfilm put out? Why was I conflicted about this in the first place?
An important thing to mention is that after I watched the films, around when I turned 12 I discovered the series called “The Clone Wars” and curiously looked at it. This show changed my outlook for Star Wars in such a special way because of it’s remarkable focus on characters and story. I loved “The Clone Wars” a lot and I began to look up to the character Ahsoka a lot. She became my favorite Star Wars character afterwards, because of her bold confidence and the way she grew up with the audience and matured into a powerful force wielder. She became a role model for me, which made it even more difficult to decide if I still liked the franchise or not. I wasn’t sure what to think.
That is until the day came when years after the show was canceled — a final season was announced. I think I became my 10 year old self that day. It was like that love for Star Wars came full front and I was excited for it again. I believe it was because of me holding on to those unfinished stories that never got to be made — and now they’re finally here. The Siege of Mandalore arc was truly amazing, with fantastic visuals and animation as it took the perspective of Darth Maul and Ahsoka while the events of “Revenge of the Sith” were going on. The struggle the clones went through — the clones we’ve watched for 6 seasons that grew and developed and died for each other for so long — became under the control of a brain chip that forced them to comply with a kill order. It was all masterfully put together with so much heart and love for the original story I couldn’t comprehend what I was watching. It was everything I was missing from Star Wars as it perfectly tied together into the bigger story with it’s heartbreaking, somber ending. Season 7 of the Clone Wars came at a time when Star Wars was at its lowest for me, and it was better than I ever thought it would be.
And just with that — my time of Star Wars came to an end. I was just tired of it. The finale of “The Clone Wars” was enough for me to let go of it, because now at the age of 17 I don’t need to hook onto this story anymore. Although I am aware that there’s “The Mandalorian” as well as several new projects that are being created at this very moment, I don’t want to watch any of it. For me, Star Wars is the story about the Skywalkers, Darth Vader and his redemption. It is a story about love and hope and justice for a galaxy that’s been corrupted for so long. It had a very satisfying ending with “Return of the Jedi” and I love it the way it is. Even though I don’t care about the franchise very much anymore, deep down it still has a place in my heart that can’t be taken away. It has influenced my love for science fiction and fantasy and has led me down a path of creating something of my own, and that never would have happened if I never decided to watch Star Wars with my grandpa. It’s still special to me, and regardless of what I think of it now it will remain that way for me for a long, long time. And I don’t want to put out that my own opinion on Star Wars reflects the franchise as a whole — there’s plenty of people who absolutely love the newer stuff and I think that’s cool! It doesn’t matter what a random person says in an article about something, if you are curious about a certain story or franchise and want to try it out, just go for it. This is all just my perspective on what Star Wars has become, and everyone has a different perspective. So if you’ve come this far reading and are curious to check out Star Wars, take some time out of your day and check it out. I promise you it will be worthwhile, and might make an impact on your life like Star Wars has done for me in the past.