They say it's impolite to ask a ladies age, but then again I'm a bloke so I guess it doesn't matter.
I'm 34 so I count myself among the fans who saw Star Wars on it's initial release. Same with Empire and Jedi. I've been a die-hard all the way through and have been thrilled all the way (alterations to Han vs Greedo aside).
But I have noticed as the years have gone by that there is a definite change in the way fans embrace the sagas two trilogies.
Before, I don't believe fans would have been so engrossed by the "Treknology" aspect of Star Wars (and if some take offence to that phrase, bear with me - it's there for a reason). I've been reading Karen Traviss' excellent blogs (how she gets the time to write is beyond me -hope she has time to answer the interview questions I'm sending her next week for Lightsabre) and she, as a writer, has to walk the fine line between being a sci-fi writer and making her sci-fi make sense to nit-picking fans.
For my money, hard sci-fi has no place in the Star Wars universe. The Force never needed to be explained in detail, neither does hyperdrive. But in Star Trek for example, these aspects would require explanation. Because Trek is sci-fi, while Wars is space fantasy. It's like expecting Tolkein to explain in hard scientific ways how the Balrog stays alight, or how Gandalfs magics work.
I read a cool blog today written about the age-old Trek vs Wars situation, which thankfully has died down to be replaced by similar sad and petty fueddettes. That was what made me think about this subject. Why are modern Star Wars fans different to old timers like me?
There could be reasons. In the 70's all you had were comics, novels and toys to see you through the summer holidays. Now kids are on the internet, browsing through thousands of sites dedicated to the saga. They have the films on DVD or at least video. There are dozens of novels and comics coming out regularly. In short, back in the 70's and 80's we were fed a restricted diet of Star Wars - and in a way that was a good thing, because we were hungry for it. Now it's everywhere, and so part of its exclusive magic has worn away.
Also, back in the late 70's sci-fi was nowhere near as prolific on TV. Just from memory there was Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, Dr Who, Blakes 7, Sapphire and Steel, The Tomorrow People - no Star Trek, Farscape, Stargate, Andromeda or any of the other multitude of shows that came after TNG's launch in 1987.
Maybe that's it? Maybe the newer fans feel a kind of..jealousy? They don't know about seeing The Making of Star Wars on the TV, or the Holiday Special. They've only ever known the Star Wars Radio Drama on crisp shiny CD's and not heard them on Radio One during the summer. They don't know who C.Y.R.I.L is (that's one for the old UK fans). In short, maybe they feel late coming to the party?
I sincerely hope they don't, because Star Wars is for everyone. I have two nephews under 5 who just have no idea how many Star Wars toys they'll be getting for Christmas over the next few years...
Back then we took Star Wars at face value, the lads grew through puberty worshipping Carrie Fisher (still do), the girls worshipping Harrison (or Peaches as he is occasionally called). Anything with Lucas, Ford, Hamill, Baker, ILM or any tangiable link to Star Wars we ate it up. Spielberg came under that umberella too, as George and Steven ruled the box office during the 80's.
Now there are so many other things to do that we didn't have - Playstations (still have my Atari 2600 somewhere), mobile phones, computers, music trends (it was Adam and the Ants and anything mod for me), fashion (oh, when are flares coming back in? And tank tops! I liked looking like Benny from Grange Hill, and I'm not even black!). I guess in the 70's, when the Fonz was still cool, Farah Fawcett Majors was the new Monroe and Kevin Keegan was everyone's favourite football (soccer) player Star Wars changed our universe completely, like the Beatles breaking out.
Today Star Wars is just another franchise.
Thank goodness it's by far the best one.