I found myself asking this question during the 2005 Star Wars Weekends event at Disney-MGM Studios. You see, I had seen a lot of people with "Han Shot First" T-shirts walking around, and since I'd never believed that "Han Shot First", I decided to express my views in a sort-of-funny manner. I bought a T-shirt and some transfers and got to work. When I was done, I had a shirt that proudly proclaimed "Greedo Missed".

As I was sitting waiting for the Star Wars Edition of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire- Play It!" to begin loading, some guy came up to me and made a comment about my shirt, something about, "Either Han's a cold-blooded killer or Greedo's the worst shot in the universe. I mean he's at point-blank range; how could he miss?" I explained that I'd never believed that Han shot first because when I first heard of the-disagreement- years back, I promptly took out my VHS and tried to pause it at the exact frame (which is murder on VHS-as almost everyone knows) to prove my point. After about 20 tries, I got it, and became a firm believer that Greedo missed. I also stated that my shirt was a joke, anyhow. As the guy turned away, he uttered a sentence that will forever be burned into my brain: "Well, the real Star Wars fans are going to be along here in about five minutes." I was sorely tempted to snap back, "Well, I guess that excludes you, then, doesn't it?" but I didn't say a word. That guy almost ruined my day.

There's a Star Trek concept, IDIC. It stands for Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations, and it's a wonderful concept to teach acceptance. Many fans say, "You can't be a Star Wars fan 'cause you like Star Trek, too." Or, "You aren't a real Star Wars fan; real Star Wars fans hate Jar Jar." Or, "I'm a true fan, because I hate Ewoks." But, those are the very people who aren't true Star Wars fans. Star Wars is all about coexistence, I think. The 'aliens' live among the humans, the Hutts live among the Kaminoans, the Zabrak are right at home around the Aqualish. They embrace diversity, not destroy it. (Well, in the case of the Empire, they do destroy diversity, but we're not talking Imperials here.) So, fans should embrace diversity, too. To me, a true Star Wars fan is someone who has a genuine love for the films. I don't care whether you hate Jar Jar, dismiss the EU, think General Grievous is goofy, or dislike the soundtracks, I respect everyone's opinion (except those trolls who insist on trying to prove that {insert character name here} is gay; that I won't tolerate) and I think everyone else should, too.

It doesn't matter if you've been a fan for 28 years or are just getting started. Think that Anakin's whiney or that the Prequel dialogue is too cheesy? Go ahead. It doesn't matter whether or not you're a Star Wars trivia master. And Jedi or Sith loyalties? I don't care which! As long as we keep in mind that the Star Wars fan community would be absolutely boring if everyone hated Jar Jar, loved Imperial March, thought that the Anakin/Padme relationship was sickening, and dreamed of shooting Ewoks, we'll keep going strong. It's our differences that link us so closely, and only true Star Wars fans can accept that reality. The ones that can't accept it don't really count, I guess. So, go, enjoy our diversity. Accept everyone as a fan, regardless of their opinions. And, as always...

...may the Force be with you.

Oh, by the way... Greedo missed.

-- i12bajedi