A Dark Force Rising in Star Wars Fandom

It’s an incredible time to be a Star Wars fan. The internet is filled with news and rumours about the many releases Disney has in store for us, and the fan community is thriving like never before.

(Image courtesy of www.starwars.com)

Sadly, amid all of this, there's a dark force rising. One of the most important features of the internet is the fact that it affords everyone a voice, but there are times when some voices become needlessly negative and—ultimately—toxic. I’ve recently witnessed some troubling examples of this within the Star Wars fan community, and felt it was time to break from my usually neutral posts to say something about it. After some careful consideration, I've found that everything really boils down to three main things that we as fans need to keep in mind:

1. If you love Star Wars, then you’re a Star Wars fan. It’s that simple. Star Wars fandom isn’t an exclusive club. There’s no entrance exam, and there’s no required knowledge. You don’t need to have read every Star Wars book, or played every Star Wars game. There’s no such thing as a “true fan”, and pretending that there is only serves to harbour divisions in the fan community. 

2. We can't judge something we haven't even seen. In recent weeks we’ve been seeing a lot of rumours about what might or might not appear in Episode VII. Most fans have met these with curiosity and excitement, but some have responded with scathing criticism—already writing off the film as doomed to failure. This isn’t fair. I’ve said before that there’s every reason to have hope in Episode VII, and I stand by that position. At the very least, we owe it to the cast and crew of the film to wait until 18 December 2015 before we even consider passing judgement on it. 

3. Whatever happens, “your” Star Wars will remain intact. One of my favourite things about the Star Wars universe is the fact that you’re always free to take what you want, and leave what you don’t. If you don't enjoy Episode VII, then that isn’t a problem—you’ll always have the original six films (or original three, as the case may be). If Star Wars: Rebels doesn’t float your star cruiser, then you’re under no obligation to continue watching. The important thing to remember is that for some—or, hopefully, for many—these new additions will become as important as the classic films that we’ve all grown up with. While we might not like a particular entry in the saga, there will always be fans out there who genuinely enjoy and treasure it. Respecting that fact is what genuine fandom is all about.

Ultimately, we need to remember that we're all here for the very same reason: a shared love of that galaxy far, far away. So long as we keep that in mind, and meet our fellow fans with kindness, the Star Wars community will continue to be as incredible as it's always been.

Relics of the Force Featured on Rebelscum.com

Today, my collection was included in the Rebelscum.com's Collectors' Collections - on ongoing feature highlighting Star Wars collections from around the world.

A huge thank you goes out to the team at Rebelscum.com for giving me the chance to share my collection with fellow fans. You can check out the full feature here!

Star Wars Rebels Extended Preview Released

StarWars.com has released an extended preview of Star Wars Rebels, featuring over seven minutes of footage from the very first episode of the series. You can check it out below:

To my mind, this excerpt is nothing short of phenomenal. The look and feel of the show is spot-on, and it's hard to recall something which has so successfully caught the spirit of Star Wars since the last of the Original Trilogy films was released. This is the 'Wars that we all grew up with and fell in love with. I can't describe how excited I am to see where this series takes us.

What's your take on this preview? Be sure to send me your thoughts at relicsoftheforce@gmail.com or tweet them to @Archon_Revuge!

A New Hope for Star Wars Vehicles at SDCC 2014?

While the characters of Star Wars are incredibly important, the vehicles of the saga have a special place in the hearts of fans and collectors alike. In the mid- to late-90s there were a number of lines offering up Star Wars vehicles in various scales. Over the years, however, things changed. First we lost Micro Machines, then Action Fleet, then finally the Titanium Series. For a while now, the only stalwart production of Star Wars vehicles has been in the 3 3/4" line—though even the release of these is sporadic. Last month, however, we received word that Hot Wheels and Star Wars would soon be joining forces to release an entirely new range of vehicles. One line will include themed “character cars” (the first of which can be seen here). The second - and far more interesting - line, will contain a series of miniature ships with display stands. This year’s Comic-Con International: San Diego saw a lot of buzz around the former. Unfortunately, the latter line received far less coverage. The internet is a wonderful place however, and thanks to the fine folks at GalacticHunter.com we’re now able to get our first look at this exciting new line.

(Images courtesy of galactichunter.com)

The vehicles aren’t set to ship until Spring 2015, so the range on display at SDCC was understandably limited. Among those vehicles featured were a handful of X-Wings, TIE Fighters, Snowspeeders, an AT-AT, and the Millennium Falcon. The sculpts appear incredibly close to those from the now defunct Titanium Series line, so the glimpse of an entirely new vehicle—the Ghost from the upcoming Star Wars Rebels television series—will be the most exciting reveal for those looking to expand their miniature Star Wars vehicle collections.

Overall, this new line looks incredibly promising. The sculpts appear to be screen-accurate and incredibly well-detailed—something that can be difficult to pull off at this very small scale. The addition of a range of playsets and carry cases for these vehicles is also very exciting. For now, the only downside is the way in which the vehicles are painted. They’re simply too pristine. Compare these with the paintjobs on the Titanium Series vehicles, which always excellently emulated that “used universe” feel of Star Wars by being dirty and battle-damaged. It’s not something that’s worth dwelling on however, as there’s every chance that the paintjobs on display at SDCC are by no means indicative of the final product.

What's your impression of these new vehicles? Be sure to send me your thoughts at relicsoftheforce@gmail.com or tweet them to @Archon_Revuge!