There's No Such Thing as a "Real Fan"

[krpalmer]

When I first heard about the plans to release the "Vintage Editions" of the three old Star Wars movies, I have to admit I flashed back to a dismissive comment I read back in 2004, that George Lucas wouldn't release them because he didn't want them to outsell the Special Editions by some huge margin. That comment seems moot now... but some may try to explain it by bringing in other people who have started making a big deal about the Vintage Editions not being in "anamorphic widescreen." Unfortunately, while the song has changed, the key of annoyance remains the same.

I had noticed that D. Trull was working on rebuilding his Lard Biscuit site, and checked it out... to see, right on the front page, a post about how he wouldn't be getting the new release because of the widescreen issue. I can understand that; when you're a videophile, you want a release that suits you, and there's always the question "Could things have been different?" However, right at the start he said that "real" Star Wars fans prefer the 1977-1995 versions... and that grated on me.

To me, saying "real fan" or "true fan" means only "the fans I agree with." It's meaningless in a bad way. With that thought, I proceeded to remember a page I have bookmarked, a subsection of a Transformer fan's site where he contemplates how to be a positive force in fandom, which preserves a post taking on the comment "true fan" probably much better than I ever could. The references are fandom-specific, of course, but I'd hope the sentiment is universal... although it can chide me as well, given that I try to pride myself on accepting all six Star Wars movies as a unit but I don't read the books of the Expanded Universe.

Comments

[ladyaeryn.livejournal.com]

He said that? As interesting as I found his defense of AOTC, there are still a number of things - see his ROTJ page - that lower my respect for his opinion.

To me, saying "real fan" or "true fan" means only "the fans I agree with." It's meaningless in a bad way.

Word.

Admittedly, there are times I've selfishly thought that sort of thing myself - that it's people like us at the ASHP/SJ who are "true fans," while the people who bash everything that came after 1980 "just don't get it." It's an ugly tendency. In the end, I've decided I really don't give a damn what the "other" side's definition of "true fan" is - I consider my fandom of SW plenty true, and if I have a group of others I can find enjoyment in that fandom with, then I'm good.

[krpalmer.livejournal.com]

I guess I've had "I know the secret now" thoughts myself too. Of course, I've also worried that maybe I'm just plain wrong, so it's also tempting to dismiss everything with the thought "It all cancels out."

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

The Lard Biscuit seems to have been flipping his lid lately.

To me, a "real" fan has a basic appreciation for the saga and respect for the fandom. As for the ASHP/SJ fans, we're the "cool" fans ;).

[krpalmer.livejournal.com]

On thinking about it, I've wondered if the "true fan" post I linked to is truly universal. We do try to establish (along with George Lucas himself) that there is a consistent theme to all six movies. While I wouldn't stop people from wanting to see just "gritty insurgency" or even "nonstop swashbuckling adventure" in parts of the saga, it somehow seems to leave people unsatisfied...

I'd try and sum up the board by saying it's more pleasant than my impressions of other places. Could people discuss the Vintage Editions and Expanded Universe while keeping away from things they don't like? I don't know, but I've never gone looking...

[ladylavinia.livejournal.com]

However, right at the start he said that "real" Star Wars fans prefer the 1977-1995 versions... and that grated on me.

Rather odd for a guy who wrote multi-paged defenses of both TPM and AOTC. As for his comments regarding ROTS, I think he was upset or disappointed that Anakin didn't turn dark due to simply a strong desire for power or that the Jedi's actions had led to his path as a Sith. I think that is what Lardbiscuit wanted to see. Now, I may be wrong, but I don't think he liked the idea of Anakin's desire to save Padme or inability to let go of her as an attachment leading him to the Dark Side. Which is odd, considering that he had pointed out that the circumstances surrounding Shmi's death in AOTC may be foreshadow of Anakin's attachment to Padme.

[krpalmer.livejournal.com]

Well, now this is a surprise!

In any case, I can suppose it's perfectly possible for someone to be positive about the new movies and still prefer the pre-Special Editions... although I did go looking, and discovered that D. Trull was pretty positive (http://web.archive.org/web/20050131024610/www.lardbiscuit.com/lard/lardyawards2004.html) about the "original trilogy" DVDs. Perhaps Revenge of the Sith didn't sit so well with him over time, and that changed his opinions. I remember how his defence of The Phantom Menace contained an attack on Return of the Jedi, and if both "final episodes" have different focuses than he had been expecting, that might be something... Still, he may have just been annoyed that the "Vintage Editions" were fairly simple from a technical standpoint.