And this isn’t a problem limited to my experience-oh no-my online harassment has paled in comparison to others (specifically the female stars of the two new films). In 2018, I’ve gotten literal death threats, been called homophobic slurs, even called racist ( toward Star Wars fans?) about a family movie that defined my childhood. But, within the past year, the conversation about Star Wars has gotten deeply unpleasant. Since Disney rebooted the franchise, it’s produced some of the highest-grossing movies of the last four years, not to mention limitless news, takes, and theories about each film. As a culture critic, writer, and editor, hardly a week goes by where I don’t touch something Star Wars-related. These days, Star Wars coverage is a large part of my job. It was like losing a member of my own family.Įven then, tearing up during The Force Awakens, I had no idea that just three years later even the mention of Star Wars would fill me with dread. In fact, I’m only somewhat ashamed to admit that I cried in the theater when I (then a grown-ass adult) watched Han Solo die. Of course I grew up, but I never forgot these characters or their values. Luke and Leia and Obi-Wan and Yoda-all of these characters aided in honing my own moral compass throughout my formative years. That’s what Star Wars had always been to me-a movie that shaped my childhood, along with my understanding of good and evil.

Taking old wrapping paper tubes and playing lightsabers with my dad, dressing up as Luke Skywalker, desperately wanting the Millennium Falcon Lego set, watching the original VHS boxed trilogy and having to fast forward through Leonard Maltin’s boring interview with George Lucas every goddamn time.

Some of my earliest memories about movies are of Star Wars.

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