I’ll be the first person to admit that I’ve never really been into science fiction. Galaxies far, far away weren’t my cup of tea; I’ve always preferred schools of witchcraft and wizardry. It’s not for lack of trying: I joined the sci-fi club in high school (at a friend’s insistence), I have a basic knowledge of "Star Trek" (thanks to my two Trekkie best friends), and I started watching "The X-Files" (though I love Dana Scully more than Mulder loves aliens). Space is scary. A majority of the time, I’d rather keep my feet planted firmly on Earth, thank you very much. So unless "Twin Peaks," which is more supernatural than scientific, counts as sci-fi, then I am not a member of that particular geek squad.
Then "Star Wars" happened to me.
Honestly, I never felt like I needed to watch "Star Wars." It’s a pop culture phenomenon, and the evidence is everywhere. There was an “I am your father” reference in "Toy Story 2" that my dad had to explain to me when I was younger, I know the song from Bill Murray’s SNL skit, and I’ve seen "Spaceballs" enough times to get the gist of the plot. I went into this movie binge painfully aware of the whole Luke/Leia thing (that kiss in the second movie made my skin crawl). Then everybody was talking about the new movie, and I realized it was time for me to actually get with the program. So I marathoned the entire trilogy over winter break, and I. Loved. It. Then "Star Wars" happened to me.
I’ll admit, I was worried that already knowing what would happen would dull my experience, but it didn’t. I, like millions of fans before me, fell in love with Han Solo; I cheered with every word Princess Leia spoke, and I just wanted everything to work out for Luke Skywalker. He found out his father was a Sith Lord working for the evil Empire, learned he had a twin sister, discovered he had the ability to become a powerful Jedi, joined the Rebel Alliance, and saw nearly everyone he cared about die in a relatively short time span. That's a lot to process so quickly.
As of now, I haven’t seen "The Force Awakens," but I cannot wait to finally be all caught up on the franchise. No matter who you are, it’s exciting to see characters that are so well-loved return and pass the torch on to the new trio; in this case, they are Finn, Rey, and Poe. I can’t imagine the anticipation many other fans must be feeling, knowing they’ve waited a lot longer than I have between movies. So far, the reviews have been excellent, from die hard fans and film critics alike, and the box office sales raked in millions of dollars just on opening weekend. I have no doubt that this means a new era of science fiction is upon us. So, from a brand new "Star Wars" fan to the legions of others, I hope that you don’t hear a single spoiler from the new movie, and may the Force be with you!
