Dear Star Wars,

Thank you for changing my life. I wouldn't be the way I am without you, and I'll tell you why.

Thank you for proving that the smallest instances of art can impact us greatly— the iconic text or the first bars of the powerful main theme are enough to make me feel the Force.

Thank you for fostering my expansive imagination. Critics might want to hop in a time machine and remove the prequels, but I don't— every weird bit of the ginormous universe taught me something and encouraged me to think outside the box. The vibrant fan culture around non-canon novels and comic books helped my own writing; I copied Jude Watson's style into notebooks and genuinely believed that my unique contributions (a female, alien pilot; a planet in the business of producing politicians; a window into the mind of teenage Obi-Wan Kenobi, etc.) had value. My love for "Star Wars" is intimately linked to my creativity.

Thank you for creating all these heroes. They are scared, and they are compassionate. Both Luke and Rey initially reject the idea of becoming Jedi; Han insists that the Rebels' plan is suicide. But they pick up the lightsabers, and Han flies his prized Millennium Falcon straight into the action. In "The Empire Strikes Back," when Luke sees a vision of his friends in trouble, he defies Yoda's wisdom in favor of helping those he loves. These are our action figures and our role models. They have done a stellar job.

Sincerely,

Your Fan-akin Skywalker