Everyone knows about Star Wars by now, I'm sure. It's a cultural phenomenon, a chapter in American cinematic history, and still a widely popular franchise. Even today, that space opera that started in the 1970s blows minds and gains fans.

That being said, I'm sure that we all know someone who is obsessed with Star Wars. You know the type—sure, there are casual fans of George Lucas' dramatic Skywalkers, but I'm talking about the ones who could talk all day about theories based on the minutest details from previous installments. The ones who own a plethora of merchandise (a lightsaber is the bare minimum) and who has seen all the movies and related media (usually accompanied by very strong opinions on the order of viewing the movies, whether or not Jar Jar Binks is a cinematic sin, and if you're frustrated about the prequels enough to want to fist fight George Lucas in a parking lot). The ones who aren't remembered for their personality but for their passionate love of Star Wars.

We all know a Star Wars superfan. If you don't know a superfan, there's a good chance that you are the superfan. I didn't realize that I was that person for some people (especially since I know a lot of Star Wars lovers) until the other day when I received the same message from my sister, a few friends, and more than a few people on Tumblr:

“Have you seen the new behind the scenes footage?”

They were all referring to the “BTS reel” for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but I already knew that. They didn't even have to specify what behind the scenes footage, because yes, I had seen it, and was obsessing over it. (If you haven't seen it, you need to, and you can find it here.)

The fact that I'm the superfan that my circle knows and texts whenever there is even the slightest development on Star Wars still makes me laugh. It also shows, to me at least, the unifying effect of the story.

The phenomena with Star Wars, I feel, is that it goes beyond the typical fandom traditions. In most fandoms, you see them start because there is a group of people who intensely love something and want to talk about it all the time. With Star Wars, it's universal. Everyone has heard of the series even if they have never watched it.

And if you haven't heard of it? No worries—at its core, the series is easy to explain, following that classic fantasy hero plotline that they teach us when we first start reading stories. (Hero goes on a quest to find a thing and conquer the bad guy. There are friends to be made, love to be found, trials to overcome. It may take a while, but the conflict is resolved, the balance is restored, and all is right again.)

Another cool thing about the series? It has a lasting effect that allows it to be passed down from generation to generation. Watching Star Wars has almost become a rite of passage with how prevalent it has become in pop culture. There's a good chance that, if you've seen the original trilogy before the animated series, your parents were the ones who showed you. I remember how excited my dad was when my older sister and I were old enough to watch the original trilogy with him, and then how stoked he was again when the prequel trilogy came out and he could actually take us to the movie theater to watch Revenge of the Sith.

Every kid I know has played pretend with Star Wars as the plotline. Every adult I've come across in the past two years have admitted to lining up for the newest installments of the series when they hit theaters. They're not superfans by any stretch-- but they don't have to be to enjoy Star Wars, and that's beautiful.

That's part of why I'm a superfan—with Star Wars, the fandom does not end once you step out of your circle of friends and fellow fans. You can strike up a conversation about it with someone, anyone, and chances are you'll have just as good of a time as with the most devoted of fans. It's almost a better conversation starter than talking about the weather. That's the real power of the Force.