Foray into Science Fiction Fandom (1)


I am a long-time fan of all things science-fiction. When my students ask me if I've seen a movie, unless I have, my response is usually, "does it have magic or a space battle?" and then they struggle to find some way to catch my interest. Unless it really does have magic or a space battle, it rarely works. I can pretty well promise never to watch Forest Gump.

As a brief sidenote, I have deep and varied interests outside of science fiction, but because they rarely intersect with anyone else's or my own, I don't mention them as often.

Back to the point. Most people encounter science fiction through the cultural phenomenon of Star Wars. Many people stop there. I do not consider fans of Star Wars to be nearly as nerdy as they think they are, or as the rest of the world seems to think they are. Star Wars is much too popular generally to be strictly in the same culture. Science Fiction fans are accustomed to jokes about programming languages, comparing seven different kinds of magic, their favorite shows being cancelled regularly, and low budget effects. Star Wars fans have little or no contact with any but the latter of those situations, and even that is diminishing as George Lucas does his retroactive self-edit thanks to the digital revolution.

My personal criticism of the entire franchise falls largely on the literary level; that is to say, I treat the series as I do any text, which anyone must admit, George Lucas does not warrant. My appreciation of them, then, is on a much more basic level. Appreciation is the wrong word. I don't appreciate them well, I am amused by them.

This is what I like about Star Wars: Harrison Ford. Ewok babies (the cutest things in the universe, and yes, I've seen all their movies, and read several of their children's books). The Cantina Band (and John Williams generally). The Millenium Falcon (I got the shivers watching them tool about in space in a machine that only functioned when they struck it). Chewbacca. The Force (pre-mitichlorians, of course). Lightsabers (potentially more destructive than they seem in the films). Legos. Queen Amidala's makeup. The charred remains of Luke's aunt and uncle in the Tatooine sunset. The chase through the forest in Episode VI. Yoda's swamp (why do wise men always live in swamps?). The fact that in episodes I-III, although the entire cast was given some of the worst-written lines in movie history, only the Emperor was able to pull them off and did so beautifully. R2D2 and C3PO arguing. The Sarlacc scene - especially blind Solo shooting at Calrissian (cracks me up!). The three first sequel books by Timothy Zahn; I liked seeing Luke finally do well, but I would really like to have seen him meet Mara Jade (and I thought the Courtship of Princess Leia was cute). Cloud City. Princess Leia's hair. Being eaten by an asteroid. Mace Windu. Boba Fett (and the way he sprang on the scene with an implied background and significance he absolutely didn't need in the original three films. I remember wondering what the big deal was, knowing there was one, but having no idea why because he was just a guy with a paint pot on his head who dies seconds later). Finally, seeing the characters jump around in the large smelting buckets in Episode II (I think) reminds me of my time working at Geneva Steel.


Please forgive me if I have misspelled anything. I mean no disrespect, but it should give you a more accurate picture of the extend to which I am or am not a real fan.

Stay tuned for more sci-fi.

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