Here at The Kessel Runway, I believe in and follow the philosophy that Star Wars is Joy. My content is all about celebrating the fun, positive, and joyful aspects of all the Star Wars movies and Star Wars hobbies.
I believe that everyone should be free to participate in or be excited by whatever Star Wars content or Star Wars-related pastime that brings them joy, without fear of being corrected, derided, or otherwise brought down by other opinions.
Every piece of Star Wars content was someone’s first exposure to Star Wars. Every Star Wars hobby or collectible was someone’s first encounter with a touchstone for their favourite franchise. Everyone is allowed to enjoy any aspect of Star Wars without having to justify why it is important or meaningful to them.
Star Wars is for everyone. Star Wars is forever. Star Wars is joy.
Back in early 2020, I wrote about the inspiration behind my philosophy of ‘Star Wars Is Joy’, but it’s a topic that has really been on my mind recently.
A few years ago, while browsing Pinterest, I came across this quote, which floats around the internet from a few different sources –
No offense but if someone is excited about something and make them feel stupid for being excited about it, you are the worst type of person.
Original author unknown.
This quote isn’t about any specific passion or fandom, but it makes me think of a few voices within the Star Wars fandom. I really hate it when fans do something like this –
- Fan A posts that they love the prequels.
- Fan B replies and says they suck.
To me, that’s the same as trolling the internet, looking for posts about a specific singer, football club, or movie, finding people that love those things, then commenting about how much it sucks. It’s even worse when it’s coming from a fan within the Star Wars community. A post from someone excited about Star Wars is not an invitation for you to make that person feel awful about sharing something they love. Keep quiet, and move along.
I once overheard two Star Wars costumers talking about their costumes – one of them had a Royal Guard costume, and the other asked why would you costume as that character? They replied, they thought they were cool, ever since they saw them in 1983. That’s it, that’s the only explanation anyone needs when it comes to loving Star Wars. It’s cool and I love it.
I see it within the fandom fashion community as well. I absolutely loathe the phrase “you don’t want to look like Star Wars threw up on you”. As if there’s a mystical ‘just right’ amount of Star Wars merch you’re allowed to wear at one time. To hell with that noise. Wear giant Star Wars logos on every part of your body, or just wear a tiny lightsaber necklace to work – whatever makes you happy, wear it!
I have always wanted to share my love and passion for Star Wars. Anything and everything Star Wars – the original trilogy, the prequels, the sequels, the books and comic books, the video games, the toys and collectibles, fashion, and everything else in between. Whatever your favourite part of Star Wars is, I’m here to celebrate that with you too.
May the Force be with you!
