Okay, so I went off a bit on patox in this thread, and I went off a bit more than I should have. (Sorry, man.) Then there was this thread, in which (somehow) the Silmarillion came up. It got me to thinking about how Star Wars is such an epic phenomenon - not just in terms of being a traditional epic story, but then set in space, but also in terms of how deeply it permeates American culture.

I know for a lot of people here, it's just a narrative backdrop to the game, and the game is played for the game's sake. (That's cool, I shouldn't disparage that.) However, for me this game would not have even come onto my radar, much less drawn me in if it wasn't Star Wars.

I think that it's totally awesome that Star Wars has such a massive following, and that it turns up pretty much everywhere.

• Yesterday, I was screening a YouTube video for my students, featuring, the @$$h013 economist Niall Ferguson. He's speaking to a conservative think tank crowd and is handed some sort of wand to help him point to things in his Powerpoint presentation. Then he likens it to a lightsaber and says "Eat your heart out, Darth Vader."
• This, from here in Portland.
• The times that I see people with Star Wars tattoos.
• etc.
• etc.
• etc.

I can't think of any story that had such influence aside from the epic tales that come into a culture by way of religion.

Okay, so where am I going with this steamroller run-on of thought? Well, I guess just a way to start an homage thread to the story and lore of Star Wars to bring balance to those folks who think of it as little more than the backdrop to the game.

Please tell us how Star Wars has permeated your life.

Star Wars has influenced literally everything about me.

Literally everything. Political views, fascination with military and fightercraft in particular, my adoration of space, medical science, debates of several types including but not limited to Humanity's fate, existentialism, and so on. But not only these things. One of the most socially significant is thanks to Star Wars' diverse cast of characters and creatures.

At most, new alien races in just about anything at first glance get an eyebrow raise, usually followed by- if they catch my interest, research and inquiries, rather than repulsion, disdain, or waryness. When I think Aliens, I think not the Xenomorphs of Ridley Scott's Alien(s), the several alien doomsday films, or Species 8472. I think of different, but wholly intelligent beings capable of holding a very interesting conversation over a drink or two, and someone I may be able to call friend.

How is this significant? How I handle those of different nationalities, races, and religions. Equally. "You're a Buddhist Chinese man? Sit down, have a coke, you interest me."

I might have been different, if raised on trek. Most aliens are pretty similar looking to humans (And I know full well why), and I feel that somehow makes it less diverse. I could less get lost in Quark's bar, and more get lost in The Mos Eisley Cantina.

A scene in films by the way, pretty much everyone I've talked to knows about, has seen, and/or remembers because it was just so different and alien but intriguing. Hell, I'm so likened to things unlike myself that if given the option to not play a human in a game, I most assuredly will not. Everyone is equal regardless of anything. It's a good way to live and see people.

But also, Star Wars influenced my vast interest in space. Out of all my friends, I know the most about space, space tech, how things work in space. I'd probably have the highest chance of being able to operate in a zero-G environment out of them all, and have successfully argued many things with them about space. It's the only real-life thing I know a useful amount about.

But moreso, Star Wars is the kind of thing that makes me take a step back, look at Earth, all the politics and strife and think, "If we could put this aside, in less than a millennium we could easily be drinking Redd's Apple Ale with an alien. We could have large triangular ships. We could have our own Milennium Falcons."

To step back and consider, "What if Earth was just a cog in the machine? Not our end-all-be-all. Just a world amongst thousands? How amazing- how wonderful, would that be?".

It influenced how I think. I'm in the midst of working on my very own Science Fiction project that is yet unnamed, and it's what I'm going to pursue for the rest of my years if I can. I've already been hashing it around for four years.

Science Fiction is my favorite genre, out of them all. I do like fantasy to some degree- but only really, "The Elder Scrolls" because it's essentially a deconstruction of the Fantasy Genre. I've played and adored, and spent time with Star Trek, Mass Effect, Halo, all because they had wonderful, vast lore and had a similar feeling here and there. They all had this grand scope and so much to offer. Star Trek's big galaxy and strife, Mass Effect's lore and untamed worlds, with a really engaging story about defying a cycle that's been around longer than we can comprehend. Halo for its look at Human perseverance in the face of death and a, while religiously fanatic, absolutely fascinating conglomerate of alien life that are all critically thinking people, just like us.

It's this objective, "We're not alone, nor all that unique, and all part of a bigger picture" thing that science fiction brings out, but none quite like Star Wars, for its diversity, for its scope, for its fantastical presentation of space magic, wizards and knights, desperados and bounty hunters, power and power fighters, good and evil, and fuel for endless philosophical debates. Maybe the Sith are onto something, maybe the Jedi are onto something! Is the Galaxy better without either? Was The Empire truly evil? Was The Rebellion truly good? Who is Star Wars really about? (Anakin Skywalker honestly.)

Everyone can connect to Star Wars in some way shape or form, on some base level. It's got something for everyone, and that's why it's timeless. If any film series will go down as a human achievement, as a timeless classic for centuries to come.

It will be Star Wars. Because no movie has ever reached so far, and gripped so tightly.

Pretty much everything Lackwit said. Especially the part about welcoming and taking interest in diversity.

It has opened my mind up to diversity and the "bigger picture" idealism that makes me wish we were in that galaxy far, far away. A galaxy that would make the politics and problems here on Earth seem like nothing but a drop in an ocean. A galaxy where there are countless worlds to see, danger around every corner, starships on long voyages and heroes fighting for their causes across the galaxy.I like how the religious and ritualistic aspects of the Force affect their universe physically. I like how even though there are the distinctive lines of black and white in this universe, be it Jedi and Sith, Rebels and Imperials, there are shades of gray in between every moral aspect that holds just as much, if not greater, value in everyone's life.

But what Star Wars has brought me the most is a fine story that I can have so many things to talk about with people such as close friends and family to complete strangers. Just by existing, it has its own community and creates connections and friendships where people wouldn't expect to find them. While vacationing in Palm Springs I visited the Palm Springs Air Museum donning a blatant STAR WARS logo shirt. Wearing that shirt alone brought to me hours worth of discussion among retired fighter pilots, how the release of that movie in 1977 allowed them to reminisce on their times as fighter pilots in WWII or Vietnam, how that movie changed their lives and their children's lives and their grand children's lives. I have a group of friends whom we can discuss amongst each other the prequels, OT, EU, even philosphies and politics within Star Wars for hours without end. Some of those friends were made because we had those conversations.

It has become such a positive part of our culture and it has affected me personally in so many ways that I don't think I'd have as many friends or experiences as I do now if it weren't for Star Wars.

Every morning I wake up and try to use the force to turn off my alarm clock.

That's funny, because every morning I wake up and use force to turn off my alarm clock!

But back on topic...

I'm constantly reminded of Star Wars through my job. I manage a store for a large retail chain on the east coast and I swear they follow the imperial model for running the business.

Fear is what keeps the employees in line. Executive visits are similar to having the emperor walk your store. Associates bow their heads as they try to remain in obscurity and not draw attention to themselves. Ridiculous deadlines for new programs are implemented with a "just get it done" attitude. Contradictory operations are put in place where no one will commit on how to accomplish them. Speaking up is unheard of for fear of retaliation.

I have seen first hand ruthless acquisitions of other retail chains where the acquired chain was utilizing technology 5-10 years more advanced than ours, but we tear it out and force them to adapt to our outdated methods. I've seen the turnover of a store that was like watching a raid of storm troopers as associates of the acquired store stood by and watched as their store was torn apart and pictures of the family owner were torn off the walls.

I love Star Wars and have grown up with it my entire life. Maybe I just see the parallel of the galactic empire and my employer from such long exposure to Star Wars; however, I'm sure there are others of you that can relate.

As much as i love it, i really see how it could have been much better.

still, doesnt stop me from enjoying everything about it. I am assuredly getting a sparring lightsaber someday =P and a decimator

Mikael Hasselstein,

Good question and I hope to have a quality answer; However, Captain Lackwit captured the essence of my thoughts.

Star Wars, for me, is my gate way geek. Hopefully I can explain how Star Wars has fully and truly permeated my life.

I was a sick kid with asthma from age one, due to being rushed to the hospital because of burns I had suffered to my hands and feet and I had just learned to walk. My grandmother rushed me out the door, in the middle of winter, with neigh a blanket and I Had picked up an insane case of pneumonia. It was the pneumonia and the shock that actually caused my asthma to flare up permanently. So for the next seven years I was an indoor kid, in and out of hospitals, tents, breathing treatments and my parents having to spend a fortune to have central air conditioning and annual cleaners to clean the vents.

I remember late May of '77; my Mother, her best friend, her best friend's oldest son and I made a long trip out West past St. Louis to go wait in line for a movie.

Now, let me put the whole idea of Star Wars in your mind the way I had it in my mind at the tender age of seven. I had no understanding of what we were about to see or do, I have never been to a movie in the theater before. Until that moment after the opening crawl, all I had was this long drive to this long line, among all these people... Oh the people; my limited existence, hospital rooms, stuck in the house and private schooling, did not prepare me for ALL THESE PEOPLE. I did not know what Star Wars was, "Is this that movie where the guy swings around in church rafters"?

My take away from the TV commercial was that scene where Luke and Leia went swinging across the chasm in the Death Star. My brain had processed that as a Church with huge stained glass windows.

So, that moment, after the opening crawl. The moment we first see, what we now know is, the Tantive IV. Something happened to my imagination. Sure, I watched boring ole Star Trek and their talking. Boring ole Space 1999. Up til that point I had a pretty solid imagination, but not the way Star Wars made it.

We got action figures and the comic books. It was those comics that lead into more and different styles of comics. I had never had an interest in super heroes until after Marvel Comic's Star Wars. There was an advertisement in the back of one of the books for Star Frontiers, "Defend the Galaxy". Oh man it was time to play Star Wars with some rules and dice, my Dad, the only time I clearly remember spending time with him(He was always busy working, apparently to pay for that **** central air) and I went out to get dice, we found the kind where we had to melt crayon into the numbers so you can see them better.

From that point forward, friends of mine and I spent our time learning and playing Star Wars with Star Frontiers rules. Which later turned into D&D. It went this way through high school and into my first year of college.

In '89 one of the guys from my game group got a flyer, from our FLGS, for a convention and suggested that we all go. My first CON was a blur, an all week-end long D&D session and room parties and costumes and Star Trek and Star Trek fandom and Dr Who and anime(They had three whole rooms for movies two of which were anime) and fandom girls... barely anything about Star Wars. It did not matter, for the next seven years I went to every CON within 500 miles.

'95 My daughter was born and unedited Star Wars came out on VHS for the last time before the Special Edition was to be released in the theaters. Going to see Star Wars in the theater for the first time sense I had seen Jedi, it was great! I had all my friends, family and fellow fans to share the experience.

Even now, Star Wars; all of it... even Jar Jar because my children fell in love with Star Wars through Jar Jar... my imagination for story telling and art...

is my gateway geek.

I find it amazing that whenever I read the declaration of the alliance how it highlights so many issues our world faces today. Though our enemy isn't an emperor, it's business interest.

Who is Star Wars really about? (Anakin Skywalker honestly.)

Star Wars was made for Darman Skirata and Etain Tur-Mukan. End of Story.

Star Wars got me into science fiction (not fantasy, even though it is, because Narnia got me first), military fiction, series fiction, shared universes, and even online fandom (not sure if it was Star Wars or Sherlock Holmes that got me there first, but I think I remember reading X-Wing fanfic in 1999 before I got too heavily into Sherlock Holmes things online). It's still a huge part of my imaginative life, though as I've grown, a lot of it isn't as emotionally central because of the varying quality. However, I still think it's simply one of the coolest shared universes out there (I refer here to Star Wars: The Expanded Universe, and will forever more). I don't know if it's influenced me on a philosophical level as much (other things got there first), but the military side did influence my tastes and values quite a bit.

While not my in introduction. That came from Heinlein and Harrison along with the usual Tolkien,. And from UFO and Space 1999.

But when SW came along it all changed. i remember seeing a newspaper articles on an upcoming film that had the pic of 3PO sitting the speeder and i thought he was part of it like Robbie and the crane in Forbidden planet and another of a stormtrooper that i thought was a robot. Of course i found out the truth before i actually saw the film from other articles and reading the novelization.

Then at 13 i saw it in London at the Marble Arch Odeon and my world exploded. I had always loved building things and designing spaceships (though im glad almost all of my early designs have been lost over the years. im pretty sure they were terrible if memory serves) but the film opened an entire new vista. so i went to see it again in St Albans the next day and finally back in Luton where i lost count o the number of times i saw it.
At 13 my designs may still have been bollocks but after SW they were a better class of bollocks than before *L* and they started expanding in scope from everything looking like it was born from the union of a SHADO Interceptor and an Eagle Transporter to things that were new and different.

It was sad that they never back then released a Y Wing to go with the X Wing and Darth Vader's TIE MPC kits. Or indeed a standard TIE but i had fun building them except for the really annoying way the X Wing gun barrels stuck onto the bases it was just too flimsy.
And the music. I had loved classical since i was a nowt but a sprog but John WIlliams score opened things up even more The themes he wrote for the OT were stunning, and back then he didnt have to rely on huge choruses to get the point across (not that i have anything against huge choruses i heartily approve of them) ,but they meshed so perfectly with the visuals.
I didnt care at the time that Lucas couldnt actually direct people and that if it hadnt been for the people around him Star Wars might have looked like a weird cross between Zardoz and Flash Gordon. I just loved it all. All the factors came together perfectly. I dont know what i would be doing now if it were not for the OT but it probably wouldnt be making ships.

When I was at university (studying Education) I would ALWAYS draw a comparison to a scene/element of Star Wars in my essays. I would say that 9 out of 10 times there would be appreciation form the marker, in the form of a little tick or small comment.

It's easy to find people who love it, it's easy to find people who like it and it's easy to find people who are indifferent .. but to find someone who hates it .. there's a challenge.

I always hated the word 'fluff'

At GW it was detested by the studio staff, it's like you know they might spend months writing backstory and colour text and all that narrative was called' fluff', you find 'fluff' in your belly button!

STORY has as many letters, as it easy to type and doesnt dismiss loads of hard work by someone as just being 'padding for the rules', surely the rules are the mechanism with which to tell the story?

I like lore... it's shorter and you even have one less syllable for the lazy when you have to say it aloud

I always hated the word 'fluff'

At GW it was detested by the studio staff, it's like you know they might spend months writing backstory and colour text and all that narrative was called' fluff', you find 'fluff' in your belly button!

STORY has as many letters, as it easy to type and doesnt dismiss loads of hard work by someone as just being 'padding for the rules', surely the rules are the mechanism with which to tell the story?

I like lore... it's shorter and you even have one less syllable for the lazy when you have to say it aloud

Impressive, you did not read the OP.

Why all the Star Trek hate?????????

Star Trek is better than Star Wars to me, EXCEPT books, games, etc.

That's why I think Disney can go die in a hole.

I grew up in the 80's with the old kenner action figures. When i hear star wars it is very often my mind jumps first thing to the toys and then to the movies. And with movies i mean the trilogy. I had to mentally separate the originals (episode Iv, V,VI) from the saga (episodes I, II, III, remastered episodes IV, V and VI and all the other stuff they added like clone wars) in order to save my childhood from george lucas.Altough seeing the remastered ones in teh cinema with my dad back in the 90s was great!

I've also got an autograph of Jeremy Bulloch (the REAL Boba Fett).

Why all the Star Trek hate?????????

Star Trek is better than Star Wars to me, EXCEPT books, games, etc.

That's why I think Disney can go die in a hole.

what.

Why all the Star Trek hate?????????

Star Trek is better than Star Wars to me, EXCEPT books, games, etc.

That's why I think Disney can go die in a hole.

I tought Disney was already dead? Didn't they freeze Walt's head?

Before Star Wars: disintegrated people at will

After Star Wars: disintegrations only with the approved, written consent of Lord Vader

Why all the Star Trek hate?????????

Star Trek is better than Star Wars to me, EXCEPT books, games, etc.

That's why I think Disney can go die in a hole.

What does Disney have to do with Star Wars (yes I know Disney owns the rights now) since Star Wars was around long before Disney bought the rights. And even then it Wasn't Walt himself that bought it out.

Isn't Walt already dead and in a hole? Or was he cremated?

I tought they had his head frozen.

Oh boy i can see this thread devolving into wild mass guessing over what happened to walt disney and wether or not he was pro- nazi...

Apearantly the disney corp wants to own every movie george lucas ever made, seeing as they also have a indiana jones liveshow at disney world.

Why all the Star Trek hate?????????

Star Trek is better than Star Wars to me, EXCEPT books, games, etc.

That's why I think Disney can go die in a hole.

What does Disney have to do with Star Wars (yes I know Disney owns the rights now) since Star Wars was around long before Disney bought the rights. And even then it Wasn't Walt himself that bought it out.

Given that he is said:

SW books / games > Star Trek > Star Wars non books / games,

I think he is roughly means:

SW EU > Star Trek > Star Wars (I agree with this)

Therefore his complaints about Disney are likely to do with how the EU has been handled since their acquisition of the license.