Star Wars Information – Page 9

Whenever an entertainer or some form of media begins to gain steam when it comes to popularity, it’s not at all uncommon for their fan base to give themselves a dedicated nickname. You may already be familiar with some of these nicknames. Star Trek fans are known as Trekkies. Harry Potter fans go by Potterheads. Film director Christopher Nolan has his Nolanites. Hulk Hogan had Hulkamaniacs. But how about Star Wars? Just what exactly are Star Wars fans called? After all, there’s no denying that Star Wars has had a HUGE impact on pop culture. The series easily has one of the most rabid and passionate fan bases around. There are online communities, websites, and even entire fan conventions devoted solely to all things Star Wars. What’s in a Name, Anyway? With a franchise that contains a VAST amount of content both from the main canon film releases, as well as an incredibly large amount of expanded universe content in the form of books, video games, and other forms of media, it’s really no surprise that Star Wars has such a vocal and proud fan base. But again, the question remains — just what are Star Wars fans called? The answer is actually a lot more straightforward than you may initially think. Star Wars fans are simply called ... Star Wars fans. Yep. That’s it. No clever puns. No play on words. Just one incredibly accurate way to describe fans ... as fans. Don’t let the fact that Star Wars fans don’t have a term like Trekkie or Potterhead fool you though. As we’ve already mentioned, Star Wars fans are indeed some of the most passionate fans around. And if you’re looking to meet other like-minded mega fans, there are quite a few options as far as annual conventions go. Star Wars Celebration One of the biggest fan conventions held for Star Wars fans is the Star Wars Celebration. Originating back in 1999 when Lucasfilm held the inaugural edition to celebrate the release of Episode I - The Phantom Menace, there have been a total of 13 Star Wars Celebration conventions held thus far, with a 14th planned for the summer of 2020. The convention is usually held in the United States, having been hosted in Colorado, Indiana, California, Florida, and Illinois thus far. Occasionally the convention does go international though — it’s been held in Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom twice. In general, the Star Wars Celebration convention is held to celebrate the release of new movie releases. On top of those, there were also conventions held to celebrate the 30th and 40th anniversary of the original Episode IV - A New Hope film. As of the time of this writing, the last Star Wars Celebration convention was held in April 2019 in Chicago. Fans from over 50 different countries flocked to the city for the event, where everyone was able to congregate and share their love of all things Star Wars. If you’re a Star Wars mega fan and you’ve never been, you should definitely be placing the Star Wars Celebration right at the top of your bucket list! Plenty of Other Options The Star Wars Celebration convention isn’t the only place where you’re able to mingle with fellow Star Wars fans. All across the globe, fans organize their own smaller events as well in order to meet and discuss all things Star Wars. For example, FAN EXPO Canada will be holding a Star Wars convention in Toronto in August of 2019 where fans can meet to enjoy a complete Star Wars experience. There will be cosplay meetups, a march by the 501st Legion Canadian Stormtrooper Garrison (one of the largest Star Wars costume groups in the world), an R2-D2 builder club, as well as photo ops with the Rebel Legion Star Wars costume group. There are also smaller conventions held in many European, Asian, and Latin countries as well. You really never have to look too far to find some like-minded mega fans when it comes to Star Wars! Conclusion Star Wars fans may not have a nickname as immediately recognizable as Star Trek fans have with Trekkie, but that’s quite alright. With a franchise as huge as Star Wars is, it’s not really needed after all. The series transcends pop culture, bringing together people from all walks of life, all united by one common thing — their love for Star Wars. And at the end of the day, that’s what being a fan is really all about.