Where will all the superfans go now that the Star Wars phenomenon is no more?
"Now that any die-hard Star Wars fan worth his lightsaber has seen Episode III: Revenge of the Sith at least once, what’s a Jedi to do?
"The end of the Star Wars movies leaves a gaping hole in the galaxy of geekdom. And it begs the larger question: Is the era of the superfan over?
"No longer is there any variation of Star Trek on TV. The Grateful Dead essentially passed with Jerry Garcia, and even Phish is done now. The seminal pop-cult experience may be a thing of the past."
In the spirit of optimism for the fate of the superfan, I propose that we figure out what will happen to the Superfan Geeks now. Remember the old proverb "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away"? Fill in the following blank for the Superfan in the combox:
Old Superfans never die, they….
Old Superfans never die, they just learn to read.
Honestly, book fandoms like Harry Potter are getting quite big and scary and geeky.
…move out of their parents’ basement?
The end of the Star Wars movies leaves a gaping hole in the galaxy of geekdom.
No way, The Hobbit will come out in a few years.
Well, there’s no use trying to beat Paul’s but…
Old Superfans never die, they just become one with the force.
…they just transmutate into fans of something else?
…they just wander the spirit world looking for a re-spawn holocron?
…they just mate and raise a new generation of superfans? (Statistically unlikely but technically “possible”)
. . . move on to a new media.”
Lucas has announced 2 Star Wars TV series, one computer animated & one live action. If successful, he’s even hinted at a 3rd series is possible. Each would be set in a different SW time period. Expect them by 2007.
As for other superfan-worthy movies, Narnia begins this Christmas! Looks really great, too! It could be as big as LOTR.
…sign up with NetFlix.
Old superfans never die… He’s dead Jim!
…they just go broke buying up every “special edition”, “extended version”, “special extended edition”, “super ultimate extended bonus special edition”, and “deluxe box set” that comes down the pike.
I wonder if Narnia will retain its direct Christian aspect.
…make their own movies : http://www.panicstruckpro.com/revelations/
I’ve heard that Narnia will have it’s Christian aspect played up, and Disney will attempt to duplicate the direct-to-churches marketing tactics used for The Passion.
Christian aspects? I thought the message of the “Narnia” stories was that lions and witches are often misjudged, and that when people come along they have a tendency to cause global warming, thereby melting all the snow.
Superfans never die, they just hybernate in their cubicles until the next fantasy/sci-fi serial comes along.
Superfans never die, they just learn that girls exist in this world too.
Superfans never die, capitalism won’t let them.
They can become whatever they want, just so long as they don’t declare themselves “Post-Humans” and start believing in the Rapture of the Nerds.
There’s always something to grok over. I have Batman Begins, Serenity and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The Grokking never stops.
“Old superfans never die….he’s dead , Jim”
Yeah, but not as we know it.
“Star Trekkin’ across the universe..
We keep goin’ forward ‘cos we can’t find reverse…” etc. etc.
Didn’t you just love that song?
(Even if it is different to the post)
“I wonder if Narnia will retain its direct Christian aspect.”
Yes, Shibboleth, per Doug Gresham, that’s the goal! Check the link titled “Read Our Exclusive Douglas Gresham Interview” in the upper-middle of the page on http://www.narniaweb.com. And Walden Media have a great track record for true-to-the-book film adaptions. Very exciting!
Old Superfans never die, they….
… write their own fan-fiction.
… make their own sequels/prequels/in-betweeners (see http://www.panicstruckpro.com/revelations )
… make their own geeky t-shirts (see http://www.threadless.com/product/256/Dark_side_of_the_Garden )
… pass Star Wars on to the next generation (caveat: only applies to approx. 3% of Star Wars fan who actually breed)
Old Superfans never die, they…
…sleep in their sunken city of R’lyeh, in the pacific, waiting again until the stars are right, when they will arise from their abode in the deep and again seize control of the nearest convention centre.
“That cult would never die till the stars came right again…” – HP Lovecraft, the Call of Cthulhu