Re: Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25th, 2018)
I was too young to remember but I read an article - probably in Starlog, I'm guessing - that recounted the fan reaction to Empire Strikes Back. They said that many adult fans were furious that Darth Vader was even human, never mind Luke's Dad. They had head-canoned themselves into him being some magical robot ghoulie.
Nothing's changed except the damn computers.
Starlog was a fairly hardcore sci-fi/Trekkie mag (remember, this was just a decade after ST's original debut) largely run by Trekkies who hated SW from day one, but HAD to extensively cover it (and put it on cover after cover after cover
) because it sold mags more than ST did at the time.
Columnist David Gerrold (Trek/sci-fi writer) - the heart and soul of Starlog for over a decade, until 1987 - was the guy who infamously went through SW/ANH listing out all the stupid scientific improbabilities (later the same for ESB) and simply never "got" SW at all. And yes, he often elicited reactions from fans in the letter sections.
And Ewoks were indeed bad in 1983, and widely maligned by fans at that time, but if you think it triggered widespread rage against ROTJ, a "fans vs haters" battle, people saying their childhood had been raped or "I'm done with SW" - or even close to those extreme reactions - you need your head examined.
This hyperbole about things being so divisive and angry and "two sides" back in the days of SW, ESB and ROTJ - a way to try to create the narrative that SW fans are toxic and never satisfied
and always were - is such revisionist garbage. I bought every Starlog, Fantastic Films, Famous Monsters etc etc. mag, and got Bantha Tracks and the offcial fan club experience plus interacted with multiple SW fan groups both local and international (with newsletters,) from 1978 through to the mid 1980's. It's bs and insulting to see people trying to weave this lie.
The intention of all of this is simple: journalists are desperately trying to "normalize" the extreme fan reaction to TLJ by creating a narrative that a large percentage of "SW fans" have had toxic/hateful reactions ALL the films (including OT) - and each other - from day one. And... that's a lie.
