When a franchise has a large and diverse fan base like Star Wars, there are bound to be disagreements. Being passionate about a topic means strong feelings and those feelings can lead to heated discussions. That's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, healthy and polite debates with other enthusiastic fans are fun. I've gained insight about the Star Wars universe from participating in debates and watch others go back and forth, because as I'm sure you've noticed, Star Wars fans have opinions. Like, about everything. If it happened in the galaxy far, far away, we're tearing it apart and examining it from every angle. These seven topics are ones I see discussed frequently:
1. Han and Greedo
Han shot first, Greedo shot first, Han was the only one who shot -- pick a side. The unfortunate event that transpired in the Mos Eisley Cantina comes up within fandom and even with people who don't consider themselves to be Star Wars fans. And even though the answer is out there, it's presented in a couple of different ways so it depends on your certain point of view.
2. Midi-chlorians
Midi-chlorians were introduced into Star Wars canon in The Phantom Menace. The fact that they're canon doesn't stop fans from talking about the point of midi-chlorian levels, how they affect Force users, and why they weren't mentioned in the original trilogy.
3. Ewoks
Are Ewoks cute and furry teddy bear-like creatures or vicious carnivores? Sure, they helped fight the Empire and serve as a symbol of the many alien races oppressed by Palpatine, but they also tried to roast Chewbacca and Han over an open fire and eat them for dinner.
4. Stormtroopers' combat skills
"Only Imperial stormtroopers are so precise." The wise Obi-Wan Kenobi led us to believe stormtroopers were all capable marksmen. Then, for the most part, we see them miss everything and everyone they aim to hit. Was Obi-Wan being a crazy old wizard, or was he thinking stormtroopers would be like the clone troopers he used to fight beside?
5. Viewing order
With six films and two animated series, how does one decide on viewing order? Many people suggest going in the order of release so you'd watch the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and then Star Wars Rebels. Others suggest leaving out the animated series for first time viewers and watching the films in chronological order from Episode I to Episode VI. Those are far from the only variations.
6. Prequel trilogy
The merits of the prequel trilogy come up frequently in conversations about Star Wars. Did we need to see the path of Anakin Skywalker from such a young age? Did Qui-Gon need to die so soon? Did Obi-Wan fail Anakin? The questions about the stories and characters introduced in the prequels are endless, and every fan has strong feelings about all of it. Go ahead, test that theory at Celebration Anaheim.
7. Parsecs
"It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs." Do you even know what you did with that line, Han Solo? A parsec is a measure of distance, not time. Fans have been trying to rationalize Han's boast for decades. Is Han lying or is he talking about how he navigated close to black holes to navigate the Millennium Falcon over a shorter distance than the normal route?
What Star Wars topics do you like to debate? Share your opinions in the comments!
Amy Ratcliffe is a writer obsessed with all things Star Wars, Disney, and coffee. You can follow her on Twitter at @amy_geek and keep up with all things geeky at her blog.
