What if he – he being my soon-to-be born padawan – does not like Star Wars?
It is a question I have been asked by quite a few people, and I fully understand why it is asked. After all, my obsession with Star Wars is a massive part of my life, of my individual identity and even my experience of the world. While Star Wars does not dictate every aspect of my life, it never-the-less plays such a fundamental role that, even when I set it aside to dabble in other franchises/universes, it always reels me in again. It is as if an invisible force – an energy field! – exists which draws me back to Star Wars over and over again. There is simply no way for me to escape it, and even when I find myself at odds with Star Wars (and I certainly do at times) there is always something in the franchise that I enjoy, something that demands my attention and active participation.
But this short post isn’t really about me…it is about my not-yet-born child and his feelings about Star Wars. Whatever will I, Jeffrey Andrew Cagle – The Imperial Talker, do if my child does not love the galaxy far, far away!?!?!
Answer: I won’t care. Seriously, I truly and honestly will not care. Star Wars is something that I love, but it is not something my child, or any of my children, will have to love. If they do, then I want it to be on their own terms, and not because I have forced them to enjoy it. Naturally, I will introduce them to Star Wars, showing them the Original Trilogy when the time is right and he is old enough to understand it. And, perhaps he will fall in love with it at that time, identifying with it and wanting to dive farther into the franchise on their own. Or, maybe he will love it because I love it, wanting to share and participate in this strange hobby as a way of becoming closer with their dad.
Yet, maybe he just won’t like it, and if that is the case that is fine by me. While I would love for my son to share my interest in Star Wars, I would much rather end up sharing in the interests they have. If my son loves Dr. Who then I shall join him in his Whovian obsession. And if he chooses to become a Trekkie, I will give him the Vulcan salute every day. Or perhaps he will gravitate towards something his mother enjoys – like the movie Pitch Perfect. If he has the “Acaudacity” to sit and watch Pitch Perfect over and over again with his mom then who am I to dissuade him? Besides, that movie flippin rocks! The point is, my kid can enjoy whatever he wants, and if that involves Star Wars, fantastic! But if it doesn’t involve Star Wars I really couldn’t care less. No matter what interests him or captures his attention, he will have my unwavering love and support.
Then again, I just realized that if he does fall in love with the galaxy far, far away then my perfectly organized LEGO Star Wars collection is in serious danger. Ummmm I think I’m gonna go play the Pitch Perfect soundtrack for him right now… 😉
The Imperial Talker 
Awww, I love this :). I’d be hard pressed to imagine a future where your son doesn’t dig Star Wars but I’m also now loving the idea of him loving Doctor Who too. Then he can finally bring you into the world of the TARDIS and sonic screwdrivers and psychic paper where all my efforts have failed. Also, Pitch Perfect is pretty darn amazing. Also also, YOU’RE GOING TO BE A DAD SOON AND THAT IS SO AMAZING!!! Ahhhhhh, YAY! May the Force be with you all :).
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You know, I am somewhat curious about Doctor Who since Jodie Whittaker has taken over as the Doctor. Don’t get me wrong, I am in no rush to watch the show, but my intrigue is just enough to potentially give it a watch in the future.
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They are replaying the first episode followed by the second tonight on BBC America. It’s the perfect time to jump in! They made it very newbie friendly, as they usually do with a regeneration. I’ve only seen one episode so far but I love Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. The premiere was a lot of fun and I think it’s going to be a great run.
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Amen! I feel the same. But, I will say, now that ARM is 2.5 and points out BB-8 (she’s recently combined R2 with BB-8 so it’s R-BB-8) or Chewbacca and Darth Vader, I do get a little sad thinking she might one day say no thanks. But at least I had the younger years! And maybe she’ll come back to it.
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Best gift I gave my child (well apart from the joy of reading) was introducing them into the world of Star Wars, Dr Who and the whole magical geek multiverses….they turned to me at the Last Jedi Premiere and said I’ve finally found my community……best parenting moment ever!
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Hi IT,
Good musing. Hope he does. If not, like you said enjoy the fandom your son likes or at least try to.
Keep posted on our God Among site. More Star Wars stuff coming.
Enjoy,
Gary
On Tue, Oct 2, 2018 at 6:00 AM The Imperial Talker wrote:
> Imperial Talker posted: “What if he – he being my soon-to-be born padawan > – does not like Star Wars? It is a question I have been asked by quite a > few people, and I fully understand why it is asked. After all, my obsession > with Star Wars is a massive part of my life, of my indiv” >
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It would be a shock if he does not like Star Wars! Sadly, my children do not love Star Trek like I do, but I still love them…
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I guess Star Trek is kind of slow for people who are used to the fast-action movies of today. Personally, I love it!
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Star Trek 4evah!
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:-p
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Nancy, out of curiosity, do you read any Star Trek novels? I always see them at book stores but was unsure how they fit into the larger narrative of Star Trek (the shows/films). Are they just off-shoot stories or do they provide any necessary backstory for the shows and films?
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Back in college I read a bunch, but they are not canon, and I lost interest. Recently I have read “autobiographies” of Captains Kirk & Picard, and I plan on reading the one for Spock. Plus, I read a silly but fun graphic novel about the movie/Chris Pine crew meeting the Green Lantern a few months ago. And…I’ve read a bunch of coffee style photography books about Star Trek with behind the scenes info. But as a whole, I stay away from the novels.
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Fascinating. I was never sure what to make of the novels. I had a good friend from graduate school who loved them, but he never really discussed them other than to mention what he was currently reading. Would the novels be their own, internal continuity then? Another realm of Star Trek storytelling that is canonical unto itself? Or do the novels even, to the best of your knowledge, stray and diverge from one another?
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Fascinating…as Spock would say! I haven’t read any Trek novels in so long, I wouldn’t know. The ones that I did read were mostly of TNG characters and they were not canon, but they built upon what you already knew. My favorite was Imzadi, which was about Riker & Troi’s early relationship before the Enterprise.
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I have always appreciated Star Trek, I have just never been able to identify with it in the same way I do Star Wars and other franchises. I’m not really sure why. It just never spoke to me I guess. Never-the-less, as Nancy knows, I truly despise the battle lines between Star Wars and Star Trek fans. They are just different types of franchises that speak to different people and I see no reason to bash Star Trek in order to confirm/validate my own love of Star Wars. That would be petty and just plain rude.
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Star Trek, to me, doesn’t have the same fun charm as Star Wars. I’m guessing Star Wars was originally more directed at kids so it has that adventure-y feeling to it. I love them both for their differences.
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Valid fear! But I would say show it to him when he seems ready. My parents got me interested by giving me the novel adaptions of the original trilogy first. We also didn’t watch many movies before Star Wars (by not many, I mean like once a month). I love Star Wars and my parents introduced me and my sister to Star Trek this year. We also love that!
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I apologize for the delayed response. I would have responded sooner but the little guy was actually born on the 6th!
When I wrote this piece, a lot of my thoughts had more to do with allowing him to come to SW on his own. Admittedly, because his dad likes it, he is going to gravitate towards it. But, as I also said, if he ends up disliking it that won’t bother me. SW is my thing and I am going to love whatever it is he ends up loving. And, if that is SW, even better!
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Yeah! Congrats!
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Thanks!!!
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