One of Disney’s objectives when buying Star Wars was to open up the franchise to a wider audience. Whatever your opinions of what they produced, they’ve successfully attracted more girls and women to Star Wars while also maintaining their core fanbase of young men. Both the sequel trilogy and The Mandalorian have introduced a new generation of fans to a galaxy far, far away… but some aren’t happy.
There’s a post going viral on Twitter at the moment bemoaning ‘casual’ fans. The original author has been cropped out, but it reads:
“One of the worst things about Disney acquiring SW is that now people that never cared about SW are now like ‘OMG! SW is, like, the bestest evar! I’m totally a fan, I’ve been one, since, like, 2015. Reylo forever! Baby Yoda is so cute! Wait, what’s a Revan?”
So, what is a Revan? The character debuted in 2003 Xbox and PC RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, where Revan was renowned as one of the most powerful Sith Lords in the galaxy, though by the time of the game’s start has mysteriously disappeared. But (spoilers follow for an 18-year-old video game) it turns out the player character was an amnesiac Revan all along!
Since that mindblowing twist, Revan has been frequently referenced in related media and was brought into the Disney canon after being mentioned in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary. Fortunately there’s been a substantial backlash against this gatekeeping, with many comments welcoming newcomers to Star Wars. The Haunting of Bly Manor‘s Rahul Kohli was particularly unhappy, saying:
Breaking my Twitter holiday to address this: Knowing who Revan is doesn’t make you a true Star Wars fan… congrats, you played KOTOR and read some books
.
A true Star Wars fan loves what *they* love, ignores what they don’t and is always welcoming to a new generation of fans. pic.twitter.com/dtMI7nS4Rs
— Rahul Kohli (@RahulKohli13) April 14, 2021
Here’s a selection of other comments:
Star Wars is for everyone
Whether you are younger and just jumped in and liked Reylo from the new movies, hopped on for baby yoda, are a prequel memer, or have been around since 1977, I'm glad we get to explore this giant galaxy together! #Revan #StarWars #SWTOR pic.twitter.com/YmFZv6nczx
— Swtorista (@swtorista) April 14, 2021
If you gatekeep a fandom just because you were "an original fan before X happened," find a better hobby and please grow a personality.
— Diaffixx (@Diaffixx) April 14, 2021
Plus, gatekeeping over not knowing who Revan is seems pretty ironic, considering that for much of the time, *Revan* doesn't know who Revan is. https://t.co/7LVsixpTl8
— Jo Berry (@Joanna_Berry) April 14, 2021
Don’t let a bad take ruin a character for you. Revan is a very well written character but if you don’t know who he is that’s completely fine. Not everyone knows every single Star Wars character nor do you have to. I love Revan and hope to see him in a film or series one day. pic.twitter.com/Hn1Hlbg7hq
— Corey Van Dyke (@Corey_WolfPack) April 14, 2021
Let's negate this gatekeepy shit.
Hey, are you a Star Wars fan but would like to know who Revan is? Yes? Dope! Revan is a character from the Knights of the Old Republic games you can get for like $10 on Steam. They're amazing games. No? Also dope, you're still a Star Wars fan. pic.twitter.com/zrsPVFjfoq— BlackOutCos (@BlackOutCos) April 14, 2021
I agree. How can you call yourself a fan of any franchise if you’re actively trying to discourage people from liking it? Communities like these are reliant on younger points of view and new perspectives and the way Star Wars has become more egalitarian over the last decade is something to celebrate.
One big positive of all this is that the increased attention on Revan has caused a burst of interest in Knights of the Old Republic. Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn commented that:
I see KOTOR is trending, which it should, as it's still the greatest video game of all time. It is my favorite Star Wars thing out of all Star Wars games, movies, TV shows, toys, and comics.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 14, 2021
A full-on remake might be coming, but if it’s not I’d love to see this classic Star Wars game at least get a remastering to give its creaky graphics a fresh coat of paint!
from Gaming – We Got This Covered https://ift.tt/3eeHkc4
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