A long time ago in a galaxy far far away....
I was born in 1990, so my Star Wars fandom did not begin with a story of going to see the Original Trilogy. And while when I first saw Phantom Menace, I loved it (because I was 9, which is the perfect age for Phantom Menace) that was not what truly hooked me into Star Wars. No. I am one of those rare almost mythical people you've heard of (and probably made fun of) who was a Star Wars fan via the Expanded Universe, known as the EU. My favorite characters in the Star Wars Universe were Jacen Solo, and Mara Jade Skywalker. I was terrified of the Yuuzhan Vong, and thought the coolest Star Wars villain was Grand Admiral Thrawn. I continued to read the books, even at the point where it started to feel like the quality was declining, and the characters I loved had either died or changed beyond recognition. But I still was a fan.
So when it was announced that George Lucas had sold Star Wars to Disney, who was going to make new movies, and also destroy the EU, I was devastated. I really did not want an Episode VII, because there was no way it could be good enough to justify destroying something that was such a large part of my childhood.
I was wrong. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens WAS good enough to justify doing away with the EU.
If you have not seen it yet, go do that. And if you have, you can continue reading my spoiler filled thoughts below.
