#starwarsszn

Finally, a holiday we can all get around (mostly).

Joe Staples
Nov 7 · 4 min read

Alright, alright. I know what I said about Techtember being the best time of the year. I stand by that. But once every other year or so, we get to experience the second best time of the year: #starwarsszn.

Certainly, we have been teased of the on-coming season months in advance. Trailers for The Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian are just the start. And we are mere days away from the only EA game I’ve been excited about since… well, ever. Yes of course, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. But just this morning, I woke up to this feeling in the air. Maybe it’s just an increase in my metichlorians, or maybe it was my nerd instinct kicking in, but I woke up with a jonesing to watch every piece of Force-sensitive media I can get my hands on. Honestly, it made me want to fast-forward in time a week, so I could do exactly that on Disney’s new streaming platform.

For those that might not have caught on by now: I’m a huge Star Wars nerd. Always have been, and as long as someone doesn’t try to play a mind trick on me, I always will be. My mom will forever recall the day I became quasi-famous on Kansas City’s radio station.

A slightly older Padawan, 2016.

There’s something special about this upcoming season of the world’s best space opera: it’s the ending. In all reality, it’s probably not the ending — Disney will milk the franchise for every penny it can as long as people like me are willing to pay for it (and we are). But it IS the ending of a massive saga following the Skywalker family. It’s supposed to represent closure for three generations of nerd-dom, and hopefully leave a few threads behind to be picked up later.

You see, Star Wars is kind of a tradition. When the prequels began in 1999, it was perfectly timed to immerse my generation, just as it did for the generation before me. In fact, my own journey started with my grandpa. When the original films came out, he saw them in theaters. He introduced me to the whole sci-fi genre, with films like Alien and Terminator. He inspired me to embrace being a nerd. So when these newer Star Wars movies came out, it was a chance to pass down this weird universe of space religions and laser swords down to me, like how a parent would pass down an important keepsake to their child.

And then the sequels began to come out in 2015. Again, timed in such a way that my prequel generation grew up and are now at a point to start having our own kids and pass this legacy down to them as well. Three generations have come to be, and when the finale of each trilogy comes out, it comes out with bittersweet emotions attached to it. Who knows when the next generation will come to theaters? Technically, George Lucas’ original vision only followed the Skywalker line. The extended universe, from its birth in novels and comics, has never strictly been attached to Lucas. If we wanted to approach this from a strict cinematic perspective, Star Wars will end when the ninth episode releases.

But we all know this won’t be the case. Pop culture is chalk full of Star Wars right now. Shows like The Mandalorian and Star Wars Resistance exist to show that the story isn’t over, although the storyline of the Skywalker family might be. Disney’s expansion themepark, Galaxy’s Edge, solidify’s the franchise’s permanence. There’s even a hotel “experience” that makes this more apparent. Solo (though it didn’t do well in theaters) is another example to show there’s more stories to be told. Ask anyone, and we want to see more about Maul, or Obi Wan, or anything that pre-dates the Clone Wars. We want to see Darth Bane and Revan on the big screen. We want to be terrified of the Sith lords we only learned about in the now “defunct” (thanks Disney) extended universe. For now, we only have a few things to bide us over until the new movie. I have tickets already purchased, and I’m counting down the days.


Joe Staples is a professional nerd, copywriter and content creator. He’s based in Brooklyn, NY, where he writes on tech, literature, nerd culture, and anything else that pops into his head. When he’s not writing, he’s scheduling a Star Wars movie marathon to be perfectly timed before seeing Episode IX in theaters. You can email him or follow him on Twitter. @joeisastaple | joeisastaple@gmail.com

Joe Staples

Written by

Creator. Curator. Comedian? Joe is a freelance writer, designer, photographer, strategist, and massive nerd.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade