The Force is strong in Reno, Nevada
After three hours of waiting, Michael Ford nervously approached the ticket booth at the Galaxy luxury theater in Sparks, Nevada. He explained to the movie theater employee that he was there to buy as many tickets as possible. Four attempts to swipe his debit card and 173 receipts later, Ford left the theater with exactly what he came for.
“It was like being a little kid at Christmas again,” Ford said.
Ford, co-founder of Great Basin Geeks, recently received a lot of criticism for buying 173 tickets for the 7:15 PM standard showing of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” on December 17, at the Galaxy Sparks luxury theater. A large number of fans outside of Great Basin Geeks are up-in-arms about it because that theater only holds 189 seats altogether. In buying the majority of the seats for one of the earliest showings of the new movie in one fell swoop, Ford forced many fans outside of his club to find an alternative, less ideal showing to go to.
Ford, along with his wife Aislinn Ford, founded Great Basin Geeks, a local social club, in May of 2013. The club hosts over 1300 members. Ford created the group because he wanted friends to share his passions with.
“Geeks in general, tend to be kind of socially awkward, or they tend to be social outcasts, and they tend not to fit in,” Ford said. “So, this has provided a way for them to belong. They can share their passions, they can share, you know, what they love, and nobody judges them for it. Everybody kind of celebrates it.”
Ford held no ill-intention when he decided to buy the tickets for his group to go. He was taken by surprise when the online community reared its angry head.
“I didn’t think it was that big of an issue,” Ford said. “You know, when I bought the tickets I was super excited because I had just secured tickets for the group to go and see the movie together. I was on cloud nine. And then, all of a sudden, I get home that night and the Internet had exploded.”
Some of the outrage targeted at Ford and his club was published in the comments section of a KOLO 8 news story entitled “’Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Tickets Go On Sale.” One commenter expressed their opinion of the Great Basin Geeks’ behavior under the username “Kylo Ren,” which is also the name of the villain in the new movie.
“What you did was unfair,” Ren said. “Your only supporters on here are members of your organization, because they are the ones who stand to benefit from your scheme.”
Ford maintained that his only motive in buying the tickets was to make it so that he and his friends could go see it together, not to cheat anyone out of their seats. He also mentioned that a man standing in-line with him bought 150 tickets for a corporate viewing event of the movie on December 18. Ford made it clear that he wasn’t buying those tickets to scalp them and make a profit.
“Great Basin Geeks is not something I get paid for. I don’t make any money doing this. It’s a work of passion. And you know, I feel good about it, it’s done a lot of good for a lot of people, but it’s not like I’m some corporation that can just drop money for 150 tickets without blinking. I take it very seriously,” Ford said.
One thing is abundantly clear: the people of Reno love Star Wars. Few movie franchises could cause Renoites to strike up a debate on the Internet about the ethics of buying tickets in bulk. Since its first premiere, Star Wars has held a fanatical power over its audience.
Much like the rest of the United States, the people of Reno are braced for the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Star Wars merchandise, such as the 48-inch “Darth Vader Battle Buddy,” and the “Star Wars Talking Plush Chewbacca,” have invaded the shelves of just about every local department store, including Wal-Mart, Target, and even Michaels. Comic Kingdom is displaying a slew of Star Wars collectibles, mostly consisting of figurines. Every movie theater in Reno and Sparks, aside from Century Sparks, began pre-selling tickets for the new movie on October 19, nearly two months before the December 17 release of the movie.
“Star Wars is one of those universal things that even people who claim that they are not geeks, tend to like Star Wars,” Ford said.
What makes Star Wars different from any other movie franchise?
Mack Nelson, a local Reno resident and student at the University of Nevada, Reno, has been a Star Wars fan since the age of nine.
“Half of it is really terrible, and it’s still pretty popular,” Nelson said.
What sets Star Wars apart, according to Nelson, is its special effects. “Star Wars: A New Hope,” broke new ground in the arena of special effects when it came out in 1977, and revolutionized the movie industry. According to Salon.com, it’s a miracle the movie even made it to the big screen. It went over its budget and George Lucas nearly had a nervous breakdown trying to finish it.
Disney announced that they were making “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” on October 30, 2012. The announcement was surrounded with both excitement and controversy. The controversy was sparked by Disney’s decision to declare some books, which had explained the aftermath of “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” and were fan-favorites, to be non-canon, or no longer genuine.
Casey MacCheyne, a student at the University of Nevada, Reno, and a Star Wars fan since the age of six, was mostly unaffected by Disney’s decision. He was never too attached to the stories that were declared non-canon, and is excited to see what Disney has in store for Star Wars fans.
Ford, on the other hand, owns around 150 Star Wars novels belonging to the “Star Wars: Expanded Universe.”
“With all of the stories and characters and things that they had done in the ‘Expanded Universe,’ it was heartbreaking that that was now not true in a sense,” Ford said. “But I’m extremely excited to see the movie.”
