Etiquette for Star Wars Fans
Before you embrace the force, make sure you have a good grasp on proper Star Wars etiquette.
Richie Frieman
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Etiquette for Star Wars Fans
It’s been several hours, but I’m still trying to come down from the cinematic high I received from watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens earlier today. Without spoiling anything—and in case you’ve been absent from all forms of social media —let me just say it was AWESOME! I mean, earth-shattering, everything I dreamed of, I even forgive you for episodes 1-3 awesome!
Now, even though I’m a card carrying member of Jedi Nation (only improper people go to the Dark Side), I will say that not all of the movie-goers embraced proper Star Wars Etiquette. It seems the excitement caused by the movie, like a child going into hyper-mode while opening their holiday presents, made Star Wars fans to drop their manners at the door. So, before you grab your light saber and put your hair into a Princess Leia bun check out my top three quick and dirty tips for Proper Star Wars Viewing Etiquette.
Tip #1: Study Up, You Must
OK, so I’m a Star Wars geek. That’s right I said it, and I’ll scream it to the high heavens of every galaxy far, far away if you like. I can’t recite each movie word for word but as any proper fan, I know the history of the franchise and the background of the story. This helps when watching The Force Awakens since many key features, characters, and even catch phrases pop up in the new movie (again, not a spoiler). It’s important to understand those facts before seeing the new Star Wars, since it’s not like any other movie franchise that you can just sit down and get into. I mean, yes you’ll fall in love right away (how can you not?) but even if you haven’t watch every episode beforehand, you should at least get a refresher (be it verbally from a friend or online) before grabbing your popcorn. If you don’t, you’ll be like this annoying old man behind me who thought everyone around him was his own personal Star Wars advisor.
In the two hours of pure joy that is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I heard the following from what I’ll call the “Rudest Star Wars Viewer of All Time”:
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“Why are there so many aliens?”
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“Where does this take place?”
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“Who’s that guy?” (referring to a masked character)
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“I can’t understand that robot!” (referring to droids that don’t talk)
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“Why are those guys so mad at that girl?”
Now I can’t go into detail since a proper movie goer doesn’t reveal spoilers but let me just say this was insanely rude—for any movie for that matter. It’s not everyone’s job to fill you in on every detail that goes on during a movie, nor is it proper to sit there and bark out every question that pops into your head. Here’s a thought: maybe those answers will come during the movie and not the first ten minutes! Give it time. When watching a movie that you aren’t up to speed about, do not look to those around you as your personal guides. Sure, you can ask questions to a friend next to you very quietly, but don’t spout out every random thought that comes your brain. For starters it’s distracting and secondly, for every second we have to waste informing you, real fans may miss key details of the movie. Save your questions for afterwards or even take notes to follow up. There are thousands of Star Wars forums.
Tip #2: Dressing Up
If your costume makes it so you’re literally spilling into the seat next to you, it will ruin the experience for everyone around you.
As big of a fan as I am, I don’t dress up for Star Wars. Not that I don’t dig those that do—I just never got into that part of the movie experience. Plus, spending 8+ years as a pro wrestler, my cup for dressing up has pretty much runeth over, if you catch my drift. In fact, probably out of any other movie, dressing up for Star Wars is probably the most accepted of any other franchise. While in the theater, I counted about ten Jedis, three Han Solos, and even a couple Stormtroopers. Ugh, those nasty Stormtroopers! With all the thought and care that goes into the costumes, these zealous Star Wars fans became part of the attraction, which was both good and bad. See, as much as I enjoy people embracing the spirit of Star Wars, a movie is not a trip to Comic Con.
OK, Star Wars fans, don’t go against me on this one, simply hear me out. There are major dos and don’ts when it comes to dressing up for a movie, let alone Star Wars, that could literally take me ten Modern Manners Guy episodes. However, for the sake of time, the key item to remember is that you do not want to be a distraction. By this I mean, if your costume makes it so you’re literally spilling into the seat next to you, it will ruin the experience for everyone around you. Take one rather large Stormtrooper who must have been the son of the theater owner because he was a walking security no-no. He had a full-on authentic costume (that we all geeked out about) but took up waaaaaay too much real-estate than was necessary. People had to look around him and were sitting uncomfortably close to him since his costume went into their area. This will only upset those around you. Don’t overshadow the experience with trying to be the center of the attention. It’s fun to dress up, but when the lights go down, the only people that get a role in the movie, are those on the screen.
Tip #3: Do NOT Spoil the Movie Online
Just because a movie has so much buzz that the minute it’s released you know what happens, it does not give you freewill to ruin it for the rest of us.
I understand that everyone wants to post their Star Wars experience on social media and I for one love seeing it. However, when posting news online, don’t assume that everyone saw the movie with you. Sure, you can Google “Star Wars Spoilers” and get an array of answers to the point where you don’t even have to see the movie, but unless you’re a paid movie critic, do not take it upon yourself to give a play by play. Take Bobby for example who during another movie got complaints about ruining the plot on Facebook and told me, “Come on, everyone knows by now what happened!” Yeah, maybe the do … but that’s not the point.
When discussing a movie online it’s certainly proper to give your opinion but don’t reveal the secrets! With that, just because a movie has so much buzz that the minute it’s released you know what happens, it does not give you freewill to ruin it for the rest of us. For example you can’t post tweets or Facebook messages that point out specific scenes or “discoveries” just because you attended the first screening. You don’t get that right. Nor does it brand you a “true fan” because you’re the first one to post something. Instead try something like, “Just saw The Force Awakens and it’s by far my favorite! Message me privately for more info.” Or tweet, “#JJAbrams is a mad genius! I can’t wait for the next one #bestepisodeyet.” Bottom line, if you want to talk about your movie experience, do so with excitement and a bit of mystery. Make people want to see it, get people into the movie with your enthusiasm but never take it upon yourself to be a broadcaster.
Finally… may the force be with you. Sorry, had to say it.
As always, if you have another manners question, I look forward to hearing from you at manners@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email. Follow me on Twitter @MannersQDT, and of course, check back next week for more Modern Manners Guy tips for a more polite life.
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