A little off topic, but can somebody please explain to me the difference between a hardcore and casual Star Wars fan?
The only real distinction is that a “hardcore” fan thinks the fact that they saw a silly space movie in 1977 makes them superior to someone who didn’t see it until 1997 or 2007 or – heaven forbid! – 2017.
If you like Star Wars, that makes you a fan. Anyone who tries to perpetuate some sort of hardcore/casual dichotomy is just acting on their insecurity in the silliest way imaginable.
While I don’t disagree with anything you just said, I would argue that a “hardcore” Star Wars fan could point out to you a number of key differences between the 1977 version, the 1981 version, the 1985 Audio mix, the 1993 THX masters, the 1997 Special Edition, the 2004 DVD and the 2011 Bluray. While a Casual (or new) fan probably wouldn’t know about these differences (or care).