Originally posted by: Adamwankenobi
Well, what I mean is that most of this pop culture influence has come from those who grew up when the OT was released. When those people fade away, so to will SW, I'm afraid.

There's a big difference between Pop-Culture and Sub-Culture. I would argue that Star Wars fandom has become a Sub-Culture in that there is a certain language we all speak and symbology that we recognize as indelibly Star Wars. There are certain key phrases and perceptions of Stat Wars that we all tend to identify with great ease. Face it - we've developed our own system of communication over the course of close to 40 years.

Pop-Culture influence doesn't really come from those who either grow up with something or cherish something. It has to be latched onto by the mainstream in order for it to permeate into the public conciousness and become something...bigger than what it really is.

Indiana Jones and Star Wars are actually really good examples of the difference. In the 1980's up until now, I still see people wearing fedoras and leather jackets that are key signifiers of the image of Indiana Jones. That's Pop-Culture influence. In the 1980's up until now, I've yet to see someone walking down the street wearing a jet-pack or a Stormtrooper helmet. If I go to a convention where a group of like minded individuals are gathered, on the other hand, the odds of seeing someone decked out as a Jedi are pretty good. Those people are, like us, a member of a Sub-Culture - folks devoted to a certain topic or entity that is set apart from the public conciousness.

Pop-Culture tends to be fickle - it changes like the wind. Sub-Culture, however, tends to thrive and survive even under the worst possible conditions. It's when the public recognizes this Sub-Culture that things tend to crossover into the realm of Pop-Culture, like the launch of a new films for example. Then, after the dust settles, everything goes back to "normal."

Don't fear the end of Star Wars. There's still people that dress up like Dorothy and the Tin-Man for God's sake. It's all good, baby.