Originally posted by: Nanner Split
I don't have a problem with Gomer. I think he should stay. Why? Because without a dissenting viewpoint, this board gets BORING!!

There is a lot of merit to this statement. But in reality, here is a Cliff's Notes version of what happened to the fanbase - and why discussion is sometimes lacking here:

In 1997, George Lucas bifurcated Star Wars fandom using a FABULOSO stamp. And he did it using the legally correct (though based in fallacy) argument of "artist's rights".

In 1999, Lucas bastardized the Star Wars universe, playing up the superficial, irrelevant similarities to the OUT while ignoring many of the crucial, timeless storytelling elements he used masterfully twenty-two years before. There was a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and other powerful Jedi running around (with lightsabers! George remembered!!). There was the younger Emperor (the less informed, young fans wondered if he was really Darth Sidious), the younger Yoda (with Down's syndrome), and some Jedi played by Liam Neeson that Obi-Wan forgot to mention to Luke. There was also a total jackass, made completely out of CGI, who ruined the movie. The Force was no longer accessible through dedication and training - it was issued to winners of the genetic lottery, carried through mitochondria. There was a thinly disguised Death Star, a space battle (such as it was), and a visually stunning though overly coreographed lightsaber battle wherein two of the better characters die.

Still, we said, Lucas is rusty. It'll get better.

It did get better, but Lucas' continuing panderance to the slovenly slack-jawed casual fan (who watch Star Wars for all the pretty colored flashing lights) eroded our confidence that Lucas had any ability left to tell a deep, layered story.

Still, we said, Lucas has been waiting decades to show Anakin's turn. He'll get it right this time.

And from my point of view, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

During these ten years, scores of people who can't tie shoes without a detailed manual logged on to sites like thefarce.net to browbeat people like us who value timeless stories with character development. "LUCAS IS TEH SHIT, LETS C U MAK A MOVIE ASSHOLE U GOT PWXNED BICTH!!!!!!11111" was the usual devastating argument. Indeed, those of us serving the Light Side really didn't discuss as much as defend ourselves - inasmuch as we even decided to stick around. How many OUT fans even bothered to stay in the SW internet community because of this wretched element ushered in by the SE? Not many, I would guess.

Meanwhile, one such person, Jay Sylvester, decided to create a safe haven (not a Sanctuary) for people with a sense of taste. And they came. Relieved that they found a nice place to come to, the discussions weren't so heated and frequent - we were just happy to find each other. Sure, for some, the absence of discussion made the site tame, but can you blame us? We're tired of fighting. Chances are all the OUT fans have a different of interpretation of this scene in Star Wars or that scene in Jedi, but it's not worth the trouble. We've put in those hours of aggravation at thefarce.net, and now it's time to relax.

But like legions of stormtroopers (only a lot stupider), the mouth-breathing yokels show up here from time to time and push our buttons. Because they are fucking assholes. They're not content to shout us down in friendly territory - they have to come piss in our yard too.

So to sum up, Nanner Split, I really understand where you are coming from. And when I feel like really discussing things, I go back into the heart of the Death Star (thefarce.net) and battle the Dark Side head on. But this place is our Yavin. And on Yavin, if things are boring, that can only be good.