Ever since Star Wars landed in theaters in 1977, it has earned millions of fans around the world and spawned sequels, prequels, novels, comic books, video games, and TV shows, offering audiences countless stories to connect with. The sprawling nature of the franchise and its mythology, in addition to its continued dominance of pop culture, means that fans have found a variety of entry points over the decades, based on the type of content they liked to consume and the characters they connected with most strongly. The downside of the fandom’s passion is there is a tendency to gatekeep that community, with some so-called fans attempting to dismiss those in the community who connect with other corners of the galaxy far, far away.
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In a recent interaction on Twitter, one fan attempted to invalidate the passion of another by noting that if you think Baby Yoda is cute and have only loved the series since the debut of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, yet might not be familiar with the character Darth Revan from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, you somehow aren’t a “real” fan. In highlighting the toxicity of this opinion, many fans were quick to point out that an awareness of Revan (who debuted in the franchise more than 25 years after the series launched) didn’t make anyone more of a fan than anyone else, as other fans were happy to merely celebrate the complex figure that left a major impact on them.
Whatever attempt some fans were making to gatekeep the Star Wars fandom, the result was largely a celebration of the community and the merits of the character. Scroll down to see what fans are saying about Revan.
Doesn’t Matter
I promise you you don’t have to know a twenty year old video game character to be a Star Wars fan, no matter how great she is. pic.twitter.com/UXzMeASi2e
โ Wesley (@SskeerMadness) April 13, 2021
True Fan
Iโve been a Star Wars fanatic since I was a kid. I became an actor because of it. I spent my early 20โs in a shed building model kits. My parents couldnโt give two fucks about any of it… until Mandalorian. After 20 years Iโm having FaceTime calls with my mum about Boba Fett.
โ Rahul Kohli (@RahulKohli13) April 14, 2021
Revan Is Us
This great joke raises an interesting question though. Would Revan have as much of a devoted fan base and impact on Star Wars fandom it he/she wasn’t the player character? Revan is great because he/she’s us. https://t.co/JL25EoS9G4
โ Matt Martin (@missingwords) April 14, 2021
Get Familiar
You donโt have to know who Darth Revan is to be a Star Wars fan. Heโs in old games, theyโre not canon anymore, I get it. But you may want to get familiar, because heโs one of the most interesting characters there are & very may well be the next Vader and who saves this franchise pic.twitter.com/gQLIE7QX4z
โ Knuckle Head (@Knuckle_HeadTV) April 14, 2021
Moron
If youโre gatekeeping Star Wars because people donโt know about a character, story, or piece of lore you obsess over, youโre a moron. #Revan pic.twitter.com/V3malHBSxN
โ Nick Melefsky (@nickmelefsky) April 14, 2021
Weaponizing Knowledge
The thing is, if you really just loved Star Wars, youโd answer โWhoโs Revan?โ with something like โThis really cool character from SW history…โ etc
โ Rich Douek (@rdouek) April 14, 2021
What you REALLY love is wielding your ur-geek Star Wars knowledge like a club. And thatโs just a generally shitty way to be.
Revan Doesn’t Know
Plus, gatekeeping over not knowing who Revan is seems pretty ironic, considering that for much of the time, *Revan* doesn’t know who Revan is. https://t.co/7LVsixpTl8
โ Jo Berry (@Joanna_Berry) April 14, 2021
Reeves for Revan
If they ever did a KOTOR movie. I hope Keanu Reeves is Revan! pic.twitter.com/kB9bhJ4QtE
โ YokeDatOneBloke (@YokeDatOneBloke) April 14, 2021
Reebo or Revan?
To clear it up for those not in the know, I think this is Revan pic.twitter.com/EsjrsMz7Lz
โ The Negotiator (Omar) (@thenegotiator95) April 13, 2021
All Star Wars Love Is Valid
As someone whoโs been a massive fan of Revan (duh) for a decade and Star Wars for my whole life, I can confirm this is total bs
โ Revan1207 | The RVN1207 Page (@thervn1207page) April 13, 2021
I donโt care if you became a fan decades ago or two weeks ago, whether you know every EU story or nothing about it. All fansโ love for SW is valid. https://t.co/O192ie0wrB