To say I am a fan of Star Wars is, well, a massive understatement. I’ve seen the films more times than I can count, have shelves dedicated to the , and in the past five years alone, I’ve cosplayed as , , and . It’s a dedication to fandom that’s been passed down from my mom, who can still vividly recall the day her elder brother took her to see the first film in the franchise, 1977’s Star Wars (now better known as Episode IV: A New Hope), a viewing that completely changed her understanding of sci-fi and cinema forever. It was, simply put, unlike anything she had ever seen before. When the prequel trilogy arrived in the late 90s, it was only fitting that her children became absorbed in the same galaxy that had entranced her decades early. It’s a turn of fate that feels especially poignant considering the saga’s deep considerations of family and legacy, the way our parents leave an indelible impact on our lives and futures.
Star Wars has been a constant for generations of fans—those who waited in line eagerly to hear the big reveal of The Empire Strikes Back raised children who were glued to the screen as Anakin began his descent into darkness, who may have since had children of their own become enamored with the battle between the Resistance and the First Order. But whether you’ve had your obsession stoked by family or found your own way into the universe, ahem, , you’ve likely felt that sense of kinship and community—among friends, fellow moviegoers, even complete strangers—forged by a shared adoration for the Skywalker Saga and all the films, television series, comics, books, video games, and more () that have followed.
There’s a universality to the Star Wars franchise, a world so sprawling and developed that no matter who you are, you’re bound to find something—an adventure, a moment, a character—that deeply resonates with you. And if you were to ask any fan, they’d likely be able to recount a memory directly tied to the series—maybe it was the first movie they ever saw in a theater or perhaps the films offered escape during a difficult time, companionship and a thread of hope during a particularly dark moment. To put it simply, the best stories endure, connecting, inspiring, and uniting us along the way, and it is not remotely hyperbolic to say that my life, and the lives of so many others, has been enriched and forever changed by that galaxy far, far away.
Needless to say, my fiancé (who is just as obsessed with the franchise as I am, and remains the only adversary who can best me in Star Wars Trivial Pursuit) and I were happier than Ewoks in a treetop when we found ourselves in a living, breathing part of the Star Wars universe just last summer. Both Anaheim’s Disneyland and its Floridian counterpart, Disney World, house a section called Galaxy’s Edge: an immersive world set on the planet Batuu, themed to fit narratively between and Within its realm, visitors will cross paths with Kylo Ren and First Order stormtroopers as well as Resistance fighters like Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron. And from the moment our trek took us from the bright, bouncy sounds of Critter Country (home to favorites like Splash Mountain) to the familiar, swelling notes of an unmistakably John Williams's score, I had one prevailing thought: "Chewie, we're home."
