Dogma is a set of principles laid down by an authority, not up for reinterpretation. In Star Wars, that authority used to be George Lucas. Now it’s Disney. And the canon has become an even bigger battleground.When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2014, they wiped out most of the old “Expanded Universe” (now called Legends) and started fresh. Some fans accepted it. Others declared it heresy., others yet only recognise the Original Trilogy as canon. Anything after that is “not real Star Wars.”
Sound familiar? It should. Religious fundamentalism works the same way: strict conformity to sacred texts, rejection of outside influence, a literal interpretation of what’s “right.” And just like religious fundamentalists, these fans see the world in black and white original vs. ruined.
Professor Stuart Sim outlines five traits of fundamentalism. Let’s see how they map onto fandom:
- Rules must be passed down unchanged. Many fans insist the “true” Star Wars is the one they grew up with, no additions, no changes.
- No room for pluralism. If you like the sequels or the new shows, you’re “not a real fan.”
- Denial of history. Some fans reject that Lucas himself changed the original films multiple times. They want a nostalgic version that may never actually existed.
- Nostalgia for a utopian past. The “good old days” of 1977—ignoring that the prequels were hated too, until a new generation grew up with them.
- Male dominance. A loud subsection of fans attacks Kathleen Kennedy (Lucasfilm’s CEO) for a “feminist agenda,” while ignoring that Princess Leia was also a strong female character—just balanced by male leads.
The recent show The Acolyte (2024) sparked all of this again. Fans argued over canon, over Jedi “purity,” over whether new content “ruined” the franchise. The language used? Intense. Sometimes violent. And always binary: you’re either with us or against us. This isn’t just fandom. It’s fandamentalism.
This post is adapted from my doctorate research on the intersection of religiosity and fandom.