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Fandoms have evolved from loose gatherings of enthusiasts into vibrant communities that often resemble religious organisations. This transformation has given rise to a form of para-religious culture. In these circles, …
In Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan says: “Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.” That line meant as a retcon for a …
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 …
During last Star Wars Celebration in Japan, over 120,000 fans showed up—not for a premiere, not for a sale, but for what can only be described as a pilgrimage. We …
Beyond the five dimensions, sociologist Michael Elliott argues we should stop arguing about whether fandom is a religion and start looking at where the “sacred” shows up. He gives us …
Scholars have been studying religion for centuries. Fandom? That’s relatively new. So to understand what’s happening in communities like mine, researchers use a framework called the “five dimensions of religiosity.” …
In 2009 a colleague handed me a magazine article about the 501st Legion—a global Star Wars costuming group. I’d never made a costume in my life, but I was running …
Friends and family think I’m a Star Wars genius. Need to know something about it? Ask me. The truth is, my expertise stops at a very specific line—costume design and …
Why would a sane adult spend $5,000 and countless hours making a costume that looks like it came straight off a movie screen? The answer isn’t “because it’s fun.” It’s …
Read moreWhat Drives Us to Spend Thousands on Plastic Armour
We worry about losing data. Obsolete file formats, dead hard drives, websites that vanish—it’s a real problem. But what if the bigger danger isn’t that we’ll lose information, but that …