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Fandom 250: Star Wars fans ranked 2nd in movies list

By Monita Mohan

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The annual Fandom 250 rankings have been announced and Star Wars, the film and television franchise, ranked in the top 20 overall.

The fans have spoken and the Fandom 250 results are in. Among the many pop culture fan bases, Star Wars was ranked #2 in the movie listings, beaten out only by Black Panther. Overall, the fanbase propelled the franchise to 19th in the rankings.

When the Fandom 250 list was announced and I saw where the Star Wars fanbase was placed, my first thought was, ‘so which film ranked #1?’.

Despite Black Panther being less than a year old, it is no surprise that a film celebrating diversity has cultivated an even larger following than the sci-fi classic. We fans shouldn’t even complain. Honestly, if Luke Skywalker was real, he would be celebrating this ranking with us.

Along with the eight main franchise films (with Episode XI scheduled to release in December 2019), two anthology entries, multiple games, books, and comic books, as well as a handful of popular animated television shows, Star Wars has been a success across multiple media platforms.

So much so that Disney and Lucasfilm have already planned two new spin-off series for the Disney+ platform. The Mandalorian is set to star Pedro Pascal as a bounty hunter, while Diego Luna will reprise his role as Rebel spy Cassian Andor in a separate show.

As someone whose life was changed forever after watching Star Wars for the first time, it comes as no surprise to me that fans of the galaxy far, far away still rank so high.

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The first film garnered little critical enthusiasm in 1977, and it was the fans’ penchant for dressing up as the characters that lifted the film from obscurity. Over four decades later, it’s still the fans that keep the franchise relevant.

Any pop culture convention one attends is filled to the brim with Star Wars cosplayers – and they’re not just slave-Leias either – not to mention the 501st and Rebel Legions giving attendees a feel of the galaxy while also helping the community. Recently, an outpouring of support led to the revival of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which will return for a new season on Disney+ next year.

Off late, Star Wars has taken a strong stance on diversity which is what has allowed the franchise to endure for so long.

While the original trilogy boasted a female heroine in Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa and a black hero in Billy Dee Williams’ lovable scoundrel Lando Calrissian, newer fans have a plethora of diverse characters to identify with, including Daisy Ridley’s Rey, John Boyega’s Finn, Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron, Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico, the entire Rogue One squad, as well as Kazuda Xiono, voiced by Japanese-American actor Christopher Sean in Star Wars Resistance.

STAR WARS RESISTANCE – “The Triple Dark” – Kaz and BB-8 uncover information on an imminent pirate attack and must find a way to stop it. This episode of “Star Wars Resistance” airs Sunday, October 14 (10:00 – 10:30 P.M EDT) on Disney Channel. (Lucasfilm)

KAZ, BB-8

The fandom has had its ups and downs especially with some so-called ‘fans’ driving Kelly Marie Tran off social media – but you can’t call yourself a true fan of George Lucas’ franchise if you can’t accept that Star Wars has always been a reflection of the dynamics of the real-world and its political climate.

Even the light-hearted and fun Star Wars Resistance, which debuted in 2018, has dealt with the ramifications of political machinations in its first season.

By spreading the universe over multiple media – especially the kid-friendly Disney animated shows like Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance and the YouTube series, Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures – has definitely fuelled a greater love for the franchise and kept the universe top-of-mind during the months-long wait between films. I think we can readily admit that there are probably more adults enjoying these shows than actual kids.

dark. Next. 5 Star Wars shows we want to see next on Disney+

With more original short-format Star Wars content being announced, our favorite science-fiction universe is closer than ever. We fans are asking for more, and it’s up to Disney to provide it. This fanbase isn’t going anywhere, so let’s hope there are more shows in the offing.

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