Is There A Star Wars Gene?

STAR WARS GENE THEORY

If Yoda was here, he might say, “Missing the Star Wars gene, some are.” If a study was conducted I would happily volunteer my family because there is no doubt that I am the only member who carries the SWRS-1* genetic anomaly. How do I know this without the benefit of a scientific assessment tool?

I have something better than lab tests: an irrefutable, unscripted family demonstration, in public.

After Princess Leia uttered those immortal words, “Into the garbage chute, flyboy!”, I glanced excitedly at my family in the seats to my right, intending to share a look of enthusiasm. Each of them was quiet, their heads lolling forward. Their mouths hung open, as two drooled slightly.

They were asleep.

No doubt they were lulled by the soft soundtrack or the ambience of a quietly upscale Mos Eisley café. Perhaps the melodic hum of a finely-tuned spacecraft as it rose with a sense of leisure into the atmosphere, the unexpected silence of crowded space, and the Zen-like calm acceptance of the main characters as trash compactor walls closed in on them also seemed conducive to sleep.

I turned back to the screen and suppressed my embarrassment, but just as I feared, when the credits rolled I had to wake my family from their slumber. That was the day I began talking incessantly about Star Wars. It was also the day that my family realized there was something inherently “different” about me.

Through the years, they have wondered out loud “where [I] came from” and year-after-year ignored my simple response to their gift queries: “Anything that has a Star Wars logo on it.”

Now, thirty-eight years later, things are beginning to change.

The printed message on a Hallmark birthday card from a family member read, in part:

“Cool has no age limit…
You’ve been cool for a long time.
(That’s a compliment, you know!)”

Then at Christmas, I tore a corner of wrapping paper from a box and finally saw that familiar logo. I squealed, “ARTOO!!!” and hugged my coveted R2-D2 measuring cups-and-spoons set.

My siblings stared at me with familiar disbelief but I didn’t care. The genetic divide may never be crossed and it took a long time for them to reconcile my “difference”, but they were starting to accept the person I have always been. It seems a trivial matter that it took so long for them to change their minds. The Force is not the only thing that is awakening this year.

 

* SWRS-1 is a fictional name for a fictional human gene, so-labelled for entertainment purposes only.

---

A long time ago, very close to home… Star Wars freed Mary’s imagination and planted her feet firmly on the fangirl path. Since then, her geek passions have expanded to include The Hunger Games, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and Steampunk culture. A contributor to FANgirlblog from its inception, she encourages and supports its pro-female mandates and also hopes to raise the profile of “experienced” fans that are now clearly outnumbered by younglings.

You can contact Mary via email: mary@fangirlblog.com or find her on Twitter: @StellarArtisan