March Madness Star Wars-style Returns For 2014
Because March isn’t crazy enough – Duke Blue Devil, here – Star Wars brings back This Is Madness, a character bracket challenge in the vein of the NCAA college basketball tournament. Fans are encouraged to be fully engaged, as Star Wars Fanpedia offers a chance to pick bracket winners and win goodies from Sideshow Collectibles. You’ve got until Monday, 9:00 a.m. PST to made your predictions. As there is no accounting for fandom and its fickle ways, don’t think too hard about it, folks.
Play-in brackets are already in motion, with one day left to get your favorite character into the big dance. Here at FANgirl, we’re rooting for Jedi Ahsoka and Hero Wedge. There are Imperials and Bounty Hunters in play, too. Team Hondo has made its picks, although things don’t appear favorable for the lovable Scoundrel, as his bracket is loaded with fan favorites like Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca. (Let the Wookiee win.)
2013’s bracket challenge was 1/8th, or 12.5%, female (via Club Jade). This year’s challenge is 1/6th, or 16.7%, female, which lags behind 2013’s stats on female speaking characters in movies, which was 30% according to the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University (via Variety). This statistic is a legacy problem from the Star Wars films. Here’s to hoping that 2015 starts to rectify this imbalance with an infusion of Rebels characters. Likely we won’t see a significant change until 2016, when Episode VII can truly make an impact. If nothing else, this proves that female fans really are the undiscovered country, where a significant gain in fans, and with it their money, can be made. Dunc at Club Jade and I shared our thoughts on the matter last year.
The 2013 winner, Yoda, talked smack on ESPN to mark the launch of this year’s bracket.
Tricia Barr took her understanding of brand management and marketing, mixed it with a love of genre storytelling, and added a dash of social media flare to create FANgirl Blog, where she discusses Star Wars, fandom, and strong female characters. She also writes about Star Wars for Random House’s science fiction and fantasy blog Suvudu.com and Star Wars Insider magazine and is a contributor for Her Universe’s Year of the Fangirl. Her FANgirl opinions can be heard on the podcasts Assembly of Geeks and RebelForce Radio Presents Fangirls Going Rogue.
Tricia has completed her first novel, Wynde – a military science fiction with a fantastical twist that features heroines Vespa and Gemini. For excerpts and tales of her adventures in creating a fictional universe, hop over to TriciaBarr.com.
For updates on all things FANgirl follow @FANgirlcantina on Twitter or like FANgirl Zone on Facebook. At times she tries the Tumblr.
Tricia Barr's novel, Wynde, won the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Ebook. She was also part of Silence in the Library's successful all-female creator science fiction and fantasy anthology Athena's Daughters, which is available now. For excerpts and tales of her adventures in creating a fictional universe, hop over to TriciaBarr.com.
- Ten Years of Hyperspace Theories - October 28, 2024
- Hyperspace Theories: The Heroine’s Journeys of the MCU’s Echo and What If? Series - August 29, 2024
- Hyperspace Theories: THE ACOLYTE and Star Wars Brand Management - August 7, 2024
