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Does every one of these posts open with an apology these days? Perhaps it’s because we’re still adjusting to a new physical set-up in addition to a different microphone. I’m so used to the audio coming in comparatively quietly that I leaned in a lot during our recording, which led to an immense amount of my obnoxiously loud Italian voice peaking. So if you spend a good chunk of this episode flinching and pitying your poor ears, it’s completely my fault.

Still, this was one of the most enjoyable recordings we’ve had in a long time, and I’d go so far as to say it’s probably the best episode we’ve put together in a while. It’s long, for certain, but I think it’s got some quality discussion. That Steve is a prequel apologist and still loves the Star Wars franchise more than I do made him a great foil to me. I hope you guys enjoy listening as much as we did recording.

I did want to address one thing towards the end. There’s a moment where I sound like I’m mocking the sort of people that break down into tears at Comic-Con panels while wearing Jedi robes because a trailer for a film that’s not even out yet sucker punched them in the feels. Well, to be frank, I pretty much was mocking them. However, I don’t want to dismiss the fact that any sort of popular media can mean something to someone and move them so much as to bring them to tears. I’d be a right hypocrite since a trip to a Distant Worlds concert had that very impact on me.

There’s always a line to be drawn, however, and something about modern fandom feels like a subconscious contest to prove the depths of your passion. It’s not unlike the fevered Cult of Personality of North Korea, a brief glimpse visible in the South Korean film Steel Rain (which I highly recommend watching). It’s a fusion of mob mentality and peer pressure to behave a certain way as evidence you belong.

Perhaps I’m an old man yelling at clouds, but to me, fandom is not, nor should it be, an identity.

Regardless, I look forward to discussing Attack of the Clones, even if I’m not entirely sure I’m looking forward to the film itself.

Have you gone back to rewatch The Phantom Menace recently? What are your memories of the pre-release hype? Got any rewrites of your own you’ve come up with? Please leave a comment below or send us an e-mail with what you’ve been playing.

Opening theme music by my buddy Brandon, a.k.a. Fallen Prophecy.