When I was a child dreaming of a galaxy far far away, I would have never imagined that in the future I would still be living and breathing Star Wars. I wish I could go back and tell this kid that one day you’d watch the sun rise over the Falcon in person with one of your closest friends. That Star Wars would help him get through some of the toughest times. That Star Wars would guide him to friendships that would be with him forever. That Star Wars would lead him to the love of his life. That Star Wars would make his life so much better than he could have ever hoped.
Star Wars has been with me from the very beginning of my life. My father was a huge fan as a child as well, so luckily he had me young so my grandparents still had all of the toys he grew up with. My father has never had time for hobbies, his only one being sports which I have no interest in. So Star Wars was always the one thing we had until adulthood where you begin to see your parents for who they are rather than in your head. My father is more of a Galen than a Vader to me as an adult. Our relationship has changed dramatically to something where I now call him for advice and guidance. I just wish he would finally watch season 2 of Mandolorian
My relationship with Star Wars has been a constant in my life. It’s only now as an adult, on the verge of the next chapter of life that I have started to reflect on why.
I don’t think Star Wars has such an important part because of the Force, the Jedi, or even the scum and villainy. I think it’s so important to me because of the relationships that have been started because of it and have been made stronger through it. As the one with my father, Star Wars has been something that has connected me with so many important people in my life.
Star Wars isn’t about a lone person going against the odds alone. Each of the trilogies has their “chosen one” but they would be absolutely nothing without their friends. Success in Star Wars comes from a group of people uniting against unstoppable odds. Success comes from fully giving yourself to taking chances in hopes that it makes something in the universe better for others. Luke doesn’t destroy the Death Star without Han. Rey doesn’t defeat Palpatine without all of the Jedi behind her. Jyn Erso doesn’t get the plans to the Death Star off Scarif without everyones sacrifice to spark the flame that freed the galaxy from the Empire. And none of any of this happens without every single person at GateCrashers just wanting to share their passions in the hopes it makes someone else’s lives better.
When GateCrashers started, it was Jake, Mike, and I. Jake and I are blood but Star Wars has always been there for us. I remember the piles of figures we had growing up and how much we would play Star Wars games. Mike and I’s friendship started because he saw my goofy ass playing with a lightsaber in my yard. Now we have made our own Star Wars story with Wild Space. When Scarlett graduated college, we went to Disney World. It was around the 4th ride of Star Tours and her just constantly repeating that she wanted to see Gunga when I realized that I wanted to be with this person forever. Star Wars has made these bonds life long.
Now all of this is so much bigger. GateCrashers is so much bigger than I could have ever imagined. Every day I am amazed at the talents spotlighted on this website. Through their passion, people are connected to things that could bring them as much joy as the voice that spoke about them.
Now, sure Star Wars may be pretty accessible because of the Mouse and the sheer amount of content. But for so many, it’s not approachable because of the toxicity of so many of the fans. It’s been gatekept hard by white dudes who think it belongs to them and them alone. That’s why Star Wars was episode 100. Sure, we wanted to do it because as you can tell, we love it. But we wanted to show that anyone can talk about Star Wars. We put our hearts into everything we do even if it seems silly. We want to put our hearts on our sleeves so maybe we inspire someone to do something they wouldn’t before. We have your back. Anyone should be able to share their feelings on it. Everyone should be free to build relationships that include the galaxy far far away.
I was supposed to write a piece about the Clones and the humanity they possess which I may still get to. But instead I wrote this, a letter to you. A letter to tell you that sometimes I cry when I hear John Williams scores. A letter to say thank you for reading. A letter to say thank you for supporting my friends, their passions, and letting us take up some of your time.
Having something like GateCrashers in my life has made my life worth living even when my brain tells me otherwise. I cannot write a thank you to each of our members personally because there are a lot. I do want to take a second to thank Ethan for putting in so much time and effort for the site, for editing so many articles, and helping people find their voice to talk about all of this. Ethan has been a constant source of friendship and joy that came to us through twitter but I do not know what my life would be like without him at this point. I have thanked Mike on multiple occasions for all the work he did for the episodes but again, go listen because WOW. Thank you to Ashley for putting together the Originals this month and showcasing some fantastic art. Thank you to our wonderful Wild Space cast, especially happy to rope in Dan Avola and Nolan Hennelly into the GateCrashers.
Thank you to every single person who has contributed.
I try to make it clear that this platform is as much mine as it is theirs. I will always support passion and do everything I can to nurture it. If you need a gate crashed through, give us a call. Don’t forget that rebellions are build on hope.
May the Force be with you, always.
Daniel McMahon
