Will Brooker: I think there is a great deal of similarity between fans of different popular texts, there enthusiasm is just directed at a different point and invested in a different culture. Batman fans debate canon and continuity, just like Star Wars fans, Star Wars fans write reams of fiction about the series' characters, just as Star Wars fans do, and often develop same sex romance in their stories. Fans from all sorts of different communities, including Batman and Trek, dress up in costumes and enjoy a bond with other fans based on a shared knowledge of the specific text and its surrounding culture.

WB: Having said that, I haven't been aware of any Batman fan films, or groups of specifically female Batman communities, both of which are thriving parts of Star Wars fandom. Maybe this is because the Batman mythos is even less appealing to women than the Star Wars saga. This is not surprising since comics are a more traditionally male medium than cinema. Also, the relative unpopularity of the Batman films among fans of the Batman comics might not encourage amateur directors to make short films about the Dark Knight.

So, there are distinctions between comminutes, although the passion is much the same. One distinction is that Star Trek, Batman and Star Wars have been running for decades and series like Buffy, X-Files and Twin Peaks there is less a sense of a lifetime's investment on the part of fan communities.

WB: "This is a bone of contention between fans. There are relative degrees of canon. There are endless debates over whether the canon includes only the Original Trilogy, the five (soon to be six) films and the Ewok movies, and the Droids television series, the radio series, the "official" novels.

There are endless debates over whether this 'Expanded Universe' (EU) material is worthy of serious canonical consideration. Arguably, this material fills an important gap between Return of the Jedi and the Special Editions. The Zahn trilogy of novels did revive an interest in the saga, providing an intriguing idea of what Episodes VII-IX could look like. Personally, I think much of the EU novels are mediocre and add nothing to the Star Wars saga. I even think that this material can detract from the films. Ideas of Boba Fett's origin found in some of the books are both totally uninspired and blown out of the water by the more interesting origin in Episode II.

Having said that, the EU is of no importance to many fans and of great importance to others. As I have said, I enjoy aspects of some of the EU novels but get nothing from (for instance) the stories about Han and Leia's children or the death of Chewbacca. I tend to be a purist, however.

WB: "It damaged the series for those fans who were disillusioned, certainly. These "bashers" even traced back what they saw as the rot at the heart of SW to the Special Editions with their slapstick, overdone CGI additions. I think the result is that fans now often make a point to distinguish between the Original Trilogy and the prequels, favoring the former. For instance, the highest compliment for Attack of the Clones would be 'this is like classic Star Wars.'

However, there are also fans who defend Episode I and have no problem with the issues others raise with the movie. For these "gushers" the prequels do not mark any kind of downward slide, or even a blip. Personally, I have issues with Episode I but I think Attack of the Clones is a fantastic return to form. It is a fact of life for a Star Wars fan that there are weaker and stronger links in the saga. But, I do see them as all as a coherent Star Wars and I think the six-part narrative is going to be really powerful. The prequels should help deepen this huge family saga based on Vader's tragedy and on the terrible irony that he hunts down his own children.

WB: "I am not sure about this from a commercial standpoint. I don't know whether Lucas would have gone ahead with the prequels without the success of the Special Editions. There were designs for Episode I and some pre-production work in the mid-1990's. Nonetheless, perhaps Lucasfilm did need evidence that there was enough of a market for more Star Wars Episodes before giving the prequels the green light.

WB: As I said earlier, Star Wars is a family saga. This is a typically female genre. It is possible to read it as a drama about emotions and relationships, just one set in a distant galaxy at a time of turmoil and war. The characters are predominantly male, but there are strong, interesting female figures like Amidala and Leia and they do connect with young girls and women. I think part of the appeal is also that the female characters in the saga resist some of the stereotypes of helpless females who are defined by there sexuality. It may sound superficial, but my experience with the book was that a genuine element of Leia's popularity had to do with the fact that she was a slight, short brunette. In other words, someone they could identify with as an attractive but not particularly glamorous figure. Needless to say, part of the appeal (for heterosexual men) is the presence of good looking and charismatic actors who portray Han Solo, Obi Wan Kenobi, etc.

As for the female Boba Fett page, there seems to have been no updates since way before Episode II and I have had no response from the web mistress. This is a shame as I would like to know how she responded to the revelation that BF is indeed a male.

WB: I think this is pretty much due to Episode I. Many fans, especially older fans felt betrayed by TPM and also felt that Lucas no longer knew how to handle the mythos that meant so much to them. Star Wars was integral to their childhood memories and they didn't trust Lucas' judgment anymore. Also, many of the adult fans feel that they know the stories and characters intimately and have strong ideas about the way the story arcs and characters should evolve.

Lucas is obviously a gifted individual, but I think he has shown lapses. In my opinion, he has made a few errors of tone, dialogue, direction and casting. This sounds arrogant of course, and it may seem absurd to suggest that a fan could possibly give the creator of a saga such as SW advice or criticism about (for instance) the way a character should react or behave. However, considering the fact that fans such as me have spent 25 years as a serious Star Wars fan, I do think you have to give us some amount of credit.

Anyway, I personally feel that Lucas has to a great extent redeemed himself with AOTC. I feel like he restored the trust with regard to this saga which is so important to me. This is, in my estimation, quite an achievement since I had lost faith in his abilities with TPM. I imagine that many other fans of my generation will share my feelings. 

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(Mark Rhodes is a writer who lives near the Hamptons in New York and whose pin number is the last name of a major Star Wars character.)