"May The Fourth Be with You?"

Let me make one thing clear, I'm only here for John.

Star Wars.

Who the hell doesn't know about Star Wars?

I mean it's only one of the world's biggest phenomena's next to the Marvel Universe and the Harry Potter collection!

People from all over the world have lined up to not only engage in the conversations that the films provide, but to also immerse themselves in the experience surrounding the franchise.

Star Wars has invited all nerds alike to participate in cosplay, gaming, live action role play, and even live action lawsuits, (hitting a man over the head with a lightsaber is some deadly shit...so I've heard), but it doesn't take away from the legacy of it all.

You see, Star Wars is a ride. These films bring about an adventure that has been experienced and passed down from generation to generation. Forty years of forty-year-old men dressing up as Chewbacca and having conversations about "The Force" is a continued tradition, and many movie goers of this film have even went as far as sharing these traditions and experiences via social media, tweeting and live streaming from their local hospital beds after passing out during the opening credits due to their uncontrollable excitement, (something about seeing those bold yellow letters travel upward on the screen seem to really get these nerds riled up...so I've heard).

So again, I ask, who the hell doesn't know about Star Wars?!

Or I guess the better question is, Who the hell hasn't seen star wars?

The answer to those questions my dear friends is me. I haven't seen nor do I know a damn thing about Star Wars.

For as long as I can remember, Star Wars and Star Trek were the same movie, and Harry Potter and friends along with his combined twenty-three books and films were the spin-offs. (Say something! They all have faraway lands and weird creatures. Don't tell me they couldn't be one in the same!).

But the real question is: Like, what's the plot?

So, I'm sure by now you're all wondering why I'm writing a story about a franchise that I'm clearly not a fan of nor do I know anything about, but in the words of my idol, Ms. Issa Rae, I was "rooting for everybody black".

So, stay with me, it'll all make sense in the beginning.

---

Two hundred and forty-three messages sat in my school email account. Two hundred and forty-three!

Scrolling through and disregarding every message that didn't contain the keywords: academic and probation in the subject line, I vigorously swiped left, deleting over fifty irrelevant emails harder than a group of problematic suitors on Tinder.

That's when it happened.

After scrolling way too fast and swiping way too hard, my finger landed and accidently opened a message sent by the school's administration that mentioned an event that was being held within the next two days right there on campus.

The event in question, a screening of the new film,

"Star Wars: The Force awakens".

Now naturally I would have done with this message the same thing I did with the fifty others before it, sent it straight to the trash with no hesitation, I mean I'm clearly no Star Wars fan, the poster alone made me cackle, but that's exactly what held my attention; the poster!

I was only minutes away from deleting this 'assemblage of nerds' signal when I spotted something, or shall I say, someone on the right side of it.

Was that a brotha?!

(A fine one at that)

There he was, battle ready and holding a blue glow stick in hand stood a black man in the right corner of a films poster that I once had absolutely no intentions of seeing, but oh how my intentions have quickly changed, (told ya'll it would all make sense in the beginning).

Completely ignoring the other characters and the fact that this film was probably the fortieth installment of this franchise, I decided to attend this screening in support of this fine brotha and clicked the link below to purchase my ticket.

After getting an email confirmation, a follow-up email that contained my ticket, and four newsletters, (gotdamnit! Can't ya'll see I'm in the mist of clearing out all of these emails?! Ya'll sending more?), I decided to take a break from my current task and focus on a more pressing matter: looking this black man up, (I mean these movies. Looking these movies up).

After going down a boring and confusing rabbit hole of Luke this, Killa Ren that, and someone's son learning about someone's father, I turned my attention back on my investigation and the real reason I'm even invested in this series, and in less than ten seconds, I got everything I needed.

His name was John Boyega. A twenty-three-year-old British actor hailing from Peckham, London whose parents moved to the U.K. from Lagos, Nigeria, and before landing a role in one of the biggest franchises to date, John also starred in films such as "Imperial Dreams" and "Attack the block". oh, and he's a Pisces *inserts heart emoji*.

Scrolling through pictures and saving pictures, I finally wrapped up my deep dive on not only John Boyega, but the "need to know" basis of the characters and plot and prepared myself for the upcoming event of seeing this movie.

Two days later...

Tonight was the night.

The screening was being held in the Kiva building, my school's student center, and to my, not surprise, the building was packed.

Hundreds upon hundreds of students were filling up every inch of the student center leaving nothing off limits. Covering everything from the floor to the balcony and even the stairs, I looked around for a slight moment and wondered where the other "I'm only here for John" fans sat. Finding not a single group that shared my intentions, I began walking around the student center, carefully stepping over legs, wands, capes, and helmets as I slowly approached the stairs on the far east side of the building. Finally finding a spot on the top of the staircase, I watched as a group of students dressed as, I assume characters of the film, unveiled their glow stick like swords and began to battle one another, while another group to my left sat in a circle and proceeded to talk about a character in the movie who I must've overlooked in my initial five second research attempt, (if I ever thought about leaving, this would've been the perfect time to do so).

I honestly couldn't tell what was worse. Between the conversations, the wand fighting, and the constant fixing of some girl's space buns, I began to question if brotha John was worth all of this. It was becoming painfully clear that I was out of my element, but before I had the chance to question my decision and get up to leave, our host grabbed her microphone and started her introduction to the film while simultaneously turning down the lights, (there's no way in hell I'm navigating this space in the dark. Maybe I can borrow someone's wand).

As the movie began to play, hundreds of students began to shout and cheer as if the characters themselves were in the building, (I almost believed they were. "Wait! Is John here?"). No more than passing the opening credits, three guys sitting on the stairs in front of me began to freak out and scream at the top of their lungs a character's name who wasn't even on the screen. Trying my absolute hardest to make it through this film, I watched as a giant fuzzy brown creature, yeti'd his tall ass across the screen and immediately had enough after hearing him converse with the other characters, (this is their friend?!), but there was John, whose name in the film was Finn and once again I was being forced to stay. I sat back down and continued to watch this movie in both awe and confusion when I realized someone in the crowd was actually dressed up as the brown, fuzzy creature on screen, (lawd have mercy).

Was it the end already?

I jolted up. Wiping the drool from the corner of my mouth, I jolted out of my sleep and took a moment to try and remember where I was. With my arm still resting on the railing of the stairs, I turned back to the screen and saw that the movie was now coming to an end, (what movie was I watching again?).

Finally reaching the end credits, I grabbed my things and prepared to leave but was once again forced to stay in this miniature Comic Con after being blocked by the student body giving the film a standing ovation, (but is the cast here?). The three guys who freaked out and screamed before the movie started were now facing each other and shouting out scenes from the movie while asking one another questions that I found more confusing than the film itself.

"Did you see that, bro?!", shouted the white boy on the stairs farthest to the left, (I'm sure he saw it "bro", we were all watching the same movie. Well, I wasn't, I was sleep).

"Hell yeah, bro", replied his friend. "That fight scene between Rey and Kylo Ren was epic!!". (Oh okay, his name was Kylo Ren not Killa Ren...oops).

My eyes grew wider and wider by the minute. What in the hell were these three white boys talking about?

The lights were still low, but it was light enough for me to finally see the exit. Battles were once again forming on the floor and conversations were getting louder and even more intense seeing as though everyone in the room wanted to discuss the events they just witnessed. As I tried again for the second time to grab my belongings, a girl standing on the opposite side of where I sat tried to include me in her and her friend's conversation by asking everyone within the vicinity about their favorite part. "The whole movie", I replied as I quickly rose from the stairs.

I shimmied through the first white boy from his group of three and hurriedly shimmed through the second before being stopped by the third who seemed to be the most excited member. He had questions, a pop quiz if you will.

"Hey!", shouted white boy number three as I tried to pass by him on the staircase, (damnit! Why won't anyone here let me leave?). "Were you surprised that Rey could wield the force?", he asked.

"The what?!", I replied, confusion written on my face.

"Did you think that Stormtrooper would turn on Supreme General Snoke?", he continued to ask, completely ignoring the fact that I didn't answer the first question.

"General Snape", I thought to myself. "Wasn't that the professor in Harry Potter?", (man I told ya'll those movies were connected!).

"I'm sorry, who was that?", I asked instead.

But the white boy clearly couldn't see past his own excitement. It was obvious I wasn't a fan. From the unanswered questions to falling asleep in the middle of the movie, I really didn't know why he didn't get the hint, but he had one more question on his mind and this question was the most sacred one of all to all Star Wars fans, (so ya'll know I failed).

Ignoring the fact that I left two of his questions unanswered and was still trying to shimmy myself towards the exit, white boy number three pulled out a green wand and flipped back his cape before asking his final question,

Are you force sensitive?

I paused. Standing completely still while feeling like everyone occupying this staircase was waiting for my answer.

"Am I force sensitive?", I thought. "What the hell does that even mean?"

My brain was rattling harder than it would if I was being asked to solve the trajectory of a flying rocket.

The white boy and his friends began surrounding me and giddy with excitement they remained patient and waited on my answer, (oh now you want to wait? You ignored my non answers before).

I thought about what to do in this moment very carefully. I could either walk away and head for the exit like my original plan, upsetting three members of the Star Wars nerd committee or lie by replying either yes or no and gamble on the possibility that they may ask another follow-up question.

"Are you force sensitive?", asked white boy number three for the second time, stepping closer towards me.

I didn't owe these nerds an explanation! Who were they to me?!

I looked at the exit one last time and faced back towards white boy number three and his friends knowing that what I was about to say would upset an entire nerd village, but I didn't care.

With my bag in hand and feet in preparation for motion, I looked around, turning towards white boy number three and his friends and responded:

"Yea, I don't know what the hell that is. I'm only here for John, but have fun with that".

I could feel the gasps from a mile away, but there was no turning back. I continued to shimmy down the stairs and wiggle my way through the crowd, ducking and dodging live action role play and moving quickly before being sucked into displaying someone's costume. I had finally made it to the exit and began powerwalking to the parking lot when I noticed a sista powerwalking as well just a few feet away from me and heading in the same direction. She was alone and clearly carrying my same distaste for the night, but as I continued to follow behind her, I couldn't help but wonder,

Was she only there for john?

©2022, Arien Simone