The League: Exes and Whys

Neil Sedaka told us that breakin' up is hard to do and that guy did not lie. It's never easy to let go of the people we once loved. Or the things. Especially the things. Turning your back on them after all those days, months and years spent devoted to absorbing every aspect of a television show or book series or toy-line. The warm, fuzzy feelings that became bitter over time. Who knows why that love turned to hate?

WHY? 

That was the question posed in this week's topic for The League of Extraordinary Bloggers and, really, could I have picked a more vague topic as my first to tackle? No, wait, don't answer that. We only care about why.

Why did I fall out of love with the things that used to mean the world to me? Let's find out.

My first serious pop culture relationship shouldn't be too surprising, because it seems like just about every geek around falls in love with Star Wars at a point in their life. Some of my earliest memories are of watching the original Trilogy and while I enjoyed them, I hadn't yet developed strong feelings. It wasn't until 1997, when The Special Editions were released in theaters, that I discovered how much the films meant to me. Except it wasn't just the movies that I loved, but the entire idea of the Star Wars. I read the Expanded Universe novels and comics. I played the TIE Fighter PC game way too much. Hell, I paid twelve-dollars for a Momaw Nadon action figure at a comic convention.

I knew who Momaw Nadon is.

Clearly, I was a boy obsessed.

So, why is it that I never even finished watching The Prequel Trilogy? It's been over a decade since I read any Star Wars novels or purchased a Power of the Force action figure. There was only a brief moment of excitement, a spark that flickered and quickly died, when I heard Disney had announced a new trilogy a short while back. So, what happened that soured my relationship with a Galaxy Far, Far Away? Why did that love fade?

The argument could be made that maybe I just grew up; that the new Star Wars films didn't appeal to me because they were being marketed at a younger demographic. It certainly sounds valid, until you realize that I fully embraced Pokemon at the tender age of seventeen. And here we are, over a decade after that, and I still have no problem watching cartoons and eating sugar-coated cereals. Growing up is something that I struggle with to this day, so it wasn't that.

It was the lack of heart.

I wanted so very badly to enjoy Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. I saw it in the theaters four times, twice on opening day, in a desperate attempt to keep that love for Star Wars strong. Unfortunately, it was beginning to wane thanks to stunted dialogue and an over-reliance on CGI, bad caricatures and talented actors who just seemed to be phoning in their performances. The colorful characters and locations of the original films, the ones I wanted to know more about, had been replaced by cartoons that seemed hollow and ridiculous. The disappointment felt like betrayal. It was a pretty bad break-up.

So, that's why for me, but let's see what else is going on with The League and their WHY--

Traveling_Pics resorts to "Toilet Humor".

Calvin's Canadian Cave of Coolness likes to look at Selena Gomez and, honestly, who can blame 'em?

Infinite Hollywood argues for toys based on The War of the Gargantuas and, honestly, who can blame 'em? [I seriously LOVE that movie.]

The 30-ish Year Old Boy and I probably don't agree when it comes to Jar-Jar Binks and that's okay.