How “The Last Jedi” Symbolizes the Growing Appeal of Nerd Culture

I loved “The Last Jedi”. Director Rian Johnson’s entry into the primary “Star Wars” canon I felt re-invigorated the new series of films, presenting new opportunities and concepts rather than allowing the film to fall into nostalgic repetition. I particularly enjoyed how the film took the series back to its Western-inspired roots, whether it be Luke’s transformation into a hardened and cynical former “gunslinger” or those gorgeous Kurosawa-inspired shots that seemed straight out of “Yojimbo”.

But while many who would identify themselves as “nerds”, such as myself, were invigorated by the new directions the franchise was taking, some were furious. They insisted the film had ruined “Star Wars”. Rian Johnson’s name became as corrosive to the tongue of some nerds as that of Jar Jar Binks, and many who championed the film were baffled by this response. It was even more baffling to me because “The Last Jedi” was one of the first “Star Wars” films I remember many non-fans of the series legitimately enjoying.

Now there are, as there are with most opinions, an assortment of reasons on why some people did not approve of the film. Too much nostalgia, too little nostalgia, rejecting the direction they took characters they have adored for decades, and some simply didn’t enjoy the film for what it was. But for me, one of the most controversial scenes in the film also brilliantly illustrates the flaws in one of the biggest critiques against it.

Near the conclusion of “The Last Jedi”, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), son of Han Solo-turned-evil and heir apparent to Darth Vader’s reign of terror, confront our hero Rey (Daisy Ridley), an aspiring Jedi. Since Rey’s introduction in the first film of this new trilogy, “The Force Awakens”, questions of her parentage has been bountiful, as previously the Jedi in “Star Wars” was given a rather blue blood status, as genetics and lineage ultimately determined if you would be of that ilk. But Kylo Ren informs Rey she is in fact not of some esteemed bloodline; her parents were common folk, mundane and unexceptional. While Rey is dejected by this revelation, she nevertheless is able to garner control of the Force in the conclusion to save her friends, suggesting even the daughter of peasants has the potential to rise to the status of Jedi. This concept is further driven home by the closing shot of the film: a young boy uses the Force to grab a broom, then holds it as if it were a lightsaber.

I can’t think of a single scene in film that better articulates the shifting nature of nerd culture.

So, full disclosure: I’ve been a nerd my entire life. I still remember my parents letting my stay up to watch television when I was 8 years old, and “The Empire Strikes Back” was on basic cable. It was the first time I’d ever seen or even heard of “Star Wars”. I watched it and the entire time I was mesmerized. All I wanted to do was immediately share the wonders of what I had witnessed.

However, as I progressed through school, adoring “Star Wars”, comic books, Dungeons and Dragons, and countless other staples of nerd culture, I discovered several people did not share my enthusiasm for these things. In fact some viewed them with outright contempt. Jocks. The “cool” kids. Intellectuals who viewed all of it as low brow attempts at art. I felt ostracized for my passions. I established friendships with people who felt the same level of rejection for identical interests. I began to feel a part of a community I felt accepted me, and I loved everyone in that community dearly.

And then a strange societal shift happened: nerd culture became mainstream. It was “cool” to praise the very things I used to be ostracized for. “The Big Bang Theory” became the most popular sitcom on television. Football quarterbacks and basketball players, the “jocks”, began wearing Iron Man and Captain America apparel in interviews. President Obama appeared in a Spider-man comic. Being invested in nerd interests was no longer reserved for social outcasts; it was something anyone could now appreciate and enjoy. And at first, I was FURIOUS.

How dare the general public believe that they have the right to the things that I love, when they looked upon me with scorn for so many years for the same thing! The audacity to think you can be a part of a community I’ve been a part of for a lifetime! They didn’t deserve to embrace those things without the same level of contempt directed at them. While I didn’t always voice it, I felt viciously offended that these people who looked down upon me now felt they had a place in the audience at a screening of “Avengers: Infinity War” with the same level of anticipation I was having.

But then I began to realize precisely what I was doing: I was engaging in the very same behavior that antagonized me during my early years as a nerd. I was dismissing an entire group as less than based on their field of interest. And as if to make it even more absurd, WE HAD THE SAME INTERESTS. Rather than celebrate the fact that the rest of society finally saw what made Star Wars, comic books, manga, fantasy, and so many other things so much fun, I resented that it had mass appeal. I was terrified it would mean the bonds I had made through these things, and the fond memories it provided for me would no longer be “special”.

The scene between Kylo Ren and Rey brilliantly reflects this issue in current nerd culture. The possibility of becoming a Jedi is no longer reserved for a select few. Anyone now has the potential to attain that designation. I believe many fans are resistant to this idea because of the memories they have of the Skywalker Saga when only a select few were worthy enough to be a part of the Jedi order. But just as the world has changed and embraced a culture that once had a cult following, “Star Wars” is evolving with it.

We can still enjoy and remember fondly the days when the royal family that is the Skywalkers reigned over the saga while still enjoying the new ideas and concepts this more democratic approach on the Jedi collective presents. Rather than being an interest that separates the masses it has transformed into one that brings a sense of unity. That is why I love that final shot with the child holding the broom as it it were a lightsaber: it has the potential to represent every one of us.

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