The Force truly awakened back in 1977 with the premiere of Star Wars: A New Hope, and it changed the face of fandom forever for future generations of geeks.

Critics and fans alike discussed how similar The Force Awakens was to the original, 39 year-old Star Wars film, and there are disagreements regarding how such similarities have affected the franchise. Are the filmmakers simply out of ideas? Has Hollywood lost all of it’s creativity? Will future installments of the franchise follow these same guidelines?

I believe that A New Hope and The Force Awakens have done exactly what they were intended to do. Both films set up new characters for adventures beyond their beliefs, and thus have done so for separate generations of fans as well. You show me a fan whose love for entertainment and geekery was born from A New Hope, and I’ll show you someone who was never that interested in the series until the hype of The Force Awakens convinced them otherwise.

This new set of Star Wars stories has given thousands of people a chance at entering the fandom with a fresh start, and I in no universe see that has a negative thing.

There’s a reason Geek Pride Day takes place on the anniversary of such an important moment in geek history, so celebrate today by contemplating on what being a geek means to you in your life.

Let’s participate in this little thing called fandom as a community, not as competitors.