Devout and Expectant Delight: An Advent Reflection

I’ve been eagerly anticipating the next installment in the Star Wars film franchise since I first heard it was going to happen: the day in late 2012 when Disney announced its acquisition of Lucasfilm. I’m by no means the biggest Star Wars fan in the world, or even the biggest fan I know, but as a fantasy and sci-fi geek it would be hard not to get caught up in the hype. I was floored by the announcement because “Star Wars: Episode VII” sounded like the sort of thing that could only happen in my daydreams. Plus, I love me an epic saga, and if it has aliens and mysticism and grumpy old Harrison Ford in it, all the better. For the past three years I’ve tried to keep myself from being too spoiled, but I have kept my ears open so I would hear about casting, what the movie would be called, and other tantalizing tidbits. I went to see Big Hero 6 on Black Friday last year just so I could see the first trailer in the theater (though Big Hero 6 was an enjoyable experience in its own right). I’ve commiserated with friends about fears that it could be as bad as the prequels, I’ve bugged my wife about my theories concerning the plot and characters, and the two of us watched through all six existing films this year in order to prepare ourselves for Episode VII.