Star Warsfans may have noticed thatRevanbegan trending on Twitter recently. Revan, sometimes known as Darth Revan, has been a fan-favorite character within the franchise for a long time. Especially for those who played theKnights of the Old Republicvideo games. But the reason the character began trending recently had to do with some gatekeeping within the fandom, which many did not take kindly to.
This all seemingly started with a post from someone who has not been identified. A screenshot of the post was shared by a Twitter user, posting under the name Wesley. The post expresses distaste for the Disney era ofStar Wars. Specifically, for the new era of fans who don’t know who Revan is. The post reads as follows.
“One of the worst things aboutDisneyacquiring SW is that now people that never cared about SW are now like ‘OMG! SW is, like, the bestest evar! I’m totally a fan, I’ve been one, since, like, 2015. Reylo forever! Baby Yoda is so cute! Wait, what’s a Revan?”
For those who may not be familiar, Revan was the main character in the originalKnights of the Old Republic. The game takes place thousands of years before the events of the original trilogy. Revan is a Jedi who was corrupted by the Dark Side. Hence, Darth Revan, depending on what point in the character’s timeline we’re talking about. However, even thoughThe Last Jedimay have hinted at his existence in the official canon, Revan has not been brought to life by Lucasfilm under the Disney regime.
The notion that someone not knowing who a certain character is makes them any less of aStar Warsfan, in turn, stirred up quite a bit of conversation. Actor Rahul Kohli, known for his work inThe Haunting of Bly ManorandiZombie, had a particularly impassioned response to the whole thing. Here’s what he had to say.
“Knowing who Revan is doesn’t make you a true Star Wars fan… congrats, you playedKOTORand read some books. A true Star Wars fan loves what they love, ignores what they don’t and is always welcoming to a new generation of fans. I’ve been a Star Wars fanatic since I was a kid. I became an actor because of it. I spent my early 20’s in a shed building model kits. My parents couldn’t give two fs about any of it… until Mandalorian. After 20 years I’m having FaceTime calls with my mum about Boba Fett. Disney gave me that. And now my parents are interested in watching the OT. F gatekeeping.”
Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012. Since then, thanks to movies likeThe Force AwakensandRogue One, as well asThe Mandalorian, a new generation of fans has entered the fold. But they may not be as familiar with these Legends tales. The major consensus on Twitter seemed to be that there is no room for gatekeeping in fandom.Guardians of the Galaxydirector James Gunn used the situation as an excuse to declare his love forKnights of the Old Republic.
“I see KOTOR is trending, which it should, as it’s still the greatest video game of all time. It is my favorite Star Wars thing out of all Star Wars games, movies, TV shows, toys, and comics.”
Rumors have persisted about aKnights of the Old Republicproject at Lucasfilm, though nothing has been firmed up. It is also rumored that a remake/remaster of the original games is being developed as well. You can check out some of the collected reactions fromTwitterbelow.
