There’s nothing quite like bonding over a movie franchise. To rave about twists, gush about characters and geek out about the specifics of every detail—it’s a common experience that we all cherish—especially in the Star Wars community. That’s why we held a special movie night on official Star Wars day, May 4th, to watch A New Hope together. Little did we know how electric that night would be.
The evening started at 6:00 p.m. to the smell of freshly popped popcorn and the sound of party music from the official Star Wars soundtrack. It was immediately obvious to the more than 20 Star Wars fans in attendance that they had found a safe haven in a galaxy not so far away. They showed up in their Star Wars t-shirts, wielding lightsabers and ready to rave about their love of the franchise.
When the movie started, everyone was focused on the show and the force could be felt surging through the atmosphere. One participant even showed his expert-level knowledge of the fight scenes by sounding off his lightsaber’s classic sizzling crack at every plasma-fueled clash between blades on the screen. Another participant, who had never attended an AO program before, felt safe enough to stand and physically stim during the space drama without fear of judgment from the crowd, highlighting the beauty of true acceptance. The room roared with laughter during funny scenes and the only concern on the planet was if the popcorn stopped popping.
The energy died down as the credits rolled at around 8:45 p.m. and participants were quick to ask when they would be back to watch The Empire Strikes Back. As we cleaned the popcorn machine and turned out the lights for the night, it was clear to us that bonding over beloved franchises is a wonderful shared experience, but connecting with new friends over a shared experience is priceless.
