How to prepare Yourself for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

I’m typing this while wearing my Millennium Falcon t-shirt because with the release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, there isn’t a more exciting time to be an old nerd like me. Perhaps more than any other single franchise, it was Star Wars that gave rise to nerd culture.

So hundreds of millions of people are looking forward to the movie, but what if you are so overwhelmed that you don’t know where to begin to prepare yourself for the new movie, completely without spoilers. Here are some quick places to start:

[divider]How to prepare Yourself for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens[/divider]

1. Have a Star Wars movie marathon. Sure, you’ve seen them dozens of times, but it’s good to have them fresh in mind as you go int the new movie.

   Just remember to skip Phantom Menace. Trust me on this. The overall story is improved if that movie doesn’t exist. (Here’s more on why.)

   In case you didn’t know, The Force Awakens occurs after Return of the Jedi, so a quick refresher on the movies is ideal. (Here’s more on why the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi were awesome.)  No one was asking for the prequels, so long time fans are stoked that the story is finally continuing.

2. But what are the official Star Wars stories? The story after Return of the Jedi continued in books and comics, but that material is no longer considered canon. When Disney bought Lucasfilm it was decided that a clean slate was in order so a lot of extra story material was relegated to a “Legends” line, which pretty much puts it in the category of fan fiction. (Here is more information and what is official and what isn’t official.) The new movie is considered canon.
3. There are also new books, all of which are now considered canon. If you are going to read just one book to prepare for The Force Awakens, pick up Aftermath by Chuck Wendig. Aftermath occurs in the “aftermath” of Return of the Jedi and while it says there are hints into The Force Awakens, it doesn’t spoil the movie, only enhance it.Aftermath is a quick read, so you could grab it from Amazon and still ave time to binge it before the new movie.

   There are other books as well, including an fun YA book by Greg Rucka that features Han Solo. Any in that line would be fun to psych yourself up for the new movie. Get them here.

4. There are new comics. Marvel took back over the comic line since they are a Disney company as well. They are releasing some great new comics that feature the old characters, so you might want to check out the Marvel Unlimited App to binge a few quick.
5. Finally, there are a lot of new Star Wars games to get you in the mood for the new movie. Battlefront is the biggie, and although reviews are mixed, there is no question that it is a beautiful game that will at the very least submerse you in the worlds of Star Wars. You can get Battlefront here.

   I’ve been playing Uprising, which is a light RPG set in the Star Wars universe. It certainly won’t spoil any storylines, and it is good for immersing you in the cartels, Hutt-rings, syndicates, and smuggling operations that make the Star Wars Universe so fun. Uprising is free for iOS.

Of course, there are role-playing games, board games, and much more that allow you to prepare yourself for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, but I think we hit the high points above.

It really is the best time to be an old nerd like me, and I hope it’s a great time for you to be a geek as well. Let us know in the comments how you are getting psyched up for the new movie and, as always, may the force be with you.