The Fun & Power Fandom!
Growing up, and until recent years, I never understood the idea of fandoms. I thought “Trekkies” were weirdos, honestly.
This changed a number of years ago when my son got into Star Wars. We went to a museum where they had members of the 501st on site, a group of volunteers who dress as various Star Wars characters. What I saw there was amazing. People of all ages, lining up to get their pictures taken with Darth Vader, Storm Troopers, Imperial Guards, etc. It then dawned on me what an amazing phenomenon that fandom is. There were people my age, or older, with their kids, and even grandkids. Seeing something transcend the generations was incredible. I did research on the 501st and was amazed at what they do simply as volunteers. They go to museums, local sporting events, hospitals, etc. They take the power of fandom and use it in a way to bring joy to people of all ages, and I was in sheer awe of that!
Fast forward a few years, now. I had many friends who watched Doctor Who, and I wasn’t into it. One day on a whim, my husband and I watched an episode (“Rose,” for those who are curious) and watched the next few…. Before I knew it, I was hooked. I also soon discovered a fandom like nothing I’d ever seen before. Again, people of all ages who watched Doctor Who for the last 50 years. It took a matter of months before we watched all the current episodes, plus episodes dating as far back to the 9th Doctor (we even managed to squeeze in a fair bit of the earlier shows). Before I knew it, I was pulled into a whole new arena of fandom, that of a Whovian. There’s a huge presence in social media, such as: Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr of fans, etc. Any kind of news spreads like wildfire throughout the communities. It was announced Matt Smith (the current Doctor) was leaving the show, and that spawned months of speculation on who would take over the iconic role.
As many know, Doctor Who recently celebrated it’s 50th anniversary. Pretty amazing accomplishment for a television show when ten years is considered an eternity. Of course there was a special episode, and months of hype building up to it, to commemorate the achievement. The episode aired worldwide on TV and in movie theaters, as well as being shown again in theaters a few days later. We watched the episode at home with other friends who are fans. We had appropriately themed snacks (Jelly Babies, Jammie Dodgers, and chocolate TARDISes and Daleks). Naturally, we went also to the movie theater to watch our beloved show in 3D. I had no idea what to expect. We drove to the theater, and there were very few empty parking spaces. “This can’t possibly all be for Doctor Who,” I thought. I was wrong, it was. The theater devoted a number of screens to meet the demand, and it was still packed. I saw many people dressed in fezzes, scarves, fedoras, and other iconic Doctor Who accessories. Our theater was a capacity, and the experience was amazing. The projector glitched, resulting in about 30 people raising their Sonic Screwdrivers in a joking attempt to fix it. It was just plain FUN. Throughout the experience there was applause, laughter, clapping. Fandoms are a remarkable thing.
Obviously Doctor Who and Star Wars are only two of countless fandoms out there. Harry Potter, Walking Dead, Star Trek are also very popular. What fandoms do you consider yourself a part of, and what experiences have you had?
Laura Sperber
Project Manager