The glow of the sequel era and the halcyon days of the early new canon have ended, overshadowed by incessant online toxicity and generally anemic onscreen storytelling. That break was very healthy for me – and I ended up fresh and energized for the new era of Star Wars storytelling that began in the fall of 2014. The books of the Legacy era irritated me more than I enjoyed them, so I made the choice to step back, and only read the books that actually excited me: a handful of amazing reference books like the Essential Atlas or Essential Guide to Warfare, or one-off books like Shadow Games. The Bantam era, New Jedi Order, and prequel trilogy were the high-water marks of my engagement with Star Wars – and there was a lethargy to the franchise in the years afterward. In the years before ETE was founded, I was on a break with Star Wars. Or at least, you need to re-evaluate what’s happening to you.īreaks can be a good thing. But sometimes it gets exhausting, and you need a break. Usually, people do this because they love it – it’s energizing and fun.

The desire to read everything, watch everything, and talk about everything can be all-consuming. For people who are invested, dedicated to a “fandom” – that level of engagement might be different. For many people, that’s just what Star Wars is too: a fun thing to engage with sometimes. If I’m feeling let down by Marvel movies, or if a TV show feels more like a chore than something fun – it’s easy enough to drop it.

Burnout is real, fatigue is real – and sometimes the best way to preserve your joy is to take a step back, at least for a while.įor most things, it’s easy.

No, I’m not talking about the upcoming closure of this website – although this is Eleven-ThirtyEight’s penultimate article – but instead, an all-consuming interest in Star Wars itself. But sometimes, it might be the healthiest choice. It’s not easy saying goodbye to something that’s been a significant part of your life for a significant part of your life.

Manor matters final level