Tomorrow is May 4. A seemingly innocuous date on the calendar that holds no real significance for the average person, but to a Star Wars fan, it’s a highlight of the year and Disney has wasted no time promoting the big day. The Star Wars website and the Star Wars section of Disney+ already had banners celebrating “Star Wars Day” a day before. 

A Star Wars fan myself, I usually repost something from its official Instagram account. One year, I wore branded socks to school. This year, though, I’m more tired than anything else. Exhausted by the onslaught of content from a company that is a master of corporate hegemony, I find myself unable to keep up with the franchise. 

After launching in 2019, Disney+ has coalesced all Star Wars content, bringing it to one platform. While it is easier to consume all this content, the platform is overwhelming. The spin-off movies, cartoons and new original series overload my brain. Even listing all these gives me a headache. 

What happened to being a “casual fan” when you could say you’ve seen the movies and some of the shows and not feel like you’re missing out on major plot developments? The intense marketing of new shows like “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett” makes them seem enticing, but watching would also mean significant investments of my time. 

Perhaps this feeling can be best explained by cognitive dissonance. I consider myself a Star Wars fan, so when I see new shows I haven’t watched, my brain flags this as an inconsistency and forces me to reconsider how much I truly value the franchise. 

Disney hasn’t been subtle about its commercialization and commodification of the franchise that is beloved by so many. This double-edged sword means fans get more content and interactive experiences than ever before. At the same time, Disney benefits from the consumer culture it helps perpetuate, and fans can be buried by this deluge of brand material. 

This is perhaps most apparent in the new four figure two-night immersive experience Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, a place for guests to stay at Disney World in Orlando. For $6,550 vacationers get to live aboard a spaceship designed as if it were part of the Star Wars universe. Complete with mission-based activities and themed food, like blue milk, the hotel is a Star Wars fan’s ultimate destination. 

The price tag itself is admonishable. Why should anyone pay that much for a two-day excursion? Disney creates barriers to being part of the fandom because exclusivity allows it to charge higher prices. But for a franchise that has immense global outreach, this tiered experience is really only for the select few who can afford it. 

Star Wars fatigue is real, and I experience it. At first it was cool: a novel idea to build on a world that already existed and had fans. Watching “The Mandalorian” was thoroughly enjoyable, but after the second season, I began to question whether Disney was really trying to provide fan service or serve themselves. And it has become clear the latter is more true. 

Hoodies, T-shirts, stuffed animals, cups, mugs, figurines. It seemed like following the show’s premiere, Disney slapped the character Grogu, affectionately known as Baby Yoda, on basically every kind of consumer product imaginable. 

And they’re just getting started. Disney has a slate of Star Wars content ready to serve up to the masses: “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the limited series following a central character in the lore of the fandom will arrive on Disney+ in just a few weeks. 

So say “Ahhh,” and open up: Disney has another bite of Star Wars content for you to choke down. Something to corrode, not cleanse, your palate. 

May the “fourth” be with you. 

Colin Crawford is a Medill freshman. He can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.