There won’t be a Club Jade hit report this year, partially because I never got around to it last year, but mostly because I may have forgotten to add Google Analytics back when I switched templates after our crazy database issues back in… March? It must have been March. It borked a lot of stuff, but we didn’t lose anything too important. In any case, Jetpack generates one for us, so why should I do math?
It was a big year for feminism and diversity here in the Star Wars blogosphere, at least among those of us who write on it. Witness our top ten posts of the year:
- Why the Wookieepedia article on breasts is a big deal. Thanks in no small part to the rollicking comment section, this post was viewed almost three times as much as the next one. But has anything changed at the Wook? The page remains, and no one is surprised, given the level of cluelessness exhibited by the ones who bothered to join us. (Though, for the record: Breasts are no longer canon.)
- Big Moon Rising: Why I don’t mind if the Star Wars sequels mean the end of the Expanded Universe. This went up not that long before the official announcement that the existing Expanded Universe was becoming ‘Legends,’ and it’s pretty much my definitive word on the matter. The actual announcement also placed high, as did an embryonic version I wrote just after the Disney sale, but I suspect that it’s the comment section that put this one over the edge.
- On Star Wars fandom, feminism, diversity and anger. Still no regrets, for the record, though I do kind of want to rewrite that middle section. (I hate doing Feminism 101.) Unfortunately some are still unable to recognize just how measured the post-casting response was, but some people just can’t be helped, I suppose.
- Episode VII cast confirmed: Hamill, Ford, Fisher joined by Boyega, Driver, Isaac, Serkis and more. Actual news makes an appearance!
- Analysis: Thoughts on the Episode VII cast. This one went up a little later than I would have liked, because I wrote #10 first, but it doesn’t seem to have harmed it too much. But if there’s anything on this list I’m wincing at, it’s this.
- The Force Awakens character names revealed!. A nice showing for our last bout of big news, and man do you folks love looking at pictures.
- GMA: The Force Awakens teaser voiceover is indeed Andy Serkis, and about that final lightsaber sound… I don’t know why so many people were so insistent that the trailer voiceover was (my-personal-UGH-of-the-year) Benedict Cumberbatch, and I don’t know why this post on a beyond weak segment of a vapid morning show took off, but hey.
- Yub yub, Emperor: Author Aaron Allston has passed away. This fucking sucked.
- JJ Abrams: “I wish people would stop leaking photos from Episode VII and making ridiculous claims… I wish we’d have had more like this from Abrams, but there’s no doubt this was beautifully played.
- Where are the rest of the women in Episode VII? Just “be patient!” These things need to be said, and yes, we were very glad to hear about more women being added. It’s not about proving anyone wrong, it’s about sitting up and saying that same old same old is not okay, whether it’s movie roles or toys. If there’s any theme for this year, it’s that.
Older posts that still have a lot of juice are the trilogy on Blu-ray from last year (constantly driven by people searching for original versions… Tough luck, people,) Mara’s catsuit and Jedi pick-up lines.
Here are a few other random stats for you:
- Biggest statement: In the wake of the trailer, John Boyega addressed some of the racist reaction with a simple “get used to it.” Boyega has since either deleted or taken his Instagram private, but we still have his message on Tumblr, where it was one of our biggest posts of the year.
- Biggest Episode VII rumor: The pair of ridiculous wishmaking that had Mara Jade to make her new canon debut in Rebels and/or as a disguised actor on The Force Awakens set. We may be Disney now, but that doesn’t mean that wishing-upon-a-star is an actual thing. It’s never shocking for Mara stuff to play high here, though.
- Most popular tweet roundup: #StarWars Tweets Special Edition: #TheForceAwakens teaser trailer (Part 1.)
- Biggest Reddit AMA: Harrison Ford doesn’t know and doesn’t care who shot first.
Any questions? I don’t have quite as many options to look up stuff with WordPress stats as I did on Google, but I may be able to wring some stuff out.
Still incredibly bitter about losing Aaron. I continue to get teary-eyed every time I come across a horrendous pun. :(
It was just such utter shit. We lost my grandfather in January and after Aaron I was kind of terrified at what March would bring. The database problem was a pain in the ass, but at least no one died.