Posted on by Dunc

And so it is

I don’t think this will come of any surprise to anyone who’s actually been following this blog recently, but it’s time to make something official: I’m done with regular blogging.

Club Jade itself, as a group and a community to discuss Star Wars, began in 1995. I wasn’t a part of that – I joined a little bit later – but I did eventually end up taking over the website, sometime in 1997. In 2004, just a little under a year before Revenge of the Sith – the second “final” Star Wars – was released, I turned the site into this blog. Our focus wasn’t really the movies back then, but the Expanded Universe, specifically the stuff set after Return of the Jedi that is now the most Legends of Legends. The aim has changed quite a bit over these 15 years, as Star Wars itself has changed. But it’s begun to be too much, and I always knew I was too much of a taskmaster to pass things on.

I will never not be grateful to the sequel trilogy, for not only revitalizing the fandom, but for giving me these five years of… Well, overtime. Before the Disney sale, I was foundering with the franchise. The prequel era never did it for me in any format, the post-ROTJ books weren’t getting any better, and I’d finally lost faith that they ever could. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi returned my faith in the franchise, and even if The Rise of Skywalker is a bit of a let-down, well. We can’t say we’ve never been here before. Sooner or later, Star Wars disappoints us all.

I made the decision to quit months ago – there are a few people who’ve known this was going to happen since April’s Celebration Chicago – so please don’t go on about how the movie or toxic fandom drove me off. I’ve been in internet fandom through six movies – nine if you want to count the Special Editions – and no reaction this fandom has to anything will ever truly shock me at this point. It’s always been “toxic,” in one way or another, in the corners and margins if nothing else. Hell, I’ve lit plenty of little fires of my own over the years, both intentionally and unintentionally. Nature of the beast.

I’ll still follow these things, and be “in fandom” – I’m not sure I know how not to – but I need a break from the obligation to write about Star Wars, to follow every little (and not so little) drip and drab of news. I don’t just need a hiatus, because even if I couched it in those terms it would be a lie. As I’ve pulled back on things over the past year or two – so many things – I’ve realized that it’s time. I want to be done. I’m not saying I’ll never do a blog post here again – who knows, maybe someone will find more bathroom graffiti! – but I need that to be an option.

And, frankly, we know so little about the future of the franchise right now, and what we do know… None of it really thrills me. None of it makes me want to keep doing this for another year, let alone three. And there’s so much of it! Even without movies, we have at least four seasons of TV coming up and who knows how many books.

The funny thing is, this was always an old-school kind of blog – even back in 2004. I found things, I linked things. I expect you to follow the links. And social media has taken the place of that sort of thing. You don’t need me – not on a regular basis, anyway.

My advice, if anyone even wants that, is to find what you love about fandom, and find the people who love it like you do. I was lucky enough to find my people in Club Jade early on, and they’re the ones that gave me this foundation to build on. Thanks to them, and those of you who’ve kept reading.

May the Force be with you. – Dunc

36 Replies to “And so it is”

  3. As a fellow lifer, I’m terribly sad to read this but, if the drive to post has gone it’s hard to get it back (I know I’ve taken a few breaks from sites and posting over the past 24 years online). I hope you know how much you’re appreciated ‘out here’, especially among the old school online crowd. You’re honest, to the point, direct, have made being snarky an art form and I know I’ll miss visiting Club Jade to get my fix.
    Be well, I hope something else comes along to excite you like Star Wars used to – hey, we’ll always have the OT!

    1. There’s been a lot of grim determination lately. But I don’t give up on things very easily – even pre-Disney I still wasn’t at the point where I could definitely say “I should quit.” I’m sure would have gotten here eventually without the movies, but I can’t say how long it would have taken.

      I think NOT blogging the new stuff will give me more of a chance to enjoy it. Even if none of it is to my taste, being able to completely ignore something that holds zero appeal to me, like that new season of TCW coming up, is much better for all involved. And it means being able to do something like the next Celebration (yeah, I’m going) or Galaxy’s Edge (whenever that happens) with zero pressure to document it.

      Plus, honestly, I’m just kinda sick of my own writing.

  4. Thank you for everything, for all these years. Be proud of what you’ve achieved, and enjoy the next phase of your fandom. MTFBWY.

  5. You’re the best Dunc. Ever since the Who Luke Should Marry AOL boards and I learned just how young this incredibly talented and funny person was. I raise a spatula to you.

  6. We love you, Dunc, and thanks for all your work and effort on what was, I’m sure, at times a labor of love.

  7. You have so deserved this. You had to deal with a lot of poodoo over the years and have done so with skill. Enjoy “retirement” I have.

    1. I’ve gotten off pretty easily – I dunno if it’s sheer luck, privilege or what. But I also think it helps that this came, well, later in my fandom “life.” Which is not to say there’s not cringe stuff in the archives here, but nothing nearly as bad as it could have been if I’d done this at 17.

      I wish it was a real retirement! Work stuff definitely contributed to this!

  9. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the fandom! Your rationality and sense of humor have been a huge influence on my approach to certain fandom matters. It was also a great pleasure to meet you in person at this year’s Star Wars Celebration. Once again, good luck in all of your future endeavors. MTFBWY!

  11. Your snark and enthusiasm will be missed! You’ve earned the break – take seat and enjoy watching what the future of Star Wars May bring! MTFBWY

  13. Thank you! I’ve never been active in the fandom, but I‘ve always looked forward to your blog. This was always my first stop to read reviews on books, and get SW news. I’m sad to see it end, and I’ll probably keep visiting out of reflex. Your work has been greatly appreciated by this total stranger.

  14. I found Club Jade shortly after I discovered Star Wars in 1997 without even realizing the Special Editions were a thing until the year after. This blog, and your involvement in it, Dunc, has been a part of my Star Wars journey from almost the very beginning. I have always known a Club Jade with Dunc at the helm. It was a wonderful space then and as I grew up finding other women who shared their love of these movies and Mara Jade when I had a hard time finding that sense of community in the non-internet world. Thank you for everything you have done and for keeping it simple.

  15. I hope you appreciate how much impact you’ve had in fandom; especially making a place for women to be seen and heard.

    Thanks for making Club Jade into something bigger than just the group of weirdos we are.

  17. Thanks for everything—you made a difference for all of us “non-existent” female fans.

  18. Thanks for everything over the years. The force will be with us, always. I hope you enjoy your retirement. It is such a great time to be a sff fan. Who knows what will spark joy next?

  19. I’m really sad to see you go. I’ve been following this blog since 2004 if you can believe it… I still remember the fandom from Livejournal if you can believe it. I actually cried when I read this post but I understand and I wish you all the best. Thank you for being there for such a huge chunk for my fandom life.

    May the Force be with you.

  20. While I totally understand (fandom has been a bit much lately) I will very much miss this blog. I had to separate myself from i09 because it was taking too much of my time and, as Star Wars really was my first and most important nerd interest, I turned to ClubJade for just the news I really wanted to know. I have always appreciated how it was delivered here: to the point, with links if I wanted them, and also a delightful dose of sarcasm. And the focus on the EU was super important to me. It always helped to know there were other people out there who once read The Crystal Star etc. and that I wasn’t alone in having shelves and shelves of SW books. We will miss you Dunc! Hope to see you in Anaheim.

  21. I totally get it. I’ve actually been thinking of doing the same thing with my livejournal “newsletter” (just a collection of links). I still enjoy doing it, but to echo your sentiment — with social media being the force it is now, does anyone need this service? Nope. I hope you feel inspired to keep posting blog entries from time to time, with the sense of obligation now removed. MTFBWY!

  22. Club Jade has been my favorite Star Wars “website” since I discovered it around the time of ROTS. Thanks for all the snarky fun.

  24. Thank you, thank you, infinite thank you, from a longtime (22 years?!) lurker

  25. Thank you for all of your hard work and posts. I often found your words the last bastion of sanity in the fandom; you viewed things in the same way I did, and I appreciated it so much.

    1. Thank you! I still may be around, and I might write occasionally – I’m not sure if it’ll be here – but right now I’m just enjoying freedom.

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