Them Theories, Tho. 🙄

By Bryan A Westfall

Dearest Google: Please add a “Not Interested in Unreleased Film Theories or Behind the Scenes Rumors” option here:

These were the options that came along with this Google suggested headline:

No, thank you.

I finally have Google dialed in on genre’s I’m interested in reading about when landing on their home page (nearly the feat of tailoring the perfect Pandora station). If only some movie related websites had hobbies other than random plot theories & behind the scenes rumors to fill space on their sites between major movie releases.

“Star Wars 9 Leaks May Confirm a Shocking, Old Palpatine Rumor ” – Nope.

“Star Wars 9 Leaked Merch May Disprove a Major Emperor Palpatine Rumor” – Nuh-Uh.

“Star Wars 9 Leaks May Confirm Another Huge Cameo in Rise of Skywalker” – FOR THE LOVE OF THE FORCE, PLEASE STOP.

(All of those…from Inverse. Get your house in order, friends.)

I understand that regularly posting content is what brings and keeps site visitors and engagement, but if this is what fills up most of their space, there seems to be a great opportunity to level up in content. There are a plethora of freelance writers out there that would add a ton of value to your site.

I’ll come back with some sweet sweet content creator recommendations later. Start thinking of your own favorites now, and share them with me on the twitter!

Sure, there is an audience for hours upon hours of content pointing to endless rumors & theories & leaks based on absolutely nothing…for some unknown reason. I’m sure there is plenty of data being mined showing that this is the drug of choice (leading to ad revenue and so on).

That being said, shouldn’t the aim be giving the audience more than the quick fix, instead of being the ‘drug dealer’ & grabbing those stacks on stacks of (ad based) cash?

These rumors and theories take up space and time, but not much else. There is nothing to know there, there’s only speculation. Perhaps they’re fodder for a conversation that ultimately leads nowhere, till a film is released. At best, they could be material for a fun wager or two. Should that take up as much space as it does? 

Deep dives into topics/themes from comics, films, etc. might not be BREAKING NEWS, but if well crafted can help people move past speculation about a film set or plot, and into what connects them with the stories and the people around them. 

Here are some examples of original content creators that are very much worth keeping tabs on:

Andrew J. Salazar has some sweet pieces at Geeks of Color to peruse. His pinned tweet also starts a thread of a ton of articles he’s written. Keep him in your thoughts as he’s currently braving the (apparently unorganized) madness of D23 Expo this weekend 🙏.

Amy Ratcliffe was part of one of the most inspirational panels at Star Wars Celebration back in April. She’s written “Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy” and regularly contributes to the official Star Wars website.

Geek Girl Diva writes all over the known geek universe. This article on how Dave Filoni and Star Wars: The Clone Wars renewed hope in Star Wars lore (pre-OG trilogy) is relatable.

Bryan Young contributes to Star Wars & Huffpo (among others), but this breakdown of creating the Lightsaber duel in The Phantom Menace for SYFY is a great jumping off point.

After this year’s SDCC, Josephine L. wrote about a cross section of panels that featured (in one way or another) the state (& future) of diversity and representation in storytelling.

Kim Renfro knows a thing or two about Game of Thrones…and has a book to prove it. She’s a contributor of entertainment & geek related things for INSIDER.

Now, it’s your turn! Hit me up on twitter and let me know who I should be reading!