Days of Futures Past, (Which are RUINED FOREVER!)

No matter what histrionic posts you read about on nerd sites, no one has the power to retroactively ruin your childhood.

Allow me to explain.  Every time a beloved franchise, such as a cartoon, toy line, or TV series gets remade, there's always a contingent of long-time fans who must shout about the grand injustice of it all at the top of their caps lock keys.

"THERE (sic) RUINING IT!"

"THE ORIGINAL VERSION WITH CRAPPY ACTING, MISERABLE SPECIAL EFFECTS AND GAPING PLOT HOLES IS A CLASSIC!  WHY WOULD YOU CHANGE THAT?!?!"

"THEIR (sic again) RAPING MY CHILDHOOD!!!!!!"

Now first of all, could we all stop using rape so glibly?  That's a topic big enough for its own post, but for now, if you equate the idea of someone altering a cartoon you watched as a kid with rape, you may have some severe mental disconnects and might not be qualified to operate a motor vehicle or any sharp objects.

Secondly, yes, they are remaking/rebooting/updating your beloved property (usually cartoons, those seem to get the most vehement opposition,) and yes, it will probably be radically different, and yes, you will probably hate it.

Guess what?  It's not being made for you.  People make movies and shows to make money.  That means appealing to a large audience, especially when they are aiming their shows at kids.  They want the show to appeal to that demographic, not older fans who aren't going to be buying the toys anyways.   They can't cater to you.

And you know why the new version of this kid's show doesn't appeal to you?  Because you are not a kid anymore.  You have nostalgia about a show you liked as a kind because you were a kid.  Now they are aiming it at kids who have different tastes and sensibilities from you, and even if they made the show the same, much of it would probably seem silly to you now.

But most importantly, you will still have the original version.  You can watch it on video, or just remember it fondly.  It won't matter what new versions they come out with, you can still have yours.  Just ignore the new version and wait until these kids start complaining about the next new version that ruins their version.

Take the X-Men.   When the movies came out, I heard students talk about how they had changed too much from the original.  Now, for them the 'original' was the execrable '90's cartoon (seriously, that was shit,) which I found ironic, since I had complained about that shitty cartoon (really, really bad,) when it came out.

You see I was a fan of the actual comic, the place where new ideas came from.  But even then, I was a fan of the Claremont/Simonson era (still my favorite, even after reading all others.)  That is MY version of the X-Men.  This is also why I laugh whenever they put Jubilee in a yellow coat, because I actually remember the original, throw-away joke that spawned it.

But I'm a Johnny-come-lately to the people who remember the launch of the "all-new, all-different X-Men" from the Claremont/Byrne era.  And those fans are poseurs to the fans of the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby days.

And none of them have been ruined for anyone.  You can still go back and enjoy them whenever you wish.

And that's why I'm excited about a new Star Wars, even if it's being done by J.J. Abrams.  Because it could be great, but if it's not, I still have four and a half great movies, some awesome animated shows, a plethora of great video games, at least a half a dozen novels that aren't total shit, and a roleplaying game that lets me take that universe in any direction I please.

No one can ruin my Star Wars experience.

Not even George Lucas.

So lighten up about what Aang looks like now, okay?