Happy Fake Star Wars Day, everybody.

Star Wars holds a particularly dear spot in the hearts of Imagination Connoisseurs of my age because we were the perfect age for viewing the original trilogy of films (Episodes 4-5-6, for those of you who are counting) when they first appeared in theaters. And there was no bigger surprise in 1980 than when it was revealed by Darth Vader that he was, in fact, Luke Skywalker's father.

We all had to search our feelings (and countless magazine interviews with George Lucas) to make sure it was true. But the secret was safe - at least for a while - so those not attending the show on opening night would be surprised by the big reveal, as well.

It was a common courtesy, really. We all knew a big twist when we saw it and who in their right mind would intentionally want to ruin that kind of delightful surprise?

Welcome to the 21st Century.

There is general disdain in polite society for those who intentionally try to spoil surprises. A-holes who tell someone about a surprise party or read an article over a friend's shoulder only to tell them how things end before the reader is able to get there on his own ... these people are, I'm sure, given some sort of extra punishment in the afterlife when they die.

But who counted on polite society dying first? Welcome to the age of the Internet spoiler where the rude rule and try to intentionally ruin experiences for people from the comfort of their own keyboard ... and where others decide that every little tidbit of information about a long-awaited film or television show is a license to complain and play the victim.

It's almost enough to make a guy pick up recreational reading again. Alone, thank you.

I'll be writing more about all this on the ROADTRIPPIN' blog later today (and will probably post it this evening). You can check it out on our website: https://postgeeksingularity.com/roadtrippin-with-rmb/

And remember, you can always send us a letter. Just click on the "Contact Us" button in the main navigation of our website at postgeeksingularity.com and you'll be able to send us a message to let us know how we're doing and what's on your mind.

We look forward to hearing from you.

I invite you to listen in on my weekday conversations with my friend and business partner, Robert Meyer Burnett, as we talk about the things we love: great movies, inspiring television programming, nostalgic genre entertainment, and pop culture.

This episode streamed on May 4, 2022.