Disgruntled ‘Star Wars’ fans threaten ‘spoiler jihadi’: Why they need to just chill out

Let's everybody just calm down, mmkay?

Del Rey books, gatekeeper of all the literary Star Wars fiction, has temporarily pulled the plug on its own "Star Wars Books" Facebook page.

The move comes in the wake of threats from a group of disgruntled fans who have threatened to share The Force Awakens spoilers as widely as they can. Why? The answer's a bit complicated.

"Very recently, some individuals began posting comments on our page purporting to spoil major events in The Force Awakens," a post on the Star Wars Books Tumblr reads. "We had previously asked that people refrain from spoiling the film on our page, as we have a large fan base from all over the world, who will all be seeing the film at different times. As excited as we always are about discussing Star Wars, we firmly believe that everyone has the right to experience the film in whatever manner they desire."

The curators of the Facebook page first tried to simply moderate the chat by removing red flag comments. But it was ultimately decided that eliminating the page entirely — until Monday, Dec. 21 — was the best move.

" We don’t want to give people who wish to spoil the movie for others a platform We don’t want to give people who wish to spoil the movie for others a platform to do that and we are under no obligation to do so," the Tumblr plainly states.

Del Rey is careful to point out that there's no specific party to blame, but at least some of the spoilage is likely a product of pent-up fan rage. A segment of Star Wars Expanded Universe fans have threatened to stage a "spoiler jihadi" on The Force Awakens if Disney doesn't create films based on events that take place in that previously-established timeline.

The Expanded Universe (or "EU," as it's often referred to in shorthand) covers the events established in Star Wars books, comics and video games released after Return of the Jedi. That timeline came to an end in mid-2014 when Disney established a new canon for the series that only includes the six films, two TV series and a growing pile of newer books/comics/games.

The move was intended to give creators like Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams a free hand in telling stories for a new era of Star Wars. But the move angered some fans, who had kept up with almost 25 years worth of stories — only to learn that the slate was being wiped clean.

The hard truth that these understandably unhappy fans don't want to accept is the EU as we knew it was never officially canon. Its timeline was always considered secondary to the works of Lucasfilm, to the point that The Clone Wars TV series created continuity breaks even as it drew inspiration from the EU.

Unfortunately, we're now in a situation where some of the oldest and most die-hard Star Wars fans are out to intentionally ruin the fun for everyone else, all because they think it's an effective way to punish Disney.

Let's be clear: It's okay to be upset. It's even okay to boycott the movie. But it's not okay to ruin the good times of others just because you're not happy with a business decision.

Perhaps Disney will one day decide that it's worth continuing the Star Wars Legends line of fiction, as the EU is now known. But to keep going with it now, as a new timeline is in the process of being established, would only confuse wider audiences.

So just chill out, EU fans. Channel your frustration in constructive directions and be patient. Star Wars is back. It might not be exactly the Star Wars you're looking for, but it's still new stories about Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie and a whole cast of new characters. It's exactly what we've been waiting for since the credits rolled on Return of the Jedi. Take a moment to appreciate that.

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