Chris Nicholson's Writing Weblog
August 05, 2005 • Friday
About an hour ago I finished reading J.K. Rowling’s new book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Other than that I loved reading all 652 pages, I won't say anything else. Why? Because of the Boba Fett Effect.
I was 11 years old, and Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi had been released into movie theatres about a week earlier. In that era, movie houses showed a film on just one screen, and moviegoers were waiting in line for two to six hours to see ... Jedi. Therefore, many waited a couple weeks before braving the queue. I was one of them.
However, several kids from school had seen the movie. One afternoon I was boarding the bus with my schoolmates, and another boy, harassing me, decided to divulge that the intergalactic bounty hunter Boba Fett dies in the film. (I assume I'm not ruining this plot turn for anyone — the movie came out 22 years ago, so if you haven't watched it yet, I'm thinking you're not anxious about it.)
The student's unwanted revelation incensed me, and we almost got into a fight. The standoff had only reached the yelling point when a teacher interfered and asked what had happened. We told her, and the other kid is the one who was scolded.
Thus, my boyhood lesson in the social ramifications of ruining stories for others.
The Boba Fett Effect — coming to a blog near you.
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