The trailer has over 85 million views. It is the highest grossing movie in America. Ever. And now soft-chew vitamins, CoverGirl lipsticks, soup cans, and even bottles of mouthwash have the faces of Luke Skywalker and Yoda printed on them. There are life-sized Darth Vader “battle buddies” for kids selling for a hundred bucks. As Target advertises, there are “a galaxy of items,” and they could never have been more right.

It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t know what Star Wars is, but I think I’m the closest person to fit that description. For the longest time, the only two things I knew about Star Wars are the theme song and the “green guy” who is apparently called Yoda, and I recognized the famous line, “I am your father,” but did not know that the character who says the line is named Darth Vader – not Dark Vader, as I had originally thought.

Oops. I didn’t even know who Luke Skywalker was. Though the world continued to revolve around this movie, I was never motivated or interested in watching sci-fi, and I became slightly peeved at the countless advertisements focused on the movie.

Star Wars is considered a classic as well as a film phenomenon. DHS senior Austin Vincent said, “[Star Wars] influences everything and everyone, and it has created a society that worships this movie.” Indeed the attention the Star Wars franchise receives is staggering.

But does this blockbuster deserve the marketed hype?

As I can remember, the last time Disney dominated the markets was when Frozen was released, and stores today continue to sell Queen Elsa-themed products. The market mainly targeted young girls who couldn’t stop singing “Let it go” as they dressed up as the ice queen.

Star Wars, however, managed to attract everyone, regardless of age or prior knowledge of the movie franchise. When Star Wars: The Force Awakens came to theatres, advertisements blew up, Star Wars merchandise was mass produced, and people across the globe couldn’t have been happier.

The movie also reached into the hearts of those who aren’t die-hard fans. DHS history teacher and avid Star Trek fan Andrew Apperson admitted to watching the new Star Wars installment and said, “[The movie] rekindled my interest on Star Wars and that universe.” The long time debate on whether Star Wars is better than Star Trek has been dragged out for decades, and dedicated Star Wars fans hoped that the newest episode would finally bring home a victory. Though Mr. Apperson adamantly claimed that Star Trek is “obviously” better, there is no doubt that Star Wars is gaining a lot of attention.

Despite my lack of Star Wars knowledge, I did notice that my box of Cheez-Its had the face of Yoda staring back at me. In every store, there is something that showcased the Star Wars franchise, and it ranges from soap dispensers to fancy watches to travel mugs. I was almost sick of it; I didn’t know why everything on the market had a Star Wars logo on it.

“Star Wars has such a huge fan base, and there are different generations of fans ranging from my parents’ time to our generation and now the emerging one,” DHS senior Connor Humason stated. “Star Wars is not just a movie with revolutionary special effects and complex character developments, but to many, it brings back precious memories of their childhood.”

After much deliberation, I decided to take my nine-year-old brother to watch the new Star Wars installment. I had to see this mysterious classic myself and figure out why the markets are obsessed over this franchise.

To our surprise, the movie was enjoyable and fun. Later, my brother begged for a Star Wars model Nerf gun. And just like that, Star Wars now has a new, young fan who will be waiting for the upcoming movies to be released.

So let us see how far into the future Star Wars will continue to touch the hearts of people, young and old, Jedis or not. And if there’s anyone out there left who hasn’t watched the movie, Austin, Connor, and now I, say, “Give it a chance.”