Open Letter to Star Wars Fans by the Duncans

Open Letter to Star Wars Fans by the Duncans refers to a nine-page open letter written in May 1980 by Tracy Duncan and her sister Nancy Duncan. They were both editors of the popular zine Against the Sith.
The letter was written very shortly after the sisters saw the much-anticipated movie, The Empire Strikes Back, for the first time. 
The letter stated the Duncans' intense dislike of the film. The Duncans disagreed with the characterizations of Luke, Han, and Leia and were angry about some of the movie's plot. In the letter, they asked fans to boycott the movie, and they demanded that George Lucas destroy all copies of the film. "The Duncans of 'Against the Sith' [were] a major subset of discussion after they circulated a long letter to fanzine editors, demanding a boycott of TESB and the destruction of the film by Lucas." Southern Enclave Issue #22 pdf, page 47 
==A Second Letter==
The Duncans followed this open letter with a one-page retraction. 
This second letter claimed their opinion had been based on faulty information. From one zine editor: 
A letter to Alderaan #11 by a fan supported the Duncans, and repeated a story about how the Duncans saw the movie in less than desirable technical circumstances and endured a multitude of technical problems, including the film reels being shown in the wrong order: 
The Duncans' retraction and apparent change-of-mind is reflected in an interview in a mainstream newspaper published in mid-July 1980, For some excerpts from this newspaper article, see Against the Sith. less than two months after sending the first letter. In the article, Nancy and Tracy admit they'd seen the movie many times and suggested to the interviewer that one shouldn't compare the first film with the second as they were two very different movies. Their change in mind may have happened organically, but at least one fan writes in Alderaan #12 that the Duncans had gotten themselves in some legal hot water with The Powers That Be regarding potentially libelous statements, something that may have added some backpedaling to their public comments. 
In any case, they created only one more issue of Against the Sith, publishing it in October 1980. There is nothing in that last issue to indicate that issue #9 was their last issue, and it appears that they fully intended to publish another issue as per a questionnaire they dispersed to fans, one with a note saying the results would be presented in issue #10. The decision to cease publication appears to have been made mid-stride, as issue #9 was the last issue. 
This last issue did contain another letter, dated January 31, 1981, which explained the Duncans' decision to cease publication of Against the Sith. See ...it has become increasingly clear to us that we cannot continue publishing a fanzine for a movie in which we find so little to recommend.
==One More Official Statement==
In April 1981, Nancy wrote a letter to Alderaan scolding fans a bit, telling them that they shouldn't be afraid of controversy and of strong opinions, and that she considered her and her sister's zine to be a sort of fandom watchdog. from Alderaan #11 
==Timing and Destination==
Some fans state the second letter arrived days after the first one, and some fans claim the second letter arrived weeks after. It is likely it was weeks. The fall-out from the retraction, both from fans and from Lucasfilm, would have certainly taken more than a few days to peculate and require action. The fans who said they got the letters only days apart may not have been fans who'd gotten the letter directly from the Duncans but instead by way of other fans. And perhaps the fans who mentioned the letters being days apart were victims of the perpetual villain, The Post Awful! 
According to the zine editor of Facets, these letters were sent directly to fans' homes, the addresses likely gleaned from ads for zines, as well as perhaps from letters of comment. The fans who did not receive letters heard about them from someone else. 
==Likely Added to Already Strained Relations==
This letters most likely added to the strained relations between George Lucas and fans and was one more marker on the road to Lucas' crackdown on fan fiction. See Open Letter to Star Wars Zine Publishers by Maureen Garrett.
==Fan Comments==
===Comments in "Alderaan"===
After fans had received the letter/s, the editors of Alderaan asked for their readers' comments on this affair. The editors then wrote that they wouldn't publish the letters, as they were too uncivil. 
From the editor of Alderaan: 
A fan's comment in Alderaan: 
Another fan's comment in "Alderaan" 
A fan wrote: 
Another fan wrote: 
A fan wrote: 
===Comments in "Facets"===
The editors of Facets commented on the letters: {{Quotation|
A fan in "Facets" replied: 
===Comments in "Scoundrel"===
From another fan, this one in Scoundrel: 
===Comments in "Southern Enclave"===
From another fan, this one five years later in Southern Enclave: 
==References==
 
Category:Star Wars Meta
Category:1980 Meta
Category:Meta in Print
Category:1980 Open Letters