With only precious hours before Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens to the public at large, those who have had the pleasure of seeing it early have mostly remained mum. Of course, with any big motion picture such as this, there are going to be some who want to spoil the fun. In which case, we have a friendly warning: don’t go to Philadelphia, because if they had it their way – you’d be in a detention cell.
The Philadelphia Police Department basically said what all of us fans on the internet have been thinking, with the following Facebook post made yesterday:
No, posting #StarWarsForceAwakens spoilers online is not a crime. Yes, it should be. However, any illegal Sith behavior will still be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Not in our town, Kylo.Posted by Philadelphia Police Department on Wednesday, December 16, 2015
This is one of those stories that we love to see hitting the internet, as Philly’s boys in blue are just as much Star Wars fans as any of us are. And while they’ll more than likely have their hands full keeping an eye out for any sort of evolving situations at the many crowded multiplexes in the city, it’s nice to know that they’ve still got time to crack wise. Though we have to wonder how they decided who had to be on call this weekend, and who got the time off to take their families / friends / significant others to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Justice against spoiler fiends is something that’s come up quite a bit in recent days, as the secrets of the seventh Star Wars film have been so closely guarded – so as to preserve the viewing experience for fans big and small. Just flip through your Facebook or Twitter news feed, and you’ll see tons of Liam Neeson memes threatening to enact Taken levels of vengeance towards anyone who spoils one second of the latest film. Of course, there are the more kind and gentle folk who merely have a graphic pledging themselves as protectors of the twists and turns writers J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan have crafted for us over the course of the past couple of years.
Whether you’re planning on seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens or not, spoiling the film’s content is way past the point of being not cool. Part of the enjoyment is being surprised, and everyone deserves the opportunity to go in fresh – should they want that option. If you are one of those folks that wants to know what’s coming ahead of their showing, please do so cautiously, and with only a source you trust. But most importantly, don’t blow it for the rest of us! Let’s all get through the first week of release, and take in the supposed awesomeness that is the next adventure in a galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres in theaters tonight. If anyone knows where we can sign up to become a part of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Spoiler Squad, please let us know.
