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Top Ten: Cool Star Wars Nerds
By Jasper Anson
(From AskMen.com)
Conan O'Brien is one of many cool Star Wars nerds May 25, 1977, is a date synonymous with the birth of Star Wars fandom. After all, that's the date the first film in the formidable franchise was released and spawned an entire planet of super geeks.
Star Wars fans are notorious for their endless movie references, museum-like memorabilia collections, intricate convention costumes, and pilgrimages to Skywalker Ranch. Looking beyond the average Star Wars follower, however, reveals a number of celebrity fans who are equally devoted. In an effort to either cause some embarrassment or buffer their pride, we?ve decided to reveal 10 celebrities who consider themselves cool Star Wars nerds.
Number 10: Conan O'Brien
 When he took his show to San Francisco, Conan O'Brien got to live out a dream. Not only did he have Star Wars auteur George Lucas on as a guest, but Conan also visited the Lucasfilm offices and met the special effects wizards at Industrial Light & Magic.
Conan's trip capped off a lifetime of Star Wars memories that began when he started thinking that having his own Death Star might be a devilishly good idea. As an adult, Conan has developed a strong appreciation for Jabba the Hut's pet Salacious Crumb -- Conan believes Crumb would make an ideal comedy partner since he laughs at anything.
Favorite Star Wars character: Princess Leia
Number 9: Marc Ecko
 Fashion designer Marc Ecko is famous for buying Barry Bonds' record-breaking home run ball and sending it to the Hall of Fame marked with an asterisk, but he's also a devout Star Wars enthusiast. From a designer's perspective, he also gives credit to George Lucas for creating a life trend that will last forever.
Ecko has been a fan of the franchise since it originated and after years of revisiting the Star Wars movies, he decided to utilize them as part of a clothing line. Ecko appreciates the series for its timeless qualities and themes, which he can relate to in his own life. For Ecko, the Star Wars legacy isn't about movies, it's life. For us, seeing a fashion designer create a clothing line that even bothers to incorporate Star Wars in any way is automatically nerdy cool.
Favorite Star Wars character: Yoda
Number 8: Jeordie White (aka Twiggy Ramirez)
 Long before he joined Marilyn Manson, Jeordie White's Star Wars love came through in his music at every opportunity. Jeordie credits Star Wars for exercising his creativity, and with his first band, Amboog-A-Lard, he gave something back. The album A New Hope was released in 1993 and served as a fanboy musical tribute to everything Star Wars.
That album was only one display of Jeordie's admiration for the series, a love that continued when he left Amboog-A-Lard to play in Marilyn Manson. Jeordie admits that he used ?The Imperial March? as a frequent opening for live shows and the Force has remained with him ever since. It might also have something to do with his Star Wars autographs, large number of character toys and a die-cast TIE bomber. Jeordie's continued devotion to Star Wars through music earns him some solid geek cred.
Favorite Star Wars character: Luke Skywalker
Number 7: Chris Jericho
 Former WWE wrestler Chris Jericho grew up in chilly Winnipeg, Manitoba, an ideal setting for him to imagine he was on the snowy planet of Hoth. Armed with toy stormtroopers, Chris would stage historic battles between the empire and the rebels in his backyard. Sometimes he would even throw Godzilla into the mix, but Luke and Han were always well-protected.
Jericho loved the Star Wars toys before seeing the movie. When he was finally going to see A New Hope on his friend's birthday, the plans fell through and Chris' generous mom took him to see it. Although he was surprised to see that someone named Harrison Ford playing Han Solo instead of Alec Guinness (Chris mistakenly believed that Alec played Han), Chris' love for Star Wars was cemented for life. His Star Wars-nerd level is firmly rooted in his insistence that Chewbacca would be a formidable wrestler.
Favorite Star Wars character: Han Solo
Number 6: Seth Green
 Seth Green received some divine inspiration at the age of 4, when Star Wars sent him into creative overdrive. His Star Wars adventures continued through toys and his own invented scenarios, a process that Seth credits for the later development of his stop-motion series, Robot Chicken. Even with his deep respect for Star Wars, he's not against poking fun at it either.
All spoofs aside, Seth Green has some proud Star Wars memories that are nothing to joke about. Although he was denied a role in the prequel movies, Seth still got to sit in with George Lucas and company for special celebrity viewings of the finished films. Seth also got to visit Skywalker Ranch's prop department, which netted him a look at every Star Wars prop imaginable. That's enough to make any Star Wars nerd cream their pants and it's enough to put Seth on our list.
Favorite Star Wars character: Boba Fett
Number 5: J.J. Abrams
 J.J. Abrams, creator of Lost and Alias, has been a fan of Star Wars for years, but one of his most memorable Star Wars moments came when he saw Revenge of the Sith and saw his beloved childhood series come full circle. What he found most interesting was how children from his generation admired the heroic Luke, while those in the current crop of kids cared more for Anakin.
Abrams doesn't shy away from referencing themes of destiny and strong character bonds in his various television endeavors, and he has repeatedly referenced Star Wars on his hit series, Lost. He even went so far as to have one character call another "Chewie" -- now that's dedication. To top it all off, he also got to work with the Industrial Light & Magic crew for Mission: Impossible III. J.J. Abrams sure loves his Star Wars and we admire him for it.
Favorite Star Wars character: Luke Skywalker
Number 4: Kevin Smith
 If you've seen a single Kevin Smith movie, then you've undoubtedly seen a whole lot of Star Wars references. Whether it's Silent Bob's uncanny use of the Force in Mallrats or Jay's lightsaber duel with Mark Hamill in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Smith's Star Wars tie-ins are obvious signs of his geeky love for the franchise. In fact, Smith's own Jay and Silent Bob characters were based on C-3P0 and R2-D2.
For Smith, the heroes of Star Wars compose a mythology that transcends heroes, ancient gods and pretty much everyone. Smith still has to show his daughter a few things, though. According to Kevin, she's seen enough Star Wars marketing that she doesn't feel a need to ever see the movies. When his daughter does see them and realizes that her dad has worked with both Hamill and Carrie Fisher, maybe she will hold his Star Wars cred as high as we do.
Favorite Star Wars character: R2-D2
Number 3: Simon Pegg
 Hot Fuzz star Simon Pegg is a sci-fi geek from way back, but he gained a new interest in the franchise when he was introduced, at a friend's birthday, to the Star Wars characters as toys. With an early appreciation for the character names, he saw A New Hope, and watched as his appreciation for cinema and imagination traveled to a galaxy far, far away.
As an actor on the British series Spaced, Pegg was delirious with the show's continual Star Wars jokes and raced out to watch the prequels, even though he strongly prefers the originals. On the Star Wars-geek scale, Pegg rates high because he boasts a replica lightsaber, a personal meeting with Carrie Fisher and a package of the original unedited series on DVD with a signed note from George Lucas. If he wants to keep those precious items, maybe he'd better be quiet about them.
Favorite Star Wars character: Ewoks
Number 2: Samuel L. Jackson
 A self-professed geek and comic book collector, Samuel L. Jackson was acting in theater when he caught his first glimpse of Star Wars on the big screen. With big dreams and only minor success, Jackson worked his way to stardom and mentioned matter-of-factly almost 20 years later that he'd like to work with George Lucas.
When word got to Lucas that Jackson was interested, Sam not only got an invite to meet George at his ranch, but he was asked to star in the new series. Shocked and expecting nothing more than a bit part, he received a substantial role -- as a Jedi no less -- and his very own lightsaber! For making the transition from Star Wars moviegoer to Star Wars movie star, Samuel L. Jackson is the man and the geek's man.
Favorite Star Wars character: Mace Windu
Number 1: Stephen Colbert
 The host of TV's The Colbert Report remembers Star Wars as a life-changing moment and it has since followed him everywhere. Consider that The Colbert Report premiered on the day that Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) earned his U.S. citizenship, which Colbert was only too happy to point out. Colbert has also "geeked out" on the air by calling his guests Lando, opening doors for President Bush with lightsabers and talking about droids with Ralph Nader.
Mr. Colbert is a lock for the top spot based on this evidence alone, but even that is nothing compared to the following: In 2006, Colbert created "The Green Screen Challenge," daring contestants to morph footage of his lightsaber-wielding self with their own Star Wars footage. When a ?Mr. George L.? placed second in the contest (it was George Lucas himself), the man behind the franchise promptly arrived at the studio to put Colbert to shame in a lightsaber duel. Meeting George Lucas is one thing, but losing a lightsaber duel against the creator of Star Wars is another achievement entirely. Consequently, Stephen Colbert tops our list of ultra-cool Star Wars nerds.
Favorite Star Wars character: Lando Calrissian
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October 4, 2007 
