2011-06-18
Explanation
This comic coins two humorous terms for geek relationship pitfalls, modeled after the astronomical terms "lunar eclipse" and "solar eclipse." The first panel defines a "Lunar Geeklipse" as "when a geek allows a single desirable quality in a potential mate to hide more fundamental problems." A grinning geek explains to a friend, "Sally and I get along fantastically, but Katie loves video games and comics..." The friend asks, "Katie? The racist girl who punches you in the neck?" The geek responds dreamily, "Yeah... isn'''t she amazing?" The joke is that sharing niche interests can make a geek overlook glaring character flaws -- in this case, racism and physical violence.
The second panel defines a "Solar Geeklipse" as the inverse: "when a geek allows a particular flaw in a potential mate to hide their fundamental compatibility." A couple tells each other, "I love you" and "I love you more than I love Return of the Jedi," which should be a touching moment -- except the geek is horrified and asks, "Why didn'''t you say Empire Strikes Back?" The geek'''s partner has expressed deep love using a Star Wars comparison, but chose the "wrong" Star Wars movie (among fans, The Empire Strikes Back is generally considered the superior film), and this trivial geeky disagreement threatens to overshadow genuine emotional compatibility.
The votey adds a final twist: the geek tries to recover by saying, "Ohh... because all of Star Trek is great!" -- confusing the Star Wars franchise with Star Trek entirely, which would be an even worse offense in geek culture. The comic is a sharp and affectionate observation about how nerd subculture'''s intense focus on specific tastes and opinions can distort romantic priorities in both directions.