NOTE: Despite the subject of this article, it contains no "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" spoilers.
Avoiding "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" plot details is already an uphill struggle in the age of social media. Now some angry fans -- or just plain trolls -- are looking to make it even more difficult for the spoiler-averse.
As reported by multiple outlets including Blastr, members of a closed-to-the-public Facebook group called The Alliance to Preserve the Expanded Universe (which currently has a membership of 3,645) are threatening to spoil the closely held secrets of "The Force Awakens" due to being dissatisfied with Disney and Lucasfilm establishing the Expanded Universe storylines as no longer part of official Star Wars canon.
As seen on screenshots posted by Bleeding Cool, members of the group have threatened to "spoil the living crap" out of the film. Additionally, a screenshot shows a member calling anyone who supports the cause but sees "The Force Awakens" a "traitor." The screenshots also show dissenting opinion within the group, with one member telling another that such extreme views "give fans of the Legends universe a bad name."
The Expanded Universe was the prior canon of what happened in the "Star Wars" world before and after the films, as told through years of novels, comic books and video games. Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, the Expanded Universe continuity was established as non-canon and rebranded as "Star Wars Legends," in favor of "The Force Awakens," current novels like "Star Wars Aftermath" and future films.
CBR has personally seen comment trolls posting "Force Awakens" spoilers on our Facebook comment threads, in response to both "Star Wars" and unrelated posts. CBR has deleted the comments and will continue to do so, along with banning the users from our Facebook page. It should be noted there's no indication that these actions are connected to any specific group.
All of this has happened before the "Force Awakens" has even arrived in theaters beyond preview screenings -- the film, directed by J.J. Abrams, opens this Friday, with early showings starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday.