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By Ken Rickard
Advertiser Staff Writer

Remember those guys who stood in line for hours to see the most recent "Star Wars" movie last year? You know, those guys who had the toy lightsabers and had mock duels in line?

I was one of them.

Well, I didn't bring a lightsaber to the movie, but I did have one at work in anticipation of standing in line for a couple of hours.

This is just one of the things you do when you are a fanboy. No, that's not my super hero alter ego (my hero name is much cooler) but this is a reality that many males find themselves in.

The fanboy is the part in every guy that makes their eyes gleam when they think of a new gadget with giddiness, or they know the impossible answer to a trivia question.

"Fanboy" is basically a nice way of saying geek. (I believe that it was originally coined to describe an avid anime, sci-fi or comic-book fan.) A dead giveaway is a large collection of DVDs, records, Hummel figures ... whatever.

Every guy you know has achieved a certain level of fanboydom, hence geekiness, although they may not understand it. And it's not restricted to the "Star Trek" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" set, but includes any hobby or pastime that uses a little more brain space than it deserves.

Let's try a few questions to check your fanboy level:

Who sang duet with Meat Loaf on "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" (hint: she was once a regular on the TV show "Night Court")? Do you know the answer?

Music geek.

Who directed "The Empire Strikes Back," which you argue is the best movie of the original trilogy?

Movie nerd.

What are the cheat codes for the old Nintendo "Contra" video game?

Game fanatic.

What kind of wine goes well with Chilean sea bass and asparagus?

Sommelier worship.

All the negative connotations that we once put on labels like geek and nerd actually define a part of every male. Guys try to find something that we can be experts in to separate us from the crowd.

Everyone has a friend that can name this or fix that, or something. Think of it as the everyman's mutant power. Hey, it makes us feel special.

My geek quotient is higher than the average bear because of my comic book-collecting past.

And I'm proud of it.

Now if I could just stop buying every piece of Superman memorabilia I see, my living room would be much more guest friendly.

So when a guy drags you to the crowded midnight opening of the next "Matrix" movie or buys tickets to the Van Halen cover band concert, be patient with them. They can't help it.

Just smile and go along and get in touch with your own inner fanboy or fangirl (or find a nice way to get out of it).

If not, pretend you're our sidekicks, and we'll all have a good time.

The answers to the questions are: Ellen Foley; Irvin Kershner; press up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, b, a, start and you'll get 30 men; I don't know, but it's probably not something that comes in a box.

Reach Ken Rickard at krickard@honoluluadvertiser.com.