At some point, every reasonable science-fiction and fantasy fan looks at people who share their geeky interests and thinks: “Holy crap. What the hell am I doing associating myself with these people?” Case in point, Karen Traviss a writer of Star Wars fiction has recently come under scathing abuse for writing that the Grand Army of the Republic featured in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith numbered only 3,000,000 Clone Troopers. The resulting apoplectic responses to this figure makes well-adjusted fans cringe at the idea that they share any connection to such over the top nutbars. Bryan at You Are Dumb does a great job of articulating the problem:

… - at what point is a nerd unsalvageable? At what point are they so insane, so caught up, so trapped in a web of their own minutiae that they aren’t just stalking their hobby, they’ve kidnapped their hobby, tied it up in their basement, and force it to watch while they masturbate to the Star Wars Holiday Special? At what point are nerds simply incapable of being better nerds? At what point are exile, euthanasia, or chemical castration the only alternatives to a lifetime of sad nerditry? Here’s a hint - when they decide they need to dispute the number of clones in the Clone Army.

Great point. Maybe three million clone troopers does sound like a low figure, but so what? Just retcon it in your head. Heck, if the internal logic of Star Wars minutiae can survive canonized facts such as midi-chlorians, then it can certainly survive a supposed dearth of clone troopers.

In fact to expand on this point, I would like to suggest the following list of further suggestions for recognizing when you are certifiably an unsalvageable nerd:

• You believe that the victor in hypothetical battle between the Death Star and and the Starship Enterprise or Borg Cube matters.
• You effect your SCA faux-english accent in real life because you think it makes you sound eloquent.
• You own replica sci-fi/fantasy weaponry (master lightsabers, bat’leths, phasers, swords featured on Highlander) and try to find excuses to bring them with you into public.
• You quote from sci-fi and fantasy as often as a fundamentalist quotes from the bible.
• You say “Move ‘zig” in public with the smug knowledge that you are one of the select few who have any idea what you mean.
• You wear a trenchcoat whenever possible, even during warm and sunny days, as if it represents the height of fashion.
• You have a conniption anytime someone is under the impression that:
  • Rumble is Blue
  • Han Shot Second http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Shoots_First
  • Picard is better than Kirk