How to stay sane while waiting for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Don't want to get spoiled? Me neither. Here's how to avoid the Dark Side.

This week is a pretty big week for us here at iMore. No, Apple's not announcing another new product: There's a new Star Wars film coming out on Friday Thursday night.

Unfortunately, today's the day that the press embargo breaks for journalists who got to see the film. Neither Rene and I are particularly interested in getting spoiled, but we also can't avoid the Internet entirely, given that it's our job. Instead, we've come up with a few ways to avoid spoilers and still hype up on our impending Star Wars experience.

How to avoid Star Wars spoilers

1. Set up mute filters in your Twitter client of choice

If you love social media too much to stay off it entirely for a few days, mute filters are the way to go. The official Twitter app only allows you to mute users (by tapping on the "..." More button within a tweet), but if you download Tweetbot, you can also mute words, phrases, and hashtags.

In Tweetbot, tap and hold on the third or fourth tab and select the Mute Filters icon (speech bubble with an X in it). Scroll to the bottom of the screen to add keywords, hashtags, users, and even tweets posted from certain Twitter clients.

2. Install the Force Block Chrome extension

If you're more worried about the Internet at large—or Facebook—install the Force Block for Chrome, which scans websites for potentially spoileriffic Star Wars content and warns you before you go there. No one appears to have made a version of this extension for Safari quite yet, but using Chrome for a few days is a small price to pay for staying spoiler-free.

3. Start a Slack channel with your friends

Still want to interact with the Internet but don't want trolls to ruin plot points for you? Consider creating a free Slack channel for the friends you trust on the internet, so that you have a safe place to talk without getting accidental spoilers.

Get pumped for Star Wars

You can protect yourself from the darker elements of the Force and still ramp up for the excitement of a new Star Wars movie. Here's what I've done this week (and highly recommend).

1. Make a Star Wars avatar

Like creating punny usernames? Change your Twitter or Facebook alias to something Star Wars-influenced to celebrate the week. Or even better: Add a little Star Wars to your profile picture by dropping in a BB-8 or lightsaber. I drew my own little Star Wars cartoon, but there are also services that will automatically add certain Star Wars memorabilia to a picture you've already taken.

The official Star Wars page on Facebook is one of those places, but beware of spoilers as you scroll down to find the app.

2. Watch the original trilogy (or listen to some John Williams)

The Force Awakens is a direct sequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, which might mean some brushing-up is necessary. Good news: If you don't have a good copy of the trilogy at your disposal, iTunes has it for sale in a six-movie bundle or available for $20 each ($25 Canadian).

If you just want to add some Star Wars background to your day, Six Colors discovered a new radio station on Apple Music that plays soundtrack selections from the films interspersed with little audio clips of blasters, wookie roars, and Darth Vader breathing. Spotify, too, has a Star Wars kick going on: You can match your listening habits with a popular character from the series.

3. Trade some Star Wars cards or battle some Dark Side foes

There are a few great Star Wars iOS games out there depending on your level of interest: Star Wars Card Trader lets you swap fancy Topps digital card packs with custom art and characters, while Lego: Star Wars has you play through the entire trilogy, brick-style. And if you like Pokemon-style group battles, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes has you build a team of super-powered Jedi, clones, smugglers, and more to defeat your opponents.

If you favor a little more real-world action, of course, there's always going down to your local toy store and picking up BB-8...

4. Make sure you have tickets!

If you haven't already pre-ordered your tickets, that might be something you want to do before the showings in your area get sold out.

May the Force be with you

Two days to go, Star Wars fans. Whether you're going in spoiler-free or you know everything there is to know about the next film, I hope the film leaves all of us with a smile.