Can anybody shed some light on a new Star Wars fan?

What is the Star Wars fan-base like? I see online that many people either hate the Star Wars prequels or love it. (Personally I love Phantom Menace because of my childhood memories playing the pod-race game and playing with Darth Maul's light saber toy although I now know many things were unnecessary). Many people either hate George Lucas or love him. Many people either agree that the story is about Anakin or the story is about Luke. Can anyone help out a new fan understand? (I was always a fan of Star Wars but only recently have I REALLY gotten into it). Also how many books and comics are there? There are six movies but there are a HORDE of games, books, and other shenanigans going into depth with the Universe. Where do I start?