Need help from parents and Star Wars fans

[Ryougabot]

I am on the horns of a dilemma. Do I show my child Star Wars?

Now I am not talking Phantom Menace, but the original Star Wars.

I have wanted to introduce him to the Star Wars movies for a while, but I have always had reservations.

Pros
It is a classic tale of the smalltown boy going on an epic quest.
There is clear distinction between good and evil...actions.
C3PO and R2 are funny
Han is funny
Chewie is funny
Explosions...cool
You actually know who the story is about and care (I'm looking at you TPM)
It is darn entertaining

Cons
Death...or more to the point killing. He understands mortality (Charlotte's Web), but has never seen someone kill someone else. The opening scene of SW has one of the highest body counts of most movies.
Darth Vader was scary to me as a child...

There are many more pros than cons, I am still worried about the cons. My son is 4.5 and very intelligent. He is a little behind emotionally though.

I will put it out there, do you remember when you saw SW first and what did it do to you?

Also, and probably more importantly, parents, shat age did you show you kids SW and how did the react based on age?

I will start, I had to have been 4 or 5, I thought it was very cool, and it gave me my first understanding of evil. It is not what you say or think, but evil is demonstrated by actions. I was sure I could use the force. All was good until I thought I saw Darth Vader outside of the bathroom window. For three years after that I would not go into that room after dark unless someone turned on a light...I mean we all know that Darth Vader won't get you if the light is on.

I just don't know, what do you guys think? Do I take him on his first step into a larger world, or do I keep him on Tatoine and let the empire come to him?

[TurtleKing99]

It would help if we knew his age...

[Ryougabot]

It would help if we knew his age...
My son is 4.5
I mentioned that

[TurtleKing99]

It would help if we knew his age...
My son is 4.5
I mentioned that
*facepalm* at myself. I would probably wait a year if I were you. But I didn't stop having nightmares till I was 11 or 12 year old.

[GeneralGrievous13]

I am not a parent, but, as my name hints at, I am a Star Wars fan.

I would personally recommend showing your child Star Wars episodes 4-6.

One of my favorite childhood memories was when I watched the original Star Wars trilogy with my dad. I was only about 4-5 at the time.

With regards to the Cons that you mentioned:

I found Darth Vader more awesome than scary. Also, I never really reflected on how many generic stormtrooper died in the trilogy until I was much older. (Just think "How many stormtroopers and Imperial personnel died when the first Death Star blew up?" :D)

The only thing that I remember being bothered by was when Han got frozen and Luke got his hand cut off, but that was more of just shock that the hero didn't always win. However, this is, in my opinion, one of the many important lessons that Star Wars can teach children.

Finally, just like you, I was also sure that I could use the Force after watching these movies. I think that it is important to show these great movies to kids when they are still young enough to think that, when cars stop as they are crossing the street with their parents in a cross-walk, those cars were stopped by their own mighty Force powers! (Not that I would know anything about that...) ;)

[Flame Gryphon]

I think you should. It is a right of passage! It. Must. Happen!;)

Okay, I'm back. Honestly, I think you should. I was...5? 6-ish? When I first saw Darth Maul be cut in half...I'm thinking that the original ones are good at 4-5.

[Yodaking]

I raised my daughter on Starwars and she loves the movies. Don't recall what age she first saw them at but 5 seems fine to me. On the other hand, the LOTR/Hobbit cartoon movies gave her nightmares as a kid and as a result she was not interested in seeing the Peter Jackson films until just recently.

[ollie]

I was 4 and it was my favourite video for the next few years. Like GeneralGrevious13, the body count just didn't register with me at the time.

And I turned out OK. <twitch>

[Jim]

I was 10 when I first saw Star Wars (Ep. 4). It was in the theater, and it had just premiered. I was fine. My sister-in-law has a 4 year old, and that same movie (Don't get me started. I know it really isn't the same movie I saw.) is one of his favorites. He's fine. Just explain things if needed and ask if he has any questions or concerns.

[Rich10]

I would wait until age 8, but I'm a paranoid parent.

[yagyuninja]

I think I watched star wars with my son around the time he turned three. That seems insane now that I type it out.

We didn't show him any tv/movie/video games until after he was 2, but he spends half a day 5 times a week at grandparents houses, so who knows what they let him watch. Anyway, I think I just waited until he was already running around play fighting with swords and guns anyway. Sometimes I would ask him if something from the movies was real...he got that it wasn't.

It's extremely hard call to make, and it totally depends on your kid. My son doesn't seem warped by it, though I have yet to show him episode 3. He knows who vader is, but I've just yet to take the plunge and let him watch that one.

The only movie that has really freaked my son out (and was pretty stupid of me to let him watch) was Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Amazing movie. Lots of killing and scary monsters.

[nate the dawg]

My oldest was four or so the first time he watched. He wasn't scared of Vader at all; in fact, he got kinda bored! Later, when I watched the newer films with him, he became hooked. Ugh...he's 12 now and still loves JarJar:evil:!

Seriously though, I don't find there to be anything wrong with exposing him to a film that he'll likely view more as 'cool' than scary.

[Chardris1287]

does he know the difference between fantasy and reality? If so, explain to him that Darth Vader is just a costume, like halloween, and not real. He quickly becomes less scary. Explain to him that death/killing is wrong, however I don't blame the media and/or video games for violence in the world. I never saw Star Wars till I was like 17 btw... Death in a star wars movie isn't anything to fret about. There are much worse movies, and some Kids shows have "mature" content. I say, pop up some popcorn (or a pizza!) sit down on the sofa and makes some memories!

[NilfheimPwns]

I think I saw everything but the third by the time I was 6 or 7, and I was either 7 or 8 when I saw the third. The lego star wars video games are good, and really dull it down, but he won't be shocked when he see's it.

[Dad_Scaper]

It's not gory or graphic, which is (are) the main thing(s) to watch out for. It's a family friendly movie.

Four and a half is still young. Clearly he is your oldest child, because you are overthinking this the way a parent can do only for the oldest.

Really it doesn't matter. It's not graphic. My daughter was about that age when she saw the movies (she not being the eldest...) and if I remember correctly she was pretty much indifferent to the whole thing.

If it's important to you, do it. Unless your wife says no, in which case you shouldn't, and take comfort knowing that you won't hurt your child either way, and this decision you're grappling with is all about you and not really much about him. He'll be ok. :thumbsup: :)

[Darth Vader]

I remember seeing Star Wars for the first time when I was four or so. My parents always appeared to be freaked by violence, but they had no real trouble with me seeing Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings, or stuff like that.

I personally think that IV, V and VI are fine for the youngsters. By the way, A New Hope originally received a "G" rating before they producers included the clip with Owen and Beru's bodies.

I'd say try out IV, see what happens. If your son enjoys them, and takes the violent parts of the movie well, you should be good. Violence will have to be exposed to him at some point, and I think Star Wars is the best way to start.

[clancampbell]

I think 4.5 might be a bit young. I did not show my son Star Wars until he was almost 8. So pehaps 7 to 8 would be better.

However, only you know what your children can handle, and each child matures at different rates.

[marroking1]

Just reading this thread brought back memories about this topic.
When I was like 5 my 2 of my cousins were other cousin who had not seen the movie and lied that when princess leia saw the trash monster that her eyes poped out of her head. long story short he did not watch the movies til he was 12 because of this.

[Shockma Ranyk]

Just reading this thread brought back memories about this topic.
When I was like 5 my 2 of my cousins were other cousin who had not seen the movie and lied that when princess leia saw the trash monster that her eyes poped out of her head. long story short he did not watch the movies til he was 12 because of this.

:rofl:

On a more serious matter, I first saw Episode IV at about 6 or 7 I think. My mom and sister where away from home, and my dad just told me to get in his car, and we were taking a quick drive. He picked up IV at Blockbuster, and we watched it that night. I spent almost the whole movie marveling at the genius of the thing. I never once thought about death or scariness, and I think your son would probably be just fine. :)

[The Grim Reaper's Friend]

I'm no adult either, but I first saw star wars when I was like 11 or something. Really. I'd wait.

[Matt Helm]

I first saw Star Wars (before they ever called it A New Hope) in its first run in the theater. Dad took my brothers and me because we just couldn't wait to dive into the most advanced fantasy of all time. I was 7 years old and when I left the theater, my life was changed. I loved it more than any movie I had ever seen.

But that's not really pertinent here. As a father, I'm going to tell you something that you don't want to hear. Are you ready? Stop reading if you're not...

Show him the Phantom Menace first. I know, I know, I'm throwing rocks at myself right now. But for all of Lucas' ego and and craziness, he created that movie purposely to draw in a whole new generation of tiny tots into his money making machine.

Little kids need the child Anakin to identify with. They love the idea of the child hero. It gives them something to pretend to be without having to deal with love stories, death strokes, or sacrifice. Trust me on this one.

I caught PM on spike one night and tried to get my then 4 year old to watch. He didn't care too much at first. But less than 6 months later (about 4 1/2 yrs old) he watched it on DVD and loved it. He became fascinated when I showed him that there were 5 others.

At that age, they also don't need to watch them in order. They just want to see the fun. So if he gets addicted, you can jump right to Episode 4. He'll recognize R2-D2 and understand that Luke Sywalker is related to Anakin Sywalker. I think I went to Episode 2 but then skipped 3 to go to 4.

Like I said, don't worry about the order. In fact after 1, you can jump to 6 and show him that although Anakin grows up to be evil, he turns back to the good side in the end. Knowing that little bit will let him enjoy Darth Vader without being afraid of him.

Bottom line is, he can start now, but hide Episode 3 because my son, now 7, still doesn't like the fact that Padme dies. He won't watch that one again.

[rednax]

Is it bad that I'm nearly 14 and haven't seen Star Wars?

:runaway:

~Rednax

[Ecthelion]

Is it bad that I'm nearly 14 and haven't seen Star Wars?

:runaway:

~Rednax
No. It's just a movie.

[Kaiser Cat]

You could lie and say that the Imperial guns make people take a nap. So the rebels aren't dead, they're just napping. And the empire is evil because they made a bunch of fireworks that woke everyone on Alderaan up. Those people need their beauty sleep!

If your son is anything like the person I was at about 5-7 years old, he won't understand the "Bad" parts. He won't invert stupid stories like the one above, he'll just ignore them and focus on the cool parts.

[russwaddel08]

I would say that the part he won't get and understand at this stage is the lightsaber duel on Cloud City between Father and Son. He might get scared at Luke getting his hand chopped. I saw the movies originally when I was about 4.5-5 years old, and I didn't understand them. It wasn't until they pushed them in the mid-90's that I really got into them. At that stage (in my teens) the stories really hit home. I agree with a previous poster. Go ahead and show him EP1, and then skip ahead to 4. He won't care, as you can tell him that the child from EP1 is now in the suit, and his son is the guy on the planet. Heck, if he doesn't understand the character names, you can just say that the guy in 4 is related to the kid in 1. He'll probably understand.

As for the 3rd movie, skip it for now. There is a reason it is PG-13. It deals with a lot of dark emotions and dark themes that a 4.5 yr old doesn't need to get exposed to. Another good movie to show him (if you show him EP1) is "Clone Wars." It has some good light/dark themes and excellent animation qualities (along with Star Wars comedy moments) and he will get a kick out of it. This would tie in neatly with Padme/Anakin and Luke in EP4. Also, as with the earlier poster, skip 5 and go to 6. Then you can show him how the son redeems the father and everything is hunky-dorey. Plus, all children love the ewoks.

As such, you are the parent, and how and when you show the movies is up to you. These are just my recommendations. BTW, if he loves the Clone Wars movie, the series is just as great. Very family-friendly.

Also, pick up the Lego Star Wars video games. Depending on the platform, you can get the Lego Star Wars (EP1-3), Lego Star Wars II (EP4-6) or Lego Star Wars the Complete Saga. These would be a great way for him to grow into the stories, and some of the moments are done in comedic ways (IE-When Chewie and Han congratulate Luke, in the Lego version Han wants a "high-five" and Chewie knocks him flat) make for some family friendly moments. And, it is 2 player, so you and your son can spend some quality time killing Lego figures and learning the stories in new ways.

There you have it. Kind of a long post, but I hope it helps. Also, I would recommend that if your kid can sit through a Disney movie like "Sleeping Beuty" or "Robin Hood" (with the perilous moments coming at the end) with no trouble, then EP1 and "Clone Wars" should be fine.

[LilMoochie]

As a father, I think 4.5 is too young. Every kid is different but I think I wouldn't show episodes 4-6 until later. The kid won't even understand what's going on except for the shooting parts, and that's not really the message you want to convey.


If you really love your child, you won't show episode 1-3. EVER. :p

[Darth Vader]

If you really love your child, you won't show episode 1-3. EVER. :p

Agreed. Lucas really lost his touch with those three.

[Ryougabot]

If you really love your child, you won't show episode 1-3. EVER. :p

Best quote ever!!! Yes, I can spare him JarJar, Giant ants who designed the Deathstar and EPIII - Revenge of the $ith

[LilMoochie]

I was poking through my archives and found this

http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=20824t

Turns out that we've been done this before. My opinion's a little different 3 years later, but not too much.

[ZBeeblebrox]

Star Wars released back in Summer 77 and I remmeber going to the Drive-In to see so I would have been 5 and my brother would have been 4...and were OK with it...I think 5 years old is old enough for that movie.

[Ryougabot]

I was poking through my archives and found this

http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=20824t

Turns out that we've been done this before. My opinion's a little different 3 years later, but not too much.

The other thread reminds me of two three other movies I must consider letting him watch; The Ewok movies, and the Holiday special.

I think those fall into the same category an TPM :wtf!:

...Gotta go, have to make it home for Life Day:runaway:

[LilMoochie]

The other thread reminds me of two three other movies I must consider letting him watch; The Ewok movies, and the Holiday special...

Dude... Seriously? I'm calling CPS

[Neo]

Show it to him! I saw it when I was about that age and I'm not scared for life. If it wasn't for Star wars I probably wouldn't play HeroScape or be a nerd or anything. As long as your fine with your son wanting to play with plastic lightsabers, do it!

[elvenwizard9]

I would say that the part he won't get and understand at this stage is the lightsaber duel on Cloud City between Father and Son. He might get scared at Luke getting his hand chopped. I saw the movies originally when I was about 4.5-5 years old, and I didn't understand them. It wasn't until they pushed them in the mid-90's that I really got into them. At that stage (in my teens) the stories really hit home. I agree with a previous poster. Go ahead and show him EP1, and then skip ahead to 4. He won't care, as you can tell him that the child from EP1 is now in the suit, and his son is the guy on the planet. Heck, if he doesn't understand the character names, you can just say that the guy in 4 is related to the kid in 1. He'll probably understand.

As for the 3rd movie, skip it for now. There is a reason it is PG-13. It deals with a lot of dark emotions and dark themes that a 4.5 yr old doesn't need to get exposed to. Another good movie to show him (if you show him EP1) is "Clone Wars." It has some good light/dark themes and excellent animation qualities (along with Star Wars comedy moments) and he will get a kick out of it. This would tie in neatly with Padme/Anakin and Luke in EP4. Also, as with the earlier poster, skip 5 and go to 6. Then you can show him how the son redeems the father and everything is hunky-dorey. Plus, all children love the ewoks.

As such, you are the parent, and how and when you show the movies is up to you. These are just my recommendations. BTW, if he loves the Clone Wars movie, the series is just as great. Very family-friendly.

Also, pick up the Lego Star Wars video games. Depending on the platform, you can get the Lego Star Wars (EP1-3), Lego Star Wars II (EP4-6) or Lego Star Wars the Complete Saga. These would be a great way for him to grow into the stories, and some of the moments are done in comedic ways (IE-When Chewie and Han congratulate Luke, in the Lego version Han wants a "high-five" and Chewie knocks him flat) make for some family friendly moments. And, it is 2 player, so you and your son can spend some quality time killing Lego figures and learning the stories in new ways.

There you have it. Kind of a long post, but I hope it helps. Also, I would recommend that if your kid can sit through a Disney movie like "Sleeping Beuty" or "Robin Hood" (with the perilous moments coming at the end) with no trouble, then EP1 and "Clone Wars" should be fine.
I am still a minor, but I saw the Original Trilogy when I was 4. I loved it. I became obsessed with Star Wars. DO IT.
And don't listen to his advice on skipping the Empire Strikes Back. I saw them in order. And Yoda is to cool to skip over:D.
Also, kids take in much more than you realize. Well, some do, and some don't.

[Drumline3469]

If you really love your child, you won't show episode 1-3. EVER. :p

By best friend's son has some Clone Wars pajamas his mom bought him and my buddy always reminds him that it's the "Fake Star Wars" whenever he wears them.

As far as the age question goes, as I kid, I suffered from anxiety. I was paralyzed with the idea of death and when I learned about Abe Lincoln and other historical figures in school, all I could think about was that they're dead, their ghosts, and my eventual death. That being said, Star Wars was never something that attributed to any sort of fears or anything in my life-time, ever. I think it's important to show them all the way through so you can see Darth's redemption. I think even at 4 or 5 years old, that registered with me. That Darth was just people used by the Emperor and that deep down he was a cool guy so I was never afraid of him. I thought he was really cool, to be honest.

[heroscaper2010]

I'm thirteen. I forget the first time I watched the movies but I always thought they were cool. I didn't fully get the piont of it, but the Big Guy in a Black suit was always something to look foreward to. And yeah Episode 4 does have one of the biggest death opening scenes but I don't know this or not but when he's see's Vader walk out, he's either going to stare in shock or amazement or both. But it's better to expose it now, because then he'll forget everything that happened. Then later in his life show him the PREQUEL first that way he won't know that Anakin turns to Vader.

Just my piont of view!!!!

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.

[heroscaper2010]

:)Show it to him! I saw it when I was about that age and I'm not scared for life. If it wasn't for Star wars I probably wouldn't play HeroScape or be a nerd or anything. As long as your fine with your son wanting to play with plastic lightsabers, do it!

Yeah I forgot to point that out, when I was like 4 probably I had the Lightsaber Ball(The ball Luke uses for 'Saber Training on Tatooine) and it shot little foam disk at me and I had to block them. So I probably saw the movies when I was like 3-4!!!!!!!

I always thought I had the force when i walked into places with the automatic doors once I learned where to walk and that they open on there own, I started acting like I was opening them with the force (Sometimes I still do lol ;) )

[Billtrumpet25]

You are the only one who knows your child best. Trust your gut, and everything will fall into place.

[Ryougabot]

He solved the problem for me. He has no interest in watching SW. He did see my 80's Transformers DVD an asked to watch that. He was hooked. He thinks the moon is Cybertron, Dinobots are cool, and he sat in silent awe of Devastator...

Star Wars is not even on the table anymore...

[LilMoochie]

Star Wars is not even on the table anymore... http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/9/18/128662693103813100.jpg

[heroscaper2010]

Give him a few years I didn't get it right away too. But now I wish I owned the wholle set!!!!

[Billtrumpet25]

He solved the problem for me. He has no interest in watching SW. He did see my 80's Transformers DVD an asked to watch that. He was hooked. He thinks the moon is Cybertron, Dinobots are cool, and he sat in silent awe of Devastator...

Star Wars is not even on the table anymore...