JFo Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 In other Star Wars-related news, my brother and I started showing our five year-old nephew, Timmy, the films. We started two weeks ago with A New Hope (the DVD version if you must now), and this week we invited him over to watch The Empire Strikes Back. Now that we have the big surprise out of the way, we plan on doing something that may seem a little odd at first. Instead of watching Return of the Jedi next, we're going back to watch episodes I, II, and III to find out whether or not Obi-Wan is lying about Luke's father or if Darth Vader is. After that, we'll show him Jedi so that the full impact of Anakin's redemption is felt in the kid. So far, I'd say we've been pretty successful in our efforts. I don't know if he's a full-fledged Star Wars geek yet, but I think we're getting very close to that. Once Empire ended, he said, "That was a pretty good movie!" and we probably spent the next hour or so talking about the films, trying to clarify any questions he had about who was who and what they were doing. After we explained some of it to him, I think he began to understand a little better, but I can't help but wonder if starting with The Phantom Menace would have been better from a purely narrative standpoint. Granted, a lot is set up with episode IV, but there are also a lot of characters and incidents referred to and it may have been a bit easier for him to follow if we did start at the beginning. As someone who's seen these films hundreds of times, it's easy to forget how absorbed they are in their own little universe. I know everything everyone is talking about because I've seen them so many times, and read a fair number of the books, and played my share of Star Wars video games. However, for someone that young, who has a very limited understanding of the world at large, getting to know an entirely different universe can be a pretty daunting challenge. Hence, lots and lots of questions. One moment that sticks with me happened during our viewing of Empire, there was a moment when he suddenly realized that Darth Vader was in fact a person. It was shortly after the scene in which Piett walks into Vader's quarters and sees the back of his helment being put on. Later on, we explained why he wears that outfit, telling him that if he took it off, he would die. Timmy's reaction? "I think it would be cool if they took off his helmut and then he died." You gotta love that. Anyway, I thought I'd share that with you all. It's quite exciting to pass down this story to what will hopefully be the next generation of fans. For now I have to settle for showing it to my nephew. Maybe one day I'll be fortunate enough to show them to my own children should I ever have any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnemaEms Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 My g/f's son loves Star Wars. He started watching them when he turned 4 (turns 6 in August). He actually saw Clones 1st and then we went back to Phantom Menace. We got him the OT when it was released and his favorite film was Empire. :tu He is really pumped for Sith and I cannot wait to take him to see it. We got him the Vader mask and the new Anakin/Vader lightsaber that you can change to either red or blue. We then got my son (who'll be 2 in Aug.) the Yoda lightsaber. Those two will go at it with those things and it is a thing of beauty to watch. When Ethan gets a bit older, he will be a Star Wars geek....just like his Dad. Oh, he also has a T-shirt with Vader on it and it says "Who's Your Daddy". I wanted to name our son Anakin (love that name for some reason), but I had a better chance of starring in Revenge of the Sith before that happend. -Dean- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoisonJam Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 This just confirms what I have suspected all along: my nephew is an alien. Not only was he spectacularly unimpressed with Star Wars, but he fell asleep the next week in the first half hour of Raiders of the Lost Ark. :bh At least it's my nephew on my wife's side, so we don't share blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrillho Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 I've been buying my nephew Star Wars things for quite awhile now. My sister used to laugh at all the Star Wars stuff I had, but now she sees I'm slowly corrupting her boy. He had a first communion party this past weekend, and while everyone was giving cash, I showed up with the new Arc fighter and a bag of figures. Both him and my neice love the Star wars movies and can't wait for the new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlucci Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Lucas has stated that he feels that future generations should watch the movies in I - VI order, and not in the order of their release. I remember reading this in an Entertainment Weekly magazine some time back. It's too late for me to do this with my sons, but I will introduce my daughter (she's 2) to the movies in that order. Carlos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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