It’s a question every Star Wars nerd has debated, and I still have some time to worry about it, but this is something I really need to start considering:

How should I expose my kid/kids to Star Wars?

The obvious answer is to start with Episode IV (the original film for any non-geeks). It just makes sense to expose the next generation of fans in the same way that we first learned about the goings on of a galaxy far, far away. In other words: Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and then we can go back and watch the prequel trilogy. My feeling has always been that instead of doing it just IV, V, VI, I, II, III, the ideal way to show the movies to a newbie would be IV, V, VI, I, II, III, IV, V, VI; re-watching the original trilogy (let’s call it OT to simplify) after watching the prequel trilogy (PT) helps put the whole saga into a greater context.

The main arguments for starting with the OT and not the PT are that the OT are simply better movies, and that by seeing the PT first, the emotional wallop of “No… *I* am your father” is completely lost. Well, probably not completely lost, but considerably softened.

But in all fairness, let’s just look at some of the other options.

I could show my child(ren) the PT first, and then move on to the OT. The arguments for this method is that then the kids are being exposed to the events in chronological order, which quite frankly is easier to understand. Now, of course my kids will be super geniuses and be able to understand the concept of “These movies all take place BEFORE those other movies we saw,” but if they are very young, going in order may make more sense.

The other main reason I might want to start with the PT is that Episode I was truly made for kids. Now I know what you’re thinking – they were all made for kids! The OT was specifically designed for the kid in everyone! It’s a classic fairy tale! Kids LOVE the Ewoks! Well, that’s all true, but I just can’t shake the feeling that the OT was made for slightly older kids, say around 10 or so. Whereas Episode I, with Jar Jar and the pod race and the droid army, was made for the very young set, say around age 5.

The main issue with getting the kid hooked on Ep. I is that in just two movies, we’re getting to some dark stuff. Ep. III has some moments that could be downright frightening for a very young kid, and I wouldn’t want to terrify my child so much that he or she is afraid to watch the OT, which, despite its share of dark moments, is nowhere near as dark as Ep. III.

Then there’s the whole pacing issue. I love the original movie as much as anyone, and for me it doesn’t feel slow, but in all objectivity, it does move a bit slower than the PT. I’m not saying it as a bad thing, but if my child is also exposed to other, more modern movies, might the slower pacing of Ep. IV be a turn-off? I know that I have tried to watch older movies that my parents have told me were amazing classics, but the incredulously slow pacing bored me out of my skull, and I just couldn’t get past it. (Raging Bull and Deer Hunter spring to mind as examples.) And naturally, I want my child to fall in love with Star Wars right away, which shouldn’t be a problem if we can make it to Luke staring out at the twin setting suns.

The other possibility would be to start off with the animated series The Clone Wars. Now that movie and TV show are, unquestionably, geared to a young audience, and kids really seem to love it. In Queens, we lived right by an elementary school, and I saw a ton of kids with Clone Wars backpacks and lunchboxes and things. So even though it lacks the context of the larger saga, if that’s a good entry-point into the Star Wars universe, surely there’s no harm in that, right?

What do you guys think?

(P.S. Speaking of Star Wars, check out this page of Star Wars status updates on Facebook – funny stuff.