How old is old enough...

[tullfan81]

For Star Wars!

This mom would like to know... (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?entry_id=38467)(and IMO deserves a slap with a giant trout!)

So I guess the obvious question is how old were all of you when you saw star wars?

I'll start. I was born in 1983 so my first star wars film, not that i remember it, was return of the jedi. I wasn't even 2 years old yet, but my father and my aunt took me to see it. I'm pretty sure there was some sort of subconscious mojo at work there really is no other way to explain my love of these movies.

I didn't see the other two movies till I was 5, they were playing in a third-run dollar theater in a small town near where i lived, my aunt took me and my 3 year old sister (who slept the whole time) to see them. I have fond memories of those days. I even had a cool little toy sword...I think it said star wars on the black paper handle...it glowed in the dark, i miss that sword.

Well...what about the rest of you?

ps:
A few of you know that my wife and I are expecting our first child in September. I plan on showing star wars to my son/daughter (we find out on May 8th) as soon as they take an interest in one of the many (many) toy and prop lightsabers littering the landscape that is our home. My guess is it'll probably be around the time the kid is 3-5 years old...a long time to wait, but it'll be so worth it.

[Darth Cipher]

I think I was about 3 or 4 when I saw a new hope...I was born in 1988. I would say have them watch it as soon as they can sit an watch a movie, as your father did to you!

[DragonStar]

If you ask my 3 year old daughter to sing any given theme, she can do it in it's entirety. Luke's theme, Leia's theme, the Emperor song, the cantina song, the Star Wars theme song, the "medal ceremony" song.... She knows who uncle Owen and aunt Beru are. Best part is she picked it all up on her own just by watching.

[Darth Siggious]

I was born in 1979 and my parents took me to all three films in 1983 when Jedi came out.

I don't think seeing them at 4 years old scarred me in any way like that article kind of suggests...I didn't really remember a whole lot from the movies anyway, what do you really remember from when you were 4 years old, ya know. Compared to other films that are out there, the violence in Star Wars is pretty tame, I know people lose limbs and stuff but there's no gore, no blood (everything's cauterized right away) no cursing, and I'd agree with the one guy on the blog from that article by saying that the films are pretty campy by today's standards. I think people have a tendency to overreact to these types of situations...

AND, there's also the hunk of junk called the Special Edition which makes Greedo shoot first so Han doesn't seem like a space pirate who does illegal things for bad people, oh wait...:p

Plus, there's all sorts of fun things in that version for the kids, like the little aliens running around Mos Eisley getting hit by cars...yeah, brilliant, that's what the original film was missing.

I do remember that when I got suspended from 2nd grade in Catholic School my punishment was that I couldn't watch Return of the Jedi when it debuted on TV...man did I piss and moan about that all day and night.

I got suspended because me and some other kids stole the teacher's grab bag of gifts from the teacher's lounge...haha...I hated Catholic School.

[MasterRoop]

ive been watching star wars since i can remember. i was born in 1991. me and an old friend that i used to have when i was little would always play star wars and talked about it. so ive grow up always having star wars.

[Hasid Lafre]

I just hate it when parents keep kids from watching something. Thats why they grow up with a complex cause mothers kept the bad things from them.

Liek the one said they ahd to turn off finding nemo cause his mother died or whatever. When I was a kid I cryed when the one died in the lion king.

How about bambie? I never watched it but whos kids cryed to bambie? Its simple, there will be sad parts to a movie, just cause your kid starts to tear up a bit dosent mean you have to shield them from that experiance. Doing so would cause some complexes in life like mass murder and the sort.

[Novastar]

If you ask my 3 year old daughter to sing any given theme, she can do it in it's entirety. Luke's theme, Leia's theme, the Emperor song, the cantina song, the Star Wars theme song, the "medal ceremony" song.... She knows who uncle Owen and aunt Beru are. Best part is she picked it all up on her own just by watching.She may have a very very excellent ear for music. John Williams' music is brilliant... but... a 3-year old enjoying it and "knowing the difference" that well?! Hmm. Keep an eye on that, you must.

An ear, I guess. :)

[Swordlord]

I was 15 when I saw Star Wars on opening night in 1977.

[vargose]

I first saw return of the jedi somewhere between 3 and 10. Hard to say exactly. I am sure I was pretty young the first time. My parents had a vhs copy recorded from when it was on TV. I bought a new hope when they made the remastered versions. That was the first time I had seen it. I am sure I saw empire strikes back some where on TV in there. Then I saw all three in big screen awesomeness when the special edition came out in 1997. I was in middle school at that point.

[ArkaiHalon]

I was 1 year old when I first saw a new hope. It is one of my earliest memories, and my mother says I became obsessed even then. Iwas 3 when I got my first lightsaber

32 years later, I just build my own lightsabers. and still get goosebumps when that fanfare hits.

[Thaxos]

ive been watching star wars since i can remember. i was born in 1991. me and an old friend that i used to have when i was little would always play star wars and talked about it. so ive grow up always having star wars.

Same here! I am guessing, but I'd say I was 6 or 7 when I watched the original trilogy. I was hooked after that!

[Jay-gon Jinn]

I was born in '72, so I saw the first movie, Star Wars, at a drive-in when I was four...didn't really get hooked on it until Empire was released in 1980. We used to watch them over and over again when they first came out on VHS....we had to rent a VCP from the library to watch them then, because video players were so expensive when they first came out....

[psab keel]

The problem with this mother's way of thinking is that if you shelter your child too much, then you're likely going to have your kid have a huge shock when they are exposed to violence and things like this. I mean, it's her child, and she must do what she feels is right of course. (couldn't resist.) The real world is full of disappointments, violence, ***, and all kinds of other things that don't fit into the sheltered view of the child who isn't exposed to these things early on.

It's not to say that these kids should be shown snuff films, or *****graphy, but a bit of exposure to something like Star Wars isn't going to hurt them in the least. There is a good amount of evidence to suggest that by allowing children to view films like this (which is who the intended audience is anyway) then when they act out scenes from the films, play with the action figures, and whatnot, they are working out their own ideas of right and wrong, good and evil. Children don't have the vocabulary or the mental capacity to wrap their mind around concepts like moral ambiguity and self sacrifice, compassion, empathy for others, fighting for a just cause, the same way an adult does.

By playing out things like Star Wars and enacting them, they have a better understanding of these concepts.

Just my two cents.

[Nightwing]

I'd say that the best time is whenever the child is old enough to fully comprehend the story. For me, that was at about age 6. If you get shown Star Wars too early, it just becomes "the norm," and you can't always think about it or understand it as well.

Besides, you want your kids to REMEMBER their first Star Wars experience.
So what you do is wait until they're old enough, then watch one movie a day, starting with the OT and then MAYBE the Prequels ('cause Revenge of the Sith is kinda mature).

[Col-mar]

I was about nine or ten and at a church friend's apartment for the going away party for my eldest brother going into the navy. And it was JEDI! Guess that's why that's my favorite of the OT. It wasn't until years later I knew what it was, just that I wanted to watch it again after it was over.

I was a year shy if Empire coming out and too young to see Jedi in the theaters (born in '81). But I wasn't really hooked unil ten years ago with TPM. Gotta love prequal jedi. :D

[sithlordfaust]

My dad brought me to all the on opening days. I was 4 when Ep IV came out. and besides my tonselectomy at age 3, its one one of my most vivid memories from my childhood. for a long time it shaped my idea of good/bad fairness, etc

my only problem with exposing kids to SW is... they CAN become obsessed! I showed it to my firstborn when he was three. now its one of 3 topics he ever talks about.
even overshadows my enthusiasm.
I think it can trap them in a fantasy land that can be hard to escape, especially as they get older and realize how mundane reality is. and for parents... besides Pixar's "Cars" its one of the most expensive interests a child can have, or an adult for that matter. lol

[Thaxos]

Yeah, definitely agree with you Nightwing, viewing order is for sure OT then NT
Psab, I agree completely, if they don't get some sort of context, they will have no idea what to do.

I wouldn't really talk about obsession on a site that sells machined aluminum parts (among other parts) for constructing lightsabers :-P
It's not really an obsession unless you cannot do anything without it. Everyone here just VERY STRONGLY like Star Wars hahaha...

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

She may have a very very excellent ear for music. John Williams' music is brilliant... but... a 3-year old enjoying it and "knowing the difference" that well?! Hmm. Keep an eye on that, you must.

An ear, I guess. :)

Listen to Novastar you should...she may have a true *gift* and if so nurture it well; there are few things more fullfilling in Life than a great musical talent.

[cardcollector]

Wow, This is a very touchy subject. I was born in 1992.
I saw Star Wars with my dad when I was six.
It was a great experience. I don't remeber much about the actual movie back then-just I got to do something cool with my Dad.

One of my younger brothers however saw episode VI and had nightmares for about a week after he saw the Rancor part. (he dreamed it was eating him)

IMO I think the parents have EVERY right to determine what their child watches.

[Tenric Starkindler]

Wel I saw it in 1977 in the theaters (and each one likewaise as it came out). I was in 6th grade then.
However my son was about 4 when he saw the first trilogy and near 6 when he saw the rest (with me editing some scenes via remote). My youngest was humming The Imperial Death March in her walker and could spot the words Star Wars on a movie or book by sight when she was 3...we used to call her "Darth Diaper" when she chased us around the house with a toy saber and her hand in the "lightening" position........

[Kal El Rah]

I was 16 when ANH(EPIV 1977) came out, saw it in the theater also and the rest the same way for OS. The new 1s I just waited till they came out on DVD. But I love them all.

[DaJoQuim]

I was 18 years old when I first saw the movie in 1977.I have not been the same ever since lol!!

[ARKM]

I was born in 1969. I saw A New Hope for the first time in 1977 at a drive-in theater. I was blown away and instantly became a big Star Wars fan. Of course my favorite thing about Star Wars is lightsabers. Mmm, lightsabers.

Interesting fact, while I was watching A New Hope at that drive-in theater, a very small meteorite struck the side of the screen and bounced off. It was pretty cool.

[Zook]

I was 5 when my parents took me to A New Hope at a drive in.