Adventures in Raising the Next Generation of Original Star Wars Fans — Page 10

Well, like I said before, as a kid who didn't see the original Star Wars until 1997 when I was about seven, and was, from then on, raised with the SE and had only just seen the originals again through fan preservations a year or so ago; I can say without a doubt that the originals are far superior.

For a long time I was an SE apologist, because that's really all I'd ever known. I remember hearing the "Yub Nub" song at a friend's house when I was 9 or so and thinking it was weird because I'd never heard it before, the version I owned had all these cool celebrations and better music and stuff! I remember feeling smugly superior to all the people with their outdated and lame original cuts, whereas I had the enhanced and cleaned version with cool new things.

Then I grew up and was introduced to this whole movement, for awhile, I resisted because I didn't fully grasp the whole idea that film history was being destroyed. Thankfully, I am now confident that I am in the right camp. I realized after watching Adywan's ESB preservation that the movie was just... better like that. I dunno what it was. The flow was better? I'm not sure. There's just something about the no-frills presentation of the unaltered cuts that enhances the story being presented.

I think that, left to their own devices to become Star Wars fans on their own, like I was, that kids of all ages will eventually gravitate to the OT, and from there to the OUT. All of my Generation Y friends agree with me, and I have faith that the next generation will also see the light.

It's still jarring for me to watch ESB and see the cave pan over to Luke hanging upside-down instead of the SE wampa, though.

^I am one of those people who hated Yub Nub too when I was little. I was five and my neighbor invited me to his birthday party when he was 8, and we watched Return of the Jedi... it was up to a coin toss as to which version we were gonna watch because one kid didn't wanna watch the special editions. I can't believe he knew the difference at age 8! (although to his credit, their copy of the originals was widescreen vs. the fullscreen golden SE box.) Watched the original and was disgusted by Yub Nub, but it has grown on me... not the teddy bear parade part, but the fact that it's a tiny and heartfelt celebration vs. the galaxy celebrating seems to make more sense to me.

Yeah, I still don't really care for it. =P

very good.  perfect age to get into star wars.

Mrebo said:

WhatsMyName said:

I dunno. I guess its not different then believing in Santa all your child hood and then one day you realized that Santa was never there in the first place and move on with life.

And the main topic thing, this is just weird. Restricting kids from the PT because it wasn't anything like the OT? Awkward...

That makes sense.

As far as the topic goes, I have great sympathy for xhonzi's point of view. I certainly won't feel motivated to subject my future younglings children to the PT. It's not about being merely different from the OT...it's about undermining the glory of the OT, to put it slightly melodramatically. I certainly don't want a world for my kids in which the PT is considered Star Wars gospel. Whether I could be as diligent and steadfast in keeping the influence of PT out of my home...I don't know. But they will know the truth!

It's not really that hard.  There's always a bit of exaggeration for entertainment value in my posts, but here's what we really do:

1. I never put the PT on to watch.  Just like the appx 1 billion other movies I don't put on.  I tend to put movies on for my kids that we all have an interest in watching.  The PT doesn't make the cut.

2. I dremeled lightsabres off of 2 Galactic Heroes figures: a Yoda and an Emperor .  It took maybe 2 minutes to plug it in, and remove the weapon.

That's about it.  As I've said, my kids' imaginations are far better than the PT. 

I like Mrebo's word "undermined."  It's not that I think my kids will like the PT better than the OT... it's that I think the PT lessens one's ability to enjoy the OT.

That is all.

If I ever had children, I will show them the original Star Wars first.  From that point forward, it's up to them which ones they watch and which ones they like.  It's not my business to try to mold them into the type of Star Wars fan I want them to be.  To do so would be a tad insane IMO.

This thread settled it.  After my little sister and I finish up Episode II this Saturday, I'll never put the PT on for her to watch again.  Episode III was PG-13 anyway.  Nothing but the OOT from now on.

I think it's on topic but I'm still writing this text to cover my ass ;-)

agree with darth bizarro

not a parent, but i think just pop in star wars and watch it on your own...if they get curious, they'll sit down and watch it with you.  Friend of mine says she did that with her kids.  Didn't force PT or OT.  Last i heard, PT is at a disadvantage cuz there is no Chewie :)

Its also interesting to note that many parents of young kids find the Episode III scene with anakin ready to kill the younglings a huge turn-off and won't let them watch it becuase of that!

anway, kids today watching OT would be like me when i first saw the Wizard of Oz 30 years ago.  it didn't matter to me that the film was made in 1939 and I was watching it for the first time in 1981.  It still worked.

Now visual effects have increased exponentially from 1977-2011 compared to 1939 to 1981,  and there are much more fantasy films and video games nowadays (my dad once said that when Star Wars came out the only movie that could compare was in fact The Wizard of Oz) so it may not be the best analogy.

but i would never sell the OT short. and if they still genuinely like the PT, que sera sera.  

But they have to honestly like it better - not because they went on TFN and read that "lucas is a genius for making the TPM space battle suck ass otherwise it would overshadow the OT space battles which occur much later when you watch the films in numerical order!" or "it totally makes sense that anakin and padme have no chemistry cuz its supposed to be a failed romance, lucas is a genius!!"

Don't want your kids to watch the PT? Just don't own the movies. Don't mention them unless you have to. That simple. Don't go to ludicrous extents to "mold" them into the kind of star wars fan you were.

twooffour said:

Oh Jesus...

As much as you want to believe it, that is not actually a definition of "ludicrous."

Pure awesomeness

Ziggy Stardust said:

I would have walked up to him to try to start a conversation, and then I saw the book that he was carrying.

could be worse, he coulda been drawing a picture of anakin and padme holding hands :(

you shoulda talked to him.

if the kid honestly likes the PT, no harm no foul; welcome to The Once Proud Saga Formerly Known as Star Wars.  But if he is a PT apologist, and he just spouts TFN/LFL talking points, and claims Lucas is a transcendental genius whose true peers are Da Vinci, Plato, Einstein, Gandhi and all the haters don't get it -then that an entirely different matter.

And really thats the difference - on the internet, I've really only come across one first-generation person outside of TFN (on hometheaterforum) that genuinely enjoyed the PT.  he would actually give examples of what he liked and not make excuses for what was missing or contradicting the OT.  and he loves the OT.  it was a real eye-opener when he said he wouldn't buy the blu ray because of the ROTJ change.   

If he was an apologist, he would have a line-by-line reply to every single criticsm with the following talking points: 

"its supposed to be like the serials"

"lucas says star wars is a silent movie"

"its supposed to be like a japanese movie" 

"its suppose to be a poem"

...and if all else failed, they would desperately try to find something similiar in the OT and say "how come nobody criticizes this?".  The most common example, of course, is the "Toshi Station..power converters" line.  whats hilarious is 99 times out of 100, this is the ONLY line of dialog they use.  TPM has pages upon pages of bad dialog and apologists can only find this one line.

As I said before, IMO the real danger is not kids enjoying the PT, but kids convincing themselves to like the PT because they are brainwashed by going to TFN or swallowing all of Lucas' BS.