Jedi Nights

L and N are eight and six respectively.  They have been sheltered long enough, I say.  It's time they came to realize there's more to life than the close shelter of home and hearth, that it's a big world out there.  A really big world.  They needed to be exposed; they needed to be initiated.  They needed to understand that:

  A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...  

Unfortunately I waited until they were back on a school schedule to queue up the film for the first time.  We watched the first half last night, but couldn't finish it before bedtime.  But even with the first half we managed to quell a lot of misconceptions and confusion.  L was very puzzled to learn that the arch nemesis was not, in fact, Dark Vader, despite his wardrobe choices.  N was fascinated with Obi Wan's "life saver."  Which is what in fact, it is, often enough...  L couldn't understand why the cantina patrons didn't like Luke as she found him so very likable.  Jabba the Hut, we decided, is just a large caterpillar.  (I'm hoping to never see the butterfly that comes of that metamorphosis.)  We also learned that the Jawa corporate headquarters is conveniently located at intersection of the 110 and 405 freeways!

 

The one downside of the kid's cultural education came when Daddy forgot about one key scene about a quarter of the way into the film.

The barbecued Aunt and Uncle didn't sit too well with the young padawans.  

"First Dark Vader killed his father, then his Aunt and Uncle.  He has no place to live!" commiserated N. 

"She was making him dinner," sobbed L of the good-hearted Aunt.  "Now he won't have dinner."

It ended up being a long night.  At 2 am, after finally succumbing to the force, I managed to haul two Ewoks out of our bed and into their own sleep pods.  Can't wait to see what the trash compactor monster summons up tonight.