"Having been born in 1965, my father is the oldest possible Gen Xer and barely missed out on being a Boomer. But he was also in the unique and fortunate position to see the first Star Wars movie, Star Wars: A New Hope, 13 times in the theater at the age of 11.
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I saw my first Star Wars movie on a VHS tape from Blockbuster Video. My older brother and I already had a bunch of toys. At about 10 years old, he was deemed old enough. As the younger sibling, I was just along for the ride. My parents rented us Return of the Jedi—because A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back were already rented by someone else.
Naturally, I had no idea what was going on, but I thought R2-D2 was cute. I was bewildered by all the desert stuff, horrified by the pig people and their chubby slug overlord, and scared of the rasping “Dark Vader.” I also remember the fuzzy Ewoks with equal parts love and fright.
Since the original film was released in 1977, the franchise has ballooned out across more than 20 films and 14 television shows in the nearly 50 years since. Star Wars is an intimidating adventure to consider introducing to your kids, especially when many of us were exposed to it perhaps too young. How adults present movies and media to their children has certainly changed for the better. So, while young kids might love Baby Yoda or Star Wars LEGOs, knowing when and how to actually introduce our children to that galaxy far, far away is a challenge.
How to Introduce ‘Star Wars’ to Kids
At large, Star Wars is a franchise very concerned with legacy and fatherhood, in particular. There also seems to be a trilogy for every living generation. I had my first real date seeing A Phantom Menace with a girl. (It didn’t work out.) The new trilogy, of course, began right around the time that the eldest of Gen Z hit their teenage years. From 2016 to 2020, I wrote for a website that focused on nerdy TV shows and movies. Since I started only eight months after The Force Awakens was released, I covered and obsessed over the franchise as it ballooned in tons of new shows and movies. Theories, analysis, reviews, interviews, and more.
Here’s a primer on how to introduce your kids to Star Wars from a fan and father—along with a Star Wars expert—broken down by age starting at 2 (note The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend any screen time outside of video calls for any children under 18 months). Along with some tips on how to contextualize Star Wars for your children. You can also find almost all Star Wars shows and movies on Disney+.
Ages 2-6
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (2023)
Rating: TV-Y
If your child is used to other frenetic storytelling like Paw Patrol or something similar, then Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures can introduce them to Star Wars. Show creator Michael Olson created the show after showing his 5-year-old daughter A New Hope and wishing there was something a bit more kid-friendly, he told Fatherly in May 2023.
The show takes place 200 years before The Phantom Menace, long before Order 66 wiped out the Jedi and plunged the galaxy into a dark age. In fact, it’s a gilded age for the Jedi, where the order is a powerful, omnipresent force in the galaxy focused on helping people.
“I’ve noticed that a lot of kids my son plays with are really into Young Jedi Adventures,” said Emily Gaudette, a mother passionate about mindfully sharing horror with kids on her TikTok channel. “I watched an episode once, and I thought it was so cute that the little Sith character is kind of just misbehaving, not fully evil.” In this way, the show grapples with fundamental Star Wars concepts in a way that’s more digestible to a much younger crowd.
“The show grapples with fundamental Star Wars concepts in a way that’s more digestible to a much younger crowd.”
If you’re desperate to expose your preschool-aged children to Star Wars, then this is the way to go. When I showed this to my 2.5-year-old daughter, she was more or less captivated by the flashy laser swords and colorful characters for all of five minutes but ultimately left clamoring for Paw Patrol and her beloved Mr. Porter.
Introduce More Kid-Friendly Genre Fiction
A lot of Star Wars is violent. One expert offered me an interesting alternative: think meaningfully about how and why people love Star Wars so much. How do you nurture an interest in this kind of genre fiction at the cross-section of fantasy and science fiction?
“Think meaningfully about how and why people love Star Wars so much. How do you nurture an interest in this kind of genre fiction at the cross-section of fantasy and science fiction?”
Why does Star Wars really work? It’s a fascinating, complex world with a rich history. Magic runs through every surface long before we see the Force at work. If you want your kids to love Star Wars as much as you do, some might argue it’s best to wait until they’re older but expose them to various gateways into this kind of mindful fantasy and science fiction.
“Having a gentle foundation of thoughtful—and beautiful—fantasy storytelling, I think is part of the key to kids getting the most out of Star Wars,” said Ryan Britt, the author of Luke Skywalker Can’t Read and Other Geeky Truths who’s written professionally about the Star Wars franchise for many years. (He even suggests getting kids into Star Wars as late as possible, citing his own experience seeing Empire Strikes Back at 6 years old and hating it.) “Phantom Menace is probably the least violent one here because people are mostly shooting droids, but you can’t really get away from one overwhelming truth: The name of the franchise is Star WARS.”
He suggests exposing younger children to films like Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro or Kiki’s Delivery Service. For children into puppet-based content like Sesame Street and The Muppets, something like The Dark Crystal could even suffice for a slightly older crowd.
LEGO Star Wars
While ostensibly ads for the toys, if you have a LEGO fan at home, the LEGO Star Wars movies and shows could be another way into the franchise for early elementary schoolers. A new LEGO Star Wars limited series LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is coming to Disney+ on September 13, 2024, with Mark Hamill voicing Luke Skywalker.
Ages 7-9
The Original Trilogy: Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983)
Rating: PG
A note for parents: The PG-13 rating was introduced in 1984, so a PG rating in an ’80s movie may look more like a PG-13 rating by today’s standards on violence, language, thematic elements, and nudity. If you’re concerned, we suggest watching it without your kids first.
There’s an argument to be made for starting with the first Star Wars movies. Like other timeless classics such as The Wizard of Oz or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it’s a magical triumph of pacing and spectacle with compelling characters and a fascinating world.
“There’s something old-fashioned and Tolkien-esque about the pacing of the classic movies, and I think that stuff is great for kids,” wrote Ryan Britt to me. “Their mental pathways pick up on the inherent excitement of the journey.” He called it a “triumph of aesthetics,” and he’s right.
There’s a reason why Luke Skywalker is featured on some covers of Joseph Campbell’s influential 1949 work The Hero with a Thousand Faces; George Lucas used his blueprint for the Hero’s Journey to write the entire story, and countless iconic franchises have used it since. “The writing is crisp, the story isn’t confusing, and if there’s any curiosity to continue with the rest of the saga, it will happen because of this movie,” said Ryan Britt.
That said, some children simply do not have the stomach for the outdated graphics and production quality of a film that is nearing half a century old. Which is to say nothing for the gruesome death of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru by flame. My own nieces, ages 8 and 5, still can’t bear to watch the original or prequel trilogies due to the graphics, but they enjoy the sequel trilogy a great deal. What’s not to love about Babu Frik?
“They are too spoiled of modern movie technology,” my brother said to me.
The main problem with starting with other movies in the saga—or even some of the animated series—is that they’re too steeped in the lore. Even Rebels or Clone Wars sort of require at least a basic knowledge of the prequel and original trilogies. Otherwise, you’ll have to spend a lot of time explaining things to your children rather than letting them sate their natural curiosity through the media itself.
Star Wars Resistance (2018-2020)
This relatively new animated series takes place during the 30-year gap between the original and sequel trilogies at a time when the galaxy is more or less at peace, but the remnants of the Empire begin coalescing into The First Order. The series follows the manic but lovable Kazuda, a New Republic pilot recruited by the Resistance to work as a spy.
Particularly if you lay the groundwork with the original trilogy and hope to jump right into the accessible sequel trilogy, Resistance is a great way to lay some of the groundwork. It’s one of the few pieces of storytelling that takes place between those two trilogies, and it’s one of the most accessible for younger audiences.
Star Wars Rebels (2014), Clone Wars (2008), Forces of Destiny (2017)
These animated series can hit kids in this age range, depending on what they’ve seen so far. Rebels relies on a solid original trilogy foundation. Clone Wars similarly relies on them having seen the prequel trilogy. And Forces of Destiny focuses on female characters from across the entire timeline. You could feasibly cherry-pick episodes of that one to show your kids, depending on their interest levels in specific characters.
If you have to pick one of this bunch, go with Rebels since it’s the best.
Ages 10+
The Force Awakens (2015) and Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Rating: PG-13
The Force Awakens is a triumph of momentum to any fan with a fondness of the original trilogy. Rise of Skywalker, while an easy-to-critic diversion from the trilogy’s core direction, remains a watchable spectacle nonetheless.
The lovable characters and sheer spectacle of it all are captivating, but you really have to gauge how mature your child is to assess if they are ready for it. These are technically PG-13, but they’re basically high-thrills amusement park rides. If you do take this advice and skip The Last Jedi, offer up a modest, abbreviated recap of the events: Luke Skywalker sacrificed himself to save the Resistance, and Rey has fully enlisted as one of its most important members.
The Phantom Menace (1999) and Attack of the Clones (2022)
Rating: PG
A bit antiquated at this point and loaded with violence, the prequel trilogy can be a tough watch for kids. Although they might walk away from the first two movies only talking about Jar Jar Binks, any kid with a solid foundation in the original trilogy who wants to know more about Darth Vader will probably love this deep dive into the character’s past.
Point blank, these movies simply are not as good as the original trilogy, but The Phantom Menace, in particular, can appeal to an even younger crowd thanks to a young Anakin Skywalker as the lead.
“If you want to start answering questions about Jedi Council and midichlorians, then yes, start with The Phantom Menace,” said Ryan Britt. “But if you start with regular Star Wars, you’ll be answering fewer questions because the ‘77 movie just clicks.”
Keep in mind, however, that if you do start with anything in the prequel trilogy before the original, you risk ruining the surprise about Anakin being Darth Vader.
The Mandalorian (2019-present)
Rating: 10+
Unless you’ve got a real Baby Yoda obsessive on your hands, you really ought to wait until at least the pre-teen years to screen The Mandalorian since it’s about a gun for hire (played by Pedro Pascal) who normally spends his time hunting people down for money.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Rating: 10+
This one’s a bit heady, slow, and melodramatic. But the action is great toward the end. Any kid with a particular fondness for Ewan McGregor’s prequel trilogy Obi-Wan, the character in general, or even Anakin Skywalker can appreciate what’s going on here. It sort of relies on the viewer’s enthusiasm for the characters that are actively involved, including a very young and very precious young Leia. If your little girl has an interest in Star Wars, this one’s strangely enough a great one to show them, especially if they’re over 10 years old.
Ages 12+
The Last Jedi (2017)
Rating: PG-13
If you avoid showing your kids on account of its more mature themes and heady storytelling, you could try watching it with your kids in their tween/teen years—it’s only recommended for ages 13 and up. Be sure to talk it over with them to provide greater context as needed.
Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Rating: PG-13
If your child is deeply invested in the original trilogy, you might consider showing this one to them earlier, but it’s arguably one of the most intense and violent of all the core films in the Skywalker Saga. We don’t see it, but Anakin slaughters dozens of Jedi younglings and then burns to a crisp on the lava shores of Mustafar following his duel with Obi-Wan. Padme also dies in childbirth, so there’s a lot of potential trauma and triggers to grapple with here.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Rating: PG-13
Similar to our rationale with Obi-Wan Kenobi, only venture in this direction if your kid has a fascination with Han Solo and/or a great deal of enthusiasm for the original trilogy. There’s a lot of violence to be had here, even if so much of what’s on display here is ostensibly a fun heist movie.
Talking ‘Star Wars’ With Kids
“Why would a father ever do that to their child?” is a question you’re likely to get when you get to that crucial point in Empire Strikes Back. Or it’s one that will stick out in your child’s mind without them vocalizing it.
There’s “War” in the name of this franchise, and there’s so much violence, death, dismemberment, and more that it’s hard to really recommend it to kids. The sequel trilogy is arguably the most adept at taming it all down to a manageable level, as are the various animated outings, but still. Losing a hand is basically a rite of passage in Star Wars, and it’s a gruesome thing to happen.
The presence of a silly elderly Yoda can’t offset the emotional gravity at the end of The Empire Strikes Back when Luke is nearly killed by his own father. Even in the very first move, Han Solo kills Greedo in cold blood in his very first scene. Obi-Wan dismembers a sassy alien in the cantina. Luke’s aunt and uncle are burned alive by Stormtroopers. Don’t downplay the weight of these things just because you have some nostalgia about it from your childhood.
“Don’t downplay the weight of these things just because you have some nostalgia about it from your childhood.”
The vast majority of content that young kids consume these days is devoid of violence and sexuality, yet in Star Wars, you have incestuous kissing and a guy who’s literally left for dead next to a pit of flowing lava. There’s a lot of problematic stuff, including genocide when Luke blows up the Death Star after joining a radical militia. (Sure, all the Stormtroopers are humanless husks of armor who can’t shoot, but we still perceive them as people.)
There’s also the deeply problematic imagery of “Slave Leia” in Return of the Jedi, where she’s captured and enslaved by Jabba the Hutt, a giant slug kingpin, and forced to wear a metal bikini. She even kills him by strangling him with her own chain! In the entire original trilogy, this is perhaps where it begins to feel the most dated. If you can skip some of these scenes, you might as well, but talking with your kids about it can be difficult. Be prepared to talk about it, but consider letting them lead the discussion.
“Like all things you want to share with your kid, make sure it’s fun,” Ryan Britt told me. “Kids can sense when you’re pushing something on them. And if it feels like homework, they’re going to form their own Rebel Alliance—against you.”
Corey Plante, Contributing Writer
Corey is a writer, editor, and reporter with over 10 years of experience. He also has two young daughters contributing to his rich personal journey as a part-time stay-at-home dad and working father.