Like most families, we are getting caught up in the excitement leading up to the release of the new Star Wars film. My son has taken an interest in all things Star Wars, which I wholeheartedly encourage, of course. We have been watching the new Disney XD series, LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales, which has been a fun way for my son to learn about the characters from the films.
For those of us who grew up with Star Wars, it can be easy to forget that our children might not know who Yoda is or why completing the Kessel Run in 12 Parsecs is a big deal. My son knows that Darth Vader is “the bad guy” and that light sabers are awesome, but there is a lot to learn beyond that.
My son loves playing with LEGO and learned a little bit about Star Wars by building a Naboo Starfighter (one of the numerous LEGO Star Wars construction sets). He got a kick out of seeing the Starfighter when we watched the new Droid Tales series. I later challenged him to build a Death Star out of LEGO and was amazed when he came back with this creation.
Or maybe that was just something we saw at Legoland. It is hard to remember exactly. Either way, I think everyone can agree that building Star Wars stuff out of LEGO is a lot of fun.
If you haven’t already, set your DVR to record LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales which airs Mondays at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT on Disney XD. It is a short, five-episode animated series that retells the entire Star Wars saga from the perspective of C-3PO and R2-D2. The neat part about this series is that it tells the Star Wars story in a way that is accessible to younger children and includes plenty of in-jokes for adults.
For example, a running gag is that the characters either yawn or get bored when C-3PO and R2-D2 get to the parts about trade federation issues. Jar Jar Binks died about three times in the second episode, which had me laughing. The show is fast paced and, in typical LEGO fashion, a bit irreverent at times. The 22 minute episodes seem to fly by.
If your child loves spaceships and sword fights, there is plenty of time to introduce them to the Star Wars universe before the new film debuts. Grab a LEGO kit, build some spaceships, and check out the new Star Wars: Droid Tales on Disney XD.
