Episodes for kids

[glindros]

What episodes would this illustrious body recommend for pre-teens? While my kids have already been exposed to B5, they haven't watched blocks of episodes.

I'm not so worried about things going over their heads. Heck, I still catch things even after multiple viewings. I'm just more concerned about overt physical violence/terror. They're not ready for Anlashok training yet.

I already have a few ideas, but I'd love to hear other people's thoughts.

[Jan]

The only ones that I'd actually avoid would be the scene where Sheridan is taken down (Face of the Enemy?) and perhaps the one where the Ranger trainee has to face the gang that assaulted him while he was still injured.

One that I would definitely show them is "A Late Delivery from Avalon". I think there's something to think about and discuss with them in pretty much every episode.

Jan

[JoeD80]

The stabbing of Dr. Franklin in "Shadow Dancing" is pretty overt I think. And then him crawling along the floor leaving a trail of blood. Very effective scene but maybe a little harsh for kids? Also Refa's death scene in "And the Rock" may be a little strange for kids I think.

As for episodes to watch, hm how about "A Distant Star."

[mandragora]

For pre-teen kids, I'd examine every last episode of season 4 and 5. G'Kar being whipped I wouldn't want to show a pre-teen kid. Or him being shown with his eye plugged out. Not to mention Sheridan being tortured. Some of the Byron scenes are also very disturbing. Even in earlier seasons there are episodes I wouldn't show a kid, like Inquisitor or Gethsemane.

B5 DVDs have an FSK 12 in my country, meaning they aren't recommended to be shown to people under the age of 12.

[Jan]

I tend to agree with what my mother told a PTA meeting one time about what books would be suitable for which kids (the subject was an unabridged version of "Old Yeller" where there was a graphic scene of a farmer killing puppies by dashing them against a wall). What it boiled down to was that *her* kids could read anything that they could pick up. She figured that if it was too adult we'd lose interest quickly or simply not understand.

Chances are, if kids play video games they've already seen plenty of violence by the time they're pre-teens. At least with B5 the violence has consequences, too. The victims don't just bounce up and keep going. If you're shot or stabbed, you're *hurt*. IMO, that's the kind of violence that should be shown, not making light of it or sanitizing it.

Maybe the thing to do is to warn them ahead of time and ask them if it's something they can deal with?

Jan
not a parent but remembers being a kid pretty well

[JariM]

Since I do not have any kids of my own and I don't know your kids it's pretty hard to say. How old are they? You said pre-teen so I'm assuming they are 10-12. I would say that an avarage 10-12 year old can take everything B5 has.
However it might be a good idea to tell beforehand that certain episodes have some pretty intense scenes.
Maybe it would be best to just let them see the whole show.

[Ranger 6 and 7/8]

As a parent, I agree with Jan. Mine are 2-1/2 and almost 6. I don't watch it with the littlest, but my oldest and I watch them together. If he gets creeped out, I simply pop it out and we watch a less scary episode.
Again, If the kids you are referring to are 10-12, then school already has them reading the Harry Potter series, the Tolkien series, or even Tom Sawyer and Narnia. If they have a love of these types then perhaps introduce them to it chronologically so they will get a feel for the timeline storytelling aspect. If they are adventurous then "Midnight on the Firing Line" would be good for the "Clone Wars" kid.
Again, it depends on the type of show the kids have a feel for. Go back to when you were their age. What made you interested in the shows you liked at that age?

[Dr Maturin]

As I have mentioned before, I have shown my son whichever episodes that I happened to be watching when he was in the room. He is seven now. He remembers specific stuff from scenes that he originally saw when he was three. The context of the violence in B5 is pretty straightforward. Your average horror movie doesn't put the gore in context and the ones that do are done in a fashion that makes it harder for the young mind to pick up on (Saw, for instance). I don't think there is anything in B5 that I wouldn't show my son.

Shield-watching time is after he's asleep or with the door to my office closed when it comes to new episodes on TV (the series finale on Tuesday!!!!).

[Jonas]

I tend to agree with what my mother told a PTA meeting one time about what books would be suitable for which kids (the subject was an unabridged version of "Old Yeller" where there was a graphic scene of a farmer killing puppies by dashing them against a wall). What it boiled down to was that *her* kids could read anything that they could pick up. She figured that if it was too adult we'd lose interest quickly or simply not understand.

Chances are, if kids play video games they've already seen plenty of violence by the time they're pre-teens. At least with B5 the violence has consequences, too. The victims don't just bounce up and keep going. If you're shot or stabbed, you're *hurt*. IMO, that's the kind of violence that should be shown, not making light of it or sanitizing it.

Maybe the thing to do is to warn them ahead of time and ask them if it's something they can deal with?

Jan
not a parent but remembers being a kid pretty well

I agree. The only thing to think about is to what degree there's a point to showing arc-related/heavy episodes - the point of it all can only be appreciated if you're watching the whole thing as one large story. Some of the standalones may be good for showing, but again, not all of them - some of them don't make much sense without the context.