"RUN! HE HAS CRYSTAL EYES!!"

[Kelso]

I just finished watching "Arena" with my five year old for the first time. What a hoot! She was into from beginning to end, but she was really taken by the Gorn... especially his "crystal eyes." It's funny that the modern takes on the Gorn (from ENT and XI) seem intent on giving them more realistic eyes. My daughter couldn't get over his eyes!

Other noteworthy comments...

"Is he fast?"

"Can he climb?"

"Do you like his knees? I don't"

"Where's the Tardis?"

"They're watching him on T.V.?"

Has anyone else watched this one with a child recently? If you haven't, I recommend it!

[Forbin]

Maybe we should have picked that one instead of The Doomsday Machine to introduce my niece and nephew to Trek. They didn't seem excited by the concept or the action, thought the phaser effects looked silly, and laughed at William Windom's whinging as he dove into the maw. Oh well.

[Gary7]

I love it! Star Trek through the eyes of a child. It's terrific, because you can relive it through them, as if you'd seen it for the first time. I remember so many of the things I first thought when I saw Star Trek as a child.

It's so great to hear her questions and observations, Kelso.

There's only a narrow window for this, though. In due time, kids become exposed to the seductive allure of high tech CGI, and good ol' TOS looks lame to them in comparison. They don't share the same frame of reference as us older folks. Once in a while there are exceptions, but for the most part they're far more into nuTrek.

When my sister and I were kids, I was really into Star Trek and she frequently sat along for the ride, waiting for "her turn" to watch a show that followed. I'll never forget when the Talosians showed up. "Hiney heads! Hehehehehee!!"

[Therin of Andor]

Kelso wrote:

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My daughter couldn't get over his eyes!

Now show her the remastered new-CGI version, in which the Gorn blinks!

[Deranged Nasat]

Gary7 wrote:

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I'll never forget when the Talosians showed up. "Hiney heads! Hehehehehee!!"

This thread is shaping up to be a good one. Please do keep it coming, everyone.

[Botany Bay]

Our 4 year old watches Star Trek with us, and has become a bit of a hardcore fan. He has created his own episode titles though.


Kirk and the naughty baby - Friday's Child
Kirk and the Haunted House - Catspaw
Kirk and the naughty Spock - Mirror Mirror
kirk and the rock monster - Savage Curtain
Kirk and the pizza monster - Devil in the Dark

His main observations at the moment are to do with uniforms and hairstlyes : why does Kirk wear green in this epidode? Why is Sulu in red? Why is Chekov's hair funny? Doesn't Kirk know how to use a tricorder?


Favourite eps include Catspaw, Tribbles, Gothos, Arena, Man Trap, Friday's Child, Day of the Dove, Devil, Shore Leave, Savage Curtain.


Anything with monsters and plenty of action is a winner.

[Therin of Andor]

This anecdote doesn't involve kids, but it does involve family, and embarrassment:

It involves my last elusive episode, "The Lights of Zetar":
http://therinofandor.blogspot.com.au...n-trekbbs.html

[plynch]

My 13 year olds still watch TOS with me. My daughter dislikes Doomsday (gross, which means she was scared by it when younger). My son has always loved Arena. Tholian Web was a winner. Oddly enough, the Changeling, too, which doesn't seem real kidlike. My daughter really likes Spock and finds him very funny, which he really is. And not in those "3,467.298 to one" odds moments. His character driven retorts and statements are often funny. Way more, to me, than the so-called humor eps.

[Doug Otte]

This story involves DS9, but I'll recount it (again), anyway. When my daughter was around 2, she was watching DS9 with me. For some reason, when there was a long closeup on Quark, she walked up to the TV and put her baby doll bottle on his mouth, as if offering him some milk.

Doug

[Kelso]

Therin of Andor wrote:

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Now show her the remastered new-CGI version, in which the Gorn blinks!

That's the one we watched. The blinking didn't phase her.

Botany Bay wrote:

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Anything with monsters and plenty of action is a winner.

Yes! That's why I went with "Arena" first.

plynch wrote:

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Oddly enough, the Changeling, too, which doesn't seem real kidlike.

That actually doesn't surprise me. I think my daughter would be entranced by Nomad.

Doug Otte wrote:

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This story involves DS9, but I'll recount it (again), anyway. When my daughter was around 2, she was watching DS9 with me. For some reason, when there was a long closeup on Quark, she walked up to the TV and put her baby doll bottle on his mouth, as if offering him some milk.

Doug

This evening we watched "The Devil in the Dark" and she was with it from beginning to end! It's funny, she reacted to the Horta (or "rock monster") as if it was a scary monster that needed to be killed right up until they injured it with the phaser... then she felt bad for it, and said "They shouldn't hurt it, it's probably just mad about something." I was so proud! She never guessed that the silicon nodules were its eggs, though.

She asked a lot of questions about the Horta itself- "What's that? No, the red part! No, THE RED PART!"- and about the equipement- "What's that?" "It's his tricorder." "What's THAT?" "It's his little computer."

But her funniest reaction was during the scene where Kirk is facing down the Horta alone. Everytime Kirk would lower his phaser and the Horta would advance on him, she would throw up her hand and yell "STOP! Now, back up! Stay there!" and then he would lower the phaser and it would start all over again. I was in stitches.

She was really disappointed that we didn't get to see any little baby rock monsters at the end. C'mon, TOS-R team! You couldn't have thrown ONE in there somewhere?

She demanded to watch another episode after it was over. It may have just been a ploy to avoid going to bed... but it was a good one!

We watched "Miri" because I thought she would enjoy the kids. I was right, but her attention would wander every time Kirk and co. would hang out in the lab talking about the disease. But she did chant along with the kids through every single "Nyah-nyah" and "Bonk-bonk." That was fun. She also kept asking why they didn't just wash off the disease stuff.

I'm having a blast with this! If we have time tomorrow, I'm going to show her "What are little girls made of." I think she'll dig Ruk and Andrea.

[scotpens]

Kelso wrote:

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. . .This evening we watched "The Devil in the Dark" and she was with it from beginning to end! It's funny, she reacted to the Horta (or "rock monster") as if it was a scary monster that needed to be killed right up until they injured it with the phaser... then she felt bad for it, and said "They shouldn't hurt it, it's probably just mad about something." I was so proud! She never guessed that the silicon nodules were its eggs, though.

Did any of us original Trekkies figure out that they were eggs? That’s still pretty insightful for a five-year-old.

Kelso wrote:

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If we have time tomorrow, I'm going to show her "What are little girls made of." I think she'll dig Ruk and Andrea.

A lot of us dig Andrea.

[Therin of Andor]

Kelso wrote:

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She was really disappointed that we didn't get to see any little baby rock monsters at the end. C'mon, TOS-R team! You couldn't have thrown ONE in there somewhere?

They did. Someone is patting one, IIRC.

"The addition of the tiny figure of a miner, supposedly playing with a baby Horta, in front of the refinery (seen through the window in Vanderberg's office in the next to final scene)."

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/top...TOS_episode%29

Just rechecked the ep. Yeah, the figures are very, very tiny, but they are definitely tending to a horta hatchling.

[foxhot]

My guess is that kids of this age would enjoy TRIBBLES most, for obvious reasons. Maybe even I, MUDD for similar reasons.
I'm not sure what they'd think of METAMORPHOSIS or METHUSELAH.

I was about to say MIRI and certain other episodes might be too intense for the average five-year-old, but as long as you can wash it off.....

Still, are there classic episodes you might be hestitant to show to a child? CHARLIE X, THE OMEGA GLORY or BY ANY OTHER NAME, for instance? I'm guessing Kelso's daughter would go to town on CHARLIE X. (''EWWW!!!! An old person!!'' and ''Where's her nose?'' and such.)

[Gary Mitchell]

Kelso wrote:

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We watched "Miri" because I thought she would enjoy the kids. I was right, but her attention would wander every time Kirk and co. would hang out in the lab talking about the disease. But she did chant along with the kids through every single "Nyah-nyah" and "Bonk-bonk." That was fun. She also kept asking why they didn't just wash off the disease stuff.

You better watch out. Your daughter might start sneaking up behind you and "bonk bonking" you on your head.

[Maurice]

Therin of Andor wrote:

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They did. Someone is patting one, IIRC.

"The addition of the tiny figure of a miner, supposedly playing with a baby Horta, in front of the refinery (seen through the window in Vanderberg's office in the next to final scene)."

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/top...TOS_episode%29

Just rechecked the ep. Yeah, the figures are very, very tiny, but they are definitely tending to a horta hatchling.

I see two guys next to a pipe. Where's this Horta?