It’s episode 19 of Children of the Force, where we discuss video game and movie ratings and why they’re ridiculously arbitrary and don’t really apply to Anna and Liam.

Listen, you will…

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STAR WARSY STUFF [0:45]

We have Battlefront! It’s rate T for Teen, so I explain the decision to let the kids play it and we talk for quite a while about playing violent video games and why it’s probably not something to freak out over.

Anyway, the kids love it. After we recorded this episode, we played it some more. They played the vs. mode and Liam won. He was Vader, Anna was Leia. Liam played a close game and exploited the fact that Anna is not yet practiced at long distance aiming and firing. Vader is a button masher’s dream.

NEWS [10:20]

We discuss J.J. Abrams’ big “THIS” reveal on Jimmy Kimmel, to which Liam replies like the teenager he will be in seven years, “I don’t care about that.”

Yeah, it’s not really that big of news. He’s right. The important takeaway is that J.J. basically confirms that there will be an opening crawl for The Force Awakens.

The Force Awakens is rated PG-13. We talk about what this means for us, what it means for Star Wars, and why we’re all still going opening night. And this, of course, leads to a long discussion about the inanity and arbitrariness of the movie ratings system.

And yes, it all sounds like I’m justifying my choice to let the kids go to the movie without pre-screening it. But I swear, I’ve had my issues with ratings for quite a while now. The fact that a movie with multiple bloodless murders could be PG while a movie with no killing or swearing could be rated R simply because it has nudity in it is almost reason enough to completely discount the ratings system out of hand.

Finally in news, Rebels has been renewed for a third season!

(Somewhere in there, Liam speculates on how sad Sidious’ mom, dad and brother or sister would be that he went to the dark side.)

CANON NEWS [21:45]

Maz Kanata’s castle is sure to be a place full of wonders. In canon news this week, we learn some basics about it via the short story, The Face of Evil.

REVIEW [28:50]

Three-word reviews of Battlefront!

QUESTION & ANSWER COUNCIL [30:50]

No Q&A Council this week, but instead we talk about our next episode, Children of the Force’s Pre-TFA Q&A Council Extravaganza! See this post on our website to learn more about it and to join in: https://childrenoftheforce.com/2015/11/30/children-of-the-forces-pre-tfa-qa-council/

WHAT ARE THE KIDS SAYING? [34:50]

In a new semi-regular segment, I ask the kids what other kids are saying about Star Wars at school. I love getting out of our own little family-bubble of Star Wars and hearing how other kids are experiencing this thing we know and love.

Liam has a couple friends who love the original trilogy and The Clone Wars, but aren’t all that excited about The Force Awakens or Rebels.

Anna has a friend who think’s Jake Lloyd’s Anakin in The Phantom Menace is really weird. We talk about how Lloyd put in some great work in The Phantom Menace, but that child actors can be sort of hit-and-miss.

SHOUTOUTS [39:30]

We shout out to the nice folks who have already submitted questions or said they would (at the time of the recording).

OUTRO/OUTTAKES [41:00]

Thanks for reading and listening. We hope to hear from you soon!