SFXB Forum

So, I've finally introduced my son to the series - it would appear I have passed on the genetic memory of the series! By the end of episode 2 he was demanding to know what or who F-01 was, and bizarrely, as soon as I told him it was a person he said "is it that girl?" Then we skipped ahead so he could see Dai-X forming up. It must have taken me 6 months to see the story first time round, he'll probably do it in a week! Brilliant! He's about the same age as I was when I first watched it, and he seems genuinely interested bless him - I'm not force feeding him! Wonder if he'll end up as a webmaster one day?!

That's reassuring. I worried that by the time Dominique and I really started a family, kids would have no time for what we enjoyed as children.I'm thinking of Thunderbirds and Star Fleet and all the stuff that was an imagination goldmine.I think children are quite forgiving in some ways and either overlook or don't perceive the flaws in certain things.When I was about 4, my parents would remark at certain points that you could see the strings in Thunderbirds. I could never see what they were talking about. I wrote off the Panasonic VHS recorder re-watching Thunderbirds when I was that age.I think children have a real knack for discerning the genuine item as well. They just don't accept substitutes or knock-offs. When you see the quality of the production as well as the imagination that created the settings and characters, plus the sheer awesomeness of the vehicles, machines, secret bases, weapons, rescue equipment etc., I think it's difficult not to get pulled into that.So, I think we'll find that Thunderbirds and Star Fleet appealed to its original target age-range audience in the 1960s (which would have been my dad), 1990s (me) and the 2020s and maybe even beyond that.

"FZeroOne" would like to point out that they are not, in fact, a girl but that a half-remembered bit of "Star Fleet" info when it came to choosing an on-line handle was employed before certain implications were realised...   Its great that your son loves the show, Andy! I think this is one element that the internet generation is missing out on - theres no mystery anymore. I fell in love with "Gundam" long before I saw any of the series, simply based on some excellent articles in "Anime UK" magazine, and it was literally years before I discovered the true origins of "Star Fleet"......having said that, without the internet I probably never would have discovered those origins anyway!

He's really taken to it but at half way through it hasn't really got dark yet and I'm a little worried he'd get upset between Benn and Orion doing the suicide run. I may have to watch it with him... As you say I think kids love these shows for the story, and funnily enough watching it again it's written in an adult way, but with kids style action. And its a proper ongoing story, with solid characters. I think that's why we've remembered it so well. Nice legacy to pass on, though, I think.

Think I was 5 when I first saw the show on its original run. Luckily I caught the very first episode and that was it. Hooked. Our eldest is 7 later this month. I've tried him with the show a couple of times but he's not taken to it. Same with Ulysses 31 as well. Only shows from my childhood that I've managed to pass on have been Scooby Doo and Transformers, both of which are still huge and therefore (in his mind) cool.

I'll keep plugging away though. Of all the shows that I grew up with, SF is by far the most precious to me. Great to hear that you've had better success than I in introducing the show to a younger generation!