My students know a lot about Star Wars.  They know most of the characters, not only from the canon movies, but also from the TV show “The Clone Wars” and a plethora of merchandise like Legos.  What they are not well versed in, however, is how it all began, so it is my goal with the club to introduce them to the original movie and give them the basics for everything else that has become part of the phenomenon that is Star Wars.  Here you go–the basics for elementary students–as explained by Mrs. Warstadt:

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (that means space)  there was this princess named Leia Organa. She was leading a rebellion against an evil empire when her space ship was captured by the baddest bad guy of all, Darth Vader.  Before she is captured she is able to send for help by sending out two droids (robots). When they escape from Princess Leia’s cruiser, C-3PO doesn’t realize that R2D2 has been sent on a mission—find the great Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi to help them fight for freedom. On the way they encounter our hero…

Luke Skywalker. Luke has grown up on the desert planet of Tatooine . He has been raised by his uncle and aunt, Owen and Beru Lars, who are moisture farmers. They told him his father was killed in an accident.  But that’s not quite true…

Luke has to chase R2D2 when he escapes to find an old hermit living in the desert.  That old man turns out to be a great Jedi knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has been living in hiding all these years.  He tells Luke that his father was also a great Jedi knight who was killed by Darth Vader.  He persuades Luke to come with him on the mission to save Princess Leia. But before they can leave they need a space ship and a pilot. Enter…

Han Solo, a smuggler and generally shady character who happens to be the pilot of the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy, the Millennium Falcon.

So Luke, Han, Obi-Wan and the droids head off to find Princess Leia and save the rebellion.

As a further guide to the movie, I mention a few things for the kids to keep an eye out for:

• Takes place a long time ago not in the future like most science fiction.
• Takes place in a galaxy far away.
• They are human, but they are not us.
• Most science fiction makes everything look new and shiny. In Star Wars lots of things look old and worn out. It makes them seem more real.
• We never see the faces of the storm troopers so we don’t feel sad when they are shot.
• Darth Vader is more frightening to us because we cannot see his face, his eyes or any of his expressions. It makes him less human.
• Notice how we can read emotion from R2-D2 just from his body language and the sounds he makes.
• Since Star Wars came out, we have actually achieved some of the laser and holograph technology. Who knows what else we will do?

There ya go.  A New Hope according to Beth.