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SciFi with my 9 yo

LauraBeth475

By LauraBeth475,
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LauraBeth475

LauraBeth475

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So my daughter just turned 9 and we need a new tv show for mommy time.  We really like 90s era scifi.  She loved ST: TNG and DS9 but I thought the latter was just a bit dark for her at times.  I was thinking about Babylon 5 or Andromeda or Earth: Final Conflict.  Anyone remember these shows well enough to guess if they’re too intense for a 3rd grader?

 

(We’re planning to watch the rest of the Star Treks later in the year with Daddy, so that’s why we’re skipping Voyager/Enterprise)

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Tanaqui

Tanaqui

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I love Babylon 5, but... it's really intense about Earth's slide into fascism. There's also the Narn Holocaust. I'm currently doing a rewatch with the fam, and we're all snuggling dogs as we watch some scenes. I would not watch it with a 9 year old without prewatching it first.

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Loowit

Loowit

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We liked Andromeda, but I know that there is a two-part episode that would be a bit violent for younger children.  I was thinking about Firefly, but that might be better for a bit older kids.  It has been a while since I watched it.

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vonfirmath

vonfirmath

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1 hour ago, LauraBeth475 said:

So my daughter just turned 9 and we need a new tv show for mommy time.  We really like 90s era scifi.  She loved ST: TNG and DS9 but I thought the latter was just a bit dark for her at times.  I was thinking about Babylon 5 or Andromeda or Earth: Final Conflict.  Anyone remember these shows well enough to guess if they’re too intense for a 3rd grader?

 

(We’re planning to watch the rest of the Star Treks later in the year with Daddy, so that’s why we’re skipping Voyager/Enterprise)

We started watching Babylon 5 last Spring with my then 3rd grader.  When my husband had to go back to work we stopped consistently watching -- but some of the episodes were fine and some were too dark. I know we ended up skipping at least one after seeing how it was affecting my daughter. (we got into early 2nd season)

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stephanier.1765

stephanier.1765

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21 hours ago, Loowit said:

We liked Andromeda, but I know that there is a two-part episode that would be a bit violent for younger children.  I was thinking about Firefly, but that might be better for a bit older kids.  It has been a while since I watched it.

Firefly had it's brief flashes of nudity. Nathan Fillion's backside wasn't hard on the eyes but not for a third grader's eyes, I'm sure. 🙂 It had adult themed episodes especially as they pertained to Inara's career. So I'd a wait a while on this one. But when you get to it, it's so, so good.

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Lori D.

Lori D.

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Here's an article that lists "15 Classic Kids Sci-Fi Shows You Almost Forgot".

Or maybe one of these animated series:
- original cast animated Star Trek -- 22 episodes, aired in the 1970s (NOT the current ADULT Star Trek: Lower Decks) 
- Star Wars: Clone Wars
- Voltron: Legendary Defender
- Avatar: The Last Airbender -- thoroughly enjoyed this; 4 seasons, and it gets more serious with realistic consequences in the last 2 seasons -- it is more myth/fantasy-based rather than sci-fi based

And for fun: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

The re-boot of Doctor Who (2005-present) is great but often INTENSE and SCARY for those under age 13, so you might try some episodes of the ORIGINAL series. If you do, go for episodes starring Tom Baker as the Doctor character, as his human companion is often Sarah Jane Smith, who ended up with a spin-off show after the re-boot, called The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Myth/fantasy-based rather than sci-fi but possibly:
- Hercules: The Legendary Journeys


ETA
possibly: Star Gate: SG 1 ?? -- the original TV series; I watched the first season, but have completely blanked out if there is anything that would be inappropriate for elementary grade ages... it looks like it has a rating of age 10+, so probably good to go for your family...

ETA #2
And while I adore Firefly, it is thoroughly ADULT! Not just nudity/s*x, but there is some seriously nasty torture by a psycho, a bad guy gets kicked into a turbine engine (you don't see the results but you know he was pulverized), and an extreme scary/intense bounty hunter who threatens one of the female characters with r*pe.

Edited by Lori D.
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City Mouse

City Mouse

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I don’t know it is on Netflix or Hulu, but I watched many episodes of Quantum Leap on Comet (over the air channel where I live). Some of the episodes are a little more adult themed than others, but I had forgotten how bits of real history were woven into the time jumping part. 

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bookbard

bookbard

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Yeah, definitely not Firefly - it has a lot of Inara the 'courtesan' and the way the Captain derides her for it is just grotesque. The whole show (recent attempt at rewatch) looks like it was designed for the male gaze - lots of female nudity etc. It really hasn't aged well, and when you add in the way most of the female actors feel about Joss Whedon (he was abusive), it's not something I'd choose to watch again.

We've watched Dr Who with the kids - my kids like it, it hasn't been too scary for them, but every kid will be different. There was a TV animation called Voltron which was pretty good I think? I didn't watch much of it, but it was on the kids channel over here so must've been PG. Oh, and have you watched 'the Deep'? That's a great show, I enjoy it. Animation, about a family on this amazing ship sailing around having mysterious adventures. I think it was on Netflix - it is Australian-Canadian so it's on normal TV over here. 

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eagleynne

eagleynne

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On 4/11/2021 at 5:13 PM, Lori D. said:

ETA

possibly: Star Gate: SG 1 ?? -- the original TV series; I watched the first season, but have completely blanked out if there is anything that would be inappropriate for elementary grade ages... it looks like it has a rating of age 10+, so probably good to go for your family...
 

SG-1 would probably be good, with the caveat that the pilot episode, which was originally filmed as a tv movie on Showtime, has one scene about half way through that features full female nudity. None of the rest of that episode has anything objectionable in it, nor does any of the rest of the series, it was just that one scene. I've always felt like they thought they needed to do that because it was on premium cable, but who knows.

If you decide to try SG-1 you also consider SG-Atlantis.

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JumpyTheFrog

JumpyTheFrog

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On 4/10/2021 at 5:17 PM, LauraBeth475 said:

(We’re planning to watch the rest of the Star Treks later in the year with Daddy, so that’s why we’re skipping Voyager/Enterprise)

Beware that there is one episode in ST: Enterprise where T'Pol (the Vulcan) needs to have teA with someone or else she will die. I wouldn't watch that episode with a kid.

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JumpyTheFrog

JumpyTheFrog

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On 4/10/2021 at 5:45 PM, Farrar said:

How about Netflix's Lost in Space? The Flash? Supergirl? Doctor Who? Eureka?

Lost in Space would be a good one. It is only of the only sci-fi shows that I think it actually family-friendly.

On 4/10/2021 at 5:54 PM, Tanaqui said:

I love Babylon 5, but... it's really intense about Earth's slide into fascism. There's also the Narn Holocaust. I'm currently doing a rewatch with the fam, and we're all snuggling dogs as we watch some scenes. I would not watch it with a 9 year old without prewatching it first.

There is also an episode where Londo Malari is gambling and uses one of his tentacle-like p*nises to cheat and hide cards or something. In one episode, another alien of his same race talks about different levels of teA, and how different it feels depending on how many p*nises they get to use. It's been a LONG time since I've seen the show, but these two things stand out in my mind

3 hours ago, eagleynne said:

If you decide to try SG-1 you also consider SG-Atlantis.

Some little kids might find the Wraiths scary. They are like alien vampires that suck the life out of people and leave them dead.

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vonfirmath

vonfirmath

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1 hour ago, JumpyTheFrog said:

Lost in Space would be a good one. It is only of the only sci-fi shows that I think it actually family-friendly.

There is also an episode where Londo Malari is gambling and uses one of his tentacle-like p*nises to cheat and hide cards or something. In one episode, another alien of his same race talks about different levels of teA, and how different it feels depending on how many p*nises they get to use. It's been a LONG time since I've seen the show, but these two things stand out in my mind

Some little kids might find the Wraiths scary. They are like alien vampires that suck the life out of people and leave them dead.

The tentacle episode is the one where we realized watching Babylon 5 may not have been the good idea we originally thought and we started being careful about which episodes after that.

 

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Farrar

Farrar

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Avatar: The Last Airbender is the best thing ever made for kids. I guess I forget that some people haven't seen it. 

If you haven't done the best in scifi animation for kids, Gravity Falls is also amazing and excellent, though in a really different way. And all the things the Airbender team has been involved in - Voltron, Dragon Prince, and of course the sequel Korra - are all excellent too. And Hilda is SO GOOD as well.

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JumpyTheFrog

JumpyTheFrog

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DH and I watch almost exclusively sci-fi shows. We have noticed that somewhere around 2002 or so shows began to get more explicit in both language and "love" scenes. Around 2015 or so things got even worse. We are at the point that I don't expect any shows made after that to be anything less than R rated (or what I think should have an R-rating). That's why Lost in Space surprised us so much.

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Tanaqui

Tanaqui

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Perhaps, but your comment seems to be saying that because you watched those shows with 12 year olds, you'd watch them with a 9 year old. I'd happily watch either show with a 12 year old too. I would be a bit more careful with a 9 year old.

I'm actually rewatching both those shows right now. The serious themes of B5 and the more edgy content of Farscape are front and present in my mind. I don't have to rely on memory to guess if I'd think it might be okay with a younger child.

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bookbard

bookbard

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Yeah, I wouldn't do Farscape with a child. For one thing, you want to save some shows for when they're older! You can appreciate so much more about shows like Farscape when you've had a bit of life experience. It's kind of like books, there are some books you just want to save until they can truly understand more than just the words on the page. 

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theelfqueen

theelfqueen

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When I say "around 12" they're just over 4 years apart so were probably 9 and 13, or 10 and 14 at the time. Things like Zaan's sensuality basically went right over the younger one's head or at least he was uninterested. 

But I can definitely see why someone would hold off on any of these. 

Modern Doctor Who is all on HBO + -- I just rewatched the first season with the 9th doctor.  That could be a good fit. And I second (third or whatver) the new Lost in Space. 

Edited by theelfqueen
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LauraBeth475

LauraBeth475

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On 4/14/2021 at 11:02 AM, eagleynne said:

SG-1 would probably be good, with the caveat that the pilot episode, which was originally filmed as a tv movie on Showtime, has one scene about half way through that features full female nudity. None of the rest of that episode has anything objectionable in it, nor does any of the rest of the series, it was just that one scene. I've always felt like they thought they needed to do that because it was on premium cable, but who knows.

If you decide to try SG-1 you also consider SG-Atlantis.

My bigger girls and I love Stargate, especially Sam Carter, scientist extraordinaire.  But I'm keeping it another year for the little one.  Some of the violence is just a little too realistic.

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