LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is a great stepping stone for younglings

In my opinion, Star Wars is doing great things for the youth of the fandom.

I'm not just a fan of Young Jedi Adventures because of the ability I had this year to get two nieces and a nephew into the adventures of Kai, Lys, and Nubs. I think it's important for there to be role models in any franchise and the students on Tenoo are just one example. When I watched and enjoyed LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, it struck me that the new series is something I can look forward to showing them when they've got a little more experience in life.

Part of what I love about Young Jedi Adventures is its low-stakes nature. There are stressors, certainly, but there is always a way for teamwork or understanding to bring about a win for the protagonists and their friends. It's so charming to me that I don't mind there needing to be intervention from Master Yoda or Huyang. Children should feel safe turning to adults for help.

There are certainly a lot of those same principles in the LEGO project, but the conclusion of the story surprised me. The end result of the hard work and emotional investment in the strange new world caused by a pair of Nerf-herder brothers was... kind of a failure. They weren't able to return things to their rightful places and the characters are left to reckon with those consequences.

Curious about the subject of lessons learned from adversity, I turned to the Child Mind Institute, where an article by Beth Arky and Amanda G. Mintzer, PsyD discussed "How to Help Kids Learn to Fail." Says the article, "Not learning to tolerate failure leaves kids vulnerable to anxiety...perhaps more important, it can make kids give up trying--or trying new things."

Arky and Mintzer go on to say that "distress or frustration tolerance is an important life skill to master," Mintzer points out "building that skill set is necessary for kids to be able to become more independent and succeed in future endeavors."

Among the advice given in the article are such tips as "show empathy," "make yourself a model," and "step back and allow your kids to fail." Jedi Bob is one of the best characters in the show because he has that capacity for empathy and certainly helps the displaced Greebling find his way by modeling effective behavior. We see characters cope with disappointment (Poor Han!) by taking action. The character who has gone the furthest astray, Luke, not only has a change of lifestyle and heart but uses his new resolve to help his family in fighting for goodness.

Not all of Rebuild the Galaxy is written for kids--it's a good middle ground for youngling and Yoda-aged fans alike--but it is a great next step for people who still relate to Nubs.