My young son has watched Star Wars for the first time.

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the original film, today begins the Star Wars Blog-A-Thon hosted over at the great Edward Copeland On Film blog. Head over there all weekend for what will no doubt be a galaxy-sized treasure trove of rants, reviews, reveries and other spectacular writings on all things Force-related.

You may recall that I solicited reader input several weeks ago as I contemplated watching SW with my eldest son Tom Hagen (did I actually name my son Tom Hagen?). I had pretty much decided already that we’d watch it, and your answers to the poll supported that - 54% agreed that Tom Hagen would be old enough to enjoy the movie, even in light of the fact that he’s a good 3-4 years younger than I was when I saw it for the first time.

Tom Hagen is a funny kid when it comes to watching movies. He tends to sit there, rapt with attention, silently taking it all in as we watch. He doesn’t react - doesn’t laugh, doesn’t jump up or smile or anything. It’s as if he feels the need to concentrate very intently, and sometimes this movie-watching demeanor leads me to believe that he either doesn’t like the movie or he’s terrified by it.

But give him a day or two and he overflows with observations. This has happened with a few other movies we’ve watched together - he’ll watch the movie in complete silence and then in the days to follow he keeps bringing it up, remembering little bits and pieces as well as his thoughts. That’s how I know that he liked a movie - because he’ll just keep talking about it.

And, of course, he’ll want to watch it again. Or, in the case of Star Wars, he’s now very eager to watch the rest of the series.

A few days following our special SW home theater screening, Tom Hagen and I sat down to chat about it. After the jump, I’d like to share his impressions with you - in his words - in which we can see some rather astute observations (what did you think, I’d tell you my kid wasn’t an astute genius?) on character, plotting and proper pet care for a Wookie.

Burbanked: So how did you like Star Wars?
Tom Hagen: I liked it. It was great - I LOVED it. Actually, now I can be like all the other kids in my class when they make all that Star Wars stuff. The ships and stuff out of Legos.

Did you talk to your friends about how we watched it?
Yeah. I kept saying to them that he struck Obi Wan Kenobi down and he comes back in the next movie, but they keep saying “No he doesn’t. No he doesn’t. He doesn’t come back in the next movie; he comes back in the sixth movie.”

Who was your favorite character in the movie?
Actually, it’s R2D2. I like him the most because he beeps instead of talks.

What did you think the first time you saw Darth Vader?
Only that part I thought was a little bit scary. When he came in and then he started walking. And when he stopped walking I stopped being scared.

What do you think he is, exactly: a robot? Human? Alien?
A lot of people in my class say that Darth Vader was a man and he fell into a volcano. Black stuff went on him and then he put buttons on himself.

What’s up with Princess Leia’s hairstyle?
That I thought was strange. Actually, I think it was more and more normal like a princess.

Do you think that the movie would have been better if the characters had talked more about the geo-political struggle between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance?
No. I think it was great the way it was.

If you could have anything from Star Wars as a toy, what would it be?
I would want to have that ship that Luke and all the others blew up the Death Star with. The one that’s kind of round with the blue fire.

Tell me what you think The Force is.
It’s good luck and be strong and stuff like that. Don’t let your ship explode.

Why do you think Han Solo shot that alien in the bar?
He just didn’t like the alien.

But Han Solo is a good guy, right? Why would he do that?
Because that alien just didn’t like him. He was talking very meanly to him. Like, “It’s too late to see my boss…”

What would you do if you had a pet like Chewbacca?
I don’t know. I don’t think I would want him. I think he would be too much to handle. And for a litter box, I don’t even know what to give him.

I swear that was his actual response. I’ve never been so proud.

Who would you rather be - Luke Skywalker or Han Solo?
Luke. He was nicer to the princess. Han Solo didn’t really want to go until he heard about the reward, but Luke didn’t want the reward. He wanted to save the princess.

But do you think that maybe Han Solo actually kind of likes her, deep down?
Um…no.

This is the moment that Tom Hagen classifies as his favorite in the movie - which probably is a reaction to the tension that builds up throughout this sequence and culminates in Luke making a “one in a million” shot. It’s interesting to note, however, that at first he didn’t realize that it was the Death Star that exploded; because of the way this sequence is plotted with the ticking-clock countdown to the possible destruction of the Rebel base, he thought for a moment that it was the Rebels, and not the Death Star, who explode after this moment. He was relieved to learn otherwise.

What do you think is better: a blaster or a light saber?
Light saber.

What if, at the end when the Death Star is destroyed, they had shown Darth Vader and he shook his fists in the air and said “NOOOOOOOOOO!” and then cried like a little baby?
I would have smacked my head.

What? Why?
I think that would be crazy. I think for Darth Vader to do that - I mean, he’s a really, really bad guy. He was actually really mean. I would think that he would just want to try again because he’s a really, really bad guy.

Do you think your little brothers are old enough to watch Star Wars?
No. Because at first when I tell [Sonny] about Shrek movies, he gets scared.

What part don’t you think he’d like?
He says he doesn’t like the cat part, where the cat shows up. With the sword.

Oh, I was talking about Star Wars.
I think the part…all of it.