The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters this weekend. Ever since the series debuted in 1977 with George Lucas' original sci-fi classic, the movies have captivated fans of all ages. I come from a family of Star Wars fans. My mom has always talked fondly of seeing Star Wars in theaters more than a dozen times. She took me to see the 1997 re-releases, as well as the prequels. We waited at a theater for hours to see The Force Awakens opening night with my little brother. I'm certainly not alone in having this franchise become a family affair. With that, there are probably quite a few parents wondering if Episode IX is appropriate for their younglings. So, is Star Wars 9 safe for kids?

Starting with the basics of answering that, The Rise of Skywalker is rated PG-13 in the U.S. This, very basically, means anyone under the age of 13 needs to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The U.K. handed out a similar rating of 12A, which means that anyone under the age of 12 needs an adult with them. So that's a rough guideline that can help parents make a determination. Beyond that, it's a little more subjective.

Like most Star Wars movies, generally speaking, this is an action/adventure flick in space. There are some intense sequences. There are explosions. There are fights. People die in these fights. For the most part, these fights aren't overly violent and any on-screen Star Wars death isn't too over-the-top. The movie largely avoids any overly strong, obscene language. However, some moments are a bit more violent than usual. Without getting into spoilers, this is something to be aware of. Any parents who feel any graphic violence should be avoided may want to keep that in mind. Also, any kids who are particularly sensitive to such imagery may have a reaction to a couple of scenes.

For the sake of general comparison, this is certainly no worse than Revenge of the Sith. That movie features the famous Anakin getting burned to a crisp by lava sequence, as well as Anakin murdering a group of young Jedi trainees. Safe to say, The Rise of Skywalker doesn't go any further than that, so that can help provide a general basis of comparison. The British Board of Film Classification does specifically warn of "fights with fantastical weapons, including impalement."

Speaking a bit more from personal experience, a father I sat next to at my Star Wars premiere night screening brought his two young daughters who couldn't have been more than 7 or 8 years old. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. Though, there was a small jump scare that got the girl sitting next to me which, in the end, was harmless but, again, something to be aware of. Hopefully this has been helpful. Maybe the Force be with you. Disney and Lucasfilm are showing Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in theaters now.