I've been wanting to start playing the game and have already watched some reviews and now know how to play but I still have some questions that I thought some of you would be able to answer...

1. which online shop sells the beginner game cheapest? (based in USA)

2. would a nine year old understand how to play?

3.what's the difference of this and the other two Star Wars roleplaying games besides theme?

Can't help with #1, but...

2. Sure. It's a pretty simple system. Others here on the forums have told of running the game for kids around that age.

3. Primarily theme, but each also has a unique mechanic that complements that theme, but can (for the most part) be used in any setting. EotE has Obligation (basically, a narrative tool to indicate the sorts of things that might preoccupy the character and lead to story hooks: debts, a bounty on the character's head, loyalty to their family, etc.). AoR has Duty (the character's role/objective within the Rebellion which, when accomplished in a given mission, contributes to the character's standing in the Alliance and allow access to additional resources). FaD has Morality (a character strength and weakness that informs the character's responses to various situations, and an ever-changing barometer of where the character stands along the light/dark spectrum of the Force).

#3 is well-answered, but just note that you don't have to use any of those Obligation/Duty/Morality mechanics, or you can use two or all three at once. I ran a campaign ostensibly with an EotE vibe to it, only used Obligation for character generation and backstory, and completely ignored it after. Two of the three players chose AoR careers for their PCs, but that's just because they were the best mechanical fit for their concept. So you can really do with that what you want, which means the game lines are identical mechanically, they just have different career options.

Great points, @whafrog , which I sacrificed on the altar of brevity. Thanks for the follow-up!

Check amazon and miniature market.

edit: and, I just realized I necroed a thread from over a month ago because of all the volume this section of the forum doesn’t get.

I bought the older books on EBay, got most of the older ones for about 50-75% or the retail price. Also you may find a collection which can help bring down the price on it.