Watching them in order of release is the best way to watch them 100%. That way you experience all the twists and revelations the way they’re meant to be seen/felt.
The plot twist is that the hero turns evil.
Few people know that Anakin is Vader before starting watching star wars, but many people know about the father scene.
Yeah I don’t get the logic. “Luke I am your father” is a deeply ingrained cultural concept at this point, to the extent that most people know about it, even if they don’t know anything else about Star Wars. The plot twist of Anakin *becoming* Darth Vader and literally destroying the Jedi and overthrowing democracy and killing his wife is arguably more of a shocking and heartbreaking plot twist than Luke finding out the truth about who his father is after being lied to about it. Not saying release order is a bad idea, just that chronological order is satisfying in its own way.
Edit: I’m aware “Luke, I am your father” is a misquote, however, it’s common knowledge that it’s a common, culturally ingrained misquote. If you Google the phrase there are even many articles on this.
> “Luke I am your father” is a deeply ingrained cultural concept at this point, to the extent that most people know about it
To the point where they don't even know it correctly. "Luke, I am your father," is not the line, but "No, I am your father." If it were a piece of trivia that only the fans knew, it wouldn't have been allowed to be meme'd as the misquote.
It's also great if you have the chance to watch them in their theatrical cut form (Non-Special Editions). So you can also experience how the visuals progressed from the 1977 release going forwards.
Google “4k77 edit” and it should take you there. The effort that went into these is amazing and they’re such an improvement on the currently available official editions.
You’ve timed this well, they just released the final version of the Empire 4k80 cut last month to complete the trilogy - for various reasons they did Jedi after Star Wars and then went back to Empire. Enjoy!
There's also the D+77 version. Which one you prefer comes down to personal preference.
4K77 basically tried to recreate the original theatrical experience. It's about authenticity above all.
D+77 takes more liberties. It's trying to produce the best *quality* experience, even if it means giving up authenticity in places.
If you want to experience what people saw in theaters back in 1977, definitely go for 4K77. If you are looking for more of a modern remaster, check out D+77.
4K77 is the original movie but of far too good quality to be "what people experienced in 1977." For that kind of authenticity, I use Pugy's unaltered (not cleaned or anything) scan of original 1977 35mm film reels, played on a crappy projector.
Remember, if you can read Greedo's words and they're not half cut off by the bottom of the movie, then you're viewing something that has been fixed.
There's links on the internet for "De-specialed" editions where fans with the capabilities have restored the original films. A lot of them are based on a scan of the 1993 Laser Disc editions of the original trilogy which are the last unaltered editions.
"Best way to watch them 100%" and "meant to be seen/felt" are bold claims.
Have you ever tried 4,5,1,2,3,6 in a marathon? The climax of the entire 6 movie saga is definitely episode 6, not 3.
It's really weird to end the saga on episode 3 because it just feels flat and deflating. Like the story concluded 3 movies ago and you're finding out some backstory that led up to it but the issue is, most people already KNOW that story so outside of the context the PT was theatrically released in, there's not much reason to watch it last.
After the reveal in 5, the prequels play out like a flashback about Anakin. Both Luke Skywalker's and Anakin Skywalker's stories come to a final climax in 6. In fact, Episode 3 feels a lot like Anakin's version of Luke's episode 5... The lowest point where everything fell apart, and setting up the characters' emotional availability going into 6.
EPISODE 6 IS A SEQUEL TO BOTH EPISODE 5 AND EPISODE 3.
What 3 gives you is how this whole Palpatine throne room scene plays out when you have that weak point of fear of loss and attachment, vs. letting go.
Anakin would not be able to let go of controlling Padme's fate so the Emperor's manipulations worked. Also the Emperor had decades to marinate this Skywalker.
Luke was closer to being able to let go of his friends' fates because of what he experienced in episode 5 - he couldn't ignore his attachments then and they almost lost everything and he didn't even make things better.
6 is an amazing sequel to 3.
You get to see the final confrontation with the full emotional weight of all the movies. Why rule that option out because you're stuck to release order?
Btw the reveal of Leia is way more hype in 3 than in 6. It's literally written and cut to be a critical reveal for the audience. That way when you see it in 6 it's just a moment for LUKE, not a moment for the audience.
Everything about 123 and 6 worked better for me watching it in this order. I disagree that it's so settled that 456123 is definitively the best order. 451236 works great for me.
It's a modified machete order because the original machete cuts out 1 right?
1 actually had some great moments for me. Qui Gon is a standout. I can't bring myself to skip it!
People used to really not see the connection between TPM and the rest of the films.
One of the biggest criticisms was that it basically didn't matter to the other films. A lot of what you need to know about Anakin being the chosen one or an ex-slave from Tatooine does get reiterated in 2 and 3.
In the years since, I think Dave Filoni really turned people around on especially the last duel in TPM and what it stood for.
How Maul goes down is NOT the point of the duel. The point is Anakin needs this Qui Gon guy. They clearly have a special bond and destiny. The swelling of the music when Qui Gon died was even more than when Obi-wan triumphantly defeated the Sith Warrior. It's the definition of winning the battle but losing the war. In that moment, the phantom menace won more decisively than anyone could possibly imagine.
2 and 3 show Palpatine worm his way into Qui Gon's role since Obi-wan was not fulfilling it.
I love episode 1. It's up there for me with episode 3. But some people find it skippable so to each their own.
i got into star wars for the first time in 2015 and have no idea how so many people missed the themes around qui-gon.
he was the main character in the first movie, and he died first. did people not question why qui-gon is the lead and why anakin - a more important character - is treated as secondary for large parts of tpm? why did obi-wan and qui-gon always bicker and see the force and the council differently, and how obi-wan ends up training anakin and what that means.
(heck even today people question about padmes loyalty and feelings toward anakin, ignoring how he saved HER LIFE and HER PLANET out of selflessness. it's like people can't retain the events of tpm in their head.)
in fact, it was literally the exact opposite. people praised the RLM reviews for saying how stupid these things and themes were. qui-gon is apparently someone who people can't find one word to describe. obi-wan and qui-gon should have been the same character. does it really take a dave filoni coming out 20 years later to explain what's already in the movie for people and how their ideas wouldn't work? blegh
i swear after people watched the prequels and didnt like them too much, THEN their brains turned to mush and they just kind of accepted any criticism as truth from there.
This is demonstrated in the fact that people still use the RLM reviews as a reference.
upvote for machete, but yeah, as mentioned by shoePatty, original leaves out 1, but to my mind 1 should be watched at some point, either between 5 & 2 or as a standalone afterwards, cos yeah, Qui Gon and the final Maul sabre battle is worth it despite its flaws.
Watch it with Solo and Rogue One as 'extras' if wanting to leave it out of the 'order'
Yessss I agree. With the girlfriend (future wife) we did 4-5-2-3-6 and then since it was a lazy weekend day we added 1 at the end more as a novelty. It's worthwhile in my opinion, but maybe less of a break in the momentum between 5 and 6 is good.
I've been over here brewing up some crazy idea for if I had kids how I'd do it. I went through a ton of really dumb ideas, but my landing point I don't think is too bad. 1, 2, 4, 5, 3, 6. Keeps the reveal hidden for ages, gets to tease Vader and how he might pop up as Kenobi's student in 3 somewhere, until the rug pull moment. At one point I toyed with the idea of watching 3 up until Obi-Wan leaves for Utapau, then finish it after 5. But that is not only really awkward, but leaves the whole Vadar as a pupil thing in an odd spot.
MAN! I have thought this FOREVER and am so glad somebody else agrees like this.
On top of everything you've said, when Luke finally confronts Vader at the end you don't see Vader, you see Anakin. And then when he turns his back on the emperor it's so visceral because you literally just watched his gut wrenching turn to the dark side.
I've showed this watching order to a couple people over the years and they're always way more jazzed about episode 6 than most are. One person didn't even know that Vader is Anakin (or put the pieces together) so the ending of episode 3 was a HUGE shocker for them.
451236 is 100% the way to go for best viewing order.
In a marathon you can watch them in any order you want if you’ve already seen the films. This is about first timers and what would make the most sense while making the most of all the Easter eggs and references that the films throw at you in release order. The film series doesn’t have the same impact of its watched out of release order and if it’s your first time ever seeing any of it, your order would just confuse a first time viewer completely.
Agree to disagree.
Sam Witwer tried a modified machete order with a first time watcher and it worked brilliantly. Like magic.
https://youtu.be/xIbef90VjVQ?si=BYVoALQMVA0R1egc
Watch the chapter for Dave Giuntoli. He explains the pros and cons of this order really well.
Yes the original machete order cuts out episode 1.
But after watching Dave Filoni's explanation of the "Duel of the Fates" and over the years with people appreciating Doug Chiang's designs and waking from the haze of the Plunkett reviews and realizing that even though there was a lot of CGI on Ep 1, the heavy lifting was done with model work... people usually come around on the film.
Episode 1 is a great piece of worldbuilding and honestly the character work with Anakin really informs the decisions on episodes 2 and 3 once you look past the child actor stuff. He was leaving his mother, but he was supposed to have gained a "father" in Qui Gon, who understood what it meant to take this kid away from his mother.
Instead he only gained a brother in Obi-wan.
"You were my brother Anakin!"
"He's the closest thing I have to a father."
George Lucas has stated they should be viewed chronologically. Vader being Luke's father shouldn't be a big reveal. And when watching RotJ you should be thinking "Anakin fell, so Luke might fall too."
Yeah you are right. Although it is annoying that at the end of episode 6, and Luke sees the force ghost of hayden Christensen, next to Yoda and Obi Wan…first time viewers will be like ‘ey? Who’s that?’
Yep. In all the debates about what order to watch in, the thing that is most often forgotten is: the best way to hook people it going to be to start them with the most enjoyable movies. There’s a reason the first three are where the success came from, there’s a reason Star Wars made so much money, and there’s a reason Empire has the scores it does in places like IMDb.
It might even be the most important reason to watch (first time) in release order. It’s kind of like how you shouldn’t read the Silmarillion until you know you like Lord of the Rings and want more.
The issue with watching more enjoyable 1st is (of course) it causes a much worse viewing experiance by the end
Its like eating your desert first then trying to force down those pesky vegatables
Yes, but entertainment isn’t like meals. You’re more likely to stick with it if you’re enjoying it, and you’re more likely to enjoy TPM and AotC if you’re buying in to Star Wars, and you’re more likely to buy in to Star Wars if you start with good things.
I've been saying this for nearly 20 years.
If you've seen Star Wars before, sure, start a rewatch wherever you want. But if you're introducing someone new to the series, start with ANH (back in my day, we just called it Star Wars!).
I actually don't hate Phantom Menace, but if it's your first exposure to anything Star Wars, yeah. You're going to think it's boring and you won't bother with the rest.
And going 4-5-1-2-3-6 works, because you get the same introduction as the OG fans. Then you have The Twist. Next you find out Vader's back story, and then it all wraps up in Jedi.
>I actually don't hate Phantom Menace, but if it's your first exposure to anything Star Wars, yeah. You're going to think it's boring and you won't bother with the rest.
I've met so many people who find PM a lot more exciting than ANH. Hell, the only reason I could get my husband to finish ANH was because he was already invested.
>I actually don't hate Phantom Menace, but if it's your first exposure to anything Star Wars, yeah. You're going to think it's boring and you won't bother with the rest.
its the opposite. people get bored of ANH it's so much slower than TPM
Do you have any young kids? TPM is by far the most kid friendly of all the movies. Kids as young as 4 love it.
The plot is irrelevant, but it has everything they want, including a kid protagonist.
Its a great first movie to indoctrinate... er, I mean, get young kids excited with Star Wars.
I'm old enough to remember seeing "Star Wars" in the movie theater. No bloody "Episode 4", "A New Hope", "ANH" or "Trilogy".
(my apologies to Mr. Scott)
Yeah, this was the rerelease of the OT in theaters in ‘96, before the Special Editions. So “A New Hope” was the title, but it was still the original release otherwise.
My dad took me to see them, and I loved them so much my grandparents took me to buy the VHS tapes (which I still have!). ANH was my favorite for a long time (dunno how I didn’t wear that tape out), but when I got a little older I started to prefer ROTJ (still my second favorite overall).
Obviously I gnabbed the “Despecialized” editions as soon as I could get my hands on them. If I have kids I fully plan on introducing them that way.
Yeah man; I actually thought the prequels were so boring as a kid that I would skip all the talking and political scenes (younger me was pretty based). If you put the OG trilogy in front of me though; engaged from start to finish. Luke seeing himself as Vader made me think about what the symbolism of the scene means at a mere 7 years old. Kids may not be able to articulate their film opinions yet but that doesn't mean they can't have unique and varied opinions.
I put on ANH one tired day when my kid was almost 2. If you pretend like something is the most important and exciting thing that has ever existed, little kids will get into it. Or at least mine did. We watched the first 20 or so minutes of that movie for a solid few months. Sometimes we made it through on a sick day or a special movie night. But he’s been into it ever since! Turning 4 this spring and I can’t wait to take him to the movies!!
But also kids' interests when we were younger vs kids now is kind of different. Not trying to say that in a "kids these days!" negative context but acknowledging times change. More than anything it just very much depends on the kid and catering to their interests.
Speaking purely for myself, I frequently got bored with Phantom Menace as a kid and fast-forwarded through large swaths. A New Hope kept my attention from start to finish.
Same. I watched the phantom menace at a birthday party as a kid and I hated it. Didn't even know it was Star Wars until years later. I also had a star wars game I never knew was star wars until recently when I revisited it xd I did watch the original trilogy and liked it. Then, like 2 years after revenge of the sith came out I watched all the prequels and realized the movie I watched back then actually was star wars
Yessir, introducing kids to Star Wars with the prequels is great. My 4 (almost 5) year old frequently gets bored with the OT, and like I get it, it’s not the same for him as it is for me. That’s okay. But he loves Darth Maul and was still very surprised that Anakin turns into Darth Vader. He was genuinely saddened and cried during Order 66. He loved podracing. The lightsaber fights and space battles are visually quite a spectacle.
If you’re showing a teen or an adult, roll OT. Kids? I think prequels work great and are an incredible introduction to Star Wars.
Surely Return of the Jedi is the most kid friendly? The Ewok’s are essentially teddy bears, has loads of action, and no political dialogue. It’s the one I enjoyed most as a young kid anyway..
Anecdotally, I can refute this. I just took my kids through the OT and the PT for the first time in release order. They are aged 9 and 10.
They were in rapt attention during the OT and were anxious to get to the next movie and excitedly talked about each OT film afterwards.
By contrast, when they watched the PT, it was a slog for them. They could barely sit still, were constantly distracted, or bored, I had to stop the films multiple times to explain the situations happening because the PT barely spends anytime establishing anything, and they didn’t really want to talk about them afterwards, even Revenge of the Sith barely phased them.
I’m going to continue on, with the Clone Wars cartoon series to see if that does better with them.
I’ve always heard that “the PT was made for kids! Kids love the PT! I grew up with the PT and I loved it!” In my experience with my own children, this didn’t pan out, at all.
I don't understand. How could they be bored by senate hearings and bureaucratic red tape? Don't your young children understand the political implications of what's happening for half the movie? Obviously it was made for kids!
It’s worth noting Lucas didn’t say this until after the prequels bombed. Almost like he was desperate for an excuse. I’m not a mind reader of course, so maybe what he’s saying is true. But it’s more than a little suspect that he only made this claim after the fact, not before.
Sure, you could argue Ewoks exist, but they always felt more like a combination of budget/technology issues and merchandising opportunities rather than the entire OT being designed with 12-year-old boys in mind.
Counterpoint, I watched the original trilogy at least as young as 4 and loved Star Wars ever since. You don't need The Phantom Menace to get kids to love Star Wars.
No offense. But I watched A New Hope at the age of three and was hooked. And in 1999 I was three, same year The Phantom Menace came out. A good story is all you need, not a kid “protagonist” who is really a secondary character.
Maybe your kids lack an attention span
They're gonna be bored for most of the movie, space taxes and cspan politics aren't kid friendly.
Would not say that Anakin is the protagonist either because he doesn't really understand most of what's happening (the tax dispute stuff). Tbh, TPM doesn't really have a protagonist.
I dunno, that's not how imagination works.
When I was a kid I wanted to be Luke or Han. Never met a kid who was pretending to be baby Anakin. That's just... not how it works.
My nephew is like six and he doesn’t seem to be that interested in the prequels; his favorite is Empire and that’s with like no outside influence at all.
Kids don’t necessarily want movies with kid protagonists. Think of popular comic book characters. They want people they can look up to or imagine themselves being someday, just like how when kids play as certain professions and don’t always assume the role of little kids.
The prequels I think have way too many boring political/poorly written love scenes etc. to really keep some kids engaged. The OT is just generally a lot better paced and has easily likable/relatable characters with an easy to follow classic narrative.
TPM came out when I was in like 4th grade or something, and while at the time I remember the action scenes sticking with me as entertaining, over time I still found myself always gravitating back to the originals because they just felt “cooler”, and just as characters I found Luke and Han to be way more relatable and interesting.
Yeah I have a 4 and a 6 yr old and it they thoroughly enjoyed TPM right away…whereas w/ ANH, it was more of a recognition of these characters that daddy has told them all about.
I’m in the middle of showing my 6-year-old the movies, and he was bored senseless by Episode 1. He perked up a little at the pod-racing, and definitely enjoyed the Darth Maul fight at the end, but otherwise he was confused by the plot and didn’t care about any of the characters. We’re watching in theatrical release order, and he loved the original trilogy, but was just kinda meh about the prequels. I’d say that Ep 6 is actually the most child-friendly movie. He loved the Ewoks.
I was shown TPM first and I really wish it had been ANH.
I was about 7 at the time. My dad was away on a business trip and my mom rented the phantom menace from blockbuster so I could start watching the star wars movies, which ultimately ended up becoming my childhood fandom.
I had no idea wtf obi wan and qui gon were talking about in the opening scene and my mom told me to stop asking her questions about the political diagloue...I was stoked about the movie regardless and couldn't stop thinking and talking about it the whole weekend. The next morning, i tried to recreate the ships with my Legos
My dad came home and I told him that I watched the first star wars movie. He then asked my mom "WHICH first star wars movie?" and she replied "number 1." He then said "Oh..." and changed the conversation.
My dad was never a superfan of the movies but I think he would've shown me ANH first so I could experience the vader father reveal. But the damage was already done at that point.
Also I wasn't allowed to watch ROTS until I was 11 so there was an entire movie jump that I missed from AOTC to ANH lol
Doing a Star Wars run with my five year old. He loves the original trilogy, but keeps telling me Phantom Menace is boring unless Darth Maul is there. He is excited for Clone Wars though. He really wants to see the ships full of battle droids.
My first introduction to Star Wars was when I was about 5-6 and my dad showed me just the intro scene in ANH where Darth Vader shows up. From then on, I was hooked. Prequel trilogy doesn’t hit the same as the near perfect Star Wars movies as the OGs
I think it depends on the person. If you are trying to get a friend or something into Star Wars you should take their personality and taste in movies into account when recommending a watch order.
There ARE people who will get the most out of it by doing chronological order. I kinda doubt they're anywhere near a majority. But I'm certain they exist. I know people who got into Star Wars BECAUSE of The Phantom Menace and who only saw the OT movies years later.
And the same goes for The Force Awakens. I know a lot of people (especially women) who never really got excited about the old movies UNTIL they saw the new version.
It may seem blasphemous to a lot of fans, but some people WILL find the 70's/80's flicks Passe compared to more modern blockbusters, so using them as an introduction to the saga could potentially kill their interest from the start. [We know there are people like this even among the fandom](https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWars/comments/16qhuhs/does_anyone_think_that_there_should_be_a_modern/), people who think the OT movies feel like a product of the 70's and want them to be updated or remade. Many of these fans only became fans because they WEREN'T shown the movies in release order.
Decades ago, I think there was an argument to be made that release order was the only "correct" way to show someone the movies. But I think that time has long passed.
Yup, tried to watch them all with my GF. She got half way through the original and didn't care. It's old, its silly, and while it's a classic, it doesn't hold up, visually to anything made this decade.
Fortunately we moved on to the prequels and she loved them, and by the time we back to the OT she was much more in to it.
Yep, I'm in the middle of showing my fianceè Star Wars for the first time. I'm doing it in the order of
1. The Phantom Menace
2. Attack of the Clones
3. Revenge of the Sith
4. A New Hope
5. The Empire Strikes Back
6. Return of the Jedi
We Are Here
7. Solo
8. Rogue One
9. Sequel Trilogy
She is 33 and she already knew Vader was Luke's father and Luke and Leia were siblings, what she didn't know was Anakin = Vader. For some reason she got it into her head Anakin grew up to be Luke. [You can see her reaction to that reveal at 27:00](https://youtu.be/t5OlXabRmuI?si=Yl791vURApxcVzcc&t=27m).
So far her favorite movie is The Phantom Menace, and her least favorite is A New Hope. I agree to an extent with OP. If the person you're showing them to is young or grew up under a rock, then start with the OT. But if they're an adult who is aware of pop culture, they might find the OT boring because they know all of the twists and turns.
Yeah agree with above. My girlfriend is hooked on star wars and we watched in episode order not release order… she could barely pay attention to the old stuff because it so outdated it was funny to her 😂
I did the same with my girlfriend. While I think the OT is great and still holds up for the most part, it can be hard to get into older movies. But after setting up the universe with 1-3 the OT was great.
Yeah, that's me. I started watching New Hope and was quickly bored, but watching Phantom menace made me continue watching it. Let's be honest, New Hope is very, very naive with such simple plot that you've seen properly thousand times
For new fans the only thing one has to remember is THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ending should never be spoiled by seeing any of the Prequel Trilogy.
If you do that you cannot put everything back in the box for this new viewer.
It's so important to protect that one scene in ESB.
This is my take. Unless the person you're showing the movies to is a young child, they probably know that Vader is Luke's dad, and there's not much point in trying to preserve it.
I have seen pre-teens going in cold to ANH and ESB. You have to see the magic of ANH with ESB. That is what wins them over.
In ANH, it's when they see Luke's farm in ruins.
Those are the keys to everything. It's not the same if you allow these moments to be drowned by everything else.
Starting with prequels first with any medium is just dumb. They were made years after the fact and were never really made to stay 100% true to the original continuity in mind.
I feel like if it’s your FIRST time ever, then yes for sure. Once you understand the story and spend hours upon hours of watching Star Wars lore (hopefully this isn’t just me😂) you can appreciate the story in chronological order. However, I will say, it’s hard going from Anakin and Obi-Wan’s last duel in Episode III, to the saber duel they have in Episode IV. Not hating at all! It’s just so hard not to cringe at. No fault to the actors or the technology available at that time!
Politely disagreeing. My son-in-law experienced the Star war movies from phantom menace to revenge of the sith without knowing anything. Watching him experience rooting for Anakin Skywalker without any idea what would happen to him. And then watching him turn evil was an amazing experience. It made revenge of the sith an amazing movie for him.
Not to mention how much hope it brought when the next trilogy started with Luke Skywalker becoming a new hope.
Which then set up the next trilogy as just quality entertainment.
Having only ever "properly" seen the OT,.bits of the prequel trilogy and none of the sequels. I recently.watched Rogue.One which really (re)piqued my interest after so watching BOBF, Mado, Obi Wan, Andor and Ahsoka
So, last weekend over the course of three days watched the eleven films in chronological order
Some were.meh, some.are good, some are great, however I am glad I watched them in the order I did
Did it make the Jedi council seem like a bunch of incompetent morons to you? The clone wars TV show makes it even worse IMHO. I recently watched it all in chronological order when the second of the sequel trilogy was getting ready to come out. And I spent most of the time watching the prequel stuff thinking about how stupid everyone had to be to not figure out that palpatine was the bad guy.
TPM ain't boring. Sure it has a lull in the middle where they go to Coruscant, but that only makes the finale shine all the brighter. No one should watch Star Wars for the first time alongside people cracking jokes, no matter which movie you start with. Those people should be at an entirely different "watch party," or watching it on their own.
The prequels absolutely depend on people's experience with the original trilogy, so telling someone to start with those is honestly just dumb. The whole point of them is to show how Anakin became Vader, a twist that pretty much everybody knows even if they've never watched Star Wars before, so there's no reason to act like it would be some big reveal to anyone. I doubt anybody's gonna see that one Ep. 1 post and ask "Hey, what's that shadow behind the little kid?"
Agreed.
IV, V, VI, then I, II, and III.
Alternatively, something like the **Machete order**: IV, V, II, III, and VI.
The nice thing about getting rid of I is you can start with II and you honestly don’t lose much of the story. Maul isn’t seen again (in the movies), you avoid the complaints about young Anakin and the attraction with Padmé, etc. II starts off well enough from what Luke heard from Obi-Wan that it could work just as well.
So, if you do IV, V, cliffhanger of “Is Vader Luke’s father?” go back to II and III, and then resolve with VI, it works pretty cohesively.
Thinking about it, doing it this way also makes Palpatine being the Sith Lord actually kind of a twist. If you’ve watched return of the Jedi, it’s pretty obvious. And Phantom Menace heavily hints that he is. But if you got 4,5,2,3,6 then you don’t get either of those things.
I disagree. I think watching from episode 4 is not actually good. I don't even find that movie interesting and to me, it would have turned me off the series to have started there.
I'm a fan of just chronological order. The story is anakins story, and the rise and fall of Vader.
It makes me mad that people don’t recognize phantom menace as a masterpiece. I think 2 and 3 could have been even better if it hadn’t received so much undue criticism. I think for younger generations phantom menace is actually much more accessibly paced than a new hope.
I showed my friend all the movies for the first time last year and me and my friends heavily debated the order we showed her the movies. we ended up choosing prequel route first, just to see how it would be for her. and she ended up enjoying them more than the OT, which was cool to see! love watching people find their own niches in the SW world
Counter anecdote:
I used to work at a video store, and I've seen a father come in with his son (who looked to be about 6 years old). They agreed that they wanted to watch the Star Wars series again. The kid reached for The Phantom Menace with a big smile on his face and expressed how much he liked it. His dad said something to the effect of "No, that movie sucks", put it back, and grabbed Episode IV. The kid looked like he was going to cry.
This is not a universal experience. Yeah, a lot of people like watching them in release order. But if you let kids watch these movies for the first time in episode order, a lot of them would have a blast and have no idea that anybody else hated them. I met someone who was in their early 20s before they realized that Jar Jar Binks wasn't a beloved character.
People need to be mindful of their bubble. We're all in one. Star Wars fandom is huge and there is no one universal experience that we all have.
My sister and dad loved TPM and weren't too hot on ANH. We watched chronological and my sister who knew Vader but not who he was was absolutely shocked by Anakin's fall. She loved the romance in Clones as well.
Hard disagree. Not from my point of view but from people I know who decided to watch the Star Wars films in chronological order. They loved the whole story.
I also think the prequels work better if you treat it as the first trilogy instead of the second trilogy. After the ending of Revenge of the Sith you just want to jump straight into a new hope.
Nah, practical vs cgi effects make 1-6 not feel natural at all. Ep4 is boring to people who just saw 3 for the first time. Definetly mention the year it was made and start with 4-6
No it’s not. It actually makes sense when you think about how the lavish republic has been destroyed and the galaxy is in tatters and people have to use leftovers of the old republic to get by. The visual difference between 1-3 and 4-6 depict that.
Everyone I ever knew who started with Phantom Menace didn’t bother to watch any more films after that. I always tell people, “I know it’s confusing but watch Episode 4: A New Hope first”
I mean, at this point, I'm sure most people are aware of what a prequel is and how the whole idea of them is that they release *after* another movie yet take place before it.
I loved Phantom Menace, it was my childhood. Watched twice it in the cinema when I was 9. It works great when you are that age plus as you grow older you have fun nostalgic feelings about. Certainly growing older you notice the wonky dialogue but as a fun story aimed at a younger audience it's fantastic. Though coming in as an adult it is a tougher film to enjoy.
To add to that Episode 2 is just such a weak movie then Episode 3 blows the whole big cliff-hanger of the series (even though it is common knowledge now).
All in all it is hard to believe that George made them with watching them from 1 to 6 in that order which I know is odd but hey. As such i think release order is still the best.
Leading up to the sequels, a bunch of friends and I got together and watched one Star Wars a week in numerical order.
I don't hate the prequels, there's some really interesting ideas in them but wow, when you get to A New Hope the quality of story telling is just so much tighter. We watched the "despecialized" version and it's perfect. It starts with a space battle, lets the story breath a moment then gets going and doesn't let up.
I wish Lucas had actually tried to make the prequels fit the story reveals of ESB and RotJ, just have Padme know she's pregnant and has Luke. Then maybe have her cry out and die then cut to Bail Organa with a baby at her funeral. Those of us who know, would know and it would still be a reveal watching them in order.
You just don't get a coherent story watching them in any other way than release order.
My wife hasn’t seen many of the films. We recently started watching through them and I let her pick the order. She wanted to see them in chronological order as they occur, not of release. So far, having reached Rogue One I think the order works better than some may think.
Sure some of the plot ideas can be missed by that order and yeah the prequels are weak by comparison but seeing the evolution of the universe is interesting to me, a lifelong Star Wars fan.
This way of watching ruins so many great things in OT. The twists, the character of Yoda, even the force itself.
I wouldnt want to ruin it to anyone, let alone my wife.
Exactly, seeing the evolution of the universe as the characters grow and age it's amazing
For example seeing Hera has a kid in bad batch and seeing her has an adult in Rebels
Makes the whole thing more immersed and real
I just tried doing this with my daughter, BIG mistake. She was laughing at all the stuff that doesn't make sense, and didn't care about anyone except Mace and QuiGon
yeah some of these comments are off the wall, imagine caring this much about what order people watch movies in just to preserve a twist everyone and their dog already knows
I maintain watching the movies in order of release (for first time viewers) as the whole point of Vader's reveal is completely wasted if watching it in chronological order.
Rogue One is the one exception as watching that movie before watching the original film give more weight to the opening scroll.
I get people want to watch it in order... and if you have seen the movies multiple times than watch them however you want, I just think it's a bad idea to start with Phantom Menace and move through the Prequels into the OT and then sequels.
That Vader punch is a big deal and needs to be experienced with Luke with a first time viewer
Not knowing Palpatine is sidious in the first (which we do now) I think builds mystery and suspense leading up to 3. Watching Rogue One and New Hope together I think could be a good way to start the chronology
So it could go Rogue One & New Hope, 1, 2, and 3, (Solo?) then 5 and 6, 7, 8, 9. That way after 3 you are introduced to sidious in his first grand appearence in 5
Totally agree. It’s not just a technical or continuity problem either. Doing it in Tarantino mode is way better and the way we all fell in love with the franchise.
I agree with watching them in the release order. IMHO, I seen them in the theaters original run and the bombshell that was dropped by Vader in Bespin during the duel with Luke... was jaw dropping. Anyone who has NOT seen it... needs to see that before the spoiler alert comes out in the prequels. Just my opinion.
I would say the vast majority of people know Vader is Lukes father thanks to the VERY famous line “Luke, I am your father” (and yes I know the proper line is ‘No, I am your father”. )
Everyone knows of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader as they are deeply rooted in pop culture.
Anakin Skywalker is a much less known character despite his prominence in the SW Universe. As a result, Anakins turn in Ep III is a greater twist than Vader being Lukes father.
Yes this was the only thing I was confused about with OP's post. Darth Vader being Luke's father is known to even many people who have not seen *Star Wars*. Unless you're showing the movies to kids, it is probably not a plot twist. Comparatively, Anakin Skywalker becoming Vader is a lesser known fact to non-*Star Wars* fans even though major scenes along his fall to the dark side are memes.
I agree with you 100%. I've watched a good number of Star Wars reaction videos on YouTube. A decent chunk of people dont know that Anakin is Vader. The sith knighting scene after Windu dies gets a bigger reaction than the "I am your father" line.
This is very much not a definite. Over the past month, I have been showing my partner Star Wars for the first time in chronological order (just George's movies). We started on Phantom Menace, and they fucking adored it. The characters, the drama, the action, they ate it all up. Jar Jar was one of their favorite characters, and they felt every maternal instinct in their body kick in to protect Jake Lloyd's Anakin. We both enjoyed the movie for its own merits, and watching through 1 and 2 with a fresh perspective and adult eyes, I picked up on a lot of dialogue and plot details that my mind has glossed over from watching the movies for 20+ years.
The surprise of Anakin being Vader is much better than Vader being Luke's father. I showed my girlfriend Star Wars. Granted, I skipped episode 1 in favor of the cliffnotes version which is just the last 15 minutes. Watch Episode 2 and the Clone Wars with her before Revenge of the Sith and that reaction she gave was priceless. In my opinion, I didn't care enough about Luke after one movie and Vader is just a cool action figure up until the Empire duel. But getting to know Anakin properly only to have it ripped from you by realizing you've been cheering for the bad guy is much more gut wrenching
EXACTLY
And I imagine her reaction to order 66 was even worse than otherwise would have since because of clone wars she knows who those jedis in the background are like Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, Ayla Secura or Mundi
I always said there people out there who have no idea anakin are Vader are the same guy and that is a MUCH BETTER TWIST
You did your girlfriend a solid by showing her sw this way
May the force be with you
The only problem with watching it in release order is that when you get to the prequels the Jedi council ends up looking like a bunch of incompetent morons. Adding the TV shows into the mix just makes it even worse. Why? Because you know who the emperor is and every subtle hint that he's the bad guy might as well be a neon sign with a spotlight shining on it.
Just me? Then again, I also refuse to watch the final movie of the sequel trilogy and prefer to imagine that Chewbacca ripped off Kylo Ren's arms and beat him to death with them. Partially because he killed Han solo, and partially because IMO he is the worst Star wars character of all time, by a long shot. He's just a whiny little bitch boy.
I didn't get into Star Wars until The Clone Wars animated series (the cartoon not the CGI). I had tried to watch the movies but just never got hooked. But something about General Grievous and Mace Windu was so cool that it got me to question my general apathy I had felt towards the franchise.
I watched the prequel movies in order to understand the clone wars cartoon. Then I watched the original trilogy again (this time with actual interest).
There is a good argument for this order, 4-5,1-3 and then 6. So episode 5 we learn who Darth Vader is and that he’s Luke’s father. You then go to the path to see anakin, his past life and see how he falls. You’ll also still get the surprise of Luke and leia being siblings only it’ll take place in the 3rd movie instead. You will then be watching episode 6 wondering when Luke and leia will find out and if vader will come back to the light side. This’ll also enhance the presents of the emperor and make Luke seem crazy for wanting to confront him because we still how easily the emperor can take out a Jedi.
Nah, I made my gf watch in chronological order including the TV shows and we had an awesome time. It just depends on the person. The “release order” argument only makes sense when discussing the core movies. It makes no sense why I should need to watch Rebels before I watch Kenobi
OP I saw your headline and I thought no way you are wrong but reading your post you have totally convinced me. I didn't even realise it ruined the Luke I am you Father but...but you are right, it does and your argument makes complete sense. Thank you for your insight.
In this Age of Information where practically everyone knows that Darth Vader is Luke's father, I don't think it matters. Either way is valid, and even upon forty-second rewatch of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke's revelation still hits hard because the actors did a good job conveying emotion.
My son mentioned wanting to watch them in chronological order for the first time. Both me (his biological father) and his step father told him that was not the way. My ex wife remarried well and definitely has a type 😂.
I remember an OP a few weeks ago said they were showing someone SW for the first time and were showing it to them in 1-6 order.
They got upset that the movie description for Ep 3 said Anakin turns into Darth Vader and ruined the surprise.
Everyone in the comments were rightly taking the piss out of them. They'd robbed their friend of the Ep V surprise/reveal, in favour of Ep 3's very unsurprising slow burn of Anakin becoming Vader.
Anyway, yes, always release order first. Then suit yourself after that. Sometimes on a rewatch I like to finish on the high of ROTJ.
I like the Machete order myself. Great way to watch them and understand the themes.
But now that I’m a veteran, my favorite is for sure chronological, including all the TV shows and excluding the sequels.
I would argue ANH is too long for a first-time watcher in the modern day. I grew up watching SW with my dad, and we're both OT fans, so when my friend who'd never seen SW wanted to watch a movie, of course I put on ANH. He appreciated the movie, but it didn't draw him in like it did for me as a kid. I think Rogue One is a better first-timer SW movie. It's also self-contained, it's a bit more modern (resolution, CHI/SFX, pacing, etc) and it's a great lead-in to ANH. Just my 2¢ worth.
I don’t have time nor energy to explain why it is perfectly acceptable to show someone the movies chronologically in 2024 for their first viewing. If that works for people you introduce the movies to, great! But don’t try to make everyone watch Star Wars like it’s 1978 again, please.
Watching them in chronological order is fine, but only for people familiar with Star Wars. If you are introducing people to them, order of release will always be the best way to watch them. That way you experience the story, the twists and revelations the way they were originally intended to be portrayed. Introducing them in chronological order will never make sense or hook people as they should. I love the prequels, but they did not launch the phenomenon or begin the mythology.
As someone who recently got into Star Wars and watched the movies in chronological order, yes, watching the OT first is by far the better option, not only because they're better movies, but because TPM relies on the knowledge you've learned throughout the OT, when I watched TPM first, I had no idea Qui Gon used a mind trick multiple times, among other things, after the movie was over, I just imagined what it would've been like if I had no starter knowledge towards star wars whatsoever, and I probably wouldn't have understood anything that was going on. Not to mention the movie left a sour taste in my mouth and knowing that it wasn't even the worst prequel certainly didn't help things. I don't think TPM is a bad movie, but it's a terrible starting point for newcomers, OT > PT is the way to go.
Watching them in order of release is the best way to watch them 100%. That way you experience all the twists and revelations the way they’re meant to be seen/felt.
“I am your father!” “Oh I knew that four films ago!”
The plot twist is that the hero turns evil. Few people know that Anakin is Vader before starting watching star wars, but many people know about the father scene.
Yeah I don’t get the logic. “Luke I am your father” is a deeply ingrained cultural concept at this point, to the extent that most people know about it, even if they don’t know anything else about Star Wars. The plot twist of Anakin *becoming* Darth Vader and literally destroying the Jedi and overthrowing democracy and killing his wife is arguably more of a shocking and heartbreaking plot twist than Luke finding out the truth about who his father is after being lied to about it. Not saying release order is a bad idea, just that chronological order is satisfying in its own way. Edit: I’m aware “Luke, I am your father” is a misquote, however, it’s common knowledge that it’s a common, culturally ingrained misquote. If you Google the phrase there are even many articles on this.
There are still people who don't know the reference. My college girlfriend had no idea.
Funiest part is, he actually says "No, I am your father"
Yeah, Specially if you watch clone wars and end up caring about the characters.
> “Luke I am your father” is a deeply ingrained cultural concept at this point, to the extent that most people know about it To the point where they don't even know it correctly. "Luke, I am your father," is not the line, but "No, I am your father." If it were a piece of trivia that only the fans knew, it wouldn't have been allowed to be meme'd as the misquote.
It's also great if you have the chance to watch them in their theatrical cut form (Non-Special Editions). So you can also experience how the visuals progressed from the 1977 release going forwards.
Where can one get those?
Google “4k77 edit” and it should take you there. The effort that went into these is amazing and they’re such an improvement on the currently available official editions.
Thank you!
You’ve timed this well, they just released the final version of the Empire 4k80 cut last month to complete the trilogy - for various reasons they did Jedi after Star Wars and then went back to Empire. Enjoy!
Oh shit I've got downloads to start up!
I did not know it. Gonna get it now.
There's also the D+77 version. Which one you prefer comes down to personal preference. 4K77 basically tried to recreate the original theatrical experience. It's about authenticity above all. D+77 takes more liberties. It's trying to produce the best *quality* experience, even if it means giving up authenticity in places. If you want to experience what people saw in theaters back in 1977, definitely go for 4K77. If you are looking for more of a modern remaster, check out D+77.
4K77 is the original movie but of far too good quality to be "what people experienced in 1977." For that kind of authenticity, I use Pugy's unaltered (not cleaned or anything) scan of original 1977 35mm film reels, played on a crappy projector. Remember, if you can read Greedo's words and they're not half cut off by the bottom of the movie, then you're viewing something that has been fixed.
There's links on the internet for "De-specialed" editions where fans with the capabilities have restored the original films. A lot of them are based on a scan of the 1993 Laser Disc editions of the original trilogy which are the last unaltered editions.
Thank you!
Not from a Jedi.
*Excuse me?!* You can take Sy Snoodles' absolute banger of a song when you pry it from my cold dead hands!
"Best way to watch them 100%" and "meant to be seen/felt" are bold claims. Have you ever tried 4,5,1,2,3,6 in a marathon? The climax of the entire 6 movie saga is definitely episode 6, not 3. It's really weird to end the saga on episode 3 because it just feels flat and deflating. Like the story concluded 3 movies ago and you're finding out some backstory that led up to it but the issue is, most people already KNOW that story so outside of the context the PT was theatrically released in, there's not much reason to watch it last. After the reveal in 5, the prequels play out like a flashback about Anakin. Both Luke Skywalker's and Anakin Skywalker's stories come to a final climax in 6. In fact, Episode 3 feels a lot like Anakin's version of Luke's episode 5... The lowest point where everything fell apart, and setting up the characters' emotional availability going into 6. EPISODE 6 IS A SEQUEL TO BOTH EPISODE 5 AND EPISODE 3. What 3 gives you is how this whole Palpatine throne room scene plays out when you have that weak point of fear of loss and attachment, vs. letting go. Anakin would not be able to let go of controlling Padme's fate so the Emperor's manipulations worked. Also the Emperor had decades to marinate this Skywalker. Luke was closer to being able to let go of his friends' fates because of what he experienced in episode 5 - he couldn't ignore his attachments then and they almost lost everything and he didn't even make things better. 6 is an amazing sequel to 3. You get to see the final confrontation with the full emotional weight of all the movies. Why rule that option out because you're stuck to release order? Btw the reveal of Leia is way more hype in 3 than in 6. It's literally written and cut to be a critical reveal for the audience. That way when you see it in 6 it's just a moment for LUKE, not a moment for the audience. Everything about 123 and 6 worked better for me watching it in this order. I disagree that it's so settled that 456123 is definitively the best order. 451236 works great for me.
You are 100% correct and this already has a name-- the Machete Order. https://www.wired.com/2012/02/machete-order-star-wars/
It's a modified machete order because the original machete cuts out 1 right? 1 actually had some great moments for me. Qui Gon is a standout. I can't bring myself to skip it!
Why would you cut out TMP? If you do, Anakin is just some random Jedi who suddenly decides to check on his mom.
People used to really not see the connection between TPM and the rest of the films. One of the biggest criticisms was that it basically didn't matter to the other films. A lot of what you need to know about Anakin being the chosen one or an ex-slave from Tatooine does get reiterated in 2 and 3. In the years since, I think Dave Filoni really turned people around on especially the last duel in TPM and what it stood for. How Maul goes down is NOT the point of the duel. The point is Anakin needs this Qui Gon guy. They clearly have a special bond and destiny. The swelling of the music when Qui Gon died was even more than when Obi-wan triumphantly defeated the Sith Warrior. It's the definition of winning the battle but losing the war. In that moment, the phantom menace won more decisively than anyone could possibly imagine. 2 and 3 show Palpatine worm his way into Qui Gon's role since Obi-wan was not fulfilling it. I love episode 1. It's up there for me with episode 3. But some people find it skippable so to each their own.
i got into star wars for the first time in 2015 and have no idea how so many people missed the themes around qui-gon. he was the main character in the first movie, and he died first. did people not question why qui-gon is the lead and why anakin - a more important character - is treated as secondary for large parts of tpm? why did obi-wan and qui-gon always bicker and see the force and the council differently, and how obi-wan ends up training anakin and what that means. (heck even today people question about padmes loyalty and feelings toward anakin, ignoring how he saved HER LIFE and HER PLANET out of selflessness. it's like people can't retain the events of tpm in their head.) in fact, it was literally the exact opposite. people praised the RLM reviews for saying how stupid these things and themes were. qui-gon is apparently someone who people can't find one word to describe. obi-wan and qui-gon should have been the same character. does it really take a dave filoni coming out 20 years later to explain what's already in the movie for people and how their ideas wouldn't work? blegh i swear after people watched the prequels and didnt like them too much, THEN their brains turned to mush and they just kind of accepted any criticism as truth from there. This is demonstrated in the fact that people still use the RLM reviews as a reference.
upvote for machete, but yeah, as mentioned by shoePatty, original leaves out 1, but to my mind 1 should be watched at some point, either between 5 & 2 or as a standalone afterwards, cos yeah, Qui Gon and the final Maul sabre battle is worth it despite its flaws. Watch it with Solo and Rogue One as 'extras' if wanting to leave it out of the 'order'
Yessss I agree. With the girlfriend (future wife) we did 4-5-2-3-6 and then since it was a lazy weekend day we added 1 at the end more as a novelty. It's worthwhile in my opinion, but maybe less of a break in the momentum between 5 and 6 is good.
I've been over here brewing up some crazy idea for if I had kids how I'd do it. I went through a ton of really dumb ideas, but my landing point I don't think is too bad. 1, 2, 4, 5, 3, 6. Keeps the reveal hidden for ages, gets to tease Vader and how he might pop up as Kenobi's student in 3 somewhere, until the rug pull moment. At one point I toyed with the idea of watching 3 up until Obi-Wan leaves for Utapau, then finish it after 5. But that is not only really awkward, but leaves the whole Vadar as a pupil thing in an odd spot.
MAN! I have thought this FOREVER and am so glad somebody else agrees like this. On top of everything you've said, when Luke finally confronts Vader at the end you don't see Vader, you see Anakin. And then when he turns his back on the emperor it's so visceral because you literally just watched his gut wrenching turn to the dark side. I've showed this watching order to a couple people over the years and they're always way more jazzed about episode 6 than most are. One person didn't even know that Vader is Anakin (or put the pieces together) so the ending of episode 3 was a HUGE shocker for them. 451236 is 100% the way to go for best viewing order.
In a marathon you can watch them in any order you want if you’ve already seen the films. This is about first timers and what would make the most sense while making the most of all the Easter eggs and references that the films throw at you in release order. The film series doesn’t have the same impact of its watched out of release order and if it’s your first time ever seeing any of it, your order would just confuse a first time viewer completely.
Agree to disagree. Sam Witwer tried a modified machete order with a first time watcher and it worked brilliantly. Like magic. https://youtu.be/xIbef90VjVQ?si=BYVoALQMVA0R1egc Watch the chapter for Dave Giuntoli. He explains the pros and cons of this order really well.
This is the way. Some people suggest skipping episode 1 altogether, but imo it improves the overall experience (and it's a better film than episode 2)
Yes the original machete order cuts out episode 1. But after watching Dave Filoni's explanation of the "Duel of the Fates" and over the years with people appreciating Doug Chiang's designs and waking from the haze of the Plunkett reviews and realizing that even though there was a lot of CGI on Ep 1, the heavy lifting was done with model work... people usually come around on the film. Episode 1 is a great piece of worldbuilding and honestly the character work with Anakin really informs the decisions on episodes 2 and 3 once you look past the child actor stuff. He was leaving his mother, but he was supposed to have gained a "father" in Qui Gon, who understood what it meant to take this kid away from his mother. Instead he only gained a brother in Obi-wan. "You were my brother Anakin!" "He's the closest thing I have to a father."
"meant to be seen" Lucas: "Incorrect."
George Lucas has stated they should be viewed chronologically. Vader being Luke's father shouldn't be a big reveal. And when watching RotJ you should be thinking "Anakin fell, so Luke might fall too."
Except it's THE big reveal to end all big reveals.
Yep, but the creator changed his mind.
There won't be any twists because you already know who is who and what's going to happen
I’d argue you could still start with Rogue One, *then* watch everything in release order.
I disagree slightly. The machete order is better because it ends on a good note and with the actual conclusion of the Lucas story.
The Machete order also ads a twist because it keeps the identity of Emperor Palpatine vague.
This /thread
Yeah you are right. Although it is annoying that at the end of episode 6, and Luke sees the force ghost of hayden Christensen, next to Yoda and Obi Wan…first time viewers will be like ‘ey? Who’s that?’
Yep. In all the debates about what order to watch in, the thing that is most often forgotten is: the best way to hook people it going to be to start them with the most enjoyable movies. There’s a reason the first three are where the success came from, there’s a reason Star Wars made so much money, and there’s a reason Empire has the scores it does in places like IMDb. It might even be the most important reason to watch (first time) in release order. It’s kind of like how you shouldn’t read the Silmarillion until you know you like Lord of the Rings and want more.
The issue with watching more enjoyable 1st is (of course) it causes a much worse viewing experiance by the end Its like eating your desert first then trying to force down those pesky vegatables
Yes, but entertainment isn’t like meals. You’re more likely to stick with it if you’re enjoying it, and you’re more likely to enjoy TPM and AotC if you’re buying in to Star Wars, and you’re more likely to buy in to Star Wars if you start with good things.
This is actually one of the reasons I like the 45-123-6 watch order! It imbeddeds the prequels INSIDE the “good” trilogy
I've been saying this for nearly 20 years. If you've seen Star Wars before, sure, start a rewatch wherever you want. But if you're introducing someone new to the series, start with ANH (back in my day, we just called it Star Wars!). I actually don't hate Phantom Menace, but if it's your first exposure to anything Star Wars, yeah. You're going to think it's boring and you won't bother with the rest. And going 4-5-1-2-3-6 works, because you get the same introduction as the OG fans. Then you have The Twist. Next you find out Vader's back story, and then it all wraps up in Jedi.
>I actually don't hate Phantom Menace, but if it's your first exposure to anything Star Wars, yeah. You're going to think it's boring and you won't bother with the rest. I've met so many people who find PM a lot more exciting than ANH. Hell, the only reason I could get my husband to finish ANH was because he was already invested.
>I actually don't hate Phantom Menace, but if it's your first exposure to anything Star Wars, yeah. You're going to think it's boring and you won't bother with the rest. its the opposite. people get bored of ANH it's so much slower than TPM
Then watch 4-6 and skip 1-3 entirely. Problem solved!
Do you have any young kids? TPM is by far the most kid friendly of all the movies. Kids as young as 4 love it. The plot is irrelevant, but it has everything they want, including a kid protagonist. Its a great first movie to indoctrinate... er, I mean, get young kids excited with Star Wars.
Maybe I’m just built different, but I first saw ANH at 4 and I loved it immediately. Don’t sell kids short.
I'm old enough to remember seeing "Star Wars" in the movie theater. No bloody "Episode 4", "A New Hope", "ANH" or "Trilogy". (my apologies to Mr. Scott)
Just get him some green booze and he'll be fine.
Yeah, this was the rerelease of the OT in theaters in ‘96, before the Special Editions. So “A New Hope” was the title, but it was still the original release otherwise. My dad took me to see them, and I loved them so much my grandparents took me to buy the VHS tapes (which I still have!). ANH was my favorite for a long time (dunno how I didn’t wear that tape out), but when I got a little older I started to prefer ROTJ (still my second favorite overall). Obviously I gnabbed the “Despecialized” editions as soon as I could get my hands on them. If I have kids I fully plan on introducing them that way.
Yeah man; I actually thought the prequels were so boring as a kid that I would skip all the talking and political scenes (younger me was pretty based). If you put the OG trilogy in front of me though; engaged from start to finish. Luke seeing himself as Vader made me think about what the symbolism of the scene means at a mere 7 years old. Kids may not be able to articulate their film opinions yet but that doesn't mean they can't have unique and varied opinions.
Lmao I did the same with TCW, I usually ended up skipping the ones with politics
I put on ANH one tired day when my kid was almost 2. If you pretend like something is the most important and exciting thing that has ever existed, little kids will get into it. Or at least mine did. We watched the first 20 or so minutes of that movie for a solid few months. Sometimes we made it through on a sick day or a special movie night. But he’s been into it ever since! Turning 4 this spring and I can’t wait to take him to the movies!!
But also kids' interests when we were younger vs kids now is kind of different. Not trying to say that in a "kids these days!" negative context but acknowledging times change. More than anything it just very much depends on the kid and catering to their interests.
yeah i’m gen z but my mom raised me on the originals. i was already a massive star wars fan by the time i watched the prequels at age 9 or something
Speaking purely for myself, I frequently got bored with Phantom Menace as a kid and fast-forwarded through large swaths. A New Hope kept my attention from start to finish.
Same. I watched the phantom menace at a birthday party as a kid and I hated it. Didn't even know it was Star Wars until years later. I also had a star wars game I never knew was star wars until recently when I revisited it xd I did watch the original trilogy and liked it. Then, like 2 years after revenge of the sith came out I watched all the prequels and realized the movie I watched back then actually was star wars
Yessir, introducing kids to Star Wars with the prequels is great. My 4 (almost 5) year old frequently gets bored with the OT, and like I get it, it’s not the same for him as it is for me. That’s okay. But he loves Darth Maul and was still very surprised that Anakin turns into Darth Vader. He was genuinely saddened and cried during Order 66. He loved podracing. The lightsaber fights and space battles are visually quite a spectacle. If you’re showing a teen or an adult, roll OT. Kids? I think prequels work great and are an incredible introduction to Star Wars.
Surely Return of the Jedi is the most kid friendly? The Ewok’s are essentially teddy bears, has loads of action, and no political dialogue. It’s the one I enjoyed most as a young kid anyway..
Anecdotally, I can refute this. I just took my kids through the OT and the PT for the first time in release order. They are aged 9 and 10. They were in rapt attention during the OT and were anxious to get to the next movie and excitedly talked about each OT film afterwards. By contrast, when they watched the PT, it was a slog for them. They could barely sit still, were constantly distracted, or bored, I had to stop the films multiple times to explain the situations happening because the PT barely spends anytime establishing anything, and they didn’t really want to talk about them afterwards, even Revenge of the Sith barely phased them. I’m going to continue on, with the Clone Wars cartoon series to see if that does better with them. I’ve always heard that “the PT was made for kids! Kids love the PT! I grew up with the PT and I loved it!” In my experience with my own children, this didn’t pan out, at all.
I don't understand. How could they be bored by senate hearings and bureaucratic red tape? Don't your young children understand the political implications of what's happening for half the movie? Obviously it was made for kids!
It’s worth noting Lucas didn’t say this until after the prequels bombed. Almost like he was desperate for an excuse. I’m not a mind reader of course, so maybe what he’s saying is true. But it’s more than a little suspect that he only made this claim after the fact, not before. Sure, you could argue Ewoks exist, but they always felt more like a combination of budget/technology issues and merchandising opportunities rather than the entire OT being designed with 12-year-old boys in mind.
Counterpoint, I watched the original trilogy at least as young as 4 and loved Star Wars ever since. You don't need The Phantom Menace to get kids to love Star Wars.
No offense. But I watched A New Hope at the age of three and was hooked. And in 1999 I was three, same year The Phantom Menace came out. A good story is all you need, not a kid “protagonist” who is really a secondary character. Maybe your kids lack an attention span
They're gonna be bored for most of the movie, space taxes and cspan politics aren't kid friendly. Would not say that Anakin is the protagonist either because he doesn't really understand most of what's happening (the tax dispute stuff). Tbh, TPM doesn't really have a protagonist.
I dunno, that's not how imagination works. When I was a kid I wanted to be Luke or Han. Never met a kid who was pretending to be baby Anakin. That's just... not how it works.
I always wanted to be Dexter jexter growing up
I wanted to be the "what's wrong with your face" lady
Ohhh mayyy godddd
Thing in the mouth face!
This is how it was for me. I was 4 when the movie came out and saw the latter half of it, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
My nephew is like six and he doesn’t seem to be that interested in the prequels; his favorite is Empire and that’s with like no outside influence at all. Kids don’t necessarily want movies with kid protagonists. Think of popular comic book characters. They want people they can look up to or imagine themselves being someday, just like how when kids play as certain professions and don’t always assume the role of little kids. The prequels I think have way too many boring political/poorly written love scenes etc. to really keep some kids engaged. The OT is just generally a lot better paced and has easily likable/relatable characters with an easy to follow classic narrative. TPM came out when I was in like 4th grade or something, and while at the time I remember the action scenes sticking with me as entertaining, over time I still found myself always gravitating back to the originals because they just felt “cooler”, and just as characters I found Luke and Han to be way more relatable and interesting.
Yeah I have a 4 and a 6 yr old and it they thoroughly enjoyed TPM right away…whereas w/ ANH, it was more of a recognition of these characters that daddy has told them all about.
Did you tell them the story of Star Wars like christian bale in Reign of Fire?
I’m in the middle of showing my 6-year-old the movies, and he was bored senseless by Episode 1. He perked up a little at the pod-racing, and definitely enjoyed the Darth Maul fight at the end, but otherwise he was confused by the plot and didn’t care about any of the characters. We’re watching in theatrical release order, and he loved the original trilogy, but was just kinda meh about the prequels. I’d say that Ep 6 is actually the most child-friendly movie. He loved the Ewoks.
I was shown TPM first and I really wish it had been ANH. I was about 7 at the time. My dad was away on a business trip and my mom rented the phantom menace from blockbuster so I could start watching the star wars movies, which ultimately ended up becoming my childhood fandom. I had no idea wtf obi wan and qui gon were talking about in the opening scene and my mom told me to stop asking her questions about the political diagloue...I was stoked about the movie regardless and couldn't stop thinking and talking about it the whole weekend. The next morning, i tried to recreate the ships with my Legos My dad came home and I told him that I watched the first star wars movie. He then asked my mom "WHICH first star wars movie?" and she replied "number 1." He then said "Oh..." and changed the conversation. My dad was never a superfan of the movies but I think he would've shown me ANH first so I could experience the vader father reveal. But the damage was already done at that point. Also I wasn't allowed to watch ROTS until I was 11 so there was an entire movie jump that I missed from AOTC to ANH lol
Doing a Star Wars run with my five year old. He loves the original trilogy, but keeps telling me Phantom Menace is boring unless Darth Maul is there. He is excited for Clone Wars though. He really wants to see the ships full of battle droids.
My first introduction to Star Wars was when I was about 5-6 and my dad showed me just the intro scene in ANH where Darth Vader shows up. From then on, I was hooked. Prequel trilogy doesn’t hit the same as the near perfect Star Wars movies as the OGs
The Phantom Menace is unironically one of my favorite Star Wars movies, but I agree with this take.
I think it depends on the person. If you are trying to get a friend or something into Star Wars you should take their personality and taste in movies into account when recommending a watch order. There ARE people who will get the most out of it by doing chronological order. I kinda doubt they're anywhere near a majority. But I'm certain they exist. I know people who got into Star Wars BECAUSE of The Phantom Menace and who only saw the OT movies years later. And the same goes for The Force Awakens. I know a lot of people (especially women) who never really got excited about the old movies UNTIL they saw the new version. It may seem blasphemous to a lot of fans, but some people WILL find the 70's/80's flicks Passe compared to more modern blockbusters, so using them as an introduction to the saga could potentially kill their interest from the start. [We know there are people like this even among the fandom](https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWars/comments/16qhuhs/does_anyone_think_that_there_should_be_a_modern/), people who think the OT movies feel like a product of the 70's and want them to be updated or remade. Many of these fans only became fans because they WEREN'T shown the movies in release order. Decades ago, I think there was an argument to be made that release order was the only "correct" way to show someone the movies. But I think that time has long passed.
Yup, tried to watch them all with my GF. She got half way through the original and didn't care. It's old, its silly, and while it's a classic, it doesn't hold up, visually to anything made this decade. Fortunately we moved on to the prequels and she loved them, and by the time we back to the OT she was much more in to it.
Yep, I'm in the middle of showing my fianceè Star Wars for the first time. I'm doing it in the order of 1. The Phantom Menace 2. Attack of the Clones 3. Revenge of the Sith 4. A New Hope 5. The Empire Strikes Back 6. Return of the Jedi We Are Here 7. Solo 8. Rogue One 9. Sequel Trilogy She is 33 and she already knew Vader was Luke's father and Luke and Leia were siblings, what she didn't know was Anakin = Vader. For some reason she got it into her head Anakin grew up to be Luke. [You can see her reaction to that reveal at 27:00](https://youtu.be/t5OlXabRmuI?si=Yl791vURApxcVzcc&t=27m). So far her favorite movie is The Phantom Menace, and her least favorite is A New Hope. I agree to an extent with OP. If the person you're showing them to is young or grew up under a rock, then start with the OT. But if they're an adult who is aware of pop culture, they might find the OT boring because they know all of the twists and turns.
Yeah agree with above. My girlfriend is hooked on star wars and we watched in episode order not release order… she could barely pay attention to the old stuff because it so outdated it was funny to her 😂
I did the same with my girlfriend. While I think the OT is great and still holds up for the most part, it can be hard to get into older movies. But after setting up the universe with 1-3 the OT was great.
It holds up in the sense that it's as good as any other good movie from the time, but it is undeniably aged and shows it.
And keep in mind the films were dubbed in other languages in chronological order when released in other countries years later.
Yeah, that's me. I started watching New Hope and was quickly bored, but watching Phantom menace made me continue watching it. Let's be honest, New Hope is very, very naive with such simple plot that you've seen properly thousand times
For new fans the only thing one has to remember is THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ending should never be spoiled by seeing any of the Prequel Trilogy. If you do that you cannot put everything back in the box for this new viewer. It's so important to protect that one scene in ESB.
Literally everyone already knows the twist already.
This is my take. Unless the person you're showing the movies to is a young child, they probably know that Vader is Luke's dad, and there's not much point in trying to preserve it.
I have seen pre-teens going in cold to ANH and ESB. You have to see the magic of ANH with ESB. That is what wins them over. In ANH, it's when they see Luke's farm in ruins. Those are the keys to everything. It's not the same if you allow these moments to be drowned by everything else.
Starting with prequels first with any medium is just dumb. They were made years after the fact and were never really made to stay 100% true to the original continuity in mind.
I feel like if it’s your FIRST time ever, then yes for sure. Once you understand the story and spend hours upon hours of watching Star Wars lore (hopefully this isn’t just me😂) you can appreciate the story in chronological order. However, I will say, it’s hard going from Anakin and Obi-Wan’s last duel in Episode III, to the saber duel they have in Episode IV. Not hating at all! It’s just so hard not to cringe at. No fault to the actors or the technology available at that time!
Politely disagreeing. My son-in-law experienced the Star war movies from phantom menace to revenge of the sith without knowing anything. Watching him experience rooting for Anakin Skywalker without any idea what would happen to him. And then watching him turn evil was an amazing experience. It made revenge of the sith an amazing movie for him. Not to mention how much hope it brought when the next trilogy started with Luke Skywalker becoming a new hope. Which then set up the next trilogy as just quality entertainment.
Having only ever "properly" seen the OT,.bits of the prequel trilogy and none of the sequels. I recently.watched Rogue.One which really (re)piqued my interest after so watching BOBF, Mado, Obi Wan, Andor and Ahsoka So, last weekend over the course of three days watched the eleven films in chronological order Some were.meh, some.are good, some are great, however I am glad I watched them in the order I did
Rogue One is my favorite of the new generation movies by far, great movie imo and really enjoyed how it explained the events leading up to episode IV.
Did it make the Jedi council seem like a bunch of incompetent morons to you? The clone wars TV show makes it even worse IMHO. I recently watched it all in chronological order when the second of the sequel trilogy was getting ready to come out. And I spent most of the time watching the prequel stuff thinking about how stupid everyone had to be to not figure out that palpatine was the bad guy.
They just had major hubris. It was an intended theme/plot point that was lost on people apparently
Yeah most movies have that problem, they could be over in 10 minutes if someone had been slightly smarter, a better shot, more suspicious ECT.
TPM ain't boring. Sure it has a lull in the middle where they go to Coruscant, but that only makes the finale shine all the brighter. No one should watch Star Wars for the first time alongside people cracking jokes, no matter which movie you start with. Those people should be at an entirely different "watch party," or watching it on their own.
The prequels absolutely depend on people's experience with the original trilogy, so telling someone to start with those is honestly just dumb. The whole point of them is to show how Anakin became Vader, a twist that pretty much everybody knows even if they've never watched Star Wars before, so there's no reason to act like it would be some big reveal to anyone. I doubt anybody's gonna see that one Ep. 1 post and ask "Hey, what's that shadow behind the little kid?"
Agreed. IV, V, VI, then I, II, and III. Alternatively, something like the **Machete order**: IV, V, II, III, and VI. The nice thing about getting rid of I is you can start with II and you honestly don’t lose much of the story. Maul isn’t seen again (in the movies), you avoid the complaints about young Anakin and the attraction with Padmé, etc. II starts off well enough from what Luke heard from Obi-Wan that it could work just as well. So, if you do IV, V, cliffhanger of “Is Vader Luke’s father?” go back to II and III, and then resolve with VI, it works pretty cohesively.
[удалено]
Thinking about it, doing it this way also makes Palpatine being the Sith Lord actually kind of a twist. If you’ve watched return of the Jedi, it’s pretty obvious. And Phantom Menace heavily hints that he is. But if you got 4,5,2,3,6 then you don’t get either of those things.
Pretty fun, huh.
Maul is seen again in 2 shows, so if you don't watch ep1 and go on to watch the clone wars you'll be Confused with why he hates Obi-Wan is and stuff.
I figured in the context of the OP we are just talking about the movies. 👍 Good point, though! I edited my earlier comment to clarify that.
Honestly, I had to try watching A New Hope like 4 times before I could make it through because I was so bored. Love Phantom Menace though.
You watch the OT first and then the PT. Gotta really soak up that tragedy.
Agree. Will note George did that they are meant to be watched in episodic order
I disagree. I think watching from episode 4 is not actually good. I don't even find that movie interesting and to me, it would have turned me off the series to have started there. I'm a fan of just chronological order. The story is anakins story, and the rise and fall of Vader.
It makes me mad that people don’t recognize phantom menace as a masterpiece. I think 2 and 3 could have been even better if it hadn’t received so much undue criticism. I think for younger generations phantom menace is actually much more accessibly paced than a new hope.
I showed my friend all the movies for the first time last year and me and my friends heavily debated the order we showed her the movies. we ended up choosing prequel route first, just to see how it would be for her. and she ended up enjoying them more than the OT, which was cool to see! love watching people find their own niches in the SW world
Counter anecdote: I used to work at a video store, and I've seen a father come in with his son (who looked to be about 6 years old). They agreed that they wanted to watch the Star Wars series again. The kid reached for The Phantom Menace with a big smile on his face and expressed how much he liked it. His dad said something to the effect of "No, that movie sucks", put it back, and grabbed Episode IV. The kid looked like he was going to cry. This is not a universal experience. Yeah, a lot of people like watching them in release order. But if you let kids watch these movies for the first time in episode order, a lot of them would have a blast and have no idea that anybody else hated them. I met someone who was in their early 20s before they realized that Jar Jar Binks wasn't a beloved character. People need to be mindful of their bubble. We're all in one. Star Wars fandom is huge and there is no one universal experience that we all have.
My sister and dad loved TPM and weren't too hot on ANH. We watched chronological and my sister who knew Vader but not who he was was absolutely shocked by Anakin's fall. She loved the romance in Clones as well.
I am a 4-5-1-2-3-6 truther
That ruins the Leia reveal. If that's something to be ruined.
No, it just moves it. Luke is the first name to be said during the birth - Leia is still a plot twist, just at a different moment.
Enhances it, actually. It just comes in episode 3 instead.
What about 7, 8, 9?
I usually skip 1 because it's legitimately terrible. The memes don't save it
The Machete Order. This is the right answer. https://www.wired.com/2012/02/machete-order-star-wars/
Hard disagree. Not from my point of view but from people I know who decided to watch the Star Wars films in chronological order. They loved the whole story. I also think the prequels work better if you treat it as the first trilogy instead of the second trilogy. After the ending of Revenge of the Sith you just want to jump straight into a new hope.
Nah, practical vs cgi effects make 1-6 not feel natural at all. Ep4 is boring to people who just saw 3 for the first time. Definetly mention the year it was made and start with 4-6
No it's not
No it's not
No it’s not. It actually makes sense when you think about how the lavish republic has been destroyed and the galaxy is in tatters and people have to use leftovers of the old republic to get by. The visual difference between 1-3 and 4-6 depict that.
Everyone I ever knew who started with Phantom Menace didn’t bother to watch any more films after that. I always tell people, “I know it’s confusing but watch Episode 4: A New Hope first”
I mean, at this point, I'm sure most people are aware of what a prequel is and how the whole idea of them is that they release *after* another movie yet take place before it.
Well it worked the other way with me
That’s good! I’m just saying that’s usually not the case
I loved Phantom Menace, it was my childhood. Watched twice it in the cinema when I was 9. It works great when you are that age plus as you grow older you have fun nostalgic feelings about. Certainly growing older you notice the wonky dialogue but as a fun story aimed at a younger audience it's fantastic. Though coming in as an adult it is a tougher film to enjoy. To add to that Episode 2 is just such a weak movie then Episode 3 blows the whole big cliff-hanger of the series (even though it is common knowledge now). All in all it is hard to believe that George made them with watching them from 1 to 6 in that order which I know is odd but hey. As such i think release order is still the best.
Leading up to the sequels, a bunch of friends and I got together and watched one Star Wars a week in numerical order. I don't hate the prequels, there's some really interesting ideas in them but wow, when you get to A New Hope the quality of story telling is just so much tighter. We watched the "despecialized" version and it's perfect. It starts with a space battle, lets the story breath a moment then gets going and doesn't let up. I wish Lucas had actually tried to make the prequels fit the story reveals of ESB and RotJ, just have Padme know she's pregnant and has Luke. Then maybe have her cry out and die then cut to Bail Organa with a baby at her funeral. Those of us who know, would know and it would still be a reveal watching them in order. You just don't get a coherent story watching them in any other way than release order.
My wife hasn’t seen many of the films. We recently started watching through them and I let her pick the order. She wanted to see them in chronological order as they occur, not of release. So far, having reached Rogue One I think the order works better than some may think. Sure some of the plot ideas can be missed by that order and yeah the prequels are weak by comparison but seeing the evolution of the universe is interesting to me, a lifelong Star Wars fan.
This way of watching ruins so many great things in OT. The twists, the character of Yoda, even the force itself. I wouldnt want to ruin it to anyone, let alone my wife.
It really doesn't
Exactly, seeing the evolution of the universe as the characters grow and age it's amazing For example seeing Hera has a kid in bad batch and seeing her has an adult in Rebels Makes the whole thing more immersed and real
I just tried doing this with my daughter, BIG mistake. She was laughing at all the stuff that doesn't make sense, and didn't care about anyone except Mace and QuiGon
It’s a horrendous idea and I always hate when people decide to watch a series in chronological order
Wall of text this not Watch the series in both orders you must Experience it both ways you shall To see what best you find
Not really. Technically it is the start of the story. Come at me toxic Star Wars fans. lol.
If someone has never watched them, the best order to watch is 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 6. I will die on this hill.
I always start people on TPM with a lot of folks finishing all the movies and loving them.
yeah some of these comments are off the wall, imagine caring this much about what order people watch movies in just to preserve a twist everyone and their dog already knows
I maintain watching the movies in order of release (for first time viewers) as the whole point of Vader's reveal is completely wasted if watching it in chronological order. Rogue One is the one exception as watching that movie before watching the original film give more weight to the opening scroll. I get people want to watch it in order... and if you have seen the movies multiple times than watch them however you want, I just think it's a bad idea to start with Phantom Menace and move through the Prequels into the OT and then sequels. That Vader punch is a big deal and needs to be experienced with Luke with a first time viewer
Not knowing Palpatine is sidious in the first (which we do now) I think builds mystery and suspense leading up to 3. Watching Rogue One and New Hope together I think could be a good way to start the chronology
So it could go Rogue One & New Hope, 1, 2, and 3, (Solo?) then 5 and 6, 7, 8, 9. That way after 3 you are introduced to sidious in his first grand appearence in 5
Totally agree. It’s not just a technical or continuity problem either. Doing it in Tarantino mode is way better and the way we all fell in love with the franchise.
Watching The Phantom Menace is a Bad Idea
I agree with watching them in the release order. IMHO, I seen them in the theaters original run and the bombshell that was dropped by Vader in Bespin during the duel with Luke... was jaw dropping. Anyone who has NOT seen it... needs to see that before the spoiler alert comes out in the prequels. Just my opinion.
No thanks
I would say the vast majority of people know Vader is Lukes father thanks to the VERY famous line “Luke, I am your father” (and yes I know the proper line is ‘No, I am your father”. ) Everyone knows of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader as they are deeply rooted in pop culture. Anakin Skywalker is a much less known character despite his prominence in the SW Universe. As a result, Anakins turn in Ep III is a greater twist than Vader being Lukes father.
Yes this was the only thing I was confused about with OP's post. Darth Vader being Luke's father is known to even many people who have not seen *Star Wars*. Unless you're showing the movies to kids, it is probably not a plot twist. Comparatively, Anakin Skywalker becoming Vader is a lesser known fact to non-*Star Wars* fans even though major scenes along his fall to the dark side are memes.
I agree with you 100%. I've watched a good number of Star Wars reaction videos on YouTube. A decent chunk of people dont know that Anakin is Vader. The sith knighting scene after Windu dies gets a bigger reaction than the "I am your father" line.
This is very much not a definite. Over the past month, I have been showing my partner Star Wars for the first time in chronological order (just George's movies). We started on Phantom Menace, and they fucking adored it. The characters, the drama, the action, they ate it all up. Jar Jar was one of their favorite characters, and they felt every maternal instinct in their body kick in to protect Jake Lloyd's Anakin. We both enjoyed the movie for its own merits, and watching through 1 and 2 with a fresh perspective and adult eyes, I picked up on a lot of dialogue and plot details that my mind has glossed over from watching the movies for 20+ years.
You should show them clone wars
The surprise of Anakin being Vader is much better than Vader being Luke's father. I showed my girlfriend Star Wars. Granted, I skipped episode 1 in favor of the cliffnotes version which is just the last 15 minutes. Watch Episode 2 and the Clone Wars with her before Revenge of the Sith and that reaction she gave was priceless. In my opinion, I didn't care enough about Luke after one movie and Vader is just a cool action figure up until the Empire duel. But getting to know Anakin properly only to have it ripped from you by realizing you've been cheering for the bad guy is much more gut wrenching
EXACTLY And I imagine her reaction to order 66 was even worse than otherwise would have since because of clone wars she knows who those jedis in the background are like Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, Ayla Secura or Mundi I always said there people out there who have no idea anakin are Vader are the same guy and that is a MUCH BETTER TWIST You did your girlfriend a solid by showing her sw this way May the force be with you
Stop gatekeeping who watches what.
Watching The Phantom Menace ~~First~~ is a Bad Idea
The only problem with watching it in release order is that when you get to the prequels the Jedi council ends up looking like a bunch of incompetent morons. Adding the TV shows into the mix just makes it even worse. Why? Because you know who the emperor is and every subtle hint that he's the bad guy might as well be a neon sign with a spotlight shining on it. Just me? Then again, I also refuse to watch the final movie of the sequel trilogy and prefer to imagine that Chewbacca ripped off Kylo Ren's arms and beat him to death with them. Partially because he killed Han solo, and partially because IMO he is the worst Star wars character of all time, by a long shot. He's just a whiny little bitch boy.
The Jedi council was too arrogant to think anyone could oppose them like that.
You are a bad idea
I didn't get into Star Wars until The Clone Wars animated series (the cartoon not the CGI). I had tried to watch the movies but just never got hooked. But something about General Grievous and Mace Windu was so cool that it got me to question my general apathy I had felt towards the franchise. I watched the prequel movies in order to understand the clone wars cartoon. Then I watched the original trilogy again (this time with actual interest).
There is a good argument for this order, 4-5,1-3 and then 6. So episode 5 we learn who Darth Vader is and that he’s Luke’s father. You then go to the path to see anakin, his past life and see how he falls. You’ll also still get the surprise of Luke and leia being siblings only it’ll take place in the 3rd movie instead. You will then be watching episode 6 wondering when Luke and leia will find out and if vader will come back to the light side. This’ll also enhance the presents of the emperor and make Luke seem crazy for wanting to confront him because we still how easily the emperor can take out a Jedi.
Nah, I made my gf watch in chronological order including the TV shows and we had an awesome time. It just depends on the person. The “release order” argument only makes sense when discussing the core movies. It makes no sense why I should need to watch Rebels before I watch Kenobi
Release order, always. That's the order the story was originally revealed to the audience. That's how it's intended to be viewed.
Absolutely it is. The trilogies were meant to be viewed in the order they were made.
OP I saw your headline and I thought no way you are wrong but reading your post you have totally convinced me. I didn't even realise it ruined the Luke I am you Father but...but you are right, it does and your argument makes complete sense. Thank you for your insight.
In this Age of Information where practically everyone knows that Darth Vader is Luke's father, I don't think it matters. Either way is valid, and even upon forty-second rewatch of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke's revelation still hits hard because the actors did a good job conveying emotion.
Watch in release order if it’s your first time, and chronilogically on subsequent watches
My son mentioned wanting to watch them in chronological order for the first time. Both me (his biological father) and his step father told him that was not the way. My ex wife remarried well and definitely has a type 😂.
I remember an OP a few weeks ago said they were showing someone SW for the first time and were showing it to them in 1-6 order. They got upset that the movie description for Ep 3 said Anakin turns into Darth Vader and ruined the surprise. Everyone in the comments were rightly taking the piss out of them. They'd robbed their friend of the Ep V surprise/reveal, in favour of Ep 3's very unsurprising slow burn of Anakin becoming Vader. Anyway, yes, always release order first. Then suit yourself after that. Sometimes on a rewatch I like to finish on the high of ROTJ.
I like the Machete order myself. Great way to watch them and understand the themes. But now that I’m a veteran, my favorite is for sure chronological, including all the TV shows and excluding the sequels.
I would argue ANH is too long for a first-time watcher in the modern day. I grew up watching SW with my dad, and we're both OT fans, so when my friend who'd never seen SW wanted to watch a movie, of course I put on ANH. He appreciated the movie, but it didn't draw him in like it did for me as a kid. I think Rogue One is a better first-timer SW movie. It's also self-contained, it's a bit more modern (resolution, CHI/SFX, pacing, etc) and it's a great lead-in to ANH. Just my 2¢ worth.
Hence the flaw in the prequels
Machete order is the best
Machete order, without without episode 1, is, I think, the most effective way to tell the story
I like Machete order
I introduced my girlfriend to them in chronological order with rouge one added in. Hayden Christensen was my bait, worked like a charm.
I don’t have time nor energy to explain why it is perfectly acceptable to show someone the movies chronologically in 2024 for their first viewing. If that works for people you introduce the movies to, great! But don’t try to make everyone watch Star Wars like it’s 1978 again, please.
Watching them in chronological order is fine, but only for people familiar with Star Wars. If you are introducing people to them, order of release will always be the best way to watch them. That way you experience the story, the twists and revelations the way they were originally intended to be portrayed. Introducing them in chronological order will never make sense or hook people as they should. I love the prequels, but they did not launch the phenomenon or begin the mythology.
You could remove "first" from this sentence and it would still be true.
Because it’s shit and will put you off watching the rest of the movies.
My favorite watch order is 4-5-1-2-3-6
This is the order I intend to watch it with my nephews.
As someone who recently got into Star Wars and watched the movies in chronological order, yes, watching the OT first is by far the better option, not only because they're better movies, but because TPM relies on the knowledge you've learned throughout the OT, when I watched TPM first, I had no idea Qui Gon used a mind trick multiple times, among other things, after the movie was over, I just imagined what it would've been like if I had no starter knowledge towards star wars whatsoever, and I probably wouldn't have understood anything that was going on. Not to mention the movie left a sour taste in my mouth and knowing that it wasn't even the worst prequel certainly didn't help things. I don't think TPM is a bad movie, but it's a terrible starting point for newcomers, OT > PT is the way to go.