- Jan 25, 2021
- 4 min read

The Proper Way to Watch Star Wars

Many of us have stress in our lives. We have our jobs to worry about, we need to think about our retirement, and we have to figure out what the health care law means to us. However, a few of us know there are more immediate concerns that must be dealt with.

For years, mankind has struggled with what Order should the nine Star Wars movies be watched in. Should they be watched in episodic Order, from episodes one thru nine? Should they be watched in the Order of their theatrical release?

Episodic Order

Many people will argue George Lucas intended the movies to be watched in episodic Order, starting from episode one, The Phantom Menace. This approach has many things going for it. It provides a chronological story arc. It shows the rise, fall, and redemption of Darth Vader. It has good spacing between the emotionally charged Revenge of the Sith and the Empire Strikes Back.

However, with this suggested Order, we miss one of the biggest shocks in theatrical history: The revelation of Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker’s father. Also, doesn’t make sense why everything got much crummier with the Universe in general. The fights are crummier, the ships are crummier, the weapons are crummier. Lastly, new viewers may not want to complete the saga after Phantom Menace. Heck, after Jar Jar Binks, who wouldn’t?

Chronological Order

The next option is to watch them in chronological order. This is how my father watched Star Wars. This is how I watched Star Wars, so what is wrong with it? This viewing order has many things going for it. The fight scenes go from boring to exciting with each installment. The plot twists are reserved and revealed at the right time. The special effects go from outdated to modern. It is easy to see why this is the most popular way to watch Star Wars.

The biggest problem with this approach is that The Phantom Menace is still in it. The other big issue is the conclusion and celebration of the rebels is right in the middle of the story. You might not be vested in the storylines anymore when you know the whole story and have seen the conclusion.

Flashback Order

The Flashback order is when one begins with the Original Trilogy and watch Episode IV, ‘A New Hope’ followed by Episode V, ‘The Empire Strikes Back.’

But instead of watching Return of the Jedi, you hold off and watch the three Prequels.

After you have finished the prequels, do you watch Return of the Jedi/ The you cap off your marathon with the last trilogy consisting of episodes seven thru nine.

Now the question is should you include Rogue One and Solo into your set of movies? I am a big fan of Rogue One, but I usually suggest watching it outside the Skywalker main story arc.

According to the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Exchange website (http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/1520/in-what-order-should-the-star-wars-movies-be-watched), watching the prequels as a flashback works well. According to the site, watching it this way, “ oldest and clunkiest SFX first, avoids spoiling the revelations from episode V and finishes at the end of the story. And it means you won’t stop and give up in disgust after only watching one movie.”

To summarize the viewing orders, I want to share with you the viewing order suggestions from Radio Time at

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/scifi/2020-06-23/how-to-watch-the-star-wars-movies-in-the-right-order/

Sources:

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/1520/in-what-order-should-the-star-wars-movies-be-watched

Radio Times: https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/scifi/2020-06-23/how-to-watch-the-star-wars-movies-in-the-right-order/

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