Tell me more ×
Movies & TV Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for movie and tv enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 11 down vote favorite
1

I have a friend who has never seen Star Wars and he wants to watch it.

I am unsure which order should I suggest. Should he watch the old or new Trilogy first? Or some kind of mixed order? I am looking for a well-reasoned answer, not one-liners.

share|improve this question
The question was asked on Science Fiction & Fantasy: scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/1520/… – Loïc Wolff Apr 21 '12 at 16:01

We're looking for long answers that provide some explanation and context. Don't just give a one-line answer: please explain why you're recommending it as a solution. Answers that don't explain anything will be deleted. See Good Subjective, Bad Subjective for more information.

4 Answers

up vote -2 down vote

I have watched it in every possible order. I want you to watch it in the best order. Try : 2,6,1,3,5,4. I can ensure you this is the best order.

share|improve this answer
4  
It would be better if you provide the reason like the questioner asked. – Mistu4u Nov 18 '12 at 7:11
2  
Please provide some explanation of why you prefer this order as otherwise this extremely arbitrary and discontinuous order suggests this "answer" to be nothing more than a mere joke. If it isn't, then proove it. – Christian Rau Nov 18 '12 at 12:46
up vote 7 down vote accepted

The Machete Order seems to be a great idea. It is a variation of the method @Nobby suggested, but it leaves out Episode I completely.

So the order is: IV, V, II, III, VI

The article is long but worth reading, it makes a lot of great points.

A little extract on why Episode I is unnecessary:

Episode I is a failure on every possible level. (...) Luckily, George Lucas has done everyone a favor by making the content of Episode I completely irrelevant to the rest of the series. Seriously, think about it for a minute. Name as many things as you can that happen in Episode I and actually help flesh out the story in any subsequent episode. (...) Every character established in Episode I is either killed or removed before it ends (Darth Maul, Qui-Gon, Chancellor Valorum), unimportant (Nute Gunray, Watto), or established better in a later episode (Mace Windu, Darth Sidious).

(already added it as a comment, but I think it deserves its own answer)

share|improve this answer
2  
+1 I was hoping that you would upgrade this to an answer. Practically no midichlorians, little Jar Jar Binks, no strange age issues between Anakin and Padme, no trade war for little loss in the story arc. – iandotkelly♦ Apr 24 '12 at 14:09
1  
Yes, Ep1 is a chore (even as a life-long SW fan I'll admit this) but there are still some elements in it that have bearing on the story arc as a whole - plus my little guy LOVES the podrace :) – Nobby Apr 24 '12 at 16:09
up vote 6 down vote

I think the correct way is to watch Episode 4, 5 and 6 and then stop.

share|improve this answer
1  
+1 I'd add MAYBE watch episode 3 afterward to see how Anakin fell, as that one was the only non-doo doo movie of 1-3. Between Jar Jar's annoying presence in ep. 1 and the forced romance in ep. 2, I'd rather have never seen those two. Oh, to have never heard of Midichlorians... Ruined it completely for me. – David Stratton Apr 24 '12 at 2:13
3  
Agree Episodes 1-3 are a travesty and a fine lesson in 'less is more' if you watched them all in the supposed numerical order there are no suprises, acting and story improve over halfway through, you get annoying side characters at the beginning and end and you get a Calculon style 'Nooooooo' from Darth at the end of 3 which leaves you little sympathy for his road to redemption in 6. IMHO Lucas should not be allowed to touch the Star Wars films again. – EdChum Apr 24 '12 at 19:31

We're looking for long answers that provide some explanation and context. Don't just give a one-line answer: please explain why you're recommending it as a solution. Answers that don't explain anything will be deleted. See Good Subjective, Bad Subjective for more information.
up vote 7 down vote

I am watching the films with my little boy, and am using a new method that seems to be the most agreeable.

Start with Episode 4 - A New Hope, then Ep 5 - The Empire Strikes Back, then go back and watch the three prequels as a sort of 'flashback', and then watch Ep 6 - Return of the Jedi.

In this way, your child gets the full story of Anakin's rise, fall and redemption, without the big 'Father' surprise being spoiled.

share|improve this answer
I suspect this question will get closed soon - so I hope this answer helps ;) – Nobby Apr 21 '12 at 15:20
1  
Thanks a lot. Interesting strategy, I like it +1. – bazmegakapa Apr 22 '12 at 12:23
Interesting, but still the correct way to watch them is in the order of release. But depending on the age of the viewer, that might be a good way to go as then it ends with an upbeat tone. – Peter Grill Apr 23 '12 at 0:07
Luke learns that Vader is his father in Episode V, so according to your suggested viewing order, you will learn this "big surprise" before starting to watch any of the prequels. – Bernard Apr 23 '12 at 2:19
2  
If you watch the prequels first you will learn that Vader is Luke's father before you see Ep V, thus spoiling the shock of discovery along with Luke. Here - read this article which started the whole trend (although I dispute the exclusion of Ep1) to understand why this order works the best. nomachetejuggling.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2011/… – Nobby Apr 23 '12 at 4:12

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.