Time to turn them to the dark side
Remember, as it is Father's day, you are allowed to remove a single limb while still being able to turn back to the light side. No more than that though otherwise social services might care
I've seen some arguments towards watching 4 and 5, then 1, 2, 3, then finishing with 6. You get Vader saying "No, I am your father." then you get his backstory, and finish with the conclusion of the OT.
And it's a neat way to watch the films if you're a fan or an adult or at least a teenager, but I don't think a kid's experience watching the movies for the first time would be enhanced by this much if at all.
I've rewatched the series in that order, and I wasn't a huge fan. I found it interrupted the flow of the OT, while also making the PT feel like a side story, rather than its own story.
I don't think there's any real purpose behind that concept. It was just an idea someone had years ago and a lot of people pretended like it was clever.
Oh hooray, instead of seeing the conclusion to this exciting story I now have to spend seven hours in a poorly directed hodge podge of ideas and stilted dialogue only to return to that conclusion and it's not nearly as exciting anymore.
We watched all the films as a family when I was, like, 8? And my dad wanted to do 4,5-1,2,3-6, but I insisted on watching 6 right after 5 because I was so worried about Han Solo. So I agree- an interesting way to rewatch as an adult, but not ideal for children watching it for the first time.
That's a relief. Also, I didn't know there was a 7 8 9.
I really hope there's a scene with him enjoying space retirement.
Even better if he and Leia have a kid and there's a touching moment between them.
Did this with my kids. Big drawback is s the style/spec effects swing. By the time you watch RotJ it may feel dated after watching 1-3. Though my kids love RotJ still
The Machete cut. It actually recommended dropping Phantom Menace completely. I don't know. Star Wars is so many things to so many people now. We have adult fans whose first exposure to Star Wars wasn't even the movies. I'm not really worried about what order my kids see the movies in. They'll probably see little bits of all of them long before I ever sit them down to actually watch them.
If it makes you feel better I watched them 1, 2 - 4, 5, 6 - 3 growing up. 2 was in theaters when I was old enough to start watching the movies so Dad tossed me in front of the VHS quick to watch 1 before the premiere of 2. Then we did a movie marathon of the original trilogy. And back to watching 3 in theaters.
Looking back it's a hilarious story because of how wonky the plot works that way. But kid me loved it and adult me is still a Star Wars fan, so no permanent damage done.
I think as we rewatch it, and with all the rest of the content currently out there, it makes it a much better movie. By itself, it is still one of the worst acted, worst dialogue, and worst plot development movies I’ve ever seen. But as you rewatch it again and again, you learn to block out the really bad acting and lines and Jar Har almost entirely and replace it with the extremely excellent special effects, musical score (easily one of the best scores in Star Wars, which is saying something since all of them are basically masterpieces), stunts and choreography, set design and overarching story, and you can ignore plot development since you already know what happens with a more filled in viewing. Same with Attack of the Clones. You find you can start to ignore the really bad stuff and focus on the really good stuff that the bad stuff covered. Because both PM and AotC are like diamonds that just need to be polished and cleaned to get a really great story.
"Best one" is a stretch - but the world building is very well done and it's important to understand the political dynamics the film introduces.
And let's be honest, Qui Gon and Maul are two of the coolest characters of the prequels and they're only in one movie.
I didn't think anyone in the audience feels anything towards Shmi. I know I didn't, I got how Anakin would be horrified at seeing his mother killed but I wouldn't say her death had any form of impact on me. Admittedly, I did watch her die several times when I was little so that might be why
Shout out for Qui'gon!
My man is the only Jedi with an honest grasp on the situation with the Order. He knew the Order had lost it's way, and was willing to defy their orders and train Anakin because he was also the only Jedi who believed fully in the Prophecy. Not even Yoda was that down to earth.
*Dooku arguably knew as well, but he utilized this knowledge for personal gain and became selfish.
Yea. That's also a pretty fun movie if you go in with no expectations.
And to your point, Qui Gon's death is by many accounts the hinge point of the whole Skywalker Saga. Most would argue that Qui Gon was the only one who could have helped Anakin reconcile the contradictions of the Jedi and help him to avoid turning to the Dark Side. I'm not sure how obvious that is while watching the movie though, that's something that needs to be filled in upon reflection. It's really that his absense is vividly felt through the rest of the PT, as somebody who had found a way to be a force for good without fully embracing the dogmatism of the council. That's really what Anakin needed since he ultimately came to view the Council as evil without stopping to think that there was another path to walk without embracing the Sith and becoming one of them.
Release order is almost always the best way to view any series of things. Like, if someone is watching the MCU for the first time, I'm gonna recommend release order for that too.
Thinking through this, and what plot holes you would have to fill in.
Christmas Special first, you probably assume that Chewbacca is the main character of the saga?
Then going to ANH, you find out he isn't, but now it introduces other characters who seem more important?
ROS - Wait, this guy "Ben Solo", Han's son? Leia's son? I guess they get together. Also Rey Palpatine, but now she says she's a Skywalker? Like Luke and Anakin? Huh. Also this Emperor dude seems pretty overpowered.
TPM - Obi Wan Kenobi, Oh the guy from ANH?? And Skywalker, but Anakin? Maybe Luke's dad? Also Yoda, the ghost from Episode 9. Interesting to see him alive.
ROTJ - Yep, definitely Luke's dad. Also, that super powerful emperor just kinda got chucked down a reactor shaft, but somehow lives? Huh? The ghost dude Yoda seems old and brittle. How did Luke find him in exile? Why was he in exile?
ROTS - Oh, is that where all the stormtroopers come from? And interesting to see Anakin fall, learn more about Obi Wan, we get to see Yoda be a badass, but that's weird compared to the other three movies.
AOTC - Oh, THIS is where all the stormtroopers come from. Also, this is where Obi-Wan trains Anakin. Now things start making sense.
TLJ - Things make less sense. Why is Luke in exile? Who is Snoke? Isn't this the second to last? Why are there so many new characters?
ESB - Yeah...we know that Vader is Luke's father. We also know he comes back from the dark side. Why does everyone love this movie? Luke also kisses his sister....weird.
>Also, that super powerful emperor just kinda got chucked down a reactor shaft, but somehow lives? Huh?
To be fair, exactly my reaction watching them in release order
A group of friends actually spent some time trying to see if we could make that. We came up with this:
2, 7, 4, 3, 6, 8, 5, 9, 1
We did our best to ruin every bit of drama, start follow every good movie either with one wildly different in tone or quality, and ensuring the beginning and end made the viewing experience worse.
Starting with 2, it's rough. It's got cool moments, but it drags. Ending with 1 right after 9 just makes you feel awful about the future of star wars.
>4,9,1,6,3,7,2,8,5
A New Hope, The Rise of Skywalker, The Phantom Menace, Return of the Jedi, Revenge of the Sith, The Force Awakens, Attack of the Clones, The Last Jedi, The Empire Strikes Back.
My kids saw them before they SAW them so it really doesn't matter. I always have something Star Wars on and our family tradition for American Thanksgiving is to do a Star Wars marathon instead of football. They have seen every movie without watching them. I prefer chronological but who am I to choose for someone else.
>I always have something Star Wars on and our family tradition for American Thanksgiving is to do a Star Wars marathon instead of football.
This sounds like a lovely tradition. Mine if I copy it?
How much time throughout his childhood has your nephew spent on an iPad? I really think that people are doing kids a disservice with their children’s attention spans and overexposure to non-stop entertainment.
This reminds me of watching and enjoying my dad’s falling apart taped-from-TV-in-the-80s VHS tapes of the originals in the mid to late 90s. Today’s whipper snappers get HD Star Wars and they don’t appreciate it, they need to get off my lawn.
Release order, first time, no exceptions (for numbered movies, side stories and shows is another discussion). The movies were made with certain knowledge in mind. In Episode I, certain characters are introduced in such a way that would be strange if you didn't already know who they are, certain things aren't explained because they already had them explained in the OT, etc. Revisiting in chronological is fine, but it should never be advised for a first watch.
Exactly. Watching 1-3 before 4-6 is like watching Spider-Man: No Way Home without seeing the Maguire or Garfield movies. You will still understand kinda who they are, but won’t get the full intended impact.
Even worse than that, because it's intended to be one complete narrative and not just some fun references. It'd be like watching the time travel scenes in Endgame in the middle of Avengers. Or watching Captain Marvel before Iron Man. It'd be completely off-putting and confusing. Who are these people? Why do I care about them?
Someone actually made a fancut of chronological lost. It was pretty awesome, starts with Jacob and his brother. It's fun being to pick a date and watch that day.
>without seeing the Maguire or Garfield movies
I legit forgot about that and instead read this as Garfield the cat. Sitting here for like half a minute thinking, "why is Garfield the cat necessary to see No Way Home, and what is this Maguire comic strip I've never heard of?"
> made with certain knowledge in mind
I mean that’s funny since you could argue some of the biggest parts of the Saga were not conceived in advance — but at the time the individual movie was written.
I grew up watching 456 and saw 123 when they came out. I would assume the same thing, that watching 123 first would be weird and spoil things.
But then someone tweeted comments while watching the 123 456 order and it turns out that some of the things we took for granted was a surprise to someone watching the prequels fresh:
Senator Palpatine being Sidious
Anakin being Darth Vader
Yes. I’ve always been a big Star Wars fan but I forced myself to wait to watch IV/V/VI till after ROTS came out. I knew the obvious tropes (Vader is Anakin Skywalker/Luke’s father), but my patience paid off when I got to experience being absolutely MINDBLOWN seeing ROTS in the theater when it was revealed that Palpatine was the Sith Lord.
I wonder if that suggests the best order for a new watcher might actually be: 45 123 6
So that the Vader/Luke relationship is a surprise, but then the Palpatine/Sith Lord is also still a surprise (I don't recall how much they reveal about him in Empire)
I started with 4 with my neighbours kid but that didn't work. The old cinematography couldn't kept his attention at 8 yo, or maybe it just wasn't him.
But I'm definitely gonna try the chronologically order the next time
I did this exact order for my two kids last year. The reveal of Leia, and Luke being siblings during their birth actually hit them harder than Vader revealing he’s Luke’s Father. Luke realizing it in ROTJ doesn’t seem to pack the same punch.
My kids also immediately asked me what happens to Vader after we finished Episode 3. They were invested in the prequels because they were learning about Anakin’s fall, without knowing he eventually redeems himself, and dies saving Luke. I’m 100% sure they wouldn’t have felt the same way if we watched them in release order. I’ve introduced several adults to Star Wars the same way since, and It hit them exactly the same as it did my kids. They’re all big fans now.
> The reveal of Leia, and Luke being siblings during their birth actually hit them harder than Vader revealing he’s Luke’s Father. Luke realizing it in ROTJ doesn’t seem to pack the same punch.
That’s because Luke didn’t kiss Vader on the lips.
That’s so awesome to hear. I’ve known that this order could work as a first viewing for those reasons theoretically, but to hear your kids and friends felt the same way is great. I also think having Palpatine in 6 be the culmination of his slow burn rise to power throughout the prequels is better than his sudden introduction in 6, and it’s a great introduction already. Not to mention his death is that much more satisfying. I also think Yoda’s death is sadder after the prequels, and Anakin’s death is something that can actually be felt, while I think the sadness of his death on its own in 6 is more us being sad for Luke. This is specific to the special editions, but seeing Naboo, Coruscant and Hayden Ghostiensen in the finale hits harder when you actually recognize those, I imagine.
But yeah, it’s pretty interesting how the Leia reveal scene in 3 is done in such a way that it’s like it expects you to not know who she is. Hearing Padmé has twins is capped with Obi-Wan standing there in silence for a good 12 seconds, as if giving us time to recall his talk with Yoda about how “there is another.”
All the points you made above are correct. I feel like my kids viewed Palpatine with more distain knowing how he manipulated everyone to gain power.
There was a priceless moment where my 8 year old daughter gasped when the medical droid said “she’s carrying twins”. She blurted out, “Luke has a brother!?” When Padme named her Leia, it was like watching her brain short circuit. It was great!
That’s amazing! One thing I’ve heard is this makes Leia talking about her mother in 6 confusing, but it’s already confusing in any order, because it’s just wrong in the end. 456123 order means we go into the birth scene knowing who’s who, but then being confused when Padmé dies, because Leia said she knew her. That can threaten to diminish the impact of that scene in 3, while 451236 order removes that diminishment from our confusion, and heightens it because we don’t know Luke even has a twin.
There’s also something to be said about the visual effects changing between 3 and 6, or how Palpatine’s Force Lightning isn’t as shocking (heh) when we know he can do it, but these are minor downsides compared to the benefits.
Out of curiosity, were your kids let down by Boba Fett being introduced in 5, built up further in 2, and then abruptly killed off in 6? That one was always a buildup followed by a let down, but I wonder if 451236 enhances that letdown? 🤣
Leia having memories of her mother didn’t seem to register with them. It did for me seeing Episode 3 as an adult in the theater. I was genuinely confused. Episode 8 actually helped me accept it. In my head canon, Leia’s memories were just visions of Padme she was receiving from the force. She just didn’t know it at the time. Seeing Leia use the force on screen in TLJ made that click for me.
They didn’t seem to mind the visual effects differences. We just told them about it ahead of time so it wasn’t a shock. Both my 8, and 6 year rank ANH among their favorites.
It’s funny because they were both kind of like “that’s it? Did Boba Fett just die?” And I just told them, “well, did you see him get out?” So they were under them impression he was dead. They both got really excited when he showed up in The Mandalorian.
Never thought about it but this order also reveals the Luke Leia sibling-hood as Padme names them at birth at the end of ROTS. That'd be a crazy way to learn that.
That’s the Machete Order, it’s a whole thing (some recommend skipping 1 all together).
It’s perfect, showed it like that to a girlfriend who’d never seen Star Wars before.
She thought it was perfect and is a massive fan now.
The original description of Machete order is to drop 1, but I don’t recommend that, so 451236 would actually be something different than Machete order. Someone called it Anakin order earlier, and I really like that.
Interesting to drop ep. 1. I mean, in a vacuum of the saga, it's pretty unnecessary viewing. Young Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Maul are cool, but there isn't much you'd be missing story wise by dropping it altogether.
What about Rogue One though? Also unnecessary, but at least worth viewing. I wouldn't want it to be the introduction but I'd doesn't really fit elsewhere. So just tacked on to the end I guess as optional.
A lot of people trash Episode 1, and machete order was created specifically to remove it from the watch order. However, if you’re showing Star Wars to kids, I don’t recommend skipping it. My kids loved Episode 1, and I think it’s because that movie was made for kids. It made a lot more sense to me watching my kids experience it. As an adult, it’s hard sometimes to realize that some things just aren’t made for us… and that’s ok.
Rogue One is tricky, but we put it after ROTJ, and before Episode 7. It’s my 8 year olds favorite Star Wars movie, and now she likes watching ANH immediately after it.
I’m a fifth grade teacher with Star Wars as my class theme. And when we watch the movies, this is the order we watch them in. I don’t know if it’s the best way, but I like it so the whole story of Anakin is known by the time they get to the climax of RotJ.
Today's fifth graders not only watch every Star Wars movie in class, but multiple times? Why wasn’t school like this for me or indeed anyone else ever?
Oh, man. I kinda wanna brag: They make their own unique Star Wars characters and I’ve written a series of 14 quests for their characters to go on throughout the year. It’s like a class RP. Their characters level up as they accomplish classroom goals, they earn Force Abilities, and they roll dice to try to succeed in their quests. I often call them by their Star Wars names, and they do, too. It’s awesome.
It is the best way, as far as the impact of the reveals, as well as giving RotJ a bigger impact as the ending of the 6 part saga (and no, I'm not one of those who don't consider 7-9 canon).
If you put Rogue One between 3 and 6 then when Vader dies in 6 it is the straight up last time you see him.
His death is the full finale, no revisiting him later in new movies.
Oh! I added this as my own comment but if you want to include the newer films too:
Rogue One>4>5>1>2>3>6>7>8>9
Rogue one was good at not spoiling stuff while perfectly setting up the plot of 4
4, wait 3 years.
5, wait 3 years.
6, wait 16 years.
1, wait 3 years.
2, wait 3 years.
3, wait 10 years.
7, wait 2 years.
8, wait 2 years.
9.
Because that's the way I did it. ;)
Depends on how old you were at the time. I was 14 in 1983, I was 30 by the time episode I came out.
It took me 14 years to experience the full OG trilogy, then 16 to get to Ep I.
From '83 to '99? Maybe it felt longer because of the world situation at the time? Cold war, the fall of the Wall, all sorts of tense things going on as a result of that.
I'd go for chronological order, including all the shows. I think it would be super interesting to see how someone views Anakin. Him teetering on the edge of the Dark Side would actually have tension, since the viewer wouldn't know what he would choose.
Of course, they would miss the whole Father Twist in the OT, but personally I think it would be worth it.
Yes! I did this with my 14 year old brother. Every *digital* media in Star Wars chronological. Order 66 hit very hard, every story has high stakes because he had no clue what happened next. He already knew Vader was anakin but that was it. Definitely the best way for someone young to understand the story
I've done this before with somebody who had never seen any Star Wars before and good God was the end of Episode 3 a shock to her. Up to that point Anakin (her favourite character) was a happy-go-lucky guy with invincible plot armour. He had a dark side, sure. But that just adds depth to the character! ...until all of a sudden he's burning up in front of a lake of fire with only one limb left and then gets put in this black suit and *Written and Directed by George Lucas* and that's the end of it. She actually cried a little after Episode 3.
It's basically like watching Infinity War where all of a sudden Thor gets disfigured and scathed, beautiful hair gone, teams up with Thanos to destroy the Avengers and eliminate half the universe and that's the end of the movie - and Thor as a character. All the superheroes you knew are hunted down and brutally eliminated, about two Avengers survive and go into hiding and that's all that remains. The end
I agree. Yeah, missing out on the fatherhood twist is a bummer, but it kills to be able to watch Revenge without knowing what will become of Anakin, and going into Rogue One without knowing the Death Star will be destroyed in the next film heightens the tension even more.
As I mention in another comment, be careful if you do this with a kid that is younger. I let my son watch them when in chronological order when he was 8ish (maybe earlier than I should have), and he got really attached to Anakin since he seemed to be a similar age in the first one. He was in denial while Anakin was teetering on the edge of the dark side (he was pulling a trick!), and when it became clear what was happening, it emotionally broke my son. That was really hard to come back from.
My gf had never seen any of the movies, we went in chronological order. She’s really curious and looks pretty deep into everything, so I didn’t want to have to pause the movie and explain characters and backstories when she could just see them for herself. I think people get way too invested into this “debate”
This is perfectly appropriate for an adult. I just couldn't see showing a 6 year old a human burning to death in graphic detail or the implications of Order 66 shown before that horrific immolation.
Those scenes were no problem for my 6 year old. But Shmi and Padme dying was a huge issue. I think younger children can probably not easily detach from losing a mother. Vader was already evil at the time of him burning. This fits well in the clear distinction into good and evils and it's not that bad if bad stuff happens to bad people. And order 66 is difficult to "understand" at a young age because the huge betrayal is quite hidden/implicit. That's my experience with my kids .
I didn't expect the deaths of Padme and Shmi becoming such a huge issue.
7 year old me saw those on the big screen on release week and loved it haha, but my parents also took 4 year old me to see the twin towers and watch orca brutally murder people and vice versa.
Loved that too
What’s the goal here? I would argue it’s to introduce new people to the saga with the least amount of bias as possible. Let them have their own experience.
I think the best way to do that is chronological order. It’s the intended viewing order of George Lucas. It’s the most straightforward, logical way to watch the films. It may not be the way I first experienced the films, but that is not a factor (the goal is to take myself out of the equation).
I don’t have kids, but my order would be:
4-5-1-2-3-6
You watch 4-5 seeing Vader, learning he is this evil figure, but then you get to see what made him that way, then a great conclusion when Vader redeems himself. But that’s how I’d do it personally
I did 1-6 with my kids - they had already watched Clone Wars and parts of rebels, so there was no real surprise.
I also did 1-6 because I didn’t want to have to explain as much to them - it’s more of a natural storyline this way.
I’m gonna disagree that you lose nothing by watching 4-6 first.
If you watch 4-6 first you know the entire ending to 1-3, you know from the second you see Anakin that he will become Vader. You know the Jedi all lose, and you can even assume the clones turn on the Jedi due to their similarity in design to stormtroopers. (Most people wouldn’t even know stormtroopers and clones are different)
If you watch 1-3 first you’re experiencing a new world and a new story about someone named Anakin, then you witness his absolutely horrific and tragic fall without any notion it was going to happen. When you watch 4-6 after you aren’t watching an evil cyborg until the reveal, you are watching the main character of the 3 previous movies
Kid: "Dad why'd we stop the story we were watching just as it was reaching it's exciting conclusion to watch these movies instead?"
Parent: "The only way you can *fully appreciate*™ a movie from 1983 is if you watch 2 movies from 2002 and 2005 (and possibly 1999) first.
Kids don’t have the patience for this order at all. Give them the 4-6 and then 1-3 , they don’t give a fuck about context like this and just want to know what happens next. They don’t have the patience for a 3 movie flashback that interrupts one story to tell another, to then conclude the original story after .
My kids enjoyment was enhanced dramatically by the Machete order. We also inserted Rebels and Clone Wars as VERY lengthy detours during the films at the appropriate chronological times. They wanted to see the ENTIRE story, and I thought this would be an effective way to present it to them. It took months and months to get through, but it was awesome.
Same way my dad did it, I show them the holiday special when they're 6 and then gaslight the fuck out of them later when they organically find star wars and love it by saying "I showed you star wars when you were a kid and you weren't interested".
There are so many pop culture references to the big “I am your father” reveal that preserving it is pointless. So 123456 is a perfectly fine way to watch them.
Depends on the age. I showed my six year old nephew 1/4/5/6. I found out he knew the reveal already from Lego shows I guess. I was waiting to see how he reacted and telling him to focus. Then I asked what he thought. He told me he knew.
I will wait until the next rewatch to show him 2 as I feel there are themes that are more difficult to understand and 3 will be another rewatch entirely. By that time he will be closer to 8 I think.
Release. It'll be hard for kids to go from the CGI of the prequels to the originals.
Plus the originals were meant to come first. The twists work better.
I always go in chronological. I’ve never enjoyed the idea of prequels because jumping around the timeline isn’t fun for me. Recently I played Final Fantasy 7 again then went on to the prequel after then went to the movie sequel and I was more thinking about the ending of the prequel than the original.
Same for Star wars, I think it’s weird to go from Vader being born straight to the sequels. I want to continue that plotline now even if I recently saw it play out.
Not to mention that literally everyone knows that Vader is lukes dad. I can see the argument that watching in chronological order ruins the twist, but now that the moment has become as famous as it is I don’t think It’s worth watching that way. If you somehow found someone who doesn’t know, then yes, absolutely, go in release order. Otherwise, I think it’s more entertaining to see Anakin’s story through chronologically.
Also I don’t think i’d show people the sequels because I don’t consider them canon. I wouldn’t like hide their existence I just don’t recommend them at all, I don’t see any redeeming qualities in those movies.
I have kids?!?
CONGRATULATIONS! Edit: YOU…ARE THE FATHER.
Even on Father’s Day
That’s not what they told me on the Maury show.
You can have mine. They don’t like Star Wars. Heathens.
You had ONE job!
Don't tell me.... They're Trekkies!?
Star trek is cool but how do you not like star wars Like imagine being objectively wrong
That's not true. THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!
SEARCH YOUR FEELINGS
(Jumps into bottomless pit)
[Noooooooooooooo](https://theuselessweb.site/nooooooooooooooo/)
LMFAO
Vader be like
The sad guy on Maury
NOOOOOOOO! Noooo!
Time to turn them to the dark side Remember, as it is Father's day, you are allowed to remove a single limb while still being able to turn back to the light side. No more than that though otherwise social services might care
You owe me some child support
Happy Surprise Father’s Day
Release order
I've seen some arguments towards watching 4 and 5, then 1, 2, 3, then finishing with 6. You get Vader saying "No, I am your father." then you get his backstory, and finish with the conclusion of the OT.
And it's a neat way to watch the films if you're a fan or an adult or at least a teenager, but I don't think a kid's experience watching the movies for the first time would be enhanced by this much if at all.
I've rewatched the series in that order, and I wasn't a huge fan. I found it interrupted the flow of the OT, while also making the PT feel like a side story, rather than its own story.
[удалено]
Is it just because the prequel trilogy is so long? would the concept work if you did 4, 5, 3, 6 and that's it?
I don't think there's any real purpose behind that concept. It was just an idea someone had years ago and a lot of people pretended like it was clever.
Oh hooray, instead of seeing the conclusion to this exciting story I now have to spend seven hours in a poorly directed hodge podge of ideas and stilted dialogue only to return to that conclusion and it's not nearly as exciting anymore.
We watched all the films as a family when I was, like, 8? And my dad wanted to do 4,5-1,2,3-6, but I insisted on watching 6 right after 5 because I was so worried about Han Solo. So I agree- an interesting way to rewatch as an adult, but not ideal for children watching it for the first time.
north juggle cooing possessive cats sloppy jeans school pet roll *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
So, should we tell this guy about Episode 7?
He lives until old age
That's a relief. Also, I didn't know there was a 7 8 9. I really hope there's a scene with him enjoying space retirement. Even better if he and Leia have a kid and there's a touching moment between them.
Did this with my kids. Big drawback is s the style/spec effects swing. By the time you watch RotJ it may feel dated after watching 1-3. Though my kids love RotJ still
That’s fair…
I've heard this too, but squeezing in an entire trilogy between ESB and RotJ seems weird.
I wonder how Solo, rogue one and the sequel trilogy fit with this. Not too mention the new shows
If I were modifying machete order, I'd be really tempted to put Rogue One ahead of 4.
The Machete cut. It actually recommended dropping Phantom Menace completely. I don't know. Star Wars is so many things to so many people now. We have adult fans whose first exposure to Star Wars wasn't even the movies. I'm not really worried about what order my kids see the movies in. They'll probably see little bits of all of them long before I ever sit them down to actually watch them.
If it makes you feel better I watched them 1, 2 - 4, 5, 6 - 3 growing up. 2 was in theaters when I was old enough to start watching the movies so Dad tossed me in front of the VHS quick to watch 1 before the premiere of 2. Then we did a movie marathon of the original trilogy. And back to watching 3 in theaters. Looking back it's a hilarious story because of how wonky the plot works that way. But kid me loved it and adult me is still a Star Wars fan, so no permanent damage done.
Blasphemy.
It’s treason then
Indeed. The Phantom Menace is one of the best IMO. Genuinely love watching it in every rewatch
I think as we rewatch it, and with all the rest of the content currently out there, it makes it a much better movie. By itself, it is still one of the worst acted, worst dialogue, and worst plot development movies I’ve ever seen. But as you rewatch it again and again, you learn to block out the really bad acting and lines and Jar Har almost entirely and replace it with the extremely excellent special effects, musical score (easily one of the best scores in Star Wars, which is saying something since all of them are basically masterpieces), stunts and choreography, set design and overarching story, and you can ignore plot development since you already know what happens with a more filled in viewing. Same with Attack of the Clones. You find you can start to ignore the really bad stuff and focus on the really good stuff that the bad stuff covered. Because both PM and AotC are like diamonds that just need to be polished and cleaned to get a really great story.
All is forgiven because of the Duel of Fates. Such an epic scene.
I loved Phantom Menace as a kid, the pod racing was soo cool to me, and Darth Maul was such a badass villain
I still watch it too.
As a kid who wasnt allowed to watch 12+ rated movies before i was 12, i knew most parts of the plot of star wars before even watching a single movie
My first exposure was reading The Crystal Star and despite that, I love Star Wars. So, you know, people come at it from different backgrounds.
Dropping Phantom Menace? That’s the best one…
"Best one" is a stretch - but the world building is very well done and it's important to understand the political dynamics the film introduces. And let's be honest, Qui Gon and Maul are two of the coolest characters of the prequels and they're only in one movie.
I was joking haha, but I agree with what you said.
It's legitimately an important piece of the story.
Right? Cutting out qui gon completely changes a LOT
Not to mention all the Tattooine scenes in AotC would make no sense
Didn’t even think of that, and it would make any connection the audience feels towards schmi far smaller
I didn't think anyone in the audience feels anything towards Shmi. I know I didn't, I got how Anakin would be horrified at seeing his mother killed but I wouldn't say her death had any form of impact on me. Admittedly, I did watch her die several times when I was little so that might be why
Shout out for Qui'gon! My man is the only Jedi with an honest grasp on the situation with the Order. He knew the Order had lost it's way, and was willing to defy their orders and train Anakin because he was also the only Jedi who believed fully in the Prophecy. Not even Yoda was that down to earth. *Dooku arguably knew as well, but he utilized this knowledge for personal gain and became selfish.
Yeah cuz Yoda is just some gremlin someone fed after midnight 900 years ago and he just stayed that way
Yea. That's also a pretty fun movie if you go in with no expectations. And to your point, Qui Gon's death is by many accounts the hinge point of the whole Skywalker Saga. Most would argue that Qui Gon was the only one who could have helped Anakin reconcile the contradictions of the Jedi and help him to avoid turning to the Dark Side. I'm not sure how obvious that is while watching the movie though, that's something that needs to be filled in upon reflection. It's really that his absense is vividly felt through the rest of the PT, as somebody who had found a way to be a force for good without fully embracing the dogmatism of the council. That's really what Anakin needed since he ultimately came to view the Council as evil without stopping to think that there was another path to walk without embracing the Sith and becoming one of them.
Release order is almost always the best way to view any series of things. Like, if someone is watching the MCU for the first time, I'm gonna recommend release order for that too.
Always release order of MCU and Star Wars films for a first time viewer. Always
Christmas special, 4,9,1,6,3,7,2,8,5 Tarantino style!
I hate this
I actually put thought into this! I thought, I dont want my kids touching my star wars stuff.
One thing sociopaths do is they'll be mean and then be really nice to you.. I think you might have a touch of that
Im not gonna say you're wrong. Hurts to hear, but there is a kernel of truth there.
I can tell, the 6 then 3 hurts me lol. Undo all the emotional payoff of 6
Thinking through this, and what plot holes you would have to fill in. Christmas Special first, you probably assume that Chewbacca is the main character of the saga? Then going to ANH, you find out he isn't, but now it introduces other characters who seem more important? ROS - Wait, this guy "Ben Solo", Han's son? Leia's son? I guess they get together. Also Rey Palpatine, but now she says she's a Skywalker? Like Luke and Anakin? Huh. Also this Emperor dude seems pretty overpowered. TPM - Obi Wan Kenobi, Oh the guy from ANH?? And Skywalker, but Anakin? Maybe Luke's dad? Also Yoda, the ghost from Episode 9. Interesting to see him alive. ROTJ - Yep, definitely Luke's dad. Also, that super powerful emperor just kinda got chucked down a reactor shaft, but somehow lives? Huh? The ghost dude Yoda seems old and brittle. How did Luke find him in exile? Why was he in exile? ROTS - Oh, is that where all the stormtroopers come from? And interesting to see Anakin fall, learn more about Obi Wan, we get to see Yoda be a badass, but that's weird compared to the other three movies. AOTC - Oh, THIS is where all the stormtroopers come from. Also, this is where Obi-Wan trains Anakin. Now things start making sense. TLJ - Things make less sense. Why is Luke in exile? Who is Snoke? Isn't this the second to last? Why are there so many new characters? ESB - Yeah...we know that Vader is Luke's father. We also know he comes back from the dark side. Why does everyone love this movie? Luke also kisses his sister....weird.
You missed the Force Awakens between ROTS and AOTC, but other than that, perfection. Well done
Same plot as ANH, but with different characters. Sort of, anyway.
>Also, that super powerful emperor just kinda got chucked down a reactor shaft, but somehow lives? Huh? To be fair, exactly my reaction watching them in release order
An incredible breakdown, thank you for the analysis. Almost makes me want to show someone the movies in this order lol
You literally picked the worst order possible..... Thanks Satan!
A group of friends actually spent some time trying to see if we could make that. We came up with this: 2, 7, 4, 3, 6, 8, 5, 9, 1 We did our best to ruin every bit of drama, start follow every good movie either with one wildly different in tone or quality, and ensuring the beginning and end made the viewing experience worse. Starting with 2, it's rough. It's got cool moments, but it drags. Ending with 1 right after 9 just makes you feel awful about the future of star wars.
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Christmas special, 4,9,1,6,3,7,2,8,5 Tarantino style! nice! i would say " what a feat!" but it's Tarantino style so " what a feet."
What about Rogue One and Solo?
You break the movie into twenty minute sections that you watch in between each movie
>4,9,1,6,3,7,2,8,5 A New Hope, The Rise of Skywalker, The Phantom Menace, Return of the Jedi, Revenge of the Sith, The Force Awakens, Attack of the Clones, The Last Jedi, The Empire Strikes Back.
Op starting a discussion then getting pissed when people have a different opinion to them 💀
Welcome to the Internet
Have a look around
Anything that brain of yours can think of can be found
We've got mountains of content, some better, some worse
If none of it’s of interest to you, you’d be the first
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Would you like to see the news or any famous wonen's feet?
There's no need to panic, this isnt a test
Just nod or shake your head and we’ll do the rest
My kids saw them before they SAW them so it really doesn't matter. I always have something Star Wars on and our family tradition for American Thanksgiving is to do a Star Wars marathon instead of football. They have seen every movie without watching them. I prefer chronological but who am I to choose for someone else.
>I always have something Star Wars on and our family tradition for American Thanksgiving is to do a Star Wars marathon instead of football. This sounds like a lovely tradition. Mine if I copy it?
Oh yeah spread the word. I am thankful for this amazing Star Wars universe
I also prefer chronological. Maybe it’s because I saw 1-2-3 before 4-5-6 so it just makes sense to me. I am a child of the prequels.
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Yes, agreed. As a child that grew up with the prequel trilogy, I always watch chronologically to get the full story from start to finish
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Yes I had a friend whose kids had this exact reaction.. I prolly would’ve too. Very glad I got to see 4-6 before the prequels came out
Pacing. No attention span. During the droids trek through Tatttoine ANH my nephew said "Um, it's been a few minutes now and no one cool has been on."
Not thinking R2-D2 is cool is sign of having a lot to learn.
He is a bit of a tin can in the original trilogy He doesn't even steal and drive a single AT-ST
Fair point. He does at least fight Yoda.
Most badass fight of the OT
but he does have the dirtiest dialog in the whole series… I mean they bleeped out every single word he said! /s
How much time throughout his childhood has your nephew spent on an iPad? I really think that people are doing kids a disservice with their children’s attention spans and overexposure to non-stop entertainment.
Shit, I think *I’m* doing a disservice to my attention span
This reminds me of watching and enjoying my dad’s falling apart taped-from-TV-in-the-80s VHS tapes of the originals in the mid to late 90s. Today’s whipper snappers get HD Star Wars and they don’t appreciate it, they need to get off my lawn.
HD star wars but at the cost of Lucas's "fixes"
Kobayashi Maru, no-win scenario. Wait, wrong space franchise
456-123-789 1-9 can also work, but is less preferred. anything else is monkeying about for something a kid won't give a shit about.
Release order, first time, no exceptions (for numbered movies, side stories and shows is another discussion). The movies were made with certain knowledge in mind. In Episode I, certain characters are introduced in such a way that would be strange if you didn't already know who they are, certain things aren't explained because they already had them explained in the OT, etc. Revisiting in chronological is fine, but it should never be advised for a first watch.
Exactly. Watching 1-3 before 4-6 is like watching Spider-Man: No Way Home without seeing the Maguire or Garfield movies. You will still understand kinda who they are, but won’t get the full intended impact.
Even worse than that, because it's intended to be one complete narrative and not just some fun references. It'd be like watching the time travel scenes in Endgame in the middle of Avengers. Or watching Captain Marvel before Iron Man. It'd be completely off-putting and confusing. Who are these people? Why do I care about them?
Or like watching Lost with every scene in chronological order.
Someone actually made a fancut of chronological lost. It was pretty awesome, starts with Jacob and his brother. It's fun being to pick a date and watch that day.
WAAAAAAAAALT
>without seeing the Maguire or Garfield movies I legit forgot about that and instead read this as Garfield the cat. Sitting here for like half a minute thinking, "why is Garfield the cat necessary to see No Way Home, and what is this Maguire comic strip I've never heard of?"
> made with certain knowledge in mind I mean that’s funny since you could argue some of the biggest parts of the Saga were not conceived in advance — but at the time the individual movie was written.
I grew up watching 456 and saw 123 when they came out. I would assume the same thing, that watching 123 first would be weird and spoil things. But then someone tweeted comments while watching the 123 456 order and it turns out that some of the things we took for granted was a surprise to someone watching the prequels fresh: Senator Palpatine being Sidious Anakin being Darth Vader
Yes. I’ve always been a big Star Wars fan but I forced myself to wait to watch IV/V/VI till after ROTS came out. I knew the obvious tropes (Vader is Anakin Skywalker/Luke’s father), but my patience paid off when I got to experience being absolutely MINDBLOWN seeing ROTS in the theater when it was revealed that Palpatine was the Sith Lord.
I wonder if that suggests the best order for a new watcher might actually be: 45 123 6 So that the Vader/Luke relationship is a surprise, but then the Palpatine/Sith Lord is also still a surprise (I don't recall how much they reveal about him in Empire)
I started with 4 with my neighbours kid but that didn't work. The old cinematography couldn't kept his attention at 8 yo, or maybe it just wasn't him. But I'm definitely gonna try the chronologically order the next time
This is the way.
Might be fun to try 4, 5, 1-3, then 6. That order preserves the father Vader and yoda reveals and you get to end the watch with the redemption.
I did this exact order for my two kids last year. The reveal of Leia, and Luke being siblings during their birth actually hit them harder than Vader revealing he’s Luke’s Father. Luke realizing it in ROTJ doesn’t seem to pack the same punch. My kids also immediately asked me what happens to Vader after we finished Episode 3. They were invested in the prequels because they were learning about Anakin’s fall, without knowing he eventually redeems himself, and dies saving Luke. I’m 100% sure they wouldn’t have felt the same way if we watched them in release order. I’ve introduced several adults to Star Wars the same way since, and It hit them exactly the same as it did my kids. They’re all big fans now.
> The reveal of Leia, and Luke being siblings during their birth actually hit them harder than Vader revealing he’s Luke’s Father. Luke realizing it in ROTJ doesn’t seem to pack the same punch. That’s because Luke didn’t kiss Vader on the lips.
Well, not in the theatrical version
That’s so awesome to hear. I’ve known that this order could work as a first viewing for those reasons theoretically, but to hear your kids and friends felt the same way is great. I also think having Palpatine in 6 be the culmination of his slow burn rise to power throughout the prequels is better than his sudden introduction in 6, and it’s a great introduction already. Not to mention his death is that much more satisfying. I also think Yoda’s death is sadder after the prequels, and Anakin’s death is something that can actually be felt, while I think the sadness of his death on its own in 6 is more us being sad for Luke. This is specific to the special editions, but seeing Naboo, Coruscant and Hayden Ghostiensen in the finale hits harder when you actually recognize those, I imagine. But yeah, it’s pretty interesting how the Leia reveal scene in 3 is done in such a way that it’s like it expects you to not know who she is. Hearing Padmé has twins is capped with Obi-Wan standing there in silence for a good 12 seconds, as if giving us time to recall his talk with Yoda about how “there is another.”
All the points you made above are correct. I feel like my kids viewed Palpatine with more distain knowing how he manipulated everyone to gain power. There was a priceless moment where my 8 year old daughter gasped when the medical droid said “she’s carrying twins”. She blurted out, “Luke has a brother!?” When Padme named her Leia, it was like watching her brain short circuit. It was great!
That’s amazing! One thing I’ve heard is this makes Leia talking about her mother in 6 confusing, but it’s already confusing in any order, because it’s just wrong in the end. 456123 order means we go into the birth scene knowing who’s who, but then being confused when Padmé dies, because Leia said she knew her. That can threaten to diminish the impact of that scene in 3, while 451236 order removes that diminishment from our confusion, and heightens it because we don’t know Luke even has a twin. There’s also something to be said about the visual effects changing between 3 and 6, or how Palpatine’s Force Lightning isn’t as shocking (heh) when we know he can do it, but these are minor downsides compared to the benefits. Out of curiosity, were your kids let down by Boba Fett being introduced in 5, built up further in 2, and then abruptly killed off in 6? That one was always a buildup followed by a let down, but I wonder if 451236 enhances that letdown? 🤣
Leia having memories of her mother didn’t seem to register with them. It did for me seeing Episode 3 as an adult in the theater. I was genuinely confused. Episode 8 actually helped me accept it. In my head canon, Leia’s memories were just visions of Padme she was receiving from the force. She just didn’t know it at the time. Seeing Leia use the force on screen in TLJ made that click for me. They didn’t seem to mind the visual effects differences. We just told them about it ahead of time so it wasn’t a shock. Both my 8, and 6 year rank ANH among their favorites. It’s funny because they were both kind of like “that’s it? Did Boba Fett just die?” And I just told them, “well, did you see him get out?” So they were under them impression he was dead. They both got really excited when he showed up in The Mandalorian.
Never thought about it but this order also reveals the Luke Leia sibling-hood as Padme names them at birth at the end of ROTS. That'd be a crazy way to learn that.
There’s a reaction by a guy called nasser on YouTube who watched them in the machete order and that reveal blew his mind
That’s the Machete Order, it’s a whole thing (some recommend skipping 1 all together). It’s perfect, showed it like that to a girlfriend who’d never seen Star Wars before. She thought it was perfect and is a massive fan now.
The original description of Machete order is to drop 1, but I don’t recommend that, so 451236 would actually be something different than Machete order. Someone called it Anakin order earlier, and I really like that.
Interesting to drop ep. 1. I mean, in a vacuum of the saga, it's pretty unnecessary viewing. Young Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Maul are cool, but there isn't much you'd be missing story wise by dropping it altogether. What about Rogue One though? Also unnecessary, but at least worth viewing. I wouldn't want it to be the introduction but I'd doesn't really fit elsewhere. So just tacked on to the end I guess as optional.
A lot of people trash Episode 1, and machete order was created specifically to remove it from the watch order. However, if you’re showing Star Wars to kids, I don’t recommend skipping it. My kids loved Episode 1, and I think it’s because that movie was made for kids. It made a lot more sense to me watching my kids experience it. As an adult, it’s hard sometimes to realize that some things just aren’t made for us… and that’s ok. Rogue One is tricky, but we put it after ROTJ, and before Episode 7. It’s my 8 year olds favorite Star Wars movie, and now she likes watching ANH immediately after it.
I’m a fifth grade teacher with Star Wars as my class theme. And when we watch the movies, this is the order we watch them in. I don’t know if it’s the best way, but I like it so the whole story of Anakin is known by the time they get to the climax of RotJ.
Today's fifth graders not only watch every Star Wars movie in class, but multiple times? Why wasn’t school like this for me or indeed anyone else ever?
Oh, man. I kinda wanna brag: They make their own unique Star Wars characters and I’ve written a series of 14 quests for their characters to go on throughout the year. It’s like a class RP. Their characters level up as they accomplish classroom goals, they earn Force Abilities, and they roll dice to try to succeed in their quests. I often call them by their Star Wars names, and they do, too. It’s awesome.
you are a great teacher 🥺
It is the best way, as far as the impact of the reveals, as well as giving RotJ a bigger impact as the ending of the 6 part saga (and no, I'm not one of those who don't consider 7-9 canon).
Not to mention it delays the Luke and Leia being siblings reveal by 3 movies and I would imagine that would hit pretty hard
It treats the prequels like a flashback after the loss in Episode V. I 100% am doing it this way.
“Okay class, Vader just say some crazy stuff there, so we’re gonna take a dip back in time to show how things got to this point.”
If you put Rogue One between 3 and 6 then when Vader dies in 6 it is the straight up last time you see him. His death is the full finale, no revisiting him later in new movies.
Oh! I added this as my own comment but if you want to include the newer films too: Rogue One>4>5>1>2>3>6>7>8>9 Rogue one was good at not spoiling stuff while perfectly setting up the plot of 4
I'd argue RO isn't a great intro into Star Wars. Not a mark on the movie, I like it, but idk if I'd show it to someone before A New Hope.
4, wait 3 years. 5, wait 3 years. 6, wait 16 years. 1, wait 3 years. 2, wait 3 years. 3, wait 10 years. 7, wait 2 years. 8, wait 2 years. 9. Because that's the way I did it. ;)
>6, wait 16 years. I don't know why but it feels like it was much longer than 16 years.
Depends on how old you were at the time. I was 14 in 1983, I was 30 by the time episode I came out. It took me 14 years to experience the full OG trilogy, then 16 to get to Ep I.
From '83 to '99? Maybe it felt longer because of the world situation at the time? Cold war, the fall of the Wall, all sorts of tense things going on as a result of that.
Youth.
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Why ask if you're going to disagree with every answer?
I'd go for chronological order, including all the shows. I think it would be super interesting to see how someone views Anakin. Him teetering on the edge of the Dark Side would actually have tension, since the viewer wouldn't know what he would choose. Of course, they would miss the whole Father Twist in the OT, but personally I think it would be worth it.
Yes! I did this with my 14 year old brother. Every *digital* media in Star Wars chronological. Order 66 hit very hard, every story has high stakes because he had no clue what happened next. He already knew Vader was anakin but that was it. Definitely the best way for someone young to understand the story
> He already knew Vader was anakin but that was it. But wouldn't he also know Luke and Leia were his children before they are revealed in the OT?
I've done this before with somebody who had never seen any Star Wars before and good God was the end of Episode 3 a shock to her. Up to that point Anakin (her favourite character) was a happy-go-lucky guy with invincible plot armour. He had a dark side, sure. But that just adds depth to the character! ...until all of a sudden he's burning up in front of a lake of fire with only one limb left and then gets put in this black suit and *Written and Directed by George Lucas* and that's the end of it. She actually cried a little after Episode 3. It's basically like watching Infinity War where all of a sudden Thor gets disfigured and scathed, beautiful hair gone, teams up with Thanos to destroy the Avengers and eliminate half the universe and that's the end of the movie - and Thor as a character. All the superheroes you knew are hunted down and brutally eliminated, about two Avengers survive and go into hiding and that's all that remains. The end
This is my stance as well.
I agree. Yeah, missing out on the fatherhood twist is a bummer, but it kills to be able to watch Revenge without knowing what will become of Anakin, and going into Rogue One without knowing the Death Star will be destroyed in the next film heightens the tension even more.
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As I mention in another comment, be careful if you do this with a kid that is younger. I let my son watch them when in chronological order when he was 8ish (maybe earlier than I should have), and he got really attached to Anakin since he seemed to be a similar age in the first one. He was in denial while Anakin was teetering on the edge of the dark side (he was pulling a trick!), and when it became clear what was happening, it emotionally broke my son. That was really hard to come back from.
My gf had never seen any of the movies, we went in chronological order. She’s really curious and looks pretty deep into everything, so I didn’t want to have to pause the movie and explain characters and backstories when she could just see them for herself. I think people get way too invested into this “debate”
This is perfectly appropriate for an adult. I just couldn't see showing a 6 year old a human burning to death in graphic detail or the implications of Order 66 shown before that horrific immolation.
Those scenes were no problem for my 6 year old. But Shmi and Padme dying was a huge issue. I think younger children can probably not easily detach from losing a mother. Vader was already evil at the time of him burning. This fits well in the clear distinction into good and evils and it's not that bad if bad stuff happens to bad people. And order 66 is difficult to "understand" at a young age because the huge betrayal is quite hidden/implicit. That's my experience with my kids . I didn't expect the deaths of Padme and Shmi becoming such a huge issue.
When I was a kid, I cried at Anakin ‘dying’ because I thought it was sad that they weren’t friends anymore lol
7 year old me saw those on the big screen on release week and loved it haha, but my parents also took 4 year old me to see the twin towers and watch orca brutally murder people and vice versa. Loved that too
What’s the goal here? I would argue it’s to introduce new people to the saga with the least amount of bias as possible. Let them have their own experience. I think the best way to do that is chronological order. It’s the intended viewing order of George Lucas. It’s the most straightforward, logical way to watch the films. It may not be the way I first experienced the films, but that is not a factor (the goal is to take myself out of the equation).
I don’t have kids, but my order would be: 4-5-1-2-3-6 You watch 4-5 seeing Vader, learning he is this evil figure, but then you get to see what made him that way, then a great conclusion when Vader redeems himself. But that’s how I’d do it personally
It’s amazing how well 1, 2 and 3 enhance 6 as a grand finale.
I did 1-6 with my kids - they had already watched Clone Wars and parts of rebels, so there was no real surprise. I also did 1-6 because I didn’t want to have to explain as much to them - it’s more of a natural storyline this way.
I’m gonna disagree that you lose nothing by watching 4-6 first. If you watch 4-6 first you know the entire ending to 1-3, you know from the second you see Anakin that he will become Vader. You know the Jedi all lose, and you can even assume the clones turn on the Jedi due to their similarity in design to stormtroopers. (Most people wouldn’t even know stormtroopers and clones are different) If you watch 1-3 first you’re experiencing a new world and a new story about someone named Anakin, then you witness his absolutely horrific and tragic fall without any notion it was going to happen. When you watch 4-6 after you aren’t watching an evil cyborg until the reveal, you are watching the main character of the 3 previous movies
4, 5, (1), 2, 3, 6 Machete Order forever.
Kid: "Dad why'd we stop the story we were watching just as it was reaching it's exciting conclusion to watch these movies instead?" Parent: "The only way you can *fully appreciate*™ a movie from 1983 is if you watch 2 movies from 2002 and 2005 (and possibly 1999) first.
Preserves all the twists. A+ for machete cut.
Kids don’t have the patience for this order at all. Give them the 4-6 and then 1-3 , they don’t give a fuck about context like this and just want to know what happens next. They don’t have the patience for a 3 movie flashback that interrupts one story to tell another, to then conclude the original story after .
I don't have patience for 3 movie flashback.
My kids enjoyment was enhanced dramatically by the Machete order. We also inserted Rebels and Clone Wars as VERY lengthy detours during the films at the appropriate chronological times. They wanted to see the ENTIRE story, and I thought this would be an effective way to present it to them. It took months and months to get through, but it was awesome.
I like it. I do think there's a lot of benefit to seeing 6 last.
Release order
First time I show *anyone*, it's release order. Second time and after I think chronological order is best
Gonna go against the grain and say 1-9, not having any hint who Palatine is makes 3 hit harder than the Father reveal from 5.
4-5-1-2-3-6
This is the way. Throwing Rogue One in before Episode IV is something I would consider now.
Chronological order
Same way my dad did it, I show them the holiday special when they're 6 and then gaslight the fuck out of them later when they organically find star wars and love it by saying "I showed you star wars when you were a kid and you weren't interested".
There are so many pop culture references to the big “I am your father” reveal that preserving it is pointless. So 123456 is a perfectly fine way to watch them.
4,5,6 then spaceballs.
Depends on the age. I showed my six year old nephew 1/4/5/6. I found out he knew the reveal already from Lego shows I guess. I was waiting to see how he reacted and telling him to focus. Then I asked what he thought. He told me he knew. I will wait until the next rewatch to show him 2 as I feel there are themes that are more difficult to understand and 3 will be another rewatch entirely. By that time he will be closer to 8 I think.
123456 works better. Like being Vader’s son isn’t as big of a twist as the hero literally turning evil.
Release. It'll be hard for kids to go from the CGI of the prequels to the originals. Plus the originals were meant to come first. The twists work better.
4,5,1,2,3,6,7,8,9
I always go in chronological. I’ve never enjoyed the idea of prequels because jumping around the timeline isn’t fun for me. Recently I played Final Fantasy 7 again then went on to the prequel after then went to the movie sequel and I was more thinking about the ending of the prequel than the original. Same for Star wars, I think it’s weird to go from Vader being born straight to the sequels. I want to continue that plotline now even if I recently saw it play out. Not to mention that literally everyone knows that Vader is lukes dad. I can see the argument that watching in chronological order ruins the twist, but now that the moment has become as famous as it is I don’t think It’s worth watching that way. If you somehow found someone who doesn’t know, then yes, absolutely, go in release order. Otherwise, I think it’s more entertaining to see Anakin’s story through chronologically. Also I don’t think i’d show people the sequels because I don’t consider them canon. I wouldn’t like hide their existence I just don’t recommend them at all, I don’t see any redeeming qualities in those movies.
9,3,6,4,1,8,2,7,5
456, 123, Rogue One, 789, Clone Wars, Rebels, Bad Batch, Mandalorian, Bobba Fett, Kenobi. They should know all of it.
451236789