I’ve dubbed this “Machete Order” on the off chance it catches on because I’m a vain asshole. Simple, watch them in this order: IV, V, II, III, VI. How can you ensure that a viewing keeps the twists a surprise, while introducing young Anakin before the end of Return of the Jedi? This moment robs the most important moment from the ending of Return of the Jedi from its emotional impact. The fact that Christensen looks like he’s undressing someone with his eyes doesn’t help. Placing Hayden Christensen in the ending of Jedi, since he’s not in ANY of the other films, turns an ending that should be celebratory into one that is confusing for the viewer. If you’re watching the official releases and you view the original trilogy first, then at the end of Episode 6, Luke looks over at his mentors, Ben Kenobi and Yoda, and suddenly they are joined by… some random creepy looking teenager who needs a haircut. Unfortunately, Release Order also suffers from a problem, created by a single shot. Starting someone off with Episode I is a surefire way to ensure they don’t make it through the entire franchise. Hell, that’s why George Lucas made Star Wars (later renamed A New Hope) first - it was the most interesting story he had in his brain at the time. Watching 3 films of backstory is boring if you’ve never seen the films they’re the background to.
They’re just background for the real story, which is Luke and his new friends trying to defeat the Empire. The other problem with Episode Order is that the prequels don’t really have a story. If a newcomer to the series has managed to avoid having it spoiled for them, watching the films in Episode Order would be like watching the ending of The Sixth Sense first. The problem with Episode Order is that it ruins one of the biggest twists in movie history If you think that this reveal doesn’t matter since it’s common knowledge, I suggest you watch the looks on these kids’ faces.
There are two critical flaws with both of these orders, unfortunately, that prevent either from being appropriate. Episode Order - Watch the films in the order George Lucas intends, starting with Episode I and going straight through to Episode VI.Release Order - Watch the films in the order they came out, recreating your experience with the films for someone new to them.There are two obvious options for watching the Star Wars saga. Whatever your reason, if you are showing someone the official editions of Star Wars for the first time, you have to make a decision about which order to watch the films. Hell, maybe you actually like the prequels (seriously?). Maybe you’ve accepted that the original theatrical editions are no longer considered canon, and you’re a nerd that cares about things like that. So, with that out of the way, what can you do if you do wish to involve the prequel trilogy? Maybe you don’t want to mess around with fan edits or the pirate bay, and you just want to watch the official Blu-rays with your kids. There’s also a Project 4K80 for Empire Strikes Back and Project 4K83 for Return of the Jedi. While not quite as crisp as Harmy’s, this is my favorite version of the original film by far. Since people still link and check this post occasionally, I wanted to mention Project 4K77 which has taken a copy of the original theatrical negative and scanned it in 4K, releasing versions with and without digital noise reduction. UPDATE: Since writing this original post, Star Wars has been made available in an even better format than Harmy’s Despecialized. If the “proper order” for Star Wars for you is the original trilogy and nothing else, stop reading now and find the Despecialized Editions. Downloading, burning, labeling, and printing cases for these films is one of the neckbeardiest things I’ve done (aside from writing this blog post), and I’m extremely glad I did it. They are 720p videos that are the result of “Harmy” from The Original Trilogy forums painstakingly reconstructing the theatrical releases of all three films utilizing a wide variety of video sources as well as custom mattes. Brace yourselves, what follows is a disturbingly long post about the best order in which to watch Star Wars.įirst, let me say this: for people that couldn’t care less about the prequel trilogy, I suggest Harmy’s Despecialized Editions.
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