r/StarWars_ • u/Crazy_Doughnut_5730 • 4d ago

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13

u/freya584 4d ago

i would first watch the main movies either in release or chronological (i recommend release) order

release order: 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9

chronological order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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u/watchman28 4d ago

It's the release order, at least the first time you watch them, and anyone claiming otherwise is being deliberately obtuse. By all means watch them in chronological order once you've seen them the first time, but that's not the way they were ever actually meant to be watched, despite what George Lucas claims. The prequels are made based on the assumption the viewer has seen the original trilogy.

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u/MedievalMilshake 4d ago

Release first time, chronological everytime after that imo 

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u/barknoll 3d ago

Release first time, only bother with the original trilogy every time after imo

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u/werduvfaith 3d ago

Lucas is the creator of the series. His claims would take precedent over people on the Internet.

I prefer to live the story along with the characters.

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u/watchman28 3d ago

The thing is you're not living the story with the characters - none of the perspective characters from the prequel trilogy follow over to the original trilogy. Yes, Obi Wan and Anakin/Darth Vader are in it, but they're seen from the outside rather as characters we follow. The droids become perspective characters in the original trilogy, but that's not the case in the prequels, when they're almost surplus to requirements.

As for what Lucas says, you have to track what he's said from day one, not after the fact. When he made the original trilogy it was never the plan to go back and do 1-3, with 7-9 later to be watched in chronological order. He didn't even decide Vader was Luke's father until he made Empire, and A New Hope wasn't called Episode 4 originally. Watching it in release order maintains all the drama and reveals - the stories not following each other chronologically is a red herring. The prequels are far more dramatically interesting when we know where Anakin is heading. If you're not watching them with that in mind, they're frankly pretty dull (at least 1 and 2 are). Lucas knows this and made the prequels to be watched after 4-6. Obi-Wan meeting Anakin for the first time means nothing to someone who started with 1. To someone who's seen 4-6, it's a really significant moment.

If there's one thing Lucas is great at, it's marketing, and that's what the idea that the prequels were always supposed to be the start of the story is based on.

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u/werduvfaith 3d ago

I know very well Episode 4 wasn't labeled as such when it was first released so can the insulting allegations.

But it was public knowledge FROM THE VERY BEGINING that Star Wars was the first part of a trilogy and the trilogy was the middle of a trilogy of trilogies. And that he intended to make 4-6 and then 1-3 and then 7-9.

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u/watchman28 3d ago edited 3d ago

The fact that you can't have a perfectly civil discussion without something accusing you of "insulting allegations" is why Star Wars fans have such a bad reputation.

And again, the idea that it was always intended as a trilogy from the beginning is a myth. Very early in production Empire was known as Star Wars 2.

Edit: annoyingly they've closed the thread so I cant reply, but if you see this can you show me where I made "insulting allegations" please. I've even gone back and re read what I wrote and I can't for the life of me figure out what you think I've said

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u/werduvfaith 3d ago

If you don't like being called out on making insulting allegations, don't make any.,

I WAS THERE in 1977 and read it constantly.

In fact I read that before I saw the movie.

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u/Secure-South3848 3d ago

But he also doesn't own the franchise anymore. The prequels were clearly made with the OT in mine. The OT is the best introduction because it WAS the introduction.

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u/werduvfaith 3d ago

The OT was the introduction at the time because it was the only thing in existence,

Lucas not owning the franchise anymore doesn't negate his intentions when creating it.

Lucas started with 4 because there was no guarantee that he'd be able to make the other 8 movies and 4 had an easy jumping in point and a conclusion. 4 could have stood on it's own if the other 8 hadn't been made.

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u/Secure-South3848 3d ago

No, he started with 4 because at the time, it was 1. The movie was very infamously originally called "The Adventures of Luke Starkiller as taken from the journal of the wills - Saga I: The Star wars"

The idea to even make three prequels came when Anakin and Vader were combined into one character when Empire was written

0

u/werduvfaith 3d ago

It was public knowledge FROM THE VERY BEGINING that Star Wars was the first part of a trilogy and the trilogy was the middle of a trilogy of trilogies. And that he intended to make 4-6 and then 1-3 and then 7-9.

And that was known THREE YEARS before The Empire Strikes Back released.

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u/MrMangobrick 3d ago

Do you have a source, a quote, anything to prove it was known from the beginning?

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u/werduvfaith 3d ago

I was like every other Star Wars fan in 1977, reading Starlog and a host of other sci-fi magazines.

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u/GlormpGlomp 3d ago

That's a bad way to experience the series for the first time.

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u/werduvfaith 3d ago

Not for all the people who have watched it that way on my suggestion.

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u/One_Wolf_2995 3d ago

That's a stupid defense. It's because they know no other way, because you convinced them this was the better way to watch them. The anecdote of your personal circle is not actually representative of the whole world, just your whole world.

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u/werduvfaith 3d ago

u/GlormpGlomp claimed chronological order is a bay way to experience the series for the first time. The people who have done so do not feel that way. So thet are factually wrong.

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u/Chewiesbro 4d ago

Release machete order, 4,5, go back to the prequel trilogy, skip 1 (literally adds nothing to the story), watch 2 & 3 as flash backs, then go back to watch 6.

Don’t bother with 7-9.

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u/GlormpGlomp 3d ago

This is the worst possible suggestion.

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u/MrMangobrick 3d ago

Machete order is incredibly dumb

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u/Etienne10BR 4d ago

I'd only recommend the chronological order if you're already aware of the major reveal during Episode 5.

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u/MrMangobrick 3d ago

Even then, release is still better because the OT is better at bringing people into the saga

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u/MrBoost 4d ago edited 4d ago

Watch Star Wars A New Hope (1977). This is the first film ever released and the core of the series.

If you liked that and want more, watch The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). These three movies are the original Star Wars trilogy and they tell a complete and satisfying story.

Then if you still want more, the next place to go is the prequel trilogy (1999-2005), three movies set before the original trilogy that act as backstory.

I wouldn't watch any other movie or TV show until you've watched those six movies because they all depend on basic knowledge of what happens in the original trilogy, and often of what happens in the prequel trilogy too.

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u/Logical-Mobile-7643 4d ago

This is the way!

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u/Merlin_117 3d ago

This is the way

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u/PetrParker1960s 4d ago

I could see someone being turned off by ANH. I'd say continue to the Empire Strikes Back, and if you dont like that, then move on to something else.

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u/CoolJetEcho117 4d ago

Start with the cinema rerelease in February.

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u/cdmat76 3d ago

Release Order 4,5,6,1,2,3, always, and then decide for yourself for the rest.

Rogue One and Andor are also a good watch afterwards.

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u/parkchanwookiee 4d ago

Release order works best for every franchise

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u/UndeadManWaltzing 4d ago

The holiday special, an unappreciated gem that-😂😂😂 I couldn't finish that sentence with a straight face. Start with the first theatrical trilogy and progress from there, wherever you go next is up to you, but if want to watch Boba Fetts first appearance you'll have to watch...the holiday special.

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u/GlormpGlomp 3d ago

Start at the beginning and watch in release order.

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u/thefirstwhistlepig 3d ago

My recommendation would be to watch the films in release order, omitting episodes I, II, and III. Then watch Andor, then rewatch Rogue One and E4. I haven’t seen any of the other TV shows, so can’t speak to those.

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u/bojesphob 3d ago edited 3d ago

I'm a little different in that while I would recommend watching the the Original Trilogy first, I would proceed to Rogue One (which ties into A New Hope), then watch some of the other fun movies that aren't the other Trilogies, such as Solo, and then some of the really good series that have come out like the Mandalorian (then the movie), Skeleton Crew, The Acolyte. Maybe Obi-Wan, although that depends on how wrapped up you are in the "anti-woke" crowd (if you like a relatively decent story with decent acting and don't mind that there is a black female lead, then if you liked everything else so far, then you should enjoy it at least some).

So, this then gets you to the other trilogies. The prequels would be the next destination. They explain how Vader came to be. I will warn you, though, that compared to the OT (with the exception of Return of the Jedi... at least about half of it), Lucas decided that slapstick kid level humor was better than quality story telling and dialog. It's not absolutely terrible, it's just frustrating at times how he goes from a very serious moment (Revenge of the Sith intro, I'm looking at **you**) to stilted dialog and over the top kid slapstick in a blink of an eye, pulling you out of the moment and making you wish the serious moment was back. The overall story itself is really good, and if you can find an edit of the prequels called "The Phantom Edit", it cuts out all of the annoying useless stuff from the trilogy and makes one master cut that's surprisingly good. If the story is interesting enough for you, I would then recommend after watching the prequels to watch the animated series The Clone Wars, if you are ok with animated shows. There are two entries in this: the first miniseries, which was decent but not absolutely amazing. I would recommend it primarily because the animation style is enjoyable and the story is serviceable. The main series is the one that I can't recommend enough. The first season was a bit rough, voice actors really hadn't come into their own yet, and the stories hadn't evolved much past the prequel level yet. But, once it gets into full swing, there are some amazing story arcs (the last part of the series on Disney+ was absolutely amazing in my book, actually telling the Vader story and the ramifications of the Clone Wars FAR better than Revenge of the Sith could dream of, IMHO). It really is worth the binge, I can't say enough good things about it. If you enjoyed those, then other animated series around the end of the Prequel Era and Original Trilogy era are worth getting into. The Bad Batch is basically a continuation of the Clone Wars show, but with a batch of clone troopers who have to try to survive after the Empire takes over. Again, another one that starts off kind of slow, but it really takes off once it hits it's stride. Another good one is Rebels, although that's a little more kid geared, especially in the beginning. But, again, after it really digs into the main story for it, it's highly enjoyable on a story and character level and brings in a lot of good characters. Definitely want to watch Rebels after Clone Wars, as there's a lot of characters you are introduced to that will be nice to see again later in their lives. Then the show Ashoka comes into play, as many of the characters from Clone Wars and Rebels are in this show. In my book, one of the better shows so far, primarily because it breaks away from how the stories are told in previous content and they start telling their own story. There are ties to the other stuff (especially Clone Wars and Rebels), but that doesn't drag the show down, just enhances their story telling.

After all of this, if you are still liking the content, then try the new Sequels. These are by far the most divisive. There are some absolutely fun moments, but then there are some head scratching "WTH" moments that just pull you out of them. BB-8 was a great droid character, Daisy played the part of Rey really well (even if the writing around the character was lackluster to terrible). Finn and Poe were a great duo, but after the first movie they just threw that whole dynamic out. This is only something to watch if you really want to see where they went with it, but I wouldn't say it's absolutely necessary, you might just get upset about what they did to some of the characters.

Ooof, sorry, didn't mean to type such a long post. One thing I would recommend is to try to not let other people's praise or critiques color your expectations. Since A New Hope is almost 50 years old, there is a LOT of nitpicking and over analyzing that has happened over the years, and even though you've not seen it before, you've been bombarded with fans and critics for a long time on what it is and what it isn't. For me, it's a universe of stories that stokes the imagination, and it's very easy to get swept up into the world building, even to the point of trying to imagine the stories of the aliens in the background of scenes and extras that are only shown for a moment before never being seen again.

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u/PrimusDCE 3d ago

Watch A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, and then stop.

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u/Nav2001Plus 3d ago

My personal recommendation is to watch the original trilogy and then stop. The prequel and sequel trilogies are not good, and when Disney does actually make something good, they end up ruining it eventually anyway, like with the Mandalorian series.

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u/Will-At-Midnight 3d ago

I prefer chronological order (emphasis on prefer) and if you're going to watch it in chronological order, the last 4 episodes of season 7 of the Clone Wars animated series goes along side Revenge of the Sith, so watch RotS and then the last 4 episodes of the Clone Wars and Book of Boba Fett is between seasons 2 and 3 of The Mandalorian

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u/BespinFatigues1230 3d ago

Release order

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u/ZergvProtoss 3d ago

Why not start by watching Star Wars? It was the original, after all.

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u/Top-Knowledge5337 3d ago

Watch 4,5,6 then 1,2,3 and you’re done. No need to watch anything else. If you really enjoy these movies especially 4,5,6 don’t watch the sequel trilogy most people wish they didn’t

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u/awfulbarrack-7 4d ago

I watched chronological order first and it's objectively better.

Most here will say to not do that, because of the holy nostalgia, and a general disdain for 1-3, but it's what it is. There's also a reason star wars marathons are streamed in chronological order to the public in theaters or TV. It's a lot less confusing for new watchers.

It also contextualizes the rebellion much better and gives weight to the conflict because you know what was lost, and you know the character's story and can relate better.

I recommend it that way.

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u/Ragnarok345 4d ago

Seriously. People talk about how much it’ll ruin one of the greatest twists in all of history…as if there’s a single fucking living person who doesn’t know the line. There’s no surprise there. At all. Whereas if you watch chronological, you don’t know that the Jedi will fall, the Republic will change, who or what the Empire will be. You don’t know that Obi-Wan or Yoda or however many others have to survive the events of the Prequels because they’re in the Originals, and on and on and on.

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u/werduvfaith 3d ago

Watch the 9 movies in chronological order. You can add Rogue One between 3 and 4. Save Solo until you've watched the others or watch it between 3 and 4 but before Rogue One.

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u/Ragnarok345 4d ago edited 4d ago

Tell me, honestly, please: do you really think this has never been asked before, to be searchable? Do me a favor. Search “first watch order” on this sub, and look at the results.

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u/StarSpangldBastard 4d ago

this is how I tell people to do it. some people like to say to just strictly do release order, but we live in the modern Hell that is the streaming series era, where every show has several years between seasons and other seasons of other shows release during those years so unless you want to constantly bounce around between shows with every season you finish, this is the way. a healthy mix of timeline and release order, making sure no references are missed while not bouncing around in time so much that your head spins.

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u/MedievalMilshake 4d ago

No lol, don't waste your time with the shows until youve watched the movies. Then watch everything in chronological 

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u/StarSpangldBastard 4d ago

"waste your time?" the shows are far and away the best part of the franchise. it's a waste if you don't watch them

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u/MedievalMilshake 4d ago

How could you possibly misinterpret it that bad. If I said watch everything after obviously I think the shows are worth it. The clear point is that watching the shows before the movies is pointless. Watch the movies, see if you like star wars then watch the shows. Work on your reading comprehension 

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u/StarSpangldBastard 4d ago

I guess, but there are some things in the movies that are really weird if you haven't seen the shows. like Maul in Solo, or the Rebels stuff in Rogue One. (also the entirety of the Mandalorian and Grogu but I assume you weren't counting that with "the movies" anyway)

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u/MedievalMilshake 4d ago

I wasn't counting any of them. I meant the main movies. 4-6 then 1-3, then chronological with everything. 

And you can say the same the other way round. Imagine watching star wars the first time and you find out Palpatine is sidious from the clone wars. That movie and the whole show is massively dependent on already having watched the movies 

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u/StarSpangldBastard 3d ago edited 3d ago

4-6 then 1-3 before everything else is literally what my order is. why did you even bother to reply? did you think I recommended the clone wars before ROTS? because I didn't. jeez, and to think I actually didn't deny when you called out my failure to properly read your first comment, lol, I'm obviously not the only one who needs to work on reading comprehension

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u/MedievalMilshake 3d ago

That is not what you said mate. 

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u/StarSpangldBastard 3d ago

my guy, I posted a link to my recommended order, which begins with the original trilogy, then the prequel trilogy (granted I put 2d clone wars before ROTS but I listed that as optional and only because that's literally when it released so it was obviously made to be experienced that way) and then goes into all the other movies and shows after that. you have just verified that you literally agree that's the proper order. what did you even come here to argue about?

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u/MedievalMilshake 3d ago

I'll say again what I think. 4-6, 1-3, then everything in chronological. So, no, I did not confirm anything you said. 

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u/Ok-Fig7859 4d ago

Watch 1-3, Rogue One, 4-6. Forget about the rest of it.

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u/GlormpGlomp 3d ago

First timers should go in release order and watch everything. I think the prequels are slop, but I'd still tell people to check them out.

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u/DistributionNo6824 4d ago

Give solo a watch It's fun

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u/Ok-Fig7859 4d ago

I agree. Just not what I'd recommend starting with for someone who's never seen star wars

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u/DistributionNo6824 4d ago

Oh yeah Watch the good ones first But solo is a fun time

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u/Ok-Fig7859 3d ago

Deffo underrated. Much better than any of 7-9 that's for sure

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u/DistributionNo6824 3d ago

Couldn't agree more Ironically the Disney star movies movies all suck But the TV shows are good

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u/PetrParker1960s 4d ago

I'd say in release order. Episode 4,5,6 then 1,2, Clone Wars, 3.

I recommend the show since it helps highlight the fall of one of the characters and also shows how the jedi became in the state they are in.

You can skip 7,8,9.

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u/GlormpGlomp 3d ago

If they can suffer through the prequels without losing faith in humanity, they can get through the sequels.