I’d say always go with publication order (be it books / movies / games) as that charts the creative flow of the IP. The further along they get, the more diluted it becomes.
this. When watching in the production/release order, I get more of a connection to the creators, get a feeling what they thought was interesting to them in that point of time relative to what already was there. So the meta here would be missed, if you follow movie timeline.
This. That’s how they were designed to be experienced.
Another vote here for chronological by release. It’s the way the movies were intended to be seen by the creators. There are story and character elements that depend on this order.
The only wild cards are Rogue One and Solo, and I think you have the right idea already. Scoop those out and watch them together somewhere along the way.
I’m also a release date order fan, assuming we’re strictly talking about the films and not the shows.
As for the shows, just do yourself a favor and make sure to also watch Rebels in addition to Clone Wars. I think Rebels starts off quite weak in part because it doesn’t have the same set of familiar characters to draw the audience in with while the writers were still figuring things out, but by the end I appreciated the show even more (and yes, both shows do connect to each other later on).
So the watch order I posted that I think I’ll use is chronological – but with the two standalones between the prequels and the final trilogy.
I get what you’re saying here, but…in my mind, while Empire Strikes Back is the strongest movie…it’s also – in my mind – the one movie from the original trilogy with a plot that ends in a cliffhanger. Whether it is a cliffhanger or not is probably not material, because when I saw it the first time as a pre-teen, the only thing I could find as a reference back then was the old Batman TV series – which I simultaneously loved/hated because of the end each episode as a cliffhanger structure.
Hey there! I thought about this a couple of years back regarding EP 1-6 (and then 7-9), but had not thought about Solo and Rogue One yet. The idea behind this viewing order is to build a satisfying narrative, which for me could involve presenting characters and then later showcasing their past. I would thus order them as follows:
Rogue One
EP IV
EP V
EP I
EP II
EP III
EP VI
Solo
EP VII
EP VIII
EP IX
Starting with Rogue One makes sense to me on 2 fronts:
- The end just goes right into EP IV anyway and
- While none of the primary characters make it into the next movie, there are many small references throughout Rogue One that make more sense in this viewing order (for example, the exhaust port as a weakness of the Death Star feels more earned if we start with the architect planning it from the beginning for the rebels, whereas the other way around makes it seem like the filling of a plothole).
EP V, then the prequels:
Using the Prequel trilogy as an insert after the great reveal concluding EP V has been proposed on many different sites and forums and the idea always appealed to me. After the end of EP V, it would be natural to want some inside into the fall from grace of the Jedi Knight Anakin to the infamous Darth Vader. So we flashback to a different era, when there still was a Republic and 2 Jedi meet a young boy on Tatooine…
EP VI
Solo - this one is a bit weird to place. Putting it between VI and VII gives it the feel of a light standalone story. Another possibility would be to put it after VII, when Han Solo’s story “ends” - this would make it feel a bit like a tribute. Both are possible.
EP VII-IX - Just the normal order.
In my personal viewing order I would omit both EP I and Solo for various reasons, but since you explicitly wanted all 11 movies in there, this is what I would go with :-)
I like that suggestion. I might try it some day. ;)
Yeah, I like it too. I also like Tim_N’s suggestion of ending on a high note. I’m thinking maybe I can switch Episode 8 and 9. Sure, it will be a little awkward on some plot points, but Episode 9 is pretty much a sequel to Episode 7 anyway, and watching Episode 8 will allow me to go out on the highest note since it’s my favorite move in the saga. Plus that note that it ends on with the democratization of the Force & broom boy is a good note to end the whole saga on too.
If you’ve literally never seen any of the movies before, I’d rather have the introduction to Darth Vader come as he first appears in “Star Wars” than as Badass Fan Service Darth at the end of Rogue One, for what it’s worth. (Mind you, I liked Badass Fan Service Darth.)
Rogue One has Vader as a force of nature. Which is something Rebels also did well. It feels appropriate to both what we are told of in the originals (his abilities muted by technology and technique of the time) as well as the perspective of the characters.
Vader is seen through the eyes of Luke in the OT. Luke who is, himself, a jedi, and Vader’s son. So he doesn’t feel like an irresistible force, just a very deadly foe that would be tough to beat. But not impossible and beyond your comprehension.
But for random scrubs? Vader should feel like doom incarnate. And pulling a draw a heroic feat worthy of celebration. So I love that Vader.
His end scene is also a class in how to develop character through action. How he moves and acts are not just to look cool, they use those moments to tell us something. There is a character purpose, not just flashy ‘this looks cool’ type CGI.
Since everyone has expressed their opinions, let me put in another vote for the following order:
Original Trilogy (4-6)
Prequel Trilogy (1-3)
Rogue One
Solo
Sequel Trilogy (7-9)
Technically, Clone Wars could be watched between episodes 2 and 3, but I’m not sure if you want to dedicate 48+ hours of watching time between two 2-hour movies. And I would say that The Mandalorian should also be watched after everything else, but it technically comes after Return of the Jedi.
Also there’s the Machete Order, which goes 4-5-6-2-3 and skips 1…but you probably don’t want to do that. His reasoning is interesting reading though:
And whatever order you choose, please do yourself a favor and listen to the Blank Check podcast after you’ve watched the prequels:
The conceit of the show (at least at the beginning) is that they’re analyzing Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the one and only movie in the failed Star Wars universe. Why did he make this one single sci-fi movie and nothing after that? Who are all these characters and what is the movie trying to say? They spend many episodes trying to answer those questions.
It’s not filling a plot hole; it’s a plot coupon.
(It’s about a 20-minute video, but worth it for the explanation of story elements like the Death Star plans.)
Purely for research reasons I’m wondering if you can watch it in this order and then report back:
IV - VII - V - VIII - VI - IX - I - II - III.
Since you already watched the original trilogy I’m expecting very few in the way of story beats will be of surprise, and watching it this will help answer two things about the latest trilogy
-
Are all the rehashed story beats in the new trilogy done better or worse than the original?
-
Which is better, the prequel trilogy or the sequel?
First…watch the original trilogy but in Memento Order
6, 5, 4.
Second; watch “Star Wars” - Mad Max: Fury Road because you can pretend it takes place on another desert planet, or Rogue One and/or Solo.
Third, watch episode 2, then 3, then drink and fall asleep during 9.
Finally: watch 1, 8, 7 as a triple feature and declare Star Wars dead.
Im going to try and scrub out the awfulness of some of the recent entries [not to say there are not good bits in them but overall its bad imo] with my suggestions.
Rogue One
Original Trilogy
The Mandalorian tv series after the original trilogy [not finished yet I know, first season is a good romp].
Id like to say The Force Awakens afterwards but you are set-up for disappointment later if you continue. Haven’t watched The Clone Wars or Star Wars Rebels but if you like animated series then watch those before the original trilogy for some prequel action.
I find the stories before the original trilogy [Knights of the Old Republic, First Schism, Second Schism, Darth Bane etc etc] very fascinating possibly more so than the on-screen versions.
My new suggestion is this - do what you want, but don’t let others stop you from watching a movie. There were plenty of people out there who liked - and even loved - The Last Jedi, and plenty who liked The Rise of Skywalker. Make your own decision after seeing it - don’t let others bad mouthing it affect your decision to watch one of the movies, or not. If anything, maybe let them lower your expectations - I did that with RoS, and ended up liking it more than I thought I would.
Yes. Especially the crew here who has certain extremely loud voices who are excessively negative to the point that other people don’t bother talking about the movies here.
Like I won’t claim they are perfect by any means, but some of the complaints about the sequel trilogy are pure bullshit*. I mean parts of the hivemind here has decided Return of the Jedi is bad now, apparently.
These people are wrong, do not let them talk you off watching the movies.
Honestly try not to read much here about the films, especially the sequels, period until after you watch them.
*there are parts of the story that are set up in outside materials. The origins of the big bad are from the novels mostly. That isn’t great, and raises questions the movies aren’t interested in answering JJ. These are legitimate issues.
There are also parts that do have explanations, but those explanations contradict previous EU lore, now relegated to legends. That caused a lot of the saltiness. These complaints are bullshit. Do not concern yourself with them.
Honestly, I’d normally agree with everyone who says watch them in release order, except for the fact that you’ve already seen the original 4-5-6 trilogy so there are no reveals there for you.
Given that, I think it would be more interesting to watch them in chronological order and watch the story unfold, even though you know what’s coming in the middle. Watching 4-5-6 first makes absolute sense if you haven’t seen them, but you already know the story there, so watching them in chronological order will give you a different perspective on them vs. just rewatching them, which would just be reliving your first watch.
So I’d say watch:
1-2-3
Solo
Rogue One
4-5-6 - it’s interesting to watch these in chronological after seeing how the other movies work as retconned setup for them
7-8-9
Mandalorian (it actually falls between 6 and 7, but it’s so long it makes more sense to enjoy it as a fine desert, especially since IMHO it’s the best thing outside of the original trilogy.)
Also, there are some of us who (looks around) liked Solo.(ducks)
I liked about half of Solo.