Suggested Order for Star Wars films?

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What order!?

Release Date (4,5,6,1,2,3)
9
32%
Chronological (1,2,3,4,5,6)
11
39%
Original trilogy with BACKSTORY interjected! (4,5,1,2,3,6)
3
11%
The Star Wars trilogy (4,5,6). What do you mean, "prequels"? :x
2
7%
Random weird order (6,2,4,3,1,5) \:D/
1
4%
Skip them all and watch the horrid Ewok films instead!
1
4%
I don't care as long as its the unedited original trilogy. Han DID shoot first, I know it! And Jabba isn't in Episode 4!
1
4%
 
Total votes: 28

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The Top Crusader
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Suggested Order for Star Wars films?

Post by The Top Crusader »

...I am almost positive this discussion occurred here long ago, but maybe that was on the old Town Hall... either way, it was long enough ago that I DEMAND IT OCCUR AGAIN! :x

Lets say you're a parent, and decide your child is old and wise enough to watch the Star Wars films for the first time... what order do you go in? Original release order (4,5,6,1,2,3)? Chronological order (1,2,3,4,5,6)? Something more unique (4,5,1,2,3,6)? Or you if you are against parenthood, you can just say you are showing them to a friend who hasn't seen any of them for the first time. ;)

Back in MY DAY we didn't have a fancy-schmancy prequel trilogy, so we only had 4, 5, and 6 to worry about... but alas things are harder for today's youth. :( As a matter of fact, when I was a kid, A New Hope was just called "Star Wars" pretty much universially. That's all it said on VHS boxes and everything. ;) My personal inclination would be release order... however I have heard the last option I mentioned a few times... 4 and 5 to get the feel of the original series, but then sort of flash back to 1, 2, and 3 to get the whole backstory before the finale in 6. I don't know, that's interesting, but I'd rather not break up the trilogies like that.

SO DISCUSS AND VOTE AND STUFF!
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Post by BlessedCheesemaker »

You forgot the Clone Wars movie there there are now 7 films :P

I think the first two movies have to be episodes 4 & 5 just so that the "Luke I am you father" is a surprise. After that I could go either way.
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Post by The Top Crusader »

I just found an article (because clearly I am hard at work here) that recommended the "flashback" viewing because it doesn't spoil the big surprise. I mean, most people know that even without seeing them, but assuming the person is going in with no knowledge at all, it definitely is worth protecting that information. I also think you can much more appreciate Anakin's rise to power (although perhaps not appreciate his "Yippee!" yelling as a child) when you know what he becomes, and his relationship with Obi Wan, etc.

Those who voted chronologically need to come in and defend their position. ;)

Anyway I started this thread because I started rewatching them after playing through The Force Unleashed 2. Only watched 1 and 2 so far... they are kind of dumb but actually better than I remember. Kid-Anakin and Jar Jar can be fairly annoying in 1, although Darth Maul and Qui Gon kind of make up for it. Anakin is a little better in 2 but still whiny and emo and not really befitting of Vader, but I do enjoy 2 a fair amount overall. Maybe its just that its been so long since I've seen them that the annoying parts were built up as being worse than they are, or something. \:D/

Haven't seen 3 since it was first out on DVD and my housemate and I rented it... I remember thinking it was the best of the new trilogy, hopefully I'll get to see it in the next could days and see how it holds up. At least Anakin has a better haircut in it. I am not looking forward to the "NOOOOOOOOOO!" at the end, though. :(

Haven't seen Clone Wars or the associated cartoon (although I do have the Lego game...). I've heard its decent but the animation looks wonky. If they did an animated series based on the original trilogy I'd be more into it.
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Post by jelly »

I actually really like the idea of watching them in the 'flashback' order. \:D/ I'm going to try that next time I have the urge/time to actually watch them all at once.
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Post by bookworm »

Note for reference: The previous thread about this subject is here. Not merging them because both contain a poll.
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Post by BlessedCheesemaker »

The Top Crusader wrote:Haven't seen Clone Wars or the associated cartoon (although I do have the Lego game...). I've heard its decent but the animation looks wonky. If they did an animated series based on the original trilogy I'd be more into it.
I agree that it would be awesome if they did an animated series based on the OT, but just watch the two full episodes available on the Star wars website and then tell me what you think. The original movie and first season didn't have the best animation, but the series has really improved. Besides there is almost always an homage to the OT in every episode.
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Post by Taps »

I would go for 4.5, and 6. then 1 2 and 3 just because 4 5 and 6 were SO much better.
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Post by ric »

I think I actually saw them 4,5,6,1,2,3. :yes:

We have the original trilogy on VHS. \:D/

I remember when 3 came out my friend told me if they had killed one more person it would've been rated R, so I went around saying that I didn't want to see it. Then I got it for my birthday. \:D/

Good times. I can't believe I'm old enough to actually have MEMORIES!! :shock:

Anyway, I'd say 4,5,6,1,2,3. Cause if you went 1,2,3,4,5,6 you would be sooo disappointed by episode six. Things are always better in order of publication/creation 'cause it gets better as it goes, even if the chronological order is screwed up.

Ya, Anakin is terrible in episode one. Plus he's like 7 years old and Padme is like 20, but then in episode 2 they're both like 20! How convenient. :-
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Post by Musical Shutterbug »

Perfect age for a love story \:D/
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Post by Termite »

"Do you see him hitting on the queen though he's just nine and she's fourteen?"

But honestly, I think Padme is supposed to be really young... which is why she says in episode two that she then thought she was too young. :-k Still.

The Top Crusader wrote:Haven't seen Clone Wars or the associated cartoon (although I do have the Lego game...). I've heard its decent but the animation looks wonky. If they did an animated series based on the original trilogy I'd be more into it.
I LOVE Clone Wars. \:D/ It's my nerdy side's guilty pleasure. And the animation is definitely different, but it really works.

ANYWAY. For the first time watching, I would have to say publication order. Of course, now that I've seen them so many times, I like going 1-6, which my child will be forced to do after seeing them all once. (with the Clone Wars in the middle. Only the movie, though; I think it'd take too long trying to watch the first three seasons also. ;) )
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Post by Musical Shutterbug »

Padme was supposed to be 14 in episode one. Anakin was nine.
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Post by DanP740 »

ric wrote: Ya, Anakin is terrible in episode one. Plus he's like 7 years old and Padme is like 20, but then in episode 2 they're both like 20! How convenient. :-
She must've gone to the same highschool as Connie.
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Post by Knight Fisher »

She was fourteen in Episode One. They must have Naboo Idol or something to pick their leader.
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Post by Shennifer »

I first watched them in release order, so 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, and I like it that way just because that made me excited to see where it began having already seen where it ended.
Yes, the prequels are not as grand as the other 3, but I love them all simply because it's Star Wars. I could really rant about what I'd change, but that's a story for a different time. :)

Jelly: the last time I watched them in chronological order (in one sitting) was a New Years Eve a couple years ago. I wouldn't mind doing the same again, but making it into two days instead of one.
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Post by Aeva »

For a first-time viewer, I think the films should be watched in publication order. It's just more fun, in my humble opinion, to be dumped right into the middle of the Star Wars universe and then to have the background filled in later. (And it's so much more fun to watch Leia flirt with Luke before you know their true relationship. :- )

Just for the record, I feel the same way about Lord of the Rings. I would definitely have a first-time viewer watch the trilogy and then go back and watch The Hobbit after it is released.
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Post by bookworm »

This is actually a hard question to answer, because I can see it both ways.

When I personally saw them for the first time, I went chronologically. But I was an unusual case because I wasn’t truly going into them ‘blind’ I actually knew exactly what was going to happen. I was a Star Wars fan before seeing any of the films, so I knew what was going to happen in each one and where everything was going to end up. That may have had an influence.

Anyway, I can see the appeal of going chronologically because that’s how everything fits together.
But I see the reasoning behind going with the release order because of how that sets the main story and then the new ones fill it in afterwards. And that’s a great point about “I am your father.” If you saw the new ones first you’d just go “Well, yeah.”

So I think for the very first time, release order may be the way to go, and then chronologically for rewatching in the future.
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Post by Laura Ingalls »

Definitely release order. Period. :x
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Post by Caswin »

Aeva wrote:For a first-time viewer, I think the films should be watched in publication order. It's just more fun, in my humble opinion, to be dumped right into the middle of the Star Wars universe and then to have the background filled in later. (And it's so much more fun to watch Leia flirt with Luke before you know their true relationship. :- )
For what it's worth, that's part of the reasoning behind the "4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 6" idea.
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Post by darcie »

The Top Crusader wrote:Back in MY DAY we didn't have a fancy-schmancy prequel trilogy, so we only had 4, 5, and 6 to worry about...
Back in MY DAY we had to wait for episode three to be released! :x And then we were promised both a prequel and sequel trilogy. Look how well that turned out. :noway: So, release date order. No question.
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Post by The Top Crusader »

Yeah when I was a kid we were all pretty excited about the prospect of Episodes VII, VIII, and IX with the cast returning from the original trilogy... when my friends and I were getting into Star Wars it wasn't too long after the release of Return of the Jedi... I'm too young to have been into the original theatrical release of Jedi but I do remember the excitement surrounding the TV debut. I believe it was a Sunday night on NBC... I still remember the tv ad: "The good, the bad, and the ugly clash! In the greatest Star Wars of them all!"
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