Rambling About Star Wars Viewing Order

I've Got a Bad Feeling About This -- Written by Scott Larsen

With the final installment of the 'Skywalker Saga' right around the corner, I have fallen into a deep deep obsession with Star Wars again. Star Wars for many fans has a special place in their hearts. A saga that has spanned nearly 43 years, there have been several generations of Star Wars movies. George Lucas' original 1977 film was always claimed to be part of a larger story. In fact, after the sequel released in 1980, he infamously added "Episode IV" to the title crawl of the original. This led to the reveal that the original 3 films are the second part of a larger story (originally). Then in the late 90‘s and early 2000’s, the 3 prequel films released under the monikers Episodes I-III. Those films tell the tale of Anakin Skywalker, Luke's father, and his journey of learning the force and inevitable turn to the dark side. These films serve more as a backstory for the events that unfold in the original trilogy. However Lucas claimed that these films were always intentional and that his full story was finally told. Well that all changed in 2012 when the Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm along with the rights to the Star Wars Franchise. Since then, 4 more films have been released, 2 episodic and 2 spinoffs. The episodic films tell the extended story of the saga that follow after Episode VI.

If you have managed to follow along, you probably notice that there are a few problems. How exactly are you supposed to watch these movies? Do I start with the originals and then the prequels? Or do I watch them in chronological order? Well this is where the fun begins. There are many ways to watch the films in just about any order you want but there are a problems with many of them. Today I am going to attempt to figure out an order that works best for newcomers and long time fans, while also breaking down why I don’t think other viewing orders work.

Why Chronological Order Doesn't Work

Chronological order looks something like this:

I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII

Now this order seems very clean and straight forward at first glance, but with a closer look it starts to fall apart. Now the first objection that people always bring up when it comes to viewing order is preserving the big reveal in Episode V. This is an issue. Yes, the reveal that Vader is Luke's father is the most famous twist in cinema history. The surprise is completely ruined when you watch the prequels first because we see Anakin grow up and then secretly have children with Padme. So when you move into Episode IV you know that Darth Vader didn't kill Anakin and that he is Darth Vader. So a big part of the plot in the original trilogy is ruined and doesn't flow well for the audience.

On top of all of this, I personally don’t think Episode I is a great way to start watching the saga. Episode I is clearly made for those that already understand the mythos of the Star Wars universe. Episode I isn't really designed to be the first film a newcomer watches. The Phantom Menace is also rather boring and full of pointless stuff that won‘t captivate people in the same way that the first film does. I firmly believe the prequels are meant to be an additional backstory made for fans and not the starting point for new fans.

Why Release Order Doesn't Work

Release Order looks like this:

IV, V, VI, I, II, III, VII, VIII

This order is better than the previous because its how people naturally would have experienced it ,and on paper its the best way to do it..... but there's a few issues thanks to our good friend George Lucas.

Celebration on Courscant at the end of Episode VI

Okay, let’s break this down. At the end of Return of the Jedi a few changes were made in the 2004 DVD release. During the celebration, Lucasfilm added views of other planets celebrating the defeat of the empire. Courascant and Naboo were added where we see the citizens celebrating the death of the Emperor and the destruction of the second Death Star. There are a few issues here, first of all watching in release order, you aren't going to have a single clue what these planets are and why they'd be celebrating. On top of that, I always wonder how word traveled so fast... seemingly this celebration is happening a few hours after the whole ordeal, its goofy to me that the whole galaxy is celebrating when the original trilogy never focused on the oppression of the Empire in these areas. It feels out of place and can pull you out of the movie.

It doesn't end here either. Time for the more egregious DVD release change. At the end of the film, Yoda, Obi-wan, and Anakin reveal themselves to Luke in force ghost form. This is a tender moment as it shows that Anakin did return to the light side of the force after all. But... in order to help the continuity of the saga, Lucas wanted to add the young version of Anakin played by Hayden Christensen since the older Return of the Jedi Anakin was played by a different actor, Sebastien Shaw. However moments before this scene, the audience sees a helmet less Vader played by (the now eyebrow-less) Sebastian Shaw. So if you are watching in release order you are now going to be confused as to who the heck this creepy teenager is. The ending leaves you more confused than you really should be. Which is a shame.

Hayden Christensen featured at the end of Episode VI

Alright there is one more widely accepted viewing order, time to break it down.

Machete Order Almost Works...Almost

Machete Order looks like this:

IV, V, II, III, VI

Click this image to learn more about the Machete Order

Machete order is a great viewing order for many reasons. It saves the surprise of Luke's heritage, and it doesn't leave the viewer confused with the ending of Return of the Jedi. However... Machete order wasn't built to sustain the newer films. Machete order skips Episode I because its basically irrelevant when focusing on Anakin and Luke's story, but due to recent additions in the Saga, the Phantom Menace features characters that are included in later entries. For example, Darth Maul is teased in Solo, and even in Episode III Obi-wan's former master Qui-Gon Jinn is mentioned. So in today's Star Wars, skipping The Phantom Menace isn't really doable. Also Machete Order doesn't include the newer films so it would need a revision to hold up today.

Today I present to you the "Future Proof" Order.

Since we are going to see more films long down the line as well as TV shows, I think it is important to try and future proof a viewing order that way its easy to just add to it every time a new piece of Star Wars media is released. Without further ado here is the Future Proof Order:

IV, V, II, III, VI, VII, VIII, XI, Everything Else

Kylo Ren and Rey fighting on what seems to be the wreckage of the Second Death Star in the Episode IX Trailer

Alright this seems really straightforward, but I am still going to explain it. I use the basic structure of Machete Order and then add to it with the chronological Sequels that follow Episode VI. After finishing Episode IX I think its pretty much up to you what to watch next. There are many great spin offs and TV shows to enjoy, but having to watch them between Episodes can be jarring, so watching them after the episodic films helps the flow. Also you may have noticed that The Phantom Menace is not included in this order, and that's on purpose. I treat Episode I as an anthology film just like Rogue One and Solo.

I would like to specifically mention The Clone Wars show. The Clone Wars is a brilliant show that rights the wrongs of the Prequels. This show I believe to be a must if you fully want to enjoy the Saga. The best thing about is you don’t even have to watch all of it to enjoy it. There are some great story arcs in the show that you can just tune in and watch, here is a great resource if you want to get started. The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Mandalorian can all be enjoyed after you have the context of the Episodic films.

Now when I say "everything else" I mean it. Even when we start to get new films, trilogies, and stories that aren't connected to the Skywalker Saga. Watching them after the main episodic films will provide the best experience. This can even include games and books. Jedi Fallen Order and Battlefront 2 contain stories that build off the Episodic films and will be best enjoyed with the context of those movies.

Whatever happens in Episode IX I can almost guarantee will fit in this presented order. (Unless some crazy stuff about Midi-chlorians, night sisters, Ashoka Tano, Mortis is brought up. Man I sure hope that doesn't happen.) In J.J. We Trust.

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Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in the trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars -- Season 7

Thank you for tuning in. I am feeling pretty optimistic about the future of Star Wars, even though I am not looking forward to Episode IX itself, there is a plethora of other things to enjoy. The seventh season of the Clone Wars is making its grand return in 2020 Also, with how promising The Mandalorian is looking, looks like there is still content out there to enjoy. The future looks pretty bright despite my qualms with the current trilogy, I still and always will love Star Wars.

Let me know what you think of my viewing order, are there any changes I should make? Did I miss out on something important? Let me know. As always thanks for reading this seemingly random post and have a good one!

-Scott