If you had never seen the SW movies...

In what order would you watch them?

 

4,6,3,2,1, and 5!

Besides, who needs to watch the movie when we got sites like Wookiepedia that can tell us everything about Star Wars in a nutshell?

 

If I wasn't aware of the technical differences or the years in which each was made, then I'd probably see them 1-6 if it was a first time viewing. However, being aware of the years in which they were made and the technical differences due to technologies available at the time of each film's creation, I'd probably watch them in the order they were releases; 4-6 then 1-3.

 

I will always stick to the belief that it should be watched 4-6,1-3. Thats how I saw it as a kid, and I don't think I could be as captivated if I watched it all and knew all the twists and turns.

I was actually introducing a friend to SW, she'd never seen it before. She was really interested because of my daily rants of love towards Star Wars, and so she was willing to watch it. Alas, I planned to show her 4-6,1-3, but she saw episode 1 first. I was so dissappointed she was introduced to SW 1-6.

 

1-6 would be kick awesome. I saw it 4-6, 1-3 also, but I would have loved to have seen it clear through without knowing the outcome. That would be hilarious and brilliant.

 

4-6, 1-3. I find that a much better order to watch them in.

 

I've come to believe that if they were ever REALLY meant to be viewed as one cohesive story beginning with episode 1 and ending with 6, they would have been released that way. If Lucas considered the backstory to be worth a damn in the beginning, then it would not have been a backstory, it would have been THE story. Epsiodes 1-3 are an afterthought, albeit a highly successful afterthought. Let me be clear, I like them and I am glad they came out, but they require some knowledge of the OT to retain their texture. I'll stick with 4-6, then 1-3.

 

I recently watched them 1-6, and it was great. I look forward to one day watching the saga in this order....1, 2, Clone Wars movies, etc., 3, live action series, 4(Revisited), 5(Revisited), 6(Revisited)....that would be sweet.....oh and add 3 more movies before ep1, and 3 more after ep.6.....

 

I used to feel this way, too, being an oldtime fan who saw the OT as it was released theatrically, etc. But the last two times I've watched the films, I've watched them in chronological order, I - VI -- and I must admit the unfolding of the plot works really well. Even the differences in special effects technology are not that glaring now that we have the SE's, and the stylistic differences are present from film to film even within each trilogy -- TPM being as wildly different from ROTS as it is from ESB, for example. I agree the meat of the Saga begins with 'ANH', but the backstory is utterly fascinating and enriching, and deserves to be told even if it is, and always has been, a prelude to the Adventures of Luke Skywalker.

 

If i had kids i'd dedinately show it to them I-VI

 

I-VI for sure. What would the purpose of showing them out of order be? So you watch ROTJ and Anakin dies and then you tell them now do you want to see him as a 9 year old?

 

If you had never seen the SW movies...


My life wouldn't be complete.

 

Agreed.

 

To answer your question, the purpose of showing/viewing the films IV-VI/I-III would be:

* To see them in the order they were produced and released
* To see them in the order millions of people worldwide have seen and enjoyed them
* To gain insight into the origins and development of the Saga as a whole, which did not develop in the mind of the author I-VI, but IV first, with a few pages of backstory that later became I-III

 

I agree that 4-6, 1-3 is the way to go.

 

4 - 6 , then 1 - 3 .

because if I started with TPM I doubt I'd bother to watch the rest of them , it is a very poor start .

 

When I show the movies to those poor unfortunate souls that haven't seen them yet, I've tried both variations. If I show them I-III first, and they don't know much about SW beforehand, they all get really surprised when Anakin goes bad, and some haven't actually picked up on the fact that Palpatine is a no good two timing double crosser. If I show them IV-VI first they get REALLY surprised about Vader's revelation and when Yoda turns out to be the Jedi master Luke is looking for.

Another thing I've also experienced is that people who've never seen SW before, like ep I and II much better than I do.

 

How is this possible? Can it be that there are people left in Western society, with access to TV/Internet/magazines/conversation that have not heard that Darth Vader is Luke's father? Nor that Yoda is a Jedi Master? Forgive me, but I'm having a hard time believing this.

 

If you've had absolutely no interest in Star Wars before, there's no reason why one should know this. There are lots of times I've heard quotes from something I didn't know anything about in, lets' say a TV show, and only later when I've seen the movie or book that was being referred to, do I get the joke or quote.

One girl who was watching Ep I with me asked me: WWhen do we get to see that black dude in the mask I always see photos of when they write about Star Wars?" She had no idea who a Skywalker was. And she is my age (35)! (She loved Ep III and IV and thought the others were ok)

Star Wars isn't everything, you know

 

I think another reason to start with ANH is Obi-Wan's explanation of The Force to Anakin. For someone new to Star Wars, watching TPM and hearing them talk about The Force, The Chosen One and all this stuff, I think it may be a bit confusing.

 

I'm not suggesting that SW is everything. For people living in the West in the 21st century, the phrase "Luke, I am your father" is as culturally ingrained as Hamlet's "To be or not to be...?" or Juliet's "Wherefore art thou Romeo?". Even if you haven't seen the film, you know that Vader is the evil father and that Yoda is the wise Jedi. It's all over pop culture. I understand your analogy about hearing something you only understood later when you saw the source for yourself, but in this case ("Luke, I am your father") there isn't any room for equivocation. The five-word phrase says it all. Likewise the character of Yoda, who is widely known as a sage Jedi even among poeople who have no interest in the Saga, could not be misconceived of as a funny little jokester by anyone over the age of 10 who's turned on a television set int he last twenty-five years. Certainly there must be people out there who have no knowledge of this, people who don't watch TV, read magazines, talk with their friends about film or pop culture, but you seem to have discovered quite a few of them -- which again I have a difficult time believing.

 

I see your point, and yes, I've met several people who's never seen Star Wars but still knows about the connection between Luke and Vader. But there are those out there who have absolutely no interest in this, and therefore they don't pick up on these references. I've especially found this to be true among people who were born in the 80s and who were teenagers in the early to mid 90s.

And most people think that "to be or not to be" is said by Hamlet when he is holding the skull. And he doesn't say "I knew him well" either. So even if it's deeply integrated in popular culture, people still don't have a clue.

 

Poor Yoric. Alas, Horatio, I knew him well.

You've got some fair points there. I suppose it's possible those people growing up in the 90s, who never saw the OT on video or cable, missed the SE releases in 1997, as well.

Anyway, I've been derailing this thread with my argumentativeness. So back to our regularly-scheduled topic!

 

Even though Vader never said that.

 

^ ^ Sure he did. There's a "No" in front of it, but the "Luke, I am your father" part is verbatim from the film.