Saga Viewing Order Post-TFA

If GL would change the numbers of TPM-AOTC-ROTS to IV-V-VI and the numbers of ANH-TESB-ROTJ to I-II-III, I'd start watching them in release order.

 

I get that but I can't do anything except that now.

It takes time of course but as the viewings continued year after year now all I feel emotionally is the story of Anakin Skywalker. I see Anakin's face (in the form of HC's image) under the mask. I even "see" that Anakin in ROTK unmasked the same way I see Obi-Wan.

As I have said to me EM is not the young Obi-Wan anymore. He IS Obi-Wan and AG plays the older version.

Of course to each their own.

I think part of it might come down to attachment to the first version of the story seen. As much as I liked Star Wars it was not at the level of fandom I had for Doctor Who. It still isn't and my Star Wars fandom is mostly centered around the movies themselves and their production while for the former it's for books, comics, audios, non-fiction etc. I really got back into it in a much stronger way from TPM forward. I recall loving the Luke, Vader and Emperor scenes at the time. That to me was the movie so looking back it seems natural that the realization of that story in the prequels was going to be fascinating.

I don't have that attachment to the "OOT" as seen on screen. For "Star Wars" I have a nostalgic feeling for that original version. I can look at that one and think of it as you say "Darth Vader is not Anakin Skywalker" since it is a event unto itself in that sense as TESB and ROTJ changed the story that the prequels illuminate. I don't have that for the theatrical TESB or ROTJ. I see them as oddities since they don't have the real Emperor or Anakin in them and Anakin is Vader in them while he isn't in "Star Wars" and was not intended to be.

 

It's always going to be weird for you because you've come at the series in release order first. That's what you've known since the very beginning. So for you, you cannot unlearn what you have learned. That doesn't mean others can or cannot, as it really is subjective.

 

I've always been an episodic person myself. I've found the original six movies to be the most enjoyable in chronological order. Those six movies have Darth Vader's story as the central plot thread, so it's more interesting to see that play out in sequence, rather than get the end and then be shown what lead up to it. And since Episode 7 builds right off of Episode 6, I'm not sure how enjoyable sticking a long flashback in between would be. So, I don't see any real benefit to non-episodic orders, but to each their own.

 

I can understand those sentiments. It really does just come down to individual preference and what you're looking to "get" from the collective viewing experience. For me personally, it's more rewarding to see how the series evolved narratively, thematically, tonally, musically, stylistically, aesthetically, artistically, etc. from it's originating point onwards throughout all subsequently released films, regardless of their place in the internal chronology. It just feels "right" for me to start with A New Hope, since that's where everything we understand as Star Wars came from; it set the standard for everything that followed, and the series progressed both backwards and forwards from the ideas present in that film, building on them, subverting them, and in some cases outright defying them.

As for the transition from VI to VII, there's enough time in-universe between the two films that I feel comfortable allowing that time to "pass" so to speak with what would essentially be an extended flashback. There's also the last shot of Revenge of the Sith, which recalls the iconic binary sunset scene from A New Hope. Rather than watching that first, then watching the original version of the scene a scant thirty minutes later, I feel it's more effective when viewed as the moment when the Saga finally comes full circle to where it started, before once more moving forward. Then there's the consideration that one of the big strengths/draws (and in some cases, drawbacks) for many with The Force Awakens is that it was intentionally a return to old school OT-style Star Wars. In that respect, you need to leave old school OT-style Star Wars for a bit in order for the return to it to carry the respective weight.

But again, this is just my perspective on it. I understand that there are many that derive more from seeing the events of the series unfold in a linear sequence, and that's just as valid.

 

Agree completely.
C-3PO says the first and last words, Tatooine is the first and last planet, Tantive 4 is the first and last ship we see inside of.
The Binary sunset begins the journey and wraps it up. Agreed.

 

4–6 in silence
7 in silence
1–3 with a large amount of talking

These groups can be placed in any order you want.

 

1 to 7 is really the most logical now they are making more.

Besides that, with the original six, Anakin turning if you are completely unspoiled is a great twist. The 1-6 order really subverts a lot of traditions and restructures the OT in ways we wouldn't guess having alternatively seen the OT first. Whether you are on board with these changes personally is another story, but the now intended order it isn't as haphazardly done as it may seem superficially. Sure there are some inconsistencies at a literal level, but the films are so resonant with each other and are clearly designed for this retrospectively.

 

Go for the true marathon watching brorder:
I, II, TCW (movie), TCW (episodes), III, Rebels, IV, V, VI, VII

If the episodes are too much, then go for just the movie, or for an abbreviated list of episodes, but TCW series does the most justice to Anakin Browalker. He's a much better character if you watch the episodes. I also maintain that it gives you a better Brobi-Wan, as well.

 

I always go Episodic even before episode VII, just because I feel that is the best way to receive the whole story with the least amount of bias. However I do understand the Nostalgia that drives many people into the other orders, and respect their right to choose them.

 

I'm not ready to do another marathon soon, maybe next time will be before the release of Episode VIII.

But I think I will go with the episodic order, just to remain in terms with consistency of story. I think release order would be very very very weird, even for new comers, if they want to learn and experience this gigantic story that is Star Wars.

But on the other hand, I think before deciding not watching/watching movies that we don't like/like, before asking from Lucasfilm and Disney more and more Star Wars movies which are going to be released each year now, how about trying to discuss intelligently Lucas' bequeath to the community? There are much more things to tell, discuss and think about regarding Lucas' first 6 Star Wars movies than any future project from Disney. The prequels had the merit to show us the classic trilogy from another angle, to change and evolve our views regarding the questions of good and evil. The Force Awakens, for the moment, only takes the problem upside down, and leaves the public managing by itself an unfinished intellectual draft. And the thing that could be kind of troublesome in terms of the importance of the story told by Lucas in his previous movies is the following: Luke seems to have finally learned nothing from the teaching of his peers and from the fall and the redemption of his father, letting the same mistakes happen again in TFA...

 

The Phantom Menace (introducing Anakin and kicking off the arc)
A New Hope (introducing Luke while presenting Anakin as the noble Jedi that was murdered)
Attack of the Clones (introducing Luke's mother and making Anakin a more gray character)
Empire Strikes Back (revealing Anakin's fate and the shattering of Luke's image)
Revenge of the Sith (how it happened)
Return of the Jedi (redemption for a family)

Wait a day...

Force Awakens (presenting the legacy of both Anakin and Leia/Han/Luke)

 

I have always previously been a "chronological order only" person, but after attending a couple of panels at Salt Lake Comic Con Fanx and listening to a new Star Wars podcast called Aggressive Negotiations, I've come around to the idea of watching the Saga in groupings of parallel movies, going I >IV >VII, II>V, and III>VI, especially since I've come away from my experiences in those two aforementioned panels re-evaluating my initial response to VII as a whole.

 

I've always favoured flashback or machete order, but now that 6 isn't the conclusion of the story I'd go 4-7, 1(or 2)-3. I've always struggled to see 1-6 as one unit, but 4-7 does feel that way to me.

 

Once the new trilogy was announced I realized that the magic order is the following:

TPM-TPM (again)-ROTS-EpVIII




Actually for this to really move from the magical to the mystical first you need to watch THX before jumping to TPM-TPM-ROTS-EpVIII

I saw it in a vision that if you do that you will wake up... in the real world

 

TPM-wait ten years-AotC-wait two years-RotS-wait 18 years-RO-10 min. break for bathroom and snacks-ANH-wait 2 years-TESB-wait 2 years-RotJ-wait 30 years-TFA

 

If I am introducing someone to the series: OT, PT, Force Awakens

Otherwise, I like to alternate between the release and numerical order.

 

Episodic. Always been the way I watched them pre-TFA so I have and will be sticking to that. I enjoy watching the story unfold from the beginning to the end/most recent release.

 

The Force Awakens works both ways, just like the prequel trilogy. Kylo Ren's character is an excellent continuation of the dark path after what we see of Anakin in episode 3

 

4,5,6,7 and eventually 4,5,6,7,8,9. 1,2,3 are EU as some fans recognize them some fans don't.

 

Yoda: "you have to unlearn what you have learnt"

For me I prefer chronological release. SW, TESB, ROTJ, TPM, AOTC, ROTS, TFA

But as I said once EP8 comes out. It's GL-THX followed by EP1 twice, EP3, and EP8

THX-1138

 

Huh. That's so weird! Wookieepedia seems to have a different definition

 

Sorry, but some definition in Wookieepedia won't determine which movies I view as the SW Saga.

 

I don't have a viewing order, I watch what I feel like, which does not include "TFA"

 

I know. I'm just being facetious and admittedly a bit of a smartass

In all seriousness, I advocate for "like what you like and watch how you will"
It just must be awkward seeing the opening crawl start at the fourth counting number