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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga Watching the Star Wars Saga Eps I-VI for the first time

Discussion in 'Star Wars Saga In-Depth' started by Darth_Articulate, Dec 5, 2012.

  1. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    I've always been interested in hearing POV's from newcomers to the SW universe that watch all 6 in chronological order. From the few I've read, it seems that most people who do this have vastly different opinions about the PT vs OT than people who saw the OT before the PT.

    Please use this thread to post reports or links to reports from people whose first time with SW was a I-VI marathon (please not reports from people whose first time was watching them in any other order than that...there are enough of those reports around)
     
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  2. CoolyFett

    CoolyFett Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 3, 2003
    My girlfriend & niece saw it that. But your not really going to get many people here that did it that way. One thing you have to remeber is virgins don't know the difference between OT & PT....older fans do, but newer fans don't. That's the joy I get showing 1-6 to new people. They get to see a complete story. You'll be surprised what character virgins connect with. My girlfriend likes Yoda a lot & my niece likes Padme. I've always showed the movies in 2 movie sessions so 1&2 in one sitting, 3&4 in one sitting etc etc...
     
  3. CoolyFett

    CoolyFett Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 3, 2003
    Its fun to disscuss star wars with those who viewed it the right way. And see it as one film in 6 parts or a 13hr film which is how I view it. Many fans are celebrating that the brand will get watered down the next few years, but ill always love the story of Palpatine.
     
  4. Sistros

    Sistros Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Jul 24, 2010
    this thread sounds so dirty :p
     
  5. -NaTaLie-

    -NaTaLie- Force Ghost star 4

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    Nov 5, 2001
    It might mean Anakin & Padme in Episode II or Luke in all of the OT :p
     
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  6. CoolyFett

    CoolyFett Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 3, 2003
    Umm we don't really know what happened with Luke & the Wampa in that cave. Luke seemed to walk a lil differently after that scene.
     
  7. Sistros

    Sistros Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Jul 24, 2010
    I too would be interested in hearing stories from people who have watched with relatives who have never seen it before
     
  8. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

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    Nov 12, 2012
    It's really hard to find somebody, though. But I did hear a cool watchin' theory: go with ep. 4-5. Then Vader drops the "I am your father" bomb on Luke. Then, boom!, ep. 1-3 as a flashback, which actually kinda nicely leads into the climax of ep. 6. If I actually knew anybody who didn't know anything, I'd totally do it like that.
     
  9. Corran1138

    Corran1138 Jedi Knight star 1

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    Nov 7, 2012
    My girlfriend (now wife) first saw the original trilogy with me, then the second time around watched the PT followed by the OT. She appreciated the story much more when watching all six films.
     
  10. CoolyFett

    CoolyFett Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 3, 2003
  11. PiettsHat

    PiettsHat Force Ghost star 4

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    Jan 1, 2011
    Well, I saw the prequels first. Kind of. It's complicated. Both TPM and AOTC were the first Star Wars films I saw and I liked them very much (TPM was the first Star Wars film I bought). But I saw them in 2004, before ROTS was released. So my family had initially rented I, II, IV, V, and VI. The thing is, though, we rented them to have something to watch while going to pick my grandparents up from the airport. So I saw I and II just fine, but when we watched IV, V, and VI on the way back, I was only half paying attention as I was mostly talking to my grandparents (and I also fell asleep during large swathes of those films, given how late it was). So I don't really remember much about them. I actually didn't realize that I/II and IV/V/VI were related because of that. I thought they were kind of like Legend of Zelda games (which I was really into) in that they utilized the same setting, but unrelated protagonists for the most part.

    It wasn't until ROTS was released that we rented all 6 and then did a movie marathon. ROTS kind of blew my mind because I never suspected that Anakin would fall and, more importantly, I realized that he was the villain in black that had appeared in the OT. In part, I think this partially explains why I love ROTS so much -- it basically bridged the Saga for me and I was all that much more eager to watch the OT (properly this time).
     
  12. oierem

    oierem Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Mar 18, 2009
    Don't want to go off-topic, but I really don't think this works. Episodes 1-3 were not designed as a big flashback: they're three full movies that don't just deal with Anakin's story. There's just a lot of filler if you want to present them as a flashback. More than 30 minutes before Anakin even appears in episode 1.
     
  13. CoolyFett

    CoolyFett Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 3, 2003
    I always smile after reading many of your post. This is no exception. Is the PT about Anakin? Good question. Is it about Anakins relationship with Obi Wan? Obi Wan really didn't spend that much time with Padme. Obi Wan was just a sidekick in EP1. To me TPM was always about Qui Gon & Padme.The camera seems to follow those 2 the most. After watch 2&3 & then watching 4 its not Lukes story until after the escape from the Deathstar. If one watches ep4 after the PT, you know right off the bat who the white soldiers are & who the warrior in all black is...so the next thing you want to see is Obi Wan & where he is. Do fan realize quickly that Luke is the baby Obi Wan passes to Beru?
     
  14. Arawn_Fenn

    Arawn_Fenn Chosen One star 7

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    Jul 2, 2004
    I'd call that a unique perspective!
     
  15. janstett

    janstett Jedi Master star 3

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    May 29, 2004
    I have an Indian coworker who somehow has not seen Star Wars (despite being very up on the culture and loving Austin Powers, Office Space, etc.). I have gotten him to start watching the saga but I recommended IV-V-VI-I-II-III as the order because the Vader father revelation is completely ruined by watching the prequels first.

    He watched ANH last week and this weekend is Empire. Watching I-III as a flashback between Empire and Jedi is not a bad idea, maybe I'll suggest it.
     
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  16. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    A few questions for you since you "sort of" fit this experimental model:

    1.Watching them in order, was ROTS your favorite or did you have another fave or equal faves?

    2. Were there any scenes/plot points/bits of dialogue in the OT that struck you as contradictory of the PT during that first 1-6 marathon?

    3. What were some of your thoughts about the characters watching the OT right after the PT?
     
  17. PiettsHat

    PiettsHat Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2011
    1. Yes, ROTS is my favorite. Although, I was (and am) very fond of all the films.

    2. Hmm...well, I remember being confused a bit as to Obi-Wan talking to Luke about Anakin, but I quickly realized that this was him explicitly lying. Leia remembering her mother struck me as a tad odd, but I chalked that up to her being Force sensitive since, all things considered, if Anakin could see the future, I saw no reason why Leia couldn't see the past.

    There are probably things that would have confused me more had I not already seen the OT in a piecemeal, incomplete fashion.

    To be honest, though, I wasn't bothered by too many things because the way I watched them -- by marathoning -- meant that I was more focused on what was going to happen next rather than if I thought a point was confusing. If there was something I didn't understand, I just figured it would be explained later. So I took a more "wait and see" approach since all the films were on hand.

    3. I loved the fact that the transition was done through C3PO and R2D2. They were familiar characters, so it was nice, in a sense, to see them kind of transition from one generation to another. I also thought it was cool how Anakin/Vader was the first significant character (besides the droids) to appear onscreen. In regards to Luke and Leia, I was pretty enthused that they were Anakin and Padmé's kids all grown up, although some things did strike me as exceptionally ****ed up -- like Anakin torturing Leia. I mean, he's her dad and all...

    One character that kind of took a hit, though, was Obi-Wan. Him lying to Luke was rather unexpected and it took me a while to reconcile the character with what was shown in the PT.

    I think one of the reasons I never really liked Han all that much, though, is that he seemed rather ancillary to the proceedings. That, and I was disappointed that Leia's role wasn't really developed more, although I did like her.
     
  18. Count Yubnub

    Count Yubnub Force Ghost star 5

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    Oct 1, 2012
    I've already posted this elsewhere on this forum, but I watched the entire saga with my ex's (then-) preteen daughter and some of her friends over the course of a weekend for a sleepover party). We watched the saga in episode order, on DVD, shortly after ROTS came out on DVD. (It was my ex's choice, not mine.) None of the kids had seen a Star Wars movie before. But, based on that experience, I've become a fervent supporter of the chapter order (123456), and my respect for Lucas as a storyteller has grown immensely. The saga works really, really well that way—much better than I had previously assumed it would. Everything fits together nicely.​
     
  19. CoolyFett

    CoolyFett Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 3, 2003
    This thread is taking me to the darkside. One thing I wanna mention is Han Solo shows up 42 minutes into ANH. Han Solo I don't really view him as a star in the movies. I don't understand the lust for Han Solo. He was a butthead in most of ANH, then he tried to be a mac in Esb, heck he didn't really fight anyone until ROTJ. The way he kills Boba Fett is a gargabe scene & there should have been a brawl like Obiwan & Jango. Han was a wimp. I like Harrison Ford though, but Han sucks y'all. The only time I enjoy Solo is the scenes where he is going back & forth with Threepio. Threepio seems to annoy the crap out of Solo & I enjoy those scenes. Anakin chumped Han quite nicely on Bespin.I think of the so called stars of GL6 Leia is one of the best characters, then Obi wan.
     
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  20. -NaTaLie-

    -NaTaLie- Force Ghost star 4

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    Nov 5, 2001
    Han was most interesting in ANH especially as a foil for Luke's youthful enthusiasm and Obi-Wan's "Jedi-ness". Funny one-liners didn't hurt either. He became less interesting by being too good.
     
  21. -NaTaLie-

    -NaTaLie- Force Ghost star 4

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    Nov 5, 2001
    So you don't think that Anakin's fall was so obvious from AOTC like some others claim? It's hard for us who saw the OT first (probably still a majority of fans) to evaluate the subtlety of Anakin's character development because we keep looking for signs that he's going to go dark. In fact, one of the criticisms of TPM was that Anakin seemed to be too nice.
     
  22. PiettsHat

    PiettsHat Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2011
    Nope. No. I didn't see it coming at all. To give you a glimpse into my thought process at the time:

    After Anakin returned to inform Mace Windu and was told to stay behind in the council chamber, I wasn't surprised that he disobeyed went back. Given that he was the Chosen One, I figured he would have to return to the Senate to defeat the main villain. So Anakin arrives back, and then Palpatine starts zapping Mace and Anakin is standing there lost. At this point, I kind of figured that Palpatine was probably going to get away somehow and then...

    Anakin cuts off Mace's hand. And Palpatine kills Mace.

    And I just remember thinking w-what?!? And I wanted Anakin to get up -- to get up and kill Palpatine and part of me expected him to. But he looked so hopeless and defeated and I realized he wasn't going to, but at the same time, I couldn't believe it. And then Order 66 happened and I was just in shock watching it -- the Jedi dying, the Temple burning, and those kids.

    And then Anakin kills the Separatists and Obi-Wan talks to Padmé and we see Anakin crying. And all I'm thinking is "Anakin, what are you doing? Stop."

    And I figured, at that point, that there was a strong possibility that Anakin was going to die. When Padmé went after him -- I'll admit I got so hopeful. I thought she would talk some sense into him and then he and Obi-Wan would leave. I thought that they would go and defeat Palpatine together and Anakin might die in redemption (given what he'd done) or reveal that somehow Palpatine had been controlling him (as some cheap excuse) but...it didn't happen like that, at all.

    When he choked her, I remember just think "What the hell is going on?" because you're not allowed to do that. To me pre-teenager mind, stories just weren't allowed to let protagonists fall so hard. And then when Anakin and Obi-Wan fought, it just killed me, because I was scared since I figured one of them would have to die. And then, when Anakin is mutilated and catches on fire, I remember feeling as emotionally wrung out as Obi-Wan did. And then the suit...when I realized he was in the OT and Padmé was dying. Yeah, it's not very eloquent, but my thoughts at the time weren't either.

    To be honest, I don't think I was processing everything at that point. But I know ROTS was the first movie I ever went, by myself, to look at the special features for. I snuck down at midnight and popped in the bonus disc to watch the Chosen One documentary because I couldn't stop thinking about it.

    Watching the other films also helped a lot. But while watching ROTS, my brain was going "does not compute" because stories weren't supposed to end like that. And I guess I was confused and upset (rather illogically) at George Lucas for thinking he could, I don't know, get away with it. As though he'd done something wrong by making me care so much about Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé and then ruining their lives so thoroughly while completely disintegrating Anakin's character into this evil person.

    In retrospect, sometimes what I was thinking didn't make a lot of sense, but ROTS just shattered a lot of the media conventions I was used to at the time, which is why I think it impacted me so greatly.

    In many ways, I had though Anakin's previous inclinations towards the Dark Side were mere red herrings, just there to make us believe in the possibility that he could turn, but not as evidence that he actually would. His two darkest actions, the Tusken massacre and the killing of Dooku, while Dark, were things I saw any normal person capable of when placed in his situation and in those particular circumstances. Part of me was shocked in AOTC, but that was also in large part due to the fact that films rarely (if ever) acknowledge that it's wrong for heroes to kill those who have hurt them, especially after emotional loss. So I can safely say that I didn't see Anakin's fall coming. I know a lot of people say that it was telegraphed far too easily for them, but I think in large part one of the reasons I didn't suspect it was because I sympathized with Anakin and understood why he did what he did (even though I knew it was wrong) and, given that he was the Chosen One and the protagonist, it never struck me as possible that he would fail on such a grand scale.

    Imagine if Luke turned to the Dark Side.
    Or if Harry Potter had died and Voldemort had won and you might get an inkling of my reaction.

    It sounds melodramatic, I know, but...I can't think of how else to say it.

    Edit: Just to note, my reaction sounds super-extreme but I'm talking about it relatively, in movie terms. The film itself, while powerful, wasn't some life-altering event -- it just stayed with me a lot more strongly than I was used to. Certainly, it didn't hit me nearly as hard as some other films did (like Grave of the Fireflies, for instance).
     
  23. oierem

    oierem Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Mar 18, 2009
    Awesome post, and that's exactly why I think watching 1-6 for the first time must be a great experience.
    A lot of adventure/fantasy movies hint that the main character is going to turn to "the Dark Side"... but they never do. Frodo puts the ring at the end but he's immediately saved. In Star Wars, the main hero actually turns to the Dark Side, destroys EVERYTHING you cared about for the first three movies and ends up becoming... Darth Vader. Wow. Is there any other fantasy series that takes such a daring and unconventional turn of events?
     
  24. Count Yubnub

    Count Yubnub Force Ghost star 5

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    Oct 1, 2012
    None of the kids that I watched the series with saw that coming either. It's very intense to watch if you don't know what's coming.
     
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  25. Count Yubnub

    Count Yubnub Force Ghost star 5

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    Oct 1, 2012
    I don't know if there's any such story period, let alone one where the protagonist-turned-antagonist is introduced as an innocent child.
     
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