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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
    Wow! I certainly didn't expect one statement of mine to be so misinterpreted that it would start a "is there a best order to view the saga" debate. There are plenty of other threads for that, so I don't want to derail this one by going on at length defending what I said. I'll just briefly address three points and be done with this tangent:

    -Lucas either said I-VI is how he designed the saga to be watched or he didn't. If he didn't, then it's a matter of my faulty memory, not my "assumption". I don't assume people saying things, I recall them saying things, whether correctly or incorrectly. Not everything is a matter of interpretation.

    -Yes, Lucas is a mass of contradictions, and all of which can be attributed to changes in his views over time, or mistakes or mispeaks he may have made. There's no record of him willfully lying, so when he says he intends something or designed something with a certain intention, I believe him.

    -I happen to believe that dramatic structure is not arbitrary. It mirrors the way our minds naturally order events (set up, struggle, resolution) and so it's possible to have an order for a series of events which will give you the most drama out of that series. I simply believe that I-VI is most likely that order. IV-VI will do it too, but I happen to believe that watching I-III first will increase the drama of IV-VI, which also goes in line with what I recall Lucas saying about designing the PT primarily to affect the way we look at the OT. I have objective, non-interpretive reasons for believing these things. If you want to learn about the production history, and be less confused about why certain information is missing, it may be better to view them in release order, if you want to preserve as many surprises as possible, it may be better to view them in some kind of machete order. My suspicion is that if you want the most drama for your money, I-VI is the best way to go. I have no problem with people disagreeing with me, but this is not the thread for a debate.
     
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  2. MOC Vober Dand

    MOC Vober Dand Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 6, 2004
    Fair enough. Just make sure that in the name of balance you're calling people in the thread who are saying that 1-6 order is "the way to go". ;)
     
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  3. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 19, 2003
    people will argue about anything.
     
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  4. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    Did you mean to say "calling out"? I don't have their phone numbers ;)
     
  5. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 19, 2003
    i think people who are new to sw would probably understand 1 - 6 better.
     
  6. darth-sinister

    darth-sinister Manager Emeritus star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 28, 2001

    Sure there is, because Lucas said as much.

    "If you see them in order it completely twists things about. A lot of the tricks of IV, V and VI no longer exist. The real struggle of the twins to save their father becomes apparent, whereas it didn't exist at all the first time [audiences saw Episodes IV, V and VI]. Now Darth Vader is a tragic character who's lost everything. He's basically a bitter old man in a suit.

    "I am your father" was a real shock. Now it's a real reward. Finally, the son knows what we already know.

    Its a really different suspense structure. Part of the fun for me was completely flipping upside down the dramatic track of the original movies. If you watch them the way it was released, IV, V, VI, I, II, III - you get one kind of movie. If you watch I through VI you get a completely different movie. One or two generations have seen it one way, and the next generations will see it in a completely different way.

    It's an extremely modern, almost interactive movie making. You take blocks and move them around, and you come out with different emotional states."

    --George Lucas, The Making Of Revenge Of The Sith.


    Not so. Lucas had decided by the end of 1976, that he wanted the first film to be called, "Star Wars-Episode IV: A New Hope." 20th Century Fox didn't want that for the title and Lucas lost that battle. This was confirmed by Gary Kurtz in an interview he did a number of years ago. We had a discussion in this forum a while ago about that. So even then, the notion was there even though it didn't happen until 1981, by which point TESB had made enough money that it was looking feasible to do additional films.

    We already have. Most everyone that was on here from the time the original boards opened in 97-98 until about 2005 or so, was filled with people who saw the OT first and then the PT. And we've seen the results quite often. We've also seen people who did it OT to PT and say that they either liked it, or didn't. We haven't had as many do it PT to OT, for one reason or another.

    What things?
     
  7. Cushing's Admirer

    Cushing's Admirer Chosen One star 7

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    Jun 8, 2006
    You're free to believe GL as you like DS. People are allowed to watch these films and get from them whatever they choose. Just because something works for Lucas or he says it does NOT equal it will be so for every viewer and that's okay.
     
  8. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    By the way, I'm not seeing my friend Kim (who just finished 3 and was floored by it) until tomorrow, because today is Memorial Day and we have the day off. So if anyone has any questions they would like me to ask her about her experience thus far, let me know before tomorrow.

    [edit]Before I give her episode 4
     
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  9. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    So I walk into work today with the Ep. 4 DVD in my hand, and I'm talking to my friend Ann when she notices it. "What do you have there?" she says. "Oh" I respond, and before I can finish the sentence "this is for Kim", the actual Kim walks up and grabs it right out of my hand as if to say "MINE!" Needless to say, she's pretty anxious to see Episode 4.

    She basically thought all of Episode 3 was awesome. She said there was never a dull moment and that she was entertained the whole time. The moments that stood out the most for her were:

    - Anakin getting "all jacked up by Obi-Wan". Three limbs taken in one lightsaber swoop.

    -order 66

    -Padme dying

    -the fact that Luke and Leia are twins.

    -Palpatine pleading for Anakin's help like he's weak, and then after Anakin slices off Mace's arm, "he's all 'JUST KIDDING'" and fries Mace.

    I asked her at what point in the series did she realize Palpatine was Sidious. She said she started suspecting something was up in Ep.2 because he was acting shady, but she didn't realize he was the Sith Lord until the opera scene in 3.

    3 is her favorite so far. Gave her 4 today. This will probably be the most interesting part. Stay tuned....
     
  10. Seagoat

    Seagoat Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 25, 2013
    Can't wait to hear her reaction to the father reveal in TESB

    I really like the way it works in a chronological viewing. As a surprise plot twist, it comes out of nowhere and is shocking, but you don't really have time to think about it. As the moment of "Oh crap, how's Luke going to react? I didn't expect this!" it's a lot more powerful for me personally

    I wish I could erase my memory of SW and start all over watching in chronological order
     
  11. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    Sorry for the delay. Last night I got home, rested on the couch and ended up sleeping thoughout the whole night!

    Anyhoo, she saw Episode 4 and of course, she thought it was great! Her favorite part was the Death Star attack. She's also a big fan of the cantina scene and all the funny aliens, especially the Bith. She had a really hard time deciding whether or not her favorite was 3 or 4. She liked them for different reasons. 3 because of the visuals and the constant action and battles. 4, she couldn't put her finger on it, but said it just had a better "feel", and that it was probably the writing. She said 4 was definitely the funniest one and loved the humor in it. She's the kind of person who doesn't take these movies so seriously, that she can't enjoy their campiness (unlike many who frequent these forums). She thought the lightsaber fight between Obi-Wan and Vader was "girly" and probably loved it because of that. The one thing that didn't make sense to her was that Vader couldn't sense Luke or Leia were his children, but he could sense Obi-Wan's presence. I explained to her that Vader was familiar with Obi-Wan's presence from the old days, but that there really isn't any way to sense that someone is a relative through the Force. I *think* she bought the explanation. When I asked her what she thinks will happen next, she said "I hope Luke finds out Leia is his sister soon, because I think he was giving her 'the eyes'". I literally laughed loudly when she said that.

    Probably won't get an episode 5 update until the weekend. She didn't have any time last night to watch it and I know she's going AC shopping tonight, so probably won't have time tonight either. We shall see!...
     
  12. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 19, 2003
    nice.
     
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  13. Seagoat

    Seagoat Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 25, 2013
    I'm very glad to hear her positive reaction! A lot of stories I hear from people who do I-VI viewings for the first time unfortunately end up disliking ANH due to its much slower feel after such intense action, but I like that trait. It's a great way to settle and be introduced to the new era after the emotional train wreck that is ROTS
     
  14. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    People started liking posts in this thread again for some reason. Maybe if the title is changed to something like "watching the Star Wars saga for the first time in episode order" and leave out the episode numbers, people can post about experiences with the newer films as well
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2019
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  15. Jedi Princess

    Jedi Princess Jedi Master star 4

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    Mar 25, 2014
    Did your co-worker ever finish her watch-through? I know it's been a while.
     
  16. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    Haha, yes she did. I’m not sure why I never updated it, but I’m pretty sure she felt very positive about them, although if I’m not mistaken, I believe her favorite was episode 3


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  17. Jedi Princess

    Jedi Princess Jedi Master star 4

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    Mar 25, 2014
    I'm doing this with a friend right now, actually. We're watching the entire story, movies and shows, in chronological order in the lead-up to The Rise of Skywalker at the end of the year. We've finished Episodes I & II, The Clone Wars, Episode III, and Solo; we're currently in season 2 of Rebels.

    He was so devastated watching Revenge of the Sith after The Clone Wars. When we started, he had been looking forward to seeing "Anakin go dark side" (that was the one real spoiler he knew before going into this) but by the time we got there he knew just how wrong that was, and what Anakin did to become Darth Vader left us both in tears (even though I've seen it countless times since 2005). Vader is now his favorite villain of all time (even before seeing IV - VI); the fact that Vader is in Rebels has him terrified for the crew, worried every episode about who's going to die next. "Star Wars is tragedy" I tell him, and he laughs and cries "YES OMG!"
     
  18. christophero30

    christophero30 Chosen One star 10

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    May 18, 2017
    Anakin's "you turned her against me" line gets me every.time.
     
  19. Jedi Princess

    Jedi Princess Jedi Master star 4

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    Mar 25, 2014
    Gods, every time he's in the council chamber, and he and Padme reach out to each other across the vastness of Coruscant... EVERY TIME I think THIS is the time he's going to do the right thing, but he never does. :(
     
  20. christophero30

    christophero30 Chosen One star 10

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    May 18, 2017
    He could have just ran away with Padme. She even asked him to. Maybe in an alternate universe. But he wanted the power as well.
     
  21. Darth_Articulate

    Darth_Articulate Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 1, 2012
    That’s how I always took it—that the Dark Side at some point became even stronger within in him than his insecurities about Padme’s death. Even though he initially embraced it to save her, it’s power overtook him and made her secondary.
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2019
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  22. darthfettus2015

    darthfettus2015 Jedi Master star 4

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    Nov 15, 2012
    The real reward of star wars will be showing it to my grandchildren in maybe ten twenty years time and that is when, with no hype surrounding it and before they have a chance to understand the internet...That will be the first true audience see a saga like maybe my dad felt about the king Arthur stories
     
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  23. Deliveranze

    Deliveranze Force Ghost star 6

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    Nov 28, 2015
    Definitely. When Yoda says, "The boy you trained, gone he is. Consumed by Darth Vader," there is a lot of truth to that. Anakin made the decision to join the dark side just for Padme, but now Vader wants to rule the galaxy. I also love how he yells, "My new empire" at Obi-Wan. Palpatine isn't even out of the picture yet, and Anakin is now deluded that the Empire is his.
     
  24. Darth Buzz

    Darth Buzz Jedi Master star 4

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    Jun 25, 2018
    Basically we all agree, ROTS: The perfect movie.

    Anyways for people watching the movies for the first time, watch them in number order. Release order has always been rediculous IMO.
     
  25. Sith Lord 2015

    Sith Lord 2015 Jedi Master star 4

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    Oct 30, 2015
    Your opinion, nothing more! Oh, release order has been "rediculous"? Then I really wonder at your ranking:
    If you favor the strict I - VI order, why rank at all, instead of viewing the 6 episode saga as a whole?