I tried for 2 years to get my kid into Star Wars using the chronological order, and I could not get him through Episode 1 without him knowing WHO Darth Vader was. Finally decided to go in the release order, and he was hooked from the first scene. Watched all of them now.
Chronological order is for superfans who have already seen it all, probably multiple times. Always watch release order for authenticity, even for remakes. Because no matter what people say, newer stuff is still based on older stuff and fan service and homages and neat little details are lost without context.
Sw ep4 is not really ep4, it’s the first and original, and skipping ahead in the story by over 20 years is weird and wouldn’t make any sense. What is this shiny thing people keep waving around? How does any of this work? What is a jed eye? Is that a MONSTER? What is that little green footsniffer creepy puppet thing? It’s HOW OLD?!
And especially for ep1, you might think these two random broody guys are bad guys, even after you get told their names.
There’s a huge art to telling a story to people that already know the outcome, and it’s very different from telling a story to people who DON’T know the outcome. Who is this kid and why does the story revolve around him? Does he actually become somebody? Why is everybody older than me viewing it with dread and love at the same time?
I’ve done this for my kids a few times (I have four kids; it’s… expensive) and Machete order is great because it totally preserves both the Empire surprise and fosters a bit of a surprise with the “Sith Lord” reveal in RotS while also making the Leia reveal something that doesn’t feel tacked on (throughout the entirety of RotS they speak with the assumption that Padme only has one baby in there–how a society with self-aware droids and interstellar travel can’t figure out that there’s two babies in one uterus is a conversation for another time). Plus it makes Luke a more complex character in Jedi when you return to him and he’s in black and choking out guards like you just watched his dad do.
I tried for 2 years to get my kid into Star Wars using the chronological order, and I could not get him through Episode 1 without him knowing WHO Darth Vader was. Finally decided to go in the release order, and he was hooked from the first scene. Watched all of them now.
Chapter 4 is the best starting point.
Never start with the prequels man
Chronological order is for superfans who have already seen it all, probably multiple times. Always watch release order for authenticity, even for remakes. Because no matter what people say, newer stuff is still based on older stuff and fan service and homages and neat little details are lost without context.
Sw ep4 is not really ep4, it’s the first and original, and skipping ahead in the story by over 20 years is weird and wouldn’t make any sense. What is this shiny thing people keep waving around? How does any of this work? What is a jed eye? Is that a MONSTER? What is that little green footsniffer creepy puppet thing? It’s HOW OLD?!
And especially for ep1, you might think these two random broody guys are bad guys, even after you get told their names.
There’s a huge art to telling a story to people that already know the outcome, and it’s very different from telling a story to people who DON’T know the outcome. Who is this kid and why does the story revolve around him? Does he actually become somebody? Why is everybody older than me viewing it with dread and love at the same time?
Release order is always the best viewing order. Machete order and other alternative orders are only for rewatches.
machete order is best. fuck podracing.
I’ve done this for my kids a few times (I have four kids; it’s… expensive) and Machete order is great because it totally preserves both the Empire surprise and fosters a bit of a surprise with the “Sith Lord” reveal in RotS while also making the Leia reveal something that doesn’t feel tacked on (throughout the entirety of RotS they speak with the assumption that Padme only has one baby in there–how a society with self-aware droids and interstellar travel can’t figure out that there’s two babies in one uterus is a conversation for another time). Plus it makes Luke a more complex character in Jedi when you return to him and he’s in black and choking out guards like you just watched his dad do.