How To Watch Star Wars Movies? Here Are Your Options Before Seeing 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'
There are many of those who still haven't seen any of the films from George Lucas' epic Star Wars franchise.
If you're one of them or if you would just like to do a re-run of Star Wars films before The Last Jedi hits theaters on Dec. 15 and have no idea where to start or which order to watch them in, we've put together a list of five orders to choose from.
Machete Order (4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 6, 8)
Earlier this week, Star Wars superfan Rod Hilton suggests this interesting order in his blog, Absolutely No Machete Juggling. Hilton points out that one can skip watching Episode 1 of the series, The Phantom Menace, as it is unnecessary and does not contribute to the larger story.
Hilton also notes that once one of the biggest plot twists in Star Wars history is revealed (that Darth Vader is Luke's father), one should go back to the prequel series in order to gain a better understanding of why Darth Vader crossed over to the dark side.
He also says that they should then conclude the series with Return of the Jedi, which sets things up perfectly for The Force Awakens.
Chronological Order (1, 2, 3, 'Rogue One', 4, 5, 6, 7)
George Lucas himself recommends this viewing order as the episode order aligns with his original vision.
"Start with one," he told Vulture in 2015. "That's the way to do it right: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. That's the way they're supposed to be done. Just because it took a long time to film it doesn't mean you don't do it in order."
The order follows the story in chronology, starting with Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and ending with Episode VII: Return of the Jedi. This order tells the story of Anakin Skywalker and how he became his son's arch nemesis.
However, there are a couple of flaws with this order of viewing. First, one starts off the series with the worst Star Wars movie ever made. Second, it ruins one of the biggest plot twists in movie history, but unless the person's been living under a rock all these years, they probably already know that Vader is Luke's father.
Production Order (4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 7, 'Rogue One')
Not many people are fans of the prequel saga, which is why Star Wars loyalists recommend watching the series in the order that they were released in theaters. They suggest this order because they believe that the plots of the original three films are way better than the origin narrative of Anakin in the prequel series.
Godfather Part II Order (4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 6, 7,'Rogue One')
This order is essentially the same as Machete Order but with the inclusion of The Phantom Menace. So, if one can't stand to miss out on any of films in the epic space opera franchise, then this is the one for them.
One can start the series off with the best film, go back to revisit Anakin's story and his crossover to the dark side before coming back for the conclusion of the original films. They can then choose to either continue with The Force Awakens and Rogue One, or vice versa.
Flashback Order - (4, 'Rogue One', 5, 1, optional, 2, 3, 6, 7)
Last but not the least is the Flashback order and as the name suggests, it includes two flashbacks. One begins with A New Hope as it serves as the best introduction to the series and then continues with the Rogue One flashback before flashing forward to Empire. They then flash back again to the prequel saga before flashing forward again to cover Jedi and The Force Awakens.
The benefits of this particular order are that one focuses on the main story, which follows Luke's journey and then Rey's journey, with the help of flashbacks that fill out the universe. However, the timelines could get slightly confusing for viewers.
