Best Order to watch Star Wars for the first time

245

Comments

  • Originally posted by: Loxx O)))

     
    Originally posted by: DarkTone



    Why not the normal order?

    What's the normal order?

    III, VI, II, V, I, IV.

     
  • Originally posted by: pegboy





    Watch them in release order: IV, V, VI, I, II, III, VII, Rogue One. You can skip the Christmas Special lol.

    What about the two Ewok movies?    



     
  • Why hasn't anyone included watching a playthrough of The Force Unleashed on their list? Sure Galen Marek is a colossal gary-stu (though his ability to combine Force Push and Force Lightning is super badass), but the game is canon to the official storyline.
  • Disney got rid of all Canon aside from the films and their new EU. So, no, The Force Unleashed is not canon.
  • Originally posted by: TDIRunner



    Whenever I go back and watch the movies again, I always watch them in chronological order.



    But when it's time for my son to watch them for the first time, I'm not sure what I will do. He is 3 right now and he hasn't seen any of the movies yet, although he recognizes and knows Darth Vader's name when he see pictures of him. I kind of want him to watch them in the same order that I did (IV, V, VI, I, II, III, VII). However, I might just have him watch them chronologically as well. I'm just trying to decide which method will get him to appreciate the movies as much as I do. Keep in mind, that at his age, he might get more enjoyment out of Episode I than most of us do.



    Just to clarify, this is coming from someone who thinks that the prequel trilogy isn't as bad as most people say it is. Before everyone starts throwing rocks, I will say that I prefer the original trilogy to the prequel trilogy. But I will still argue that the prequel trilogy gets way more hate than it deserves.



    I haven't watched Rouge One yet, but once I do, I will start including it chronologically with the others whenever I do my (usually annual) Start Wars binge.



    I think there's definitely some magic with starting at 4 but once you've gone through in original order there's value to watching it chronologically.



    I personnaly don't hate the prequels, they are just not on par with the originals. I think Jar Jar and Hayden's acting is probably what makes it lame but there's a pretty cool video I've seen on youtube that speaks to the prequels being secretly brilliant (as a narrative) which was interesting. https://youtu.be/-2BNdF_NCVQ

     
  • Originally posted by: The Book Crusader



    Why hasn't anyone included watching a playthrough of The Force Unleashed on their list? Sure Galen Marek is a colossal gary-stu (though his ability to combine Force Push and Force Lightning is super badass), but the game is canon to the official storyline.

    Cool thought to put the games in there, but yeah unfortunately not canon. Without sticking to Canon I'd put the KOTOR's after IV and before I, Jedi Academy's after VI and force unleashed after III or IV.



     
  • Originally posted by: pegboy



    I can't believe nobody has said this but watching the prequels first will (obviously) ruin the twists in the OT. Of course this assumes that the person literally knows nothing about Star Wars.



    Watch them in release order: IV, V, VI, I, II, III, VII, Rogue One. You can skip the Christmas Special lol.



    I touched on it in a reply, it's also tough if you watch Rogue one before IV as Vader would all of a sudden become weak af hours after wrecking shop.

     
  • Originally posted by: TheDream

    Originally posted by: The Book Crusader



    Why hasn't anyone included watching a playthrough of The Force Unleashed on their list? Sure Galen Marek is a colossal gary-stu (though his ability to combine Force Push and Force Lightning is super badass), but the game is canon to the official storyline.

    Cool thought to put the games in there, but yeah unfortunately not canon. Without sticking to Canon I'd put the KOTOR's after IV and before I, Jedi Academy's after VI and force unleashed after III or IV.



     



    Dudes. Tie. Fighter.
  • Originally posted by: TheDream

     
    Originally posted by: pegboy



    I can't believe nobody has said this but watching the prequels first will (obviously) ruin the twists in the OT. Of course this assumes that the person literally knows nothing about Star Wars.



    Watch them in release order: IV, V, VI, I, II, III, VII, Rogue One. You can skip the Christmas Special lol.



    I touched on it in a reply, it's also tough if you watch Rogue one before IV as Vader would all of a sudden become weak af hours after wrecking shop.

     

    Or they're not flailing sabers around because they're both more experienced than that and it's a mindgame when they meet up.  And Obi-Wan is really just holding Vader off so the group can get to the ship and take off.  I don't think he really intends to kill Vader.
  • Watch them in the order they were released
  • I'm surprised no ones mentioned which are the best copies (or what we call variants in gaming world) to watch the OT in. As has been mentioned, the OT was edited and completely destroyed by Lucas by adding additional scenes. Unfortunately, if you want to see the IV,V & VI in their original splendor, you have to search for the first-release VHS tapes. I'm not sure if there are Betamax copies but they would likely be better.



    The biggest old-school issue you will notice is that all of the TIE-Fighters and X-Wings fly through space and you can see that each image was clipped by scissors and then placed on a star field because the star field was a lighter color than the background of the fighters when they were filmed in stop-motion. Lucas did an amazing job in making the whole effect feel fluid but it was still a very noticeable flaw.



    In these versions, the truth is also shown correctly-- Han. Shot. First. There is no way around that and I think I recall hearing that even Disney re-retconned Lucas call and actually said that, yes, it's true. Han was just a bad as he was suppose to be. But, I digress.



    The remastered version that everyone keeps talking about watching also came out on VHS and it is the exact same cut as the original but they cleaned up the coloring as well as the film and re-recorded it a digital master copy before releasing to VHS. If I recall correctly, this is the version you want:



    https://www.bonanza.com/listings/Original-Version-Star-Wars-Trilogy-VHS-Box-Set-1995-VHS-Tape-1977-/441253413?goog_pla=1&gpid=76984044061&keyword=&goog_pla=1&pos=1o5&ad_type=pla&gclid=COy9366zndQCFUc2gQodJfkL6A



    However, that's not the best quality version of that release. Supposedly, the absolute best at-home version of the OT is the laser disc set. It's the same remastered cut just on a superior viewing format.



    I imagine your not looking to seriously nerd-out on Star Wars, but those are the facts.
  • Oh, and watch them in their released order, just skip Ep. I and II. Some say you an watch II, and I suppose that's ok but we seriously need to have episode I stricken from the books or something.
  • Originally posted by: Loxx O)))

     
    Originally posted by: TheDream

     
    Originally posted by: pegboy



    I can't believe nobody has said this but watching the prequels first will (obviously) ruin the twists in the OT. Of course this assumes that the person literally knows nothing about Star Wars.



    Watch them in release order: IV, V, VI, I, II, III, VII, Rogue One. You can skip the Christmas Special lol.



    I touched on it in a reply, it's also tough if you watch Rogue one before IV as Vader would all of a sudden become weak af hours after wrecking shop.

     

    Or they're not flailing sabers around because they're both more experienced than that and it's a mindgame when they meet up.  And Obi-Wan is really just holding Vader off so the group can get to the ship and take off.  I don't think he really intends to kill Vader.

    Yeah, there is probably a substantial a difference in how you would attack "unarmed" people with a lightsaber and how you would fight a competent opponent...







     
  • Originally posted by: Loxx O)))

     
    Originally posted by: TheDream

     
    Originally posted by: pegboy



    I can't believe nobody has said this but watching the prequels first will (obviously) ruin the twists in the OT. Of course this assumes that the person literally knows nothing about Star Wars.



    Watch them in release order: IV, V, VI, I, II, III, VII, Rogue One. You can skip the Christmas Special lol.



    I touched on it in a reply, it's also tough if you watch Rogue one before IV as Vader would all of a sudden become weak af hours after wrecking shop.

     

    Or they're not flailing sabers around because they're both more experienced than that and it's a mindgame when they meet up.  And Obi-Wan is really just holding Vader off so the group can get to the ship and take off.  I don't think he really intends to kill Vader.



    I could see that somewhat as when Yoda and Sidous battle it has those moments but the actual battle like when they swing/attack(vader and obi-wan) is terrible, part of the problem is that Lucas told the actors to use two hands and imagine the sabers were heavy like a long sword and now I can't unsee it.
  • Originally posted by: rlh



    I'm surprised no ones mentioned which are the best copies (or what we call variants in gaming world) to watch the OT in. As has been mentioned, the OT was edited and completely destroyed by Lucas by adding additional scenes. Unfortunately, if you want to see the IV,V & VI in their original splendor, you have to search for the first-release VHS tapes. I'm not sure if there are Betamax copies but they would likely be better.



    ...



    However, that's not the best quality version of that release. Supposedly, the absolute best at-home version of the OT is the laser disc set. It's the same remastered cut just on a superior viewing format.



    I imagine your not looking to seriously nerd-out on Star Wars, but those are the facts.



    The best quality version is almost certainly the Despecialized Edition.



    I don't think it's really up for debate, when they represent the original cut, and as much enhanced but true-to-original content as a possible, at HD resolutions.



  • Originally posted by: rlh



    I'm surprised no ones mentioned which are the best copies (or what we call variants in gaming world) to watch the OT in. As has been mentioned, the OT was edited and completely destroyed by Lucas by adding additional scenes. Unfortunately, if you want to see the IV,V & VI in their original splendor, you have to search for the first-release VHS tapes. I'm not sure if there are Betamax copies but they would likely be better.



    The biggest old-school issue you will notice is that all of the TIE-Fighters and X-Wings fly through space and you can see that each image was clipped by scissors and then placed on a star field because the star field was a lighter color than the background of the fighters when they were filmed in stop-motion. Lucas did an amazing job in making the whole effect feel fluid but it was still a very noticeable flaw.



    In these versions, the truth is also shown correctly-- Han. Shot. First. There is no way around that and I think I recall hearing that even Disney re-retconned Lucas call and actually said that, yes, it's true. Han was just a bad as he was suppose to be. But, I digress.



    The remastered version that everyone keeps talking about watching also came out on VHS and it is the exact same cut as the original but they cleaned up the coloring as well as the film and re-recorded it a digital master copy before releasing to VHS. If I recall correctly, this is the version you want:



    https://www.bonanza.com/listings/...



    However, that's not the best quality version of that release. Supposedly, the absolute best at-home version of the OT is the laser disc set. It's the same remastered cut just on a superior viewing format.



    I imagine your not looking to seriously nerd-out on Star Wars, but those are the facts.



    That's similar to the time machine order in where you watch the unaltered original but without adding the new versions after, and yes I would be looking to seriously nerd-out, lol. I'm actually on the lookout for a laserdisc player and those are at the top of my list.

     
  • You could find the 'theatrical cut' versions on DVD. Those are just the laserdisc versions on dvd. Although, I own the laserdisc set and I enjoy flipping them over.



    Edit:  Holy shit... that link to the THX versions.  I've got like 4 or 5 copies of that set and I paid like $1 each for.  They're not sealed... but damn.
  • Originally posted by: TheDream

     
    Originally posted by: rlh



    I'm surprised no ones mentioned which are the best copies (or what we call variants in gaming world) to watch the OT in. As has been mentioned, the OT was edited and completely destroyed by Lucas by adding additional scenes. Unfortunately, if you want to see the IV,V & VI in their original splendor, you have to search for the first-release VHS tapes. I'm not sure if there are Betamax copies but they would likely be better.



    The biggest old-school issue you will notice is that all of the TIE-Fighters and X-Wings fly through space and you can see that each image was clipped by scissors and then placed on a star field because the star field was a lighter color than the background of the fighters when they were filmed in stop-motion. Lucas did an amazing job in making the whole effect feel fluid but it was still a very noticeable flaw.



    In these versions, the truth is also shown correctly-- Han. Shot. First. There is no way around that and I think I recall hearing that even Disney re-retconned Lucas call and actually said that, yes, it's true. Han was just a bad as he was suppose to be. But, I digress.



    The remastered version that everyone keeps talking about watching also came out on VHS and it is the exact same cut as the original but they cleaned up the coloring as well as the film and re-recorded it a digital master copy before releasing to VHS. If I recall correctly, this is the version you want:



    https://www.bonanza.com/listings/Original-Version-Star-Wars-...



    However, that's not the best quality version of that release. Supposedly, the absolute best at-home version of the OT is the laser disc set. It's the same remastered cut just on a superior viewing format.



    I imagine your not looking to seriously nerd-out on Star Wars, but those are the facts.



    That's similar to the time machine order in where you watch the unaltered original but without adding the new versions after, and yes I would be looking to seriously nerd-out, lol. I'm actually on the lookout for a laserdisc player and those are at the top of my list.

     





    Then wait to watch these films until you get them.



    @arch_8ngel: Yeah, that could be correct, but it's not "official" in any way.  The best, "official" versions are the two I mentioned-- the Laser Disc version, followed by the same in VHS.
  • Originally posted by: arch_8ngel

     
    Originally posted by: rlh



    I'm surprised no ones mentioned which are the best copies (or what we call variants in gaming world) to watch the OT in. As has been mentioned, the OT was edited and completely destroyed by Lucas by adding additional scenes. Unfortunately, if you want to see the IV,V & VI in their original splendor, you have to search for the first-release VHS tapes. I'm not sure if there are Betamax copies but they would likely be better.



    ...



    However, that's not the best quality version of that release. Supposedly, the absolute best at-home version of the OT is the laser disc set. It's the same remastered cut just on a superior viewing format.



    I imagine your not looking to seriously nerd-out on Star Wars, but those are the facts.



    The best quality version is almost certainly the Despecialized Edition.



    I don't think it's really up for debate, when they represent the original cut, and as much enhanced but true-to-original content as a possible, at HD resolutions.

     

    Disney loves the moolah so it almost seems logical they will listen to the fans and give us the original cut remastered for beautiful HD quality, they'd rake it in!! Although it might be a while until we see it as they could double up if they release the lame versions in box sets with the new trilogy etc etc. and then a different set with the OG cut later. BASTARDS!!!



     
  • Originally posted by: rlh

     
     





    Then wait to watch these films until you get them.



    @arch_8ngel: Yeah, that could be correct, but it's not "official" in any way.  The best, "official" versions are the two I mentioned-- the Laser Disc version, followed by the same in VHS.



    You didn't say anything about "official", you were just talking about the best quality version available.



  • Originally posted by: TheDream



    I personnaly don't hate the prequels, they are just not on par with the originals. I think Jar Jar and Hayden's acting is probably what makes it lame but there's a pretty cool video I've seen on youtube that speaks to the prequels being secretly brilliant (as a narrative) which was interesting.

     







    I definitely agree with you (and pretty much everyone else) there.  



    I guess the way I look at it, everyone likes to talk about what was terrible about the prequel movies.  But no one ever talks about what the prequel movies did well, and in a few cases did better than the original trilogy.



    When I have time, I will have to check out the video you linked to.  
  • Originally posted by: arch_8ngel

     
    Originally posted by: rlh

     
     





    Then wait to watch these films until you get them.



    @arch_8ngel: Yeah, that could be correct, but it's not "official" in any way.  The best, "official" versions are the two I mentioned-- the Laser Disc version, followed by the same in VHS.



    You didn't say anything about "official", you were just talking about the best quality version available.



  • ^^^ Don't blame Hayden's acting, blame the shitty direction.



    Even Natalie Portman comes off as flat and terrible and she's won Academy Awards.



    That speaks to the direction being the problem (along with the writing).
  • Originally posted by: rlh

     
    Originally posted by: arch_8ngel

     
    Originally posted by: rlh

     
     





    Then wait to watch these films until you get them.



    @arch_8ngel: Yeah, that could be correct, but it's not "official" in any way.  The best, "official" versions are the two I mentioned-- the Laser Disc version, followed by the same in VHS.



    You didn't say anything about "official", you were just talking about the best quality version available.



  • Unrelated to my last comments, I will say in defense of Episode I (and the other prequels) that in the last SW Celebrations, I watched Lucas talk about his main motivation was to always make films for kids. I don't know if it's true, but he was quite adamant-- he was thankful for fans but, really, he didn't make episode I for the 15-30 year old crowd that grew up with the original trilogy. He made the films for kids to connect with and that was always the case.



    I had a bit more respect for episode I when I looked at it as a young-teen film but it was still at the expense of such a remarkable, epic saga which had withstood the test of two whole decades. Regardless, as an adult (and even a late-teen like I was in 1999) that episode is hard to watch without being at least annoyed. But, I don't know. I have a 3 and 5 year old now. I bet if I watched it with my kids I'd actually enjoy the experience of watching my kids enjoy the films as they are, so... +1 to George I guess. :/
  • Originally posted by: TheDream

     
    Originally posted by: arch_8ngel

     
    Originally posted by: rlh



    I'm surprised no ones mentioned which are the best copies (or what we call variants in gaming world) to watch the OT in. As has been mentioned, the OT was edited and completely destroyed by Lucas by adding additional scenes. Unfortunately, if you want to see the IV,V & VI in their original splendor, you have to search for the first-release VHS tapes. I'm not sure if there are Betamax copies but they would likely be better.



    ...



    However, that's not the best quality version of that release. Supposedly, the absolute best at-home version of the OT is the laser disc set. It's the same remastered cut just on a superior viewing format.



    I imagine your not looking to seriously nerd-out on Star Wars, but those are the facts.



    The best quality version is almost certainly the Despecialized Edition.



    I don't think it's really up for debate, when they represent the original cut, and as much enhanced but true-to-original content as a possible, at HD resolutions.

     

    Disney loves the moolah so it almost seems logical they will listen to the fans and give us the original cut remastered for beautiful HD quality, they'd rake it in!! Although it might be a while until we see it as they could double up if they release the lame versions in box sets with the new trilogy etc etc. and then a different set with the OG cut later. BASTARDS!!!



     

    Kathleen Kennedy already said it's never going to happen.
  • Originally posted by: arch_8ngel

     
    Originally posted by: rlh

     
    Originally posted by: arch_8ngel

     
    Originally posted by: rlh

     
     







    I'm not going to argue about this and the despecialized version likely is the best.  Honestly, I've not looked into it. But, my perspective comes from being a collector at heart.  Part of what I enjoy video game collecting, some cards, comics and a few other niche things is connecting with original or official/first party material.  I have nothing against fan-made stuff, but it just doesn't do it for me.



    In context to this discussion, I wouldn't mind watching this version but if it was my first-time experience, I'd definitely want the best-quality, officially released version that I could reasonably get my hands on, so that's why I contributed what I did.






      Ok, fair enough.  I'll not argue with you.  I just have one question, though.  If you want a full, original experience does Empire Strikes Back first show the short film Dark Angel as it did in theaters back then?







    (Lol, I kid.  I just take every chance I can to bring this up.  Times have changed so much.)
  • Originally posted by: rlh

     


     






      Ok, fair enough.  I'll not argue with you.  I just have one question, though.  If you want a full, original experience does Empire Strikes Back first show the short film Dark Angel as it did in theaters back then?



     

    allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5L8pHKP-vv4?t=2m5s" width="500">>








    (Lol, I kid.  I just take every chance I can to bring this up.  Times have changed so much.)

    It could if you wanted it to    



  • Honestly, I'm not sure. I found out about this a couple years ago and I certainly couldn't remember cause, you know, ESB came out a year before I was born.



    But, it's my understanding that back in those days, shorts were more common than now and they were kind of like the shorts that Pixar shows today. They were kind of free-with-purchase, so I assume this was before all showings. Only exceptions I'd expect were probably drive-ins and maybe some international locales.
  • Originally posted by: rlh

     
    Originally posted by: TheDream

     
    Originally posted by: rlh



    I'm surprised no ones mentioned which are the best copies (or what we call variants in gaming world) to watch the OT in. As has been mentioned, the OT was edited and completely destroyed by Lucas by adding additional scenes. Unfortunately, if you want to see the IV,V & VI in their original splendor, you have to search for the first-release VHS tapes. I'm not sure if there are Betamax copies but they would likely be better.



    The biggest old-school issue you will notice is that all of the TIE-Fighters and X-Wings fly through space and you can see that each image was clipped by scissors and then placed on a star field because the star field was a lighter color than the background of the fighters when they were filmed in stop-motion. Lucas did an amazing job in making the whole effect feel fluid but it was still a very noticeable flaw.



    In these versions, the truth is also shown correctly-- Han. Shot. First. There is no way around that and I think I recall hearing that even Disney re-retconned Lucas call and actually said that, yes, it's true. Han was just a bad as he was suppose to be. But, I digress.



    The remastered version that everyone keeps talking about watching also came out on VHS and it is the exact same cut as the original but they cleaned up the coloring as well as the film and re-recorded it a digital master copy before releasing to VHS. If I recall correctly, this is the version you want:



    https://www.bonanza.com/listings/Original-Version-Star-Wars-...



    However, that's not the best quality version of that release. Supposedly, the absolute best at-home version of the OT is the laser disc set. It's the same remastered cut just on a superior viewing format.



    I imagine your not looking to seriously nerd-out on Star Wars, but those are the facts.



    That's similar to the time machine order in where you watch the unaltered original but without adding the new versions after, and yes I would be looking to seriously nerd-out, lol. I'm actually on the lookout for a laserdisc player and those are at the top of my list.

     





    Then wait to watch these films until you get them.



    @arch_8ngel: Yeah, that could be correct, but it's not "official" in any way.  The best, "official" versions are the two I mentioned-- the Laser Disc version, followed by the same in VHS.



    Oh I've watched them all before just wanted to have them on laserdisc, I'm kind of getting into some vintage electronics and would be something sweet for the collection.

     
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