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A friend of mine has never seen Star Wars before. That is just too sick and twisted, so I have decided to get them to watch it. My question is: Should I start with the original series, and watch the prequels afterwards? Or do I introduce them to it with a 1-6 format? Both approaches have their merits, and I need some help deciding. Thoughts?

May I suggest the so- called thematic order?

4 and 5, then 1-3, finishing with six. Preserves the WTF-ness of the first two, especially the truth about Vader, then you get to see the fall of Anikin, followed by his turnabout.

Original three first, otherwise there's a chance interest may be lost before it starts getting good with Episode III.

I'm not so sure........ Watching from Episode 2 to 6 may also be viable, if the person involved doesn't want that "Oh, we know what will happen at Episode III" feeling.

Darth Fanboy wrote:Original three first, otherwise there's a chance interest may be lost before it starts getting good with Episode III.

"A chance?"

IV-VI first, then if he likes what he's seen, you can try I-III.

I then II. Then IV and V. Finish off with III and VI.

Give them a taste of baby Anakin, young Anakin then OH NOZ Anakin is dead. Finally ANAKIN IS VADAR!?!?

OT, then PT. Because of the unequal quality of the trilogies (sadly).

I hate all these uneven orders some people have in mind. I would either do it I-VI, in order, or OT first then PT to follow up.

I think IV-V, then PT and then VI is quite good... or maybe I-II//OT/III

I'm a proponent of the thematic order: 4, 5 [1, 2, 3] 6.
All the prequels together in between 4 and 6, sort of as a "flashback" after the Vader-Anakin revelation.

Note that I have no practical observation of first-time viewing individuals exposed to this particular screening order, so this is pure hypothesis at the moment.

We ought to collect all the opinions we have on first-time viewers in the various popular screening orders (Pre-Ori, Ori-Pre, Thematic) and collate our data.

Invictus ChiKen wrote:I then II. Then IV and V. Finish off with III and VI.

Give them a taste of baby Anakin, young Anakin then OH NOZ Anakin is dead. Finally ANAKIN IS VADAR!?!?

This is intriguing. I really can't give any support to this order (too confusing, likely), but it does sound interesting.

With most viewings, hearing that Anakin is dead either comes as no surprise (because the audience is aware of the truth) or has no impact (because no one "knows" Anakin).
With this screening order, Anakin is established in I and II. Next, it skips two decades and folks see Anakin's son and Obi-Wan back on Tatooine, and hear that Anakin is dead, killed by Vader. Vader is established now.

Follow this up with the revelation that Anakin is Vader (!), then show his fall and redemption.

Typically, the audience only knows Anakin, OR only knows Vader, at the time of the revelation. In this sequence, they know BOTH when the connection is made. Bam.

Alas, I'm fairly certain the merits of the artistic presentation of events for maximum shock effect are far outweighed by the confusion wrought by events being viewed in too disconcerting a sequence.

But you must also consider that, unless the person has been living under a rock for the last 25 years, he will know that Anakin is Vader, or he will at least figure it out way before it is revealed in the films themselves. It's that whole "I am your father" pop-culture thing...

About the only plot twist you can expect to work, is that Senator Palpatine actually is the Emperor, and for that to work, you'll have to see episodes 4-6 first, and then 1-3 (otherwise it's just a slow development, and not a twist at all).

Depending on the said person preference of movies...either go IV-V-VI-I-II-III or I-VI.

WHile the PT isn't the worst thing ever, it does rely on some love of SW or cheesy Sci Fi more then the OT did.

I'd go OT... then the PT a year or two later, to keep the separation they deserve. The OT is better with the unknowns etc... it was better not know who or what Vader was etc. And Vader walking like a puppet is just wrong.

I'm also a fan of the thematic order: IV,V,I,II,III,VI. It gives the viewer the best possible introduction into the series, preserves the end of ESB, and adds extra emotional weight to ROTJ, as was intended. Of course, the abrupt change in storyline and production values halfway through might be rather jarring, although I think the trade-off is still worth it. If not, OT-PT would be your best bet.

I-VI. You may lose the shock value of TESB, but it's become so ingrained in popular culture that I feel it doesn't really matter. That and I feel that the flaws are bearable once everything is put into place.

As someone who saw StarWars (before it was IV) in the theatre, I have to agree this is the one that should start the whole thing off, followed by ESB (V).

The sudden switch to I-II may be shocking visually, but I happen to like the idea of showing these next. For one, you really get to see the little things, like all of Obi-Wan's background. Yes, Anakin is important, but seeing all the things that 'old Ben' and later Yoda didn't say to Luke really drives home how desperate they were at that point.

Not to mention the little ironies, like Obi-Wan's little comment to Anakin "One day you'll be the death of me". I have to wonder if Vader ever wondered how C-3PO wound up with Leia on CloudCity (the first time he sees him again). Does Vader ever see R2-D2 well enough to recognize him as well? I'm sure Yoda would have found the droid's arrival with Luke another sign from The Force that Luke was the right one, not to mention Ben's comment "I never owned an R2 unit...."

Ending the marathon with Sith and Jedi wraps the story up neatly. We see how Anakin becomes Vader, we see how Luke and Leia are born and are seperated. We see how the Empire arose... and then we see how the twins tear it all down, fall and redemption, and celebrating Ewoks (yub-yub!)

There's my reasons for the order. Take it or leave it

LadyTevar wrote:I have to wonder if Vader ever wondered how C-3PO wound up with Leia on CloudCity (the first time he sees him again).

The "Thank the Maker" one-shot in Star Wars Tales answers this question. If we don't take the EU into account and focus soely on the six films, I see it as Vader either unable or unwilling to acknowledge his past (as we see him rebuff Luke's use of Anakin in ROTJ).

OT then PT, because watching them in story order really does reduce the dramatic revelation of Yoda's identity and Vader being Luke's father.

All you people suggesting to chop up the saga and watch it in some kind of "thematic order" are totally on goofballs.

Show him or her 4-6 first.

And if possible the ORIGINAL original trilogy, not the special editions, or the (horrible) 2004 editions.

The originals are still available on DVD (the 2006 sets) and fairly inexpensive.


After that, I don't care what you show him (the prequels, the holiday special, whatever).

For the first timer, subjecting them to Episode I is probably a big mistake unless they're a little kid. If you are going to show them a prequel, show them Episode III. Really that's when all the important stuff happens anyway.

For a real life example of the awesomeness of the original trilogy, my sister's boyfriend (they're both about 8 years younger than me, in their early 20's), has two young nephews (under 12). They thought Star Wars was "stupid" and "lame" but he showed them the classic trilogy (the ORIGINALS) and they LOVED them, especially ROTJ.

So it's possible to make converts. Don't be afraid that the newbies only want to see CGI and modern young celebrities.

Dooey Jo wrote: About the only plot twist you can expect to work, is that Senator Palpatine actually is the Emperor, and for that to work, you'll have to see episodes 4-6 first, and then 1-3 (otherwise it's just a slow development, and not a twist at all).

That one ALSO would require one to have lived under a rock for a considerable time. Sorry but apart from knowing that Senator Palpatine eventually became Emperor from the EU, the moment Palpatine opens his mouth in Ep 1 it is clear that yes he IS the Palpatine from Eps 4-6. It's a slow development either way, no twist involved. The question is merely wether you see it in chronological order or not. The fact that Palpatine is the Emperor is painfully obvious throughout unless you're completely ignorant of the OT and these days who that is actually interested in the topic in the first place is?

Batman wrote:

Dooey Jo wrote:About the only plot twist you can expect to work, is that Senator Palpatine actually is the Emperor, and for that to work, you'll have to see episodes 4-6 first, and then 1-3 (otherwise it's just a slow development, and not a twist at all).

That one ALSO would require one to have lived under a rock for a considerable time. Sorry but apart from knowing that Senator Palpatine eventually became Emperor from the EU, the moment Palpatine opens his mouth in Ep 1 it is clear that yes he IS the Palpatine from Eps 4-6. It's a slow development either way, no twist involved. The question is merely wether you see it in chronological order or not. The fact that Palpatine is the Emperor is painfully obvious throughout unless you're completely ignorant of the OT and these days who that is actually interested in the topic in the first place is?

Yes, but it's a much smaller rock. The Emperor may also be ingrained in pop culture, but not at all to the same extent as Vader is. What most people can be expected know about him is that he wears black robes and talks in an evil and sort of funny way. Hell, I remember the "common people" argued whether he was the Emperor or not all the way up to Ep 2... And no, it's not going to be a huge surprise or anything, but if you want him to see it in a particular order for "dramatic value" or something, that would be your best shot.