Star Wars is a phenomenon that has been going strong for 40+ years and looks to be in no danger of losing its momentum. While the franchise is finally wrapping up the Skywalker saga with The Rise Of Skywalker, the Star Wars mania is one that will not die for generations. However, there are still some who have never watched a single Star Wars movie. If you’re one of those people or you’re introducing someone new to the franchise the first question to arise is a simple yet complex one. What is the best order to watch the Star Wars movies?
To help with the answer to that question, here are the 5 generally accepted best ways to watch the Star Wars movies. If you’ve never seen the movies before, this article does have a fair bit of spoilers so proceed with caution.
Star Wars Movie Order: Best way to watch Star Wars movie in Chronological order
1. EPISODE ORDER
I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VIII
George Lucas, Daisy Ridley, Samuel L. Jackson, and Gina Rodriguez all agree that this is the best order to watch the Star Wars movies. With such a star-studded support system this order does make for a compelling entry into the ways you can watch the Star Wars saga.
George Lucas supported this order while talking to Vulture, “Start with one. 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.”
However, this is the least popular order to go through the movies in the Star Wars fanbase. Fans would much rather jump to the good parts than go through the odious process of reliving Anakin’s story. Of course, another obvious flaw of following this order is that the shock of Darth Vader being Anakin all along is completely killed.
In the end, it is the viewer’s prerogative. If you’d prefer to not have spoilers about what’s coming though, this might not be the best order to watch the Star Wars movies in.
2. THE ROGUE ONE ORDER
R1, IV, V, I, II, III, VI, VII
This is the order to go to if you want all your surprises intact. The Rogue One Order allows you to peek at enough of the storyline to make sense of what is going on while still keeping the Skywalker heritage and the Vader Leia connection a secret.
This order has been declared the way to dive into the Star Wars story by fans and multiple Reddit threads.
3. THE TIME MACHINE ORDER
IV*, V*, VI*, I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX
This is not so much an actual order but more of a fantasy scenario. This order requires out-of-print theatrical cuts of the Original Star Wars Trilogy to watch. Those haven’t been released since 2006 though and only fans who already have the Despecialized Editions can get to enjoy this order.
The theatrical cuts do not have any special edition tweaks and Hayden Christensen is conspicuously absent at the end of Return of the Jedi. Even if you do manage to get your hands on the original, this is a painstaking process that only a die-hard Star Wars fan would be willing to go under.
4. THE THEATRICAL RELEASE ORDER
IV, V, VI, I, II, III, VII, VIII, IX
This is the order most Star Wars fans got to watch the films in for the first time. It is the most obvious way to view the movies and it might just be the best. Mark Ruffalo and Aaron Paul certainly seem to think so.
Talking to Vulture Mark Ruffalo said, “From the first one made to the most recent. Straight through. They just build up nicely that way. That’s the way I saw it, and I’m a little bit of a throwback.”
Aaron Paul also agreed with this assessment, adding, “You start with the original Star Wars movie. There is no other way. Maybe it’s nostalgia. Or maybe it’s not even that. I have no idea why I feel this way, but you should watch them in the order they were released.”
The Theatrical Release Order does make for a wholesome Star Wars watch. Viewers get to experience the authentic highs and lows of the original Star Wars fans.
5. THE MACHETE ORDER
IV, V, II, III, VI, VII, VIII, IX
Don’t like it? Don’t watch it. The Machete Order was first brought up in 2011 and has gone on to acquire a cult following within the Star Wars fan base. It does away with the universally panned The Phantom Menace and focuses more on Luke’s story.
While it doesn’t do away with anything essential, it does gloss over some dark times for the Star Wars fans. There’s no Jar Jar Binks or Darth Maul in this watch order of Star Wars. It even does away with kid Anakin altogether. If you want the Star Wars story with no unnecessary side plots this is the order to go with.
Perez Hilton suggests a much drastic route. “Watch the original ones, and only those. Those are the only ones that matter. The other ones that came out weren’t the best. And since they brought back the original cast for the new one, they’re kind of going back to basics.”
Whatever order you choose to watch the Star Wars trilogy in, you might want to hurry and catch up as The Rise of Skywalker is releasing on 20 December 2019. The Rise of Skywalker will be the last movie in the Skywalker era.