Poll: First Time Star Wars watcher

[stygN]

Hmm... I voted 123456, but now that I think about it I guess 456123 would be better..

I watched 123456 because I didn't think I'd like 456, didn't think it would make any sense, stuff like that.. Basically, I was an idiot..

When I do marathons I still go for 123456 due to the simple reason that I basically know what's going to happen anyway, and this order gives you the whole story from start to finish..

However, I think 456123 would be better for a first timer since that makes Vader (and Sidious I guess) more mysterious..

Vaders mysteriousness gets pretty destroyed by Anikens retarded behaviour (both what he actually does and the bad acting..) The only tiny piece of Anikens performance that I like is when he kills the jounglings.. And I guess when he's little and on Tatoine..

So yeah, I'd go for 456123..

 

[pandasaw]

4,5,6. Tell her episodes one, two, and three decided to find a new home in a fire.

 

[MisterDyslexo]

Go 4-5-6, then 1-2-3. Honestly though, Episode I and II aren't really anything I'd call "good". Except for the plot points, and a few good action sequences, they're rather skippable. If I could I'd probably end up consolidating them both into about 40-60 minutes of film and just having you watch that instead. They're really not that good. Episode III does much better, but thats partially because the plot was actually worth making a movie out of.

 

[keideki]

4 5 6 then tell them that star wars ends after that. Allow them to read select books and play certain games (KOTOR) and just hope they never find out.

 

[lordofthenight]

Someone might've linked this already, but 451236. Explaination in the link below.

http://moviebob.blogspot.com/2011/11/let-go-of-your-hate.html

 

[Starke]

Republic Commando game.(GET IT on steam (it's only $10))
Republic Commando books. Find them, and buy them. Adds much-needed grey area to the prequels.

Honestly, if we're going for games, I'd say Dark Forces, and DF2 Jedi Knight are a better route. Just plain better games, and besides then all the Kyle Katarn Chuck Norris jokes would make sense.

But Dark Forces (not sure if Jedi Knight was a prequel) were based off material from the original trilogy. RC were based off of the prequel trilogy. Also, I've never heard a Kyle Katarn Chuck Norris joke,

There is now chin under Kyle Katarn's beard, only another Brynar pistol.

They go on like that, there's actually quite a lot of [http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?t=186535] the damn things.

Jedi Knight is the sequel to Dark Forces, so it's actually post trilogy (I think).

Anyway, yeah, that's kinda the point. Republic Commando kinda bridges bits and pieces of the second and third film together, but, I honestly can't really say I'd recommend it to anyone. It's a Halo clone with an awkward squad management system grafted over it. It doesn't make the prequel trilogy better, just provides some background context for some characters that are never seen or heard of again, and honestly, context isn't going to improve the prequels. Their issue comes in with being badly written.

I'll grant you that RC is some of the better EU material, but we're talking about Star Wars, once you've gotten past stuff written by Timothy Zahn, the quality takes a nose dive and ends up bobbing face down in the water someplace between bad fan fiction and My Immortal. There is good stuff, but honestly, presenting someone with anything in the EU outside of the Thrawn Trilogy strikes me as a really bad idea unless they're already pretty fanatically devoted to the franchise, including all the games.

Edit: On reflection, KOTOR2 is pretty good, but it has a lot of assumed contextual knowledge the game never really explains.

 

[Right Hook]

Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
or
Episodes 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3

You know I've wondered this question myself too, watching 1,2,3,4,5,6 would be cool because you'd get the full arc in order and the progression might make more sense and the movies would continue to get better and better. I think starting with 4 is probably still the way to go, the greatest thing about 4 is being thrust into this brand new world, much like Luke himself at the start of the movie and I think if you watched the prequels first you'd lose that classic magic that the originals still seem to shine with. So I'd say start with 4 but I'd be curious to hear of someone experience watching them in linear order for the first time.

 

[Bato]

Okay like, I watched them from 1 to 6. Aside from vague scenes from when my dad watched them, I didn't remember much when I was little.
And I had a great time, since it was my (mostly) first time watching them, 1-3 was good because I had no past reference. And then when I got to 4-6 it was even better.

It's like watching the movie before reading the book. Enjoy the worse version of it, then when you get to the better version you enjoy it even more.

 

[Sewora]

4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3. And for a very simple reason. That is how the story is narrated. The story told in the 123-trilogy would destroy the narration of the 456-trilogy if you watch the 123-trilogy first.
They are designed to be watched 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, and should therefore be watched in that order to retain the entire story.

But... If you'd rather progressively get the whole picture with less surprises and less narrative then by all means watch it in the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 order.

 

[Viking Incognito]

I think the issue we should be focusing on is HOW THE HELL HAS SHE NEVER SEEN ANY OF THE STAR WARS MOVIES? WHAT KIND OF SUB HUMAN FREAK ARE YOU DEALING WITH?

 

[artanis_neravar]

Go with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 all on bluray. For a first time watcher, this is the best way to go about watching them in my opinion. I just think it is nostalgia telling us who watched it in the order of 4, 5, 6 that it is the proper way.

Go with this, besides everyone knows that Vader is Luke's father, not every knows who Sideous really is.

4,5,6,1,2,3.

This is all because of the spoiler in episode 5 that would otherwise be ruined from 1,2,3.

If the person in question already knows about that though...I'd recommend watching them from 1 to 6.

Or this, go with this

What about you get the worst shit right down in the beginning, and then have the movies get progressively better?

It'd go like this:

2,1,3,6,4,5.

That really is the best order I'd imagine.

AH HELL NO! 5 was the worst out of all the original, and 1 was the worst out of the prequels. 6 kicked 4's ass.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

4, 5, 6... and preferrably old, original cuts with as little as possible Lucass-hattery as possible. If you own the splendid Bluray, overdub the NOOOOOO with silence and claim technical issues to be the cause of it.

If she likes the franchise up to that point, it's up to you to decide if you want to support the revisionist golden cashcow stance and risk ruining everything and shattering a dream or two in the process. I personally have issues with calling 4, 5, 6 anything but 1, 2, 3 and the only reason I'd buy any more copies of the new crap are to destroy them. I kept that multi-channel laserdisc for a little while, because it made me buy more speakers and another amp and more cables and I enjoyed that for a little while. In the end, I think that even if someone doesn't outright despise and hate on the prequels, having a brilliant trilogy end after six feature-film length episodes with a somewhat handsome guy getting thrown into the fiery pits of what could very well be hell doesn't usually leave me in a happy mood.

I prefer to have a big party, without any revisionist additions fumbled into it some twenty years after.

 

[Gidiel167]

4,5,6. then tell her the other 3 aren't cannon ^.^

 

[ThunderCavalier]

456 123, easily.

There's just so much disjointed character development between 123 and 456 that she'd honestly be asking why Vader seems more awesome than he did when he was in 123 and why Obi-Wan is more wise and respectable than in 123.

Or, you could, you know, tell her the prequels aren't worth watching.

 

[Kingjackl]

I read an article somewhere where a guy showed the movies to his kids who had never seen any of them. The order he did it in was interesting, namely he started with 4 & 5, then went back and watched 1, 2 & 3, before finishing off with 6. I think the idea was that by intercutting 5 & 6 to show the prequels helped give an understanding of the scale and scope of the story, and made the Reveal at the end of 5 and Vader's redemption at the end of 6 all the more powerful. Granted, that idea probably works better for kids who know literally nothing about Star Wars, but I'm just saying it might be an idea.

Also, if you're a Star Wars fan showing the movies to a newcomer, a little advice; don't use it as an oppurtunity to spew the innevitable "OMG Lucas raped mah chidhood" rethoric that you guys are so used to wallowing in when discussing the prequels/special editions/whatever the latest travesty du jour is. I can guarantee that your friend/s won't appreciate it.

 

[Blow_Pop]

4-6 on VHS and then if she has to 1-3

Personally I don't acknowledge the 1-3 much because I just don't like em. I like the idea behind them but not the execution.

 

[floppylobster]

If they watch them 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 they're going to be confused by the many errors in continuity. Watch 4, 5, 6. Take a break, then watch 1, 2, 3. Take a break then start watching the Clone Wars TV series season 1. Take a break then watch Clone Wars movie. Take a break then watch the rest of Clone Wars TV series.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5. That way, at least for the first three movies, her expectations will be so low, the last three will just blow her mind and she'll love the series.

This is a very good point. The only downside is it ruins the most interesting plot point of 5.

I would be curious to see someone's opinion of Darth Vader watching them in numerical order. Would he be as threatening once you'd seen his whiny and softer side?

 

[Vault101]

4,5 and 6, because it works like this, watch the originals first and you can appreciate the story, then when you watch the new ones you can go, "wow! look at how they've improved combat etc but the story is nowhere near as close in quality" but, if you do it vice versa, what happens is that you get all the modern technology and then you watch the old ones and it's like watching an old film, you just can't help but say, "this is worse, it's like Vader and Kenobi have palsy!" and then you may not even finish them or pay attention

I disagree...I watched the first one (new hope) with no prior starwars knowelge and it was brilliant

 

[tofulove]

last time i check, there is star wars, star wars empire strikes back, and return of the jedi. than 2 shitty and 1 decent prequel which are design to be watch after the old ones.