What's the best way to watch the Star Wars movies?
An ongoing debate in the Star Wars fan community is what is the correct order to watch all Star Wars films? This is a question that I hope to answer for people who are wanting to (and should) start watching Star Wars.
Technically, there are currently twelve feature length films that make up the Star Wars canon. Canon, for those who are unfamiliar with the word, means the media that Disney has decided is part of the official Star Wars history. As I was saying, there are twelve movies but I would just focus on the main nine. These nine are part of what is called the 'Skywalker Saga' which is the central storyline of Star Wars. The other three movies (Solo: A Star Wars Story, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the Clone Wars feature length movie) branch off from this storyline. These three movies are great movies, but I would recommend focussing on the preeminent nine and then coming back to the other three if you find you are really enjoying the Star Wars universe.
So, these nine Star Wars movies are split up into three trilogies: the original trilogy (OT), the prequel trilogy (PT), and the sequel trilogy (ST). The films were made in that order, but chronologically are in the order as follows: PT, OT, and ST. If this is the first time you are watching a Star Wars movie, then I would recommend watching them in the order that they were made. I would highly urge you not to watch the prequels first as they are, in my opinion, the worst of the nine. You may think that not watching them in chronological order will confuse you, but it actually won't. As long as you keep in mind that you're watching it from middle to start to end, then you'll be fine.
If you are to follow my advice, then you will be starting with the original trilogy which was made forty years ago. This consists of the three movies: Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strike Back, and Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. These movies follow the adventures of Luke Skywalker (played by Mark Hamill) as he and a band of rebels fight against the ruthless galactic Empire. My personal favourite of these three movies is Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi.
The next three movies you will watch are Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, and Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. These movies follow the adventures of Luke Skywalker's father and a galaxy full of Jedi. Like I said, these are my least favourite of the nine but they are still quite decent movies and there some great moments, especially in Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith which is my personal favourite of the three.
The final three are from the sequel trilogy. These three movies are Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, and Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker which only came out at the end of 2019. These movies are about the next generation of Jedi and follow the story of Daisy Ridley's character, Rey. My favourite of these three is Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker which wraps up the whole Skywalker Saga so perfectly.
Once you have watched these nine movies, then you may feel that you want to watch all nine again in chronological order. You can also move onto the other three movies, plus the many books, tv shows, and video games that Star Wars has to offer.
The Star Wars universe really has something for everyone which is why I love it so much. For those fans who just like watching the movies, then you can do that and you won't feel like you're missing out on a lot. But for those of us who want to read every story, play every video game, and watch every possible piece of film that's out there, then we can get away with that too.
I hope I have inspired you to watch Star Wars if this is your first time experiencing this truly magnificent galaxy.
Article by Tristan Carr
Last edited: 21/02/21