Watching Order

Excuse me? Running my mouth?

I guess you win the arguement with that pearl of wisdom.

It's the way MOST people have seen them, and it works. Episode IV is the introduction to the force, what it does. Episode V elaborates on those rules and so on. Episode I comes along and advances the exposition, because it's designed with the knowledge that the audienece already knows what the force is.

And yes, they were made in that order, so they should be viewed in that order. Lucas may think you can watch them 1-6 but it's less effective.

You may pick up on whats going on by watching Episode I alone, but when you get to Episode IV and see Obi-Wan explaining the force, you'd be like "OK, shouldn't this bit have been in Episode I?".

4-6 is the story. 1-3 is the backstory to be viewed afterwards. That's the way they were made, thats the way the dialogue is written, that's the way it goes.

OT then PT.

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

Try it before you scoff.

Does it matter?

Since when is an opinion "running his mouth?"

id watch ep 4,5,6 but turn 6 off before vader turns back to the light side. then watch ep 1,2,3 and then finish the ending of ep 6.

^^^ I think that is the best idea yet. Perfect 🙂

Originally posted by Jayd265
id watch ep 4,5,6 but turn 6 off before vader turns back to the light side. then watch ep 1,2,3 and then finish the ending of ep 6.

How would you know when Vader turns back to the light side if you are viewing them for the first time? How would you know he turns back to the light at all?

That's what this is about.

You would know when you watch the end of 6. I'm not sure I know what you mean by how would you even know at all. Elaborate pls

He's saying "How would you, a first time viewer, know when to turn off 6 before seeing Vader turn back to the light?"

*EDIT* Let me elaborate on my order a little. I didn't come up with it. Someone on another board suggested that order a while back when this question came up there, and i totally agreed as soon as I saw it. You start with 4, so all that necessary exposition about the SW Universe's mechanics & mythologies is explained. Luke asks all the questions we need to know and Ben answers them, and it's a nice, contained adventure with a satisfying ending to get you interested in the saga.

Go right into 5 and You get to know the main players better, and you get to know the last of the full-saga important characters in Yoda. It saves the biggest surprise in the saga, and immediately raises the question of how could Darth Vader be Luke's father...

... so you go to an extended flashback sequence of sorts, the PT. Watch 1, 2 & 3 next. You get to understand what happened to Vader and why his redemption is so important right before you watch the film where it happens. Plus, I think that the Leia twin surprise is actually a lot cooler is you learn of it in 3 than in 6. You're gonna guess that Luke is the baby she's carrying, but then you hear "She's carrying twins." What?! So, Luke comes out first, and then the second baby comes out and right before the scene cuts away she names her "Leia". WHAT?! I like that better than Luke's force insight telling him acting as the surprise reveal, and it even makes his sensing it (and her as well) still a nice event in the saga.

Which brings us to 6. You already saw that Vader guy & that good Luke dude, but now you know how tragic Vader is and how Luke needs to save him. Simple OT viewing will do it, but watching the PT beforehand enforces it even more. You saw a glimps of Palpatine in 5, but now you come off of seeing him in his finest hour in 3, so you're well aware of his power & can feel the threat to Luke. You just saw his father turn to the dark side, so you are rooting for Luke to not do the same. You just became attached to Anakin Skywalker, and immediately after you can see him saved. It's just nice. It just works. It's not the only way, but it's a good, creative way.

Well, this is a thread about what order to best view them in for the first time - right?

So how the hell would you know Vader turns good? And when?

Edit - yes kremzike that's what I mean.

Oh gotcha... He would help his friend out. Probably watch them with him ya know. Personally, i'd love to sit in a viewing with a buddy that hasen't seen any of them before. That would be cool.

I was thinking 1-6 for someone new to the saga but the point about the difference in special effects is a valid one....

I edited my last post & elaborated on my choice for first time viewing order above.

Originally posted by Vanquish
Since when is an opinion "running his mouth?"

It always was. Opinion is just a polite word, really.

I have an interesting order. I have'nt tried it yet mind you.

Watch the episodes in this order. Episode 2 is'nt really needed, except for the whole Padme-Anakin marriage thing and that nice little fight with Dooku.
4,1,3,5,6

But if you must have it

4,1,5,2,3,6

Originally posted by Vanquish
I'd say 1-6 would be the best, but it's not really possible to do that because of the massive difference in special effects. If you were to show them to someone now, they would probably love the first 3, even TPM. But when you get to 4, they would lose interest very fast.

So I think due to special effect constraints, you would have to show them 4-6, and then 1-3 later if they make it through the OT first.

When I watch the OT, I don't even notice the lower special effects because I loved them so much as a kid, but people watching them now wouldn't like it much.

WE AGREE ON THIS ONE!

LOL!

my friend has just recently started to like SW. He saw Eps III and was amazed with it. his exact words were "wow, that was awesome cause it was so different from most movies today"

He had seem TPM a few years back and had never seen Eps. II

anyways, he asked to watch I and II again, so we did. he then went to watch Eps IV and his response was.

"I cant watch it, the special effects in the new ones are 100 times better, I think they should go back and do the effects again to make them better"

so, Vanquish is right. I think people would lose interest if they watched 1-6. mostly cause Eps. IV is boring when compared to the PT, and the special effects in the OT are not as good.

to me it makes no difference, I dont see anything wrong when i watch the OT cause I saw them first and thats just how they are...

anyways, OT first then PT is the only way too go

btw, i forced him to watch the OT anyways 😛

I never had a problem with the effects in the OT

Original Trilogy. The suprize of Luke and Leia being twins, Vader being Luke's father.

Originally posted by Red Superfly
Erm, excuse me? How else would Han be introduced?

Han was a smuggler and the captain of the Falcon. That's pretty much it. He was introduced in possibly the best way.

Also, they were "implanted into my head" the moment I saw them. They were introduced and BANG, I knew what was going on. Simple as that.

This isn't about who's backstory is the best, it's about how they were introduced. We don't need to see Han's backstory to know his character.

This is what you said
Watching Episode I first is a mistake. You don't know any of the characters, they aren't introduced as well as those in Episode IV and it isn't a good movie unless you KNOW where the characters such as Anakin are heading.

I was mearly saying that the characters are introduced the same in all movies, like you said with a bang. you don't know much about anyone. and that goes for pretty much any movie. I do believe you can watch them either way. and this is obviously for people who have never seen them before.456123 get the surprise that vader is lukes fasher and that luke and liea are bro and sis. 123456 you don't know anakin is going to turn and that palpatine is the sith lord.
I does make sense that someone that hasn't seen the OT would be asking alot of questions about the force. ect.

I havant seen the TPM in a long time, but I am quite sure that Qui-Gon explain the force (and sadly also the midichlorian) somewhere in there.

I quite like the idea of watching both the OT and PT in parallel...