Star Wars day: May I take your order?
By Joe Prescott
Here it is folks, the day has arrived once again, May the Fourth! I sit here in full regalia, Star Wars PJs and Boba Fett hoodie, and drinking from my Darth Vader mug I ponder the ways in which I can now start my Star Wars day. What order to watch them in, where do I start? Comprising six movies so far, there’s no doubt a few ways to watch them, and it may be difficult to find the best way to watch them. Logic states they be watched in chronological order, I – VI, but we all know there’s some driftwood in some of the episodes that’s best avoided for the sake of progression and enjoyment. So here are a few ways to get the most from your Star Wars marathon, bearing in mind that this involves the six episodes so far, so grab your popcorn and get ready for the best day ever!
The Story Order.
The standard way really, I-VI in order. You get the full picture, the way George Lucas wanted it to be shown, and it is a monster marathon itself clocking in at over 13 hours! But that’s 13 hours of Star Wars, so you can’t really complain. But surely the best way to start the marathon is NOT with Episode 1…
The Release Order.
The order in which the world first watched them, and a good way to do it as most tend to start with the Original Trilogy. Another 13 hour marathon though, so bear in mind that this will end with the Prequels.
The Original/Prequel Trilogy Order.
Self-explanatory, just the three, either the Original or the Prequels. Nearly seven hours for each order back-to-back, so it’s easier to squeeze into the day.
The Alternating Order.
Just to be different, here’s an interesting way of doing things; I IV II V III VI. Doesn’t really put much together story-wise, but we all know the story now anyway, so this just adds some variety to the marathon. It’s an interesting way of seeing the evolution of Vader as well, from young boy to Sith Lord, Padawan to Father revelation, Turn to the Dark Side then sacrificing for his Son.
The Machete Order.
No El Mariachi films here unfortunately, but this one has grown in popularity in recent years. So the order is IV V II III VI, so we see the beginning with Vader pursuing Luke and the revelation, then we go back to Anakin and Padmé falling love and his eventual turn to the Dark Side, then end with Episode VI as the natural conclusion. So cutting out Episode I is the choice here, although there is a Flashback Order that puts Episode I before II in the running order so the option for the full marathon is still available.
These are just suggestions for watching the current Saga, there is no ideal way to watch them so just enjoy them in any order you want, plus there’s ways to spice things up with a few Clone Wars episodes thrown in between Episodes II and III, maybe even the feature-length CG episode, and also a few Rebels episodes between III and IV. Hey, even if you’re feeling super Star Wars excited you could dare to watch the Holiday Special!
So with the new episodes and Anthology series coming out, the possibilites for May 4th marathons keep expanding. Maybe we could be watching Episode VII after VI, and even squeeze Rogue One between III and IV, so it will be an even longer marathon in years to come. Literally 24 hours worth of Star Wars movies, what better way to celebrate the day! From us at Dork Side, May the Fourth be with you!