Star Wars is so deeply ingrained into our pop culture. Even people who have never seen the movies know what characters like Darth Vader or, more recently, "Baby Yoda" look like. The phrases are baked into our media. So when SlashFilm released an article about how Gen Z fans are engaging in a new trend where they watch the films in chronological order and react to unknown moments online, I immediately thought, "Huh, so it's basically First Steps."
I discovered First Steps: A Star Wars Podcast last year thanks to my friend who talks about the show all the time. The premise is simple: Two Star Wars fans, Calvin and Wyatt, introduce their friend Andi to Star Wars in chronological order. They started with The Phantom Menace and are working through to The Rise of Skywalker. At the time of writing this, they just wrapped up Star Wars Rebels, and Andi will soon be watching the original trilogy for the first time.
I'm currently in their coverage of The Clone Wars, and it's truly fascinating to see how Star Wars hits for a new fan watching in this order. Something I never really thought about is the explanation of what and how the Force functions is in the original trilogy. Qui-Gon Jinn sort of covers it, but he's more focused on those Midi-chlorians. The prequels definitely expected the audience to have that context when watching the films. Going in with no info at all, Andi was confused about what exactly the Force was. This confusion grew more in The Clone Wars when so many Jedi used it in different ways. It's something that a longtime fan like me who grew up with the films doesn't really realize can be a bit confusing to a new fan.
It's also hilarious to hear Andi flip-flop on Anakin Skywalker experiencing the character for the first time. They couldn't stand the man in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, but they have slowly warmed up to Matt Lanter's excellent performance in the animated series. And before you ask, yes, they watched The Clone Wars in chronological order too, so their first episode was Season 2, episode 16, "Cat and Mouse." I've only ever watched the animated series in release order. As the animated series was what made me a fan, I've enjoyed hearing someone bounce around between the (albeit groundbreaking for their time) rough Season 1 animation to the more crisp later seasons.
Sometimes, it's nice to get a different perspective on Star Wars. I think it's easy to get caught up in the echo chamber of fandom. It's fun to see what a fresh new fan thinks of the frankly sometimes bonkers storytelling that is Star Wars. It's fake and in space with magical wizards that fight fascists with their laser swords. There are lots of pew pews, aliens, and a dude who runs around with an ice cream maker. It can be silly or deeply serious and timely, but it's all still Star Wars at the end of the day, which is so rad. Listening to someone explore something I love this much and hearing them fall in love with the franchise in chronological order is an experience I can't recommend enough.
You can listen to First Steps: A Star Wars Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.