MikeyChalupa

I have a 2 year old son. When it's time to introduce him to Star Wars in a few years, when Ep. III is on DVD, I have the opportunity to either show him the movies the way most of us saw them (IV, V, VI, I, II, III) or I can show them in the chronological order that the story takes place in. Either way, whichever choice I make will influence the way he thinks about the Star Wars movies for the rest of his life.

I could be thinking about how to do much more meaningful things for the first time with him, I suppose, but there's time for that later. Right now, I'm torn.

How would you do it?

-Mikey

Gortexfogg

There's only one way to view them: in the order they were released. I don't know if people who saw Episode I first flipped for Star Wars the way people who saw Episode IV first, but I know if I had to watch them again, I'd start with the original.

KillerYoda

Just show him the original trilogy, and when he asks about the first three, tell him they don't exist, and that anyone who ever tells him otherwise is just a mouthpiece for Satan.

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Mr.Deflok

Some of you take the prequel trilogy far too seriously.

I'd say you should make him watch the Original Trilogy first, it has positive messages in it and is a timeless classic, your child will love it.

Let him watch the prequel trilogy after, this is for two reasons, the CG is MUCH better and by then your child will be able to tell the difference between 1977 CG and 1999 CG. Second reason is that they don't really have a message, they're more political, and if any OT-loving-PT-hating-Star Wars-fan should be able to realise the political side is thought out extremely well.

guthmund

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Boris37

i would def show him by release dates, this is how everyone saw them and the prequels make referenece to things that are going to happen, but since we already know they did you can catch all the story lines, this is what made the prequels great, there is much more in them than most people see during the first viewing.

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oldbob

I'm in agreement with the consensus so far. in order of release date.

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Sun Tzu

It looks as though I'm alone in this. I'm a die hard Star Wars fan, and while I do have a favorite of them all; I don’t dislike any. I do have one character that I truly dislike (from Episode I-not to hard to tell who that would be), but just accept him as an annoyance that fellow characters saw him as.
My reasoning: why not? Yeah we saw it that way it was released . . . and?
Your two year old son would probably like Episode I over Star Wars for obvious reasons anyway. Unless of course you've exposed him to Pulp Fiction, Highlander, and other similar bounce setting movies, not that I have anything against that type of storytelling.
I read an article a couple years with George Lucas stating the reason he went in the order he did and waited so long for the most recent releases is he was waiting for the technology to develop enough providing him with the tools he felt he needed. That may or may not be true. I respect everyone’s comfort and loyalty to tradition, but things change. The story will shortly be full completely out. Why not watch it chronologically? Advancements were added to the originals to bring them up to speed (minus the Jabba the Hut scene with Han in the Hanger).
This of course is IMHO.

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Reese

the ORIGINAL Original trilogy, not the enhanced 20th Anniversary thing. Then show him the prequels, then show him the new, yet to be released originals that tie the prequels into the oginials. They should be released by the time he's old enough to enjoy them. This could even be done in one day

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Hal Incandenza

The real problem with watching them in chronological order is that it would ruin (or at least pretty drastically alter) the dramatic tension of Eps. IV-VI. If you go into the second trilogy knowing that Darth Vader is Luke's father, the movies become less about the larger conflict between the Empire and the Rebellion and more about Luke's ignorance and the moment that Luke finds out what the audience already knows, which is nowhere near as interesting as finding out along with him. If you watch the trilogy in chronological order, for most of IV-VI you'd be focusing a lot more on Luke's cluelessness about his origin than on any of the unfolding good v. evil drama; Vader's claim that he's Luke's father (which is one of the coolest shock-moments in American cinema) would lose all of its impact--the scene would instead be about Luke's reaction to what we already know, and it's not like that reaction is anything other than what you'd expect; and Yoda's confirmation in Return of the Jedi would be really, really anticlimactic, highlighting the absurdity of the Luke/Leia = siblings thing even more.

This doesn't take into account the fact that the new movies, above all else, are simply boring. As far as the politics being well done, I dunno--does anyone even know (or, more importantly, care) what Eps. I-III's overarching political conflict is about? Is anyone really breathless for the next movie, when the mysteries of the Trade Federation's, like, evil tax brackets or whatever will be revealed? The Anakin/Obi-Wan stuff is cool, but the framing political story is just dull.

Lebell

I think Hal Incandenza makes the best point.

How you view them initially drastically alters the story in your mind. Perhaps it is just because I saw them in the original order, but I would prefer that I didn't know Darth Vader was Luke's father when I first saw Empire Strikes back. That makes it all the more shocking. There is also the point made that the technology gets better as the series was filmed, so jumping from 3 to 4 will be something of a let down (at least in my mind).

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wondash

Works for me!

MikeyChalupa

Thanks for all the inputs guys, keep 'em coming! I love to hear all the viewpoints on this subject...

-Mikey

Sun Tzu

I didn’t think about the son/father relationship shocker. I remember seeing the ESB in the theatre and feeling the shock of Luke. I think it’s because AOTC is still fresh in my head. (I guess I’m also alone in enjoying that--I’m very intrigued by the dark theme being generated after the death of the mother and him tearing through that village)
It’s a bounce setting that truly does work well. Hal is definitely right in that point. It will be interesting on how George will connect the final gap.
I think a younger child would like I more than IV, but the Luke/Darth scenario would take on a different perspective; fewer microcosms and more macrocosms. That probably wouldn’t be as good.

I think it would be interesting for get someone’s feedback that had never seen them and watch them in order.

I have an observation that I've been thinking about. R2D2 flew with Anakin in the first one, Anakin also built C3PO. Does Darth ever see those droids in the first three? If he had he surely would have said something right? Do you think he had a clue that the droids he was chasing in Star Wars had been closely related to him growing up?

Do you think they will show the Jedi trials in the final one?

Sorry for getting off the subject MikeyChalupa, it just appears to be a gathering of Star Wars fans that are offering the conversations I can’t get with the people I hang out with.

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Hal Incandenza

The issue of chronology v. order of original release has been an occasional subject of debate among my friends, lots of whom are starting to have kids of their own (most of us were in the single digits when the first movies came out, so we're maybe a little prejudiced). Some of them are waiting until Ep. III comes out before showing any of them to their kids, at which point they're going to do the chronological order thing. This gets the rest of us foaming, and then we all start visciously arguing. Good clean fun. But we're all wondering what the kids who watch them chronologically will end up thinking.

Sun Tzu--you're not alone in enjoying the new movies; myself, I thought that AOTC was pretty nifty, though flawed. (But then, no movie or any other work of art, no matter how good, is flawless or above critique.) But, among other things, I wish that Lucas didn't feel the need to somehow attempt to broaden the scope of the new trilogy by clumsily introducing the political stuff. The dark v. light theme is the best part of both trilogies, and I wish Lucas had confidence in that aspect of the story instead of trying to deepen it by introducing the political plotlines.

If only my final papers were coming along as well as my Star Wars trilogy analyses...

degrawj

i just like to do things differently, so i would probably show them in the order that the story line goes, 1, 2, 3... etc. i just think it would be neat that way. kind of like watching memento IN ORDER.

neoinoakleys

I think that the movies could have been longer. I mean is there anyone out there that felt that any of these movie were too long?? All my buddies think that they would have loved episode I and II to be longer, as it seemed that it really could have used more time to develop some of the scenes.

my $0.02...

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MikeyChalupa

The only times I can think of that Vader might have seen the droids:

1. On the first Death Star, after he kills Obi-Wan, the droids are with Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie as they run aboard the Millenium Falcon. (Although, it's possible that they might have gotten aboard the Falcon while Vader was preoccupied with "what happened to Obi-Wan?" and he didn't see them.)

2. As he pursues Luke down the trench, R2D2 is flying with Luke. (Many astromech droids look alike though, and it's understandable if he didn't recognize R2.)

3. However, the most obvious one: As Han is being carbon-frozen on Bespin, Chewie is carrying Threepio on his back. Threepio won't shut up during this scene, and in fact Vader even reacts to one of his comments, so he KNEW he was there.

-Mikey

MikeyChalupa

Bump for new inputs now that Ep. III is out and the series is complete...

-Mikey

superiorrain

show the classics first, that will hook him on to the films. Afterall that's the way we grew up to love and enjoy them.

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flamingdog

Yea, I agree, the prequels take an awful lot of wind out of the sails of the original trilogy. As an aside, I sort of think the original movies out to have stayed as semi-interesting context for the originals... I dunno... Watching how they've played out, I've never been convinced there was enough meat in that bit of context to make three whole movies viable.

sadistikdreams

Well, first of all, wait until the kid's at least 9 or so.

Then play them in order, 1-2-3-4-5-6. I personally haven't seen 3 yet, but if it ties the two trilogies together, then go for it. What I really like about star wars is the story. I don't care about how well written the script is, how good the special fx are, or any of that stuff.

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Zephyr66

I second this motion

illogan

i concur...

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Gilda

It's just like the Foundation/Robots books. The correct order is the order of release.

The reason is this: Each movie was concieved and written based on the assumption that all of the others had been seen first, or at least with the assumption that much of the audience has seen all of the others. New revelations are prepared based on that knowledge.

It's especially important that Star Wars be the first movie seen. The sequels retconned some things to fit into the longer story arc (ie, Vader is Luke's father, Leia is his sister) and the prequels retconned still other things (the droids). Showing them out of order interferes with the discovery process.

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Holdem Dvorak

I'm sorry, but Star Wars could be argued as a revenge tale. There is soooooo much Star Wars philosophy out there. I'm sure he won't understand that until hes four. It really doesn't matter. I would say older first. Then explain to him the whole prequel thing that has been tearing SCI FI up for the past couple of years. (HMMM Star Trek Enterprise )

stevie667

Show them in the order of release, or he's gona wonder what the hell happened to all the cool CGI stuff.

You'll also get more 'ah-ha!' moments when you watch the first 3 movies afterwards, and those are always more fun.

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SecretMethod70

Most definitely the order of release. A significantly large number of moments in Episode III are truly irrelevant when considered outside the context of the original trilogy. For example, Spoiler: when Obi-Wan leaves Anakin for dead, he picks up his light saber off the ground and walks away. This action is pretty much meaningless without having seen the OT, but if seen AFTER the OT, it is a powerful act, knowing what will happen to that saber. Or, most obviously, the birth of Luke and Leia. Without having seen the OT, the scenes are not particularly powerful at all. It's sad - his children are being born and he thinks they're dead. But it's basically just a sad child birth. See it after having seen the OT and the whole ending is oozing with emotion as you watch, knowing the significance of all the events you are seeing. That's just two of many similar instances. Before Episode III, I wasn't sure, but after seeing Episode III, I think there is no question: the Star Wars saga must be seen for the first time in release order.

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Daniel_

I vote for "watch them in chronological order" myself.

The story changes from "The Journey in the Force of Luke" (if you only saw the original 3) to the much more powerful "Fall and Redemption of Anakin Skywalker".

You are expecting the child to watch them time and again - the clever bits like the evolution of the tech, the moments in the spoiler above and so on - they all bear multiple watching.

Each time he sees it he'll see something new in it.

Imagine this - you show him the origninal trilogy first then the new ones - he already knows that yoda can't die in 3. Ditto Anakin, Obi-Wan, Palpatine, Luke, Leia, Capt Antiles, C3-PO, R2-D2, Bail Organa, Jango Fett, and so on.

The tension in the Obi/Ani duel in Ep3 is MORE powerful if you don't realise that Vader is in the next films and that Obi makes it through.

There are issues either way round, but personally I think watch the story as it finally landed - not as it was made.

Also - Watch "Clone Wars" between Ep2 and Ep3. It's great, and it explains many of the tech evolutions that you see in the later eps.

Hain

I voted for release order because the scene (why am I using a spoiler when everyone should know the originals!) Spoiler: where Darth Vader tells Luke that he is Luke's father is not as powerful if you already know that Vader is/was Anakin. Everyone knew it was coming but it just is not as cool when you are absolutely sure! That is a reason, but, mainly, I would keep Lucas's vision of the Star Wars saga in tact and leave them in release order. He had reasons for starting there, and I forget as of right now but I am sure there were reasons.

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crossova

Part of me would say to watch it chronologically...I think watching them in chronological order is best...but with a disclaimer. Make sure the person viewing them knows that ep 4,5,6 were created first, so the special effects wont look as cool as the more recent episodes...but watching them in the order they were released would allow for more surprises (wouldnt know Darth Vader is Luke's father from the very beginning)

kutulu

Now that I've seen all three, I'd say to start with Ep1 and work through Ep VI. The prequels made me see that Star Wars is the story of Anakin. If you start with Ep IV, you think that the movies are about Luke and that Eps 1-3 are just filler background.

Personally, I think that the main reason why we (as in the older generation) didn't care for Eps 1 and 2 were because we were just too grown up for them. We are at an age where everything is scrutinized and nothing is just taken at face value.

I really don't see how more is spoiled by watching Eps 1-3 first. Only one thing is spoiled if you watch the prequels first: Vader is the father of Luke and Leia.

On the other hand, if you watch the original trilogy first you know that all of the Jedi will die, each of the other sith lords must die and wll eventually be replaced by the cute little boy in the first movie.

Really, which is a bigger spoiler: "I am your father" or Ani is the bad guy?

Coppertop

I haven't seen episode three yet and am reserving my vote for when I have seen that. That being said, I appreciate those of you who have used spoiler tags in this thread.

SecretMethod70

One argument I just thought of in favor of viewing in chronological order is that chronological order is clearly how Lucas intends for them to be seen. Yes, those of us that favor release order can argue that Lucas intends that because that's the order in which he made them, but the evidence just doesn't hold up. Release order works great if the ORIGINAL original trilogy films are viewed. But if the DVD release versions of the original trilogy are viewed, it doesn't work. Imagine watching RotJ for the first time, having not seen episodes 1-3. You get to the end and these three ghosts appear to Luke...Yoda, Obi-Wan, and....some kid? Who is this kid? Why is he important? I've never seen him before. It just doesn't make sense. The only way for it to make sense is if you've seen young Anakin in the prequel trilogy already.

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Slavakion

You mean Hayden Christiansen AKA young Ani? That was edited into the movie for the DVD release. It used to be old Ani + hair. Lucas did that to "tie everything together". I say, "stop raping the movies by changing things!" By the time there's a Blu-Ray release, Luke and Leia won't be siblings, and Lando will be replaced by Jar-Jar.

SecretMethod70

Right, but what I'm saying is that since you see YOUNG Anakin at the end of RotJ, it only makes sense if you've seen episodes 1-3 already. So, it's clear that Lucas intends the movies to be seen in chronological order.

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Fremen

If you do the chrono. release, then it takes the shock/surprise away from the viewer where Vader reveals Luke's parentage.
That would be a shame.

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Xiangsu

Very good point. Only problem is that the kid will probably find out somehow anyway because that line has become such a part of our culture.

Slavakion

You only see young anakin in the NEW, reimagined DVD version. Here.



I'll put it this way: If you have the originals or the Special Edition VHS tapes, show them in release order. If you have the DVD, show it in chronological order since Lucas has changed so much to make everything fit.

I think there should be a new rule: if you release an edition of a movie with "storyline" changes, you have to release an equal edition without. (I know it's not really a storyline change, but I can't think of a better word)

SecretMethod70

dude, that's what I said six posts ago: Now, as for the argument that Lucas shouldn't tinker with his movies....they're HIS movies. Not ours. Whether I like it or not is irrelevant. It's not mine to make the decision. I won't bother saying any more about this though as I have read both Kevin Smith and Mark Hamill make better arguments to the point than I could. But I think it's pretty silly that people complain about someone making changes to his own creations when no one is being forced to buy it in the first place.

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