So my friend and I were talking about ‘Star Wars’ the other day (and no, I’m not those type who takes any opportunity to name-drop ‘Star Wars’ in every conversation). We were both fuzzy on some of the minor details (Was Luke’s first Blue lightsaber from ‘Empire’ Obi Wan’s?) which prompted us to decide that maybe we should buy the boxsets and watch all six movies back to back.

I’ve never done it before (and airing one movie per week on TV does not count as a proper marathon for me) but I won’t do any movie marathon unless I watch it with someone who have never seen them. I did it with the Bourne Trilogy and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (no one was willing to join me for the Rambo marathon though :-|). So how would you do a Star Wars marathon with a n00b? The obvious one would be watching it in chronological order but Episode 1 would be too much for newcomers (my cousin had a bad experience with his sister using this order). Some TV channels do it in order of their release (original trilogy before the prequels) but I don’t find the ending of the Episode 3 to be cathartic enough for newcomers.

The best suggestion that I and a lot of people prefer would be Episode IV - V - I - II - III - VI. It makes sense in terms of storytelling and suitable for newcomers. I’ve recommended this order to a friend of mine who have never seen Star Wars before (this guy was a pure newcomer….as in like he doesn’t even know Darth Vader is Luke’s father! Don’t worry, I didn’t spoil him. I just asked him who Darth Vader’s real name was and how he was related to Luke. He honestly didn’t know so I just shut my mouth). The only complain my friend had was the drop in special effects quality from Episode 3 to 6.

Episode IV - A New Hope

Better start here than Episode I because it’s much more easier for newcomers to digest. Luke the farmboy serves as the anchor of the story and learn about the Force the same time as the audience.

Episode V - Empire Strikes Back

Widely seen as the best one. It ends on a really good cliffhanger with Han Solo being frozen and Luke finding out Darth Vader is his father! “WHAT?! NO WAY!! HOW?!” <—— that would be the reaction from a total n00b which logically brings us to….

THE PREQUELS Eps 1-3

The three movies act like an extended flashback filling out the back story. Anakin turns to Vader and things go full circle with baby Luke at Tatooine. “NOW I GET IT! It all makes sense! I’m ready now!” And that’s when you unleash…

Ep VI - Return of the Jedi

With all the puzzle pieces fitted in, Luke’s mission and the redemption of Darth Vader would be way more satisfying to watch. And I’m sure you wouldn’t even be bothered that much by Hayden Christensen being inserted in the end.

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So yeah….now I need to buy the Star Wars DVD sets AND find a newcomer who’s willing to watch.