01 November 2006On correct Star Wars episodic running order protocol
I've been planning to have a weekend of Star Wars films with mates for a while now, and there's some disagreement over the best running order. Do you watch them in episode order (I-VI) or chronological release order (IV-VI, I-III)?
There's an interesting analysis of the various options over at Fanpop. One of the alternative running orders suggested has got me thinking, and I think it may well be the best one.
Basically, you watch Episodes IV and V and then, following the Big Father Revelation, you watch Episodes I to III as an Extended flashback, followed by episode VI.
This way you avoid scuppering all of the important plot-point "surprises" of the original trilogy. So much of the narrative revolves around the the relationships between the characters being revealed, and the new trilogy kind of undermines that. Watching it in this new order, you keep the dramatic structure, plus there's added emotional resonance to the climactic Emperor/Luke/Vader battle.
This'll be the corner I'll be fighting for when our marathon weekend finally happens - I'll let you know if it works in practice as well as it does in theory.
Reader Comments (9)
Sounds like a brilliant idea. Of course, it's a shame you'll still have to sit through the shocking awfulness of eps I–III …
They aren't that bad.
You're right, they really aren't that bad.
It's interesting, I was chatting to the developer at work the other day about this and I think you miss out on one big thing: the reveal of Princess Leia as Luke's sister. That messes EVERYTHING right up.
@Luke Leia kind of throws a spanner into the narrative logic works anyway, what with her reminiscing about her mother. But I think it's fine for us to know that before Luke does, as it adds a little more (much needed) weight to the prequels.
The best way to watch them is to definitely start with A New Hope. After you've watched A New Hope head straight to Empire. I'd recommend then watching Return of the Jedi. Once you've watched those three you should feel fully rewarded and will have lots of time on your hands, I'd suggest maybe watching Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars or playing a bit of Rogue Squadron on the N64 or one of the Lego Star Wars games. Problem solved!
I agree with the 'extended flashback' viewing strategy. A chief benefit being the existence of Jar Jar Binks becoming obsolete (kind of).
I'm quite liking the "alternating trilogies" method suggested on that link. A bit Godfather II-esque, you might say.
Unless of course there's someone who hasn't seen it, in which case it HAS to be in the order they were made.
I'm all for the whole 'extended flashback' thing, although haven't tried it myself yet. One wondering, though: after the CGI pyrotechnics of the climactic lightsabre battles in the prequels, would the 'Jedi' one look a bit clunky? No way around this, but haven't watched them all in order for some time and just curious about how the fights compare...
@Russ I like the idea that, just as the galaxy has become grubbier and more derelict under Imperial rule, so the actual martial art of saber-fighting has changed. From the eastern-inspired spinny-spinniness to the more western fencing style, this probably owes a lot to the fact that until Luke comes along, the only three remaining practitioners of the art are three old men.
Another potential problem – but one that I think adds an odd voyeuristic, sadistic side to the character – is the fact that Artoo knows everything about Luke's heritage, but says nothing.