An open letter to anyone considering watching Star Wars for the first time
Welcome to Star Wars! Since the new movie is coming out, I have noticed a lot of people who are just now seeing Star Wars for the first time. Given the immense amount of cultural significance, plus the size and intensity of the fandom, I realized that this might be a little intimidating and confusing. So here are a few basic, spoiler free things that you should know about our beloved series.
1. The order you watch it in does matter.
There are 3 basic viewing orders to choose from, and what seems like the most obvious one is actually, imo, the worst way to watch them.
Episodic order: 1,2,3,4,5,6 (not recommended)
While this probably seems like the way the movies should be watched, there are actually very few benefits to this order for a first time viewer.
Pros: Cohesive, straightforward, and chronologically simple.
Cons: Spoils major twists in less than fun ways. The movies were released in the order seen below, and many twists of the story are completely ruined by this order, as everything just sort of happens without any real surprises. In addition, starting with episode 1 is just not a good way to set your tonal expectations for the rest of the series.
Release order: 4,5,6,1,2,3 (Decent)
If you want the same experience most people have had, this is the way to go.
Pros: Narratively makes sense, easily relatable to everyone else.
Cons: The ending of episode 3 isn’t the end. It leads right into the sequel trilogy, so you end on a narratively dark note.
Machete order: 4,5,1,2,3,6 (My recommendation for any first time viewer).
This is my personal favorite. It maintains, and even improves all major narrative twists and we get the excellent tie together of old and new trilogies by ending with the last episode chronologically, setting us up for episode 7.
Pros: Narratively makes the most sense while not making you end in the middle of the series. Preserves the original ideas of Lucas and company’s presentation without making the prequels feel unnecessary.
Cons: not really what most people did when they watched star wars. It might bother some people to pause the future story while they go through the prequels.
Whichever order you choose, do make sure you watch them all, and watch them fairly close together. There are a lot of plot threads to deal with.
2. Star Wars might not be what you expect it to be.
You will hear a lot of people call Star Wars sci-fi. If you have seen Star Trek, or read Asimov or Herbert, Star Wars might be a little jarring. It certainly has those elements, but in my opinion it is more accurate to call star wars “space fantasy”. Narratively it is closer to fantasy than most sci-fi. Things explode in space, and ftl is conspicuously fast and easy. This series isn’t about the science, it’s based on myth and legend.
3. Don’t feel bad if it’s not your thing/you like the prequels/you find the originals weird.
People in this fandom are nuts. Me included. I cry every time a new trailer comes out. We’re passionate about our movies. The downside of that is that we tend to be very defensive about them. You’ll hear people hate on just about everything, but form your own opinions. If you like the prequels, more power to you. If you find that the whole series is overrated, that’s ok too. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad about how you feel about it, bc…
4. Star Wars is for everyone.
That’s right. Bc as much as our huge family disagrees with itself on just about everything, and some of us simply refuse to talk to each other, at the core of it all, you will find amazing people from all walks of life who will cosplay, write, act, teach, learn, and love this stuff. And everyone is welcome to this, because Star Wars is absolutely enormous. We have room for you, whoever you are. At the very core of these movies is the single idea that compassion, acceptance, tolerance, patience, and dedication, aka “the light side of the force” is what really matters. If you believe those things, you’ll have no problem understanding why we love this story so damn much.
I’m excited for you all, padawans. May the force be with you.
