"I know some people don't like all of the movies, and there's no reason they should rewatch ones they don't like. "I think the most enjoyable way is whatever works for the viewer," Frey says. Shouldn't they get priority treatment and be screened before the prequels (and then the sequels)?īasically, why not watch the Skywalker saga films in the order of their theatrical releases? As you'll recall, episodes IV through VI were released first. You could also make the argument that it's better to start with the original trilogy. The titles seem to imply that you should start with "Episode I" and finish with "Episode IX." That's how the story unfolds chronologically the prequels are set before the original trilogy, which is followed up by the 2010s sequel trilogy.īut hold your tauntauns. So, suppose you want to binge-watch all nine of the movies. The Best Order to Watch the 'Star Wars' Films Fans call these three trilogies "the Skywalker Saga." The films with the word "Episode" in their titles are of a different breed. Although these two films have their fans, they aren't considered to be part of the prequel, sequel or original "Star Wars" trilogies.
They are, in chronological order, " Star Wars: Episode VII-The Force Awakens" (2015), " Star Wars: Episode VIII-The Last Jedi" (2017) and " Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker" (2019).īetween those three movies, Disney squeezed in two spinoffs: " Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" (2016) and " Solo: A Star Wars Story" (2018).
That set the stage for the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, a Disney-produced series of three new films that take place after "Return of the Jedi." A young Anakin Skywalker is the main character in all three movies.įast-forward to 2012, when Disney purchased Lucasfilm for the tidy sum of $4.05 billion. The first entry in a prequel trilogy set before the events of "A New Hope," "The Phantom Menace" was followed by " Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones" (2002) and " Star Wars: Episode III-The Revenge of the Sith" (2005). Lucasfilm finally gave audiences a new "Star Wars" flick in 1999, with the release of " Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace." "Star Wars" fans would have to wait until the turn of the 21st century to learn the entire truth about his origin. He's a fallen angel of sorts, a Jedi corrupted by the dark side of the Force.
They tell the story of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (the late Carrie Fisher) banding together with droids, Wookies and other assorted rebels to defeat their galaxy's evil Empire.Ĭentral to that narrative is the Sith Lord, Darth Vader.įormerly known as Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader's been recognized as one of the greatest movie villains of all time by the American Film Institute. Together, the three films make up the original "Star Wars" trilogy.
Its title? " The Empire Strikes Back." Then along came " Return of the Jedi" in 1983. One year prior, in 1980, franchise creator George Lucas and his film production company, Lucasfilm, unveiled the first of many sequels to the original movie. "The Episode IV notation wasn't there," "Star Wars" podcaster and iHeartRadio managing executive producer, Holly Frey, explains in an email." That didn't happen until the film was re-released in 1981, with 'Episode IV' and 'A New Hope' in the opening crawl." On DVD and the streaming platform Disney+, the film that started it all is referred to as "Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope." Back in '77, it was simply called "Star Wars." Today, "Star Wars" (1977) goes by another title.