Anyone who knows me knows how much I love the Star Wars saga. One of my first memories as a child is of going to see A New Hope in the movie theater. I even have a little nook in my living room which once upon a time served as a telephone area, but as the wires are no longer functioning and I got rid of my landline long ago, it now serves as...for lack of a better term, a little alter where I keep Buddha and Yoda together.
Somehow the whole philosophy behind Star Wars resonates with me. I don't expect to move objects with my Jedi powers or use mind-tricks on the weak-minded, of course, but I can certainly relate to the idea of the Force.
I have created a personal tradition of watching all 6 movies (yes, all 6) in numerical order at least once a year. That is, until I was introduced to an alternative viewing concept, and I decided to give it a try. This full post on "machete order" prompted me to want to give this a try.
Instead of watching the movies in chronological order (I, II, III, IV, V and VI) or in release order (IV, V, VI, I, II, III), you watch the movies in the order of Episodes IV, V, II, III and VI. Does it seem a little convoluted? And do you notice the absence of Episode I? I didn't quite get the idea behind machete order until reading about it further (in case you missed it, see this post).
Empire (Episode V) reveals the connection between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, so for someone seeing these movies for the very first time, watching Episodes IV and V first does not spoil the big dramatic reveal. But then to back-track and watch Episodes II and III before watching Episode VI gives you the origin story of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader before showing the image of Anakin again at the end of Return of the Jedi when the Empire has been defeated (and without the back-story on Anakin, someone unfamiliar with the movies could be left wondering who the random guy is standing next to Obi-Wan).
There are some flaws, of course, but when watching the movies in machete order, those flaws really weren't enough to deter my enjoyment. Essentially, I now get to miss all of the things that I don't care for in Episode I (the midichlorians, Anakin being the product of a virgin birth, etc). You do end up missing the most amazing lightsaber battle involving Darth Maul, but I suppose if you really miss it, you can always look it up on Youtube.
Personally, I feel like this viewing order is well-suited to me. Everyone has their preferences and I know that some of us who are quite passionate about these movies can have some very strong opinions about them. Whatever your feelings are about this concept, just remember to keep an open mind. I had my own doubts about machete order when I first heard about it, but turned out to really like it.
To end, I will leave you with some of my favorite Star Wars-related links:
Weird Al's "The Saga Begins"
Duel of the Fates: What they are really saying (okay, this one is a bit silly)
And last but not least, the Guide to the Races of Star Wars
May the Force be with you!
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