George Lucas on the correct order to watch the ‘Star Wars’ saga
Although Star Wars is the most popular franchise of them all, it always stirs up a considerable amount of debate. Pretty much every Star Wars film and show since the original has proved divisive in one way or another – even The Empire Strikes Back, now often heralded as the pinnacle of Star Wars on-screen, received mixed reviews back in the day.
And while the original trilogy is generally held in high esteem, George Lucas’ prequel trilogy and Disney’s sequel trilogy remain bitterly divisive and contentious among fans, even though there is actually plenty of great stuff in each set of films.
Another aspect that often stirs debate, aside from the quality of the trilogies themselves, is the correct order in which to view the movies, given that they were not released in chronological order. Well, there isn’t technically a correct order to view the Star Wars films – each person will have differing preferences, which is absolutely fine.
Nonetheless, if one really wanted to seek out a ‘correct’ viewing order, who better to ask than franchise creator George Lucas? He has lovingly described the first six Star Wars films as his “children” after all, and even if some fans still criticise him for the prequels, he is the definitive authority on the franchise.
When discussing the viewing order in 2015, Lucas argued for perhaps the simplest viewing order: the chronological one, starting with 1999’s Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace and ending with 1983 Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
He said: “That’s the way they’re supposed to be done. Just because it took a long time to film it doesn’t mean you don’t do it in order.”
This statement was made before the sequel trilogy (which didn’t directly involve Lucas) was released, but Lucas would no doubt encourage viewers to watch those last.
He would likely encourage audiences to watch the spin-off films Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Solo: A Star Wars Story, which take place between the prequel and original trilogy, in chronological order too. This would mean Solo first, followed by Rogue One – which ends shortly before A New Hope begins.
Regardless of the order in which you watch the films, chances are you’ll have a blast. Star Wars is an absolute international treasure and in spite of the fan negativity that surrounds so much of this series, there is plenty of greatness within all of the franchise’s instalments – even the weaker ones.
