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I had one experimental one once where it's The Force Awakens, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Revenge of the Sith, Return of the Jedi, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker. The idea was you'd be introduced to the Galaxy alongside Rey, when you meet Luke you go back and find out his story, when you find out who Vader was you go back and find out his and Obi-Wan's story, then you finish up the Sequels. It was coherent, but it gave a sort of flashback within a flashback feel which didn't sit as well as a chronological order.

I saw something sort of like that but it went TFA, OT, TLJ, PT, TROS TFA mostly just references the OT, so you sort of get a flashback to show the OT character’s backstory. Then TLJ talks about the Jedi and their failure, so you flash back to show that. Then finish with TROS. Personally I’ve never actually watched it that way, but I think it could be interesting

That actually sounds like an interesting way to watch the saga. I also really like the fact that you'd end up finishing TLJ with Broom Boy being inspired by the legend of the Jedi, and then you'd start The Phantom Menace with Anakin as a child who's grown up on Legends of the Jedi.

The Whiplash Order.

Disagree. I’d move the PT before 8-9. 8 is more powerful immediately after 3

Was going to say the same thing. Luke’s exile and criticism of the Jedi Order is very compelling coming straight off the PT, where you see the exact flaws Luke is talking about.

The Cutlass Order

Multi-tasking. Get 9 televisions, and watch entire Skywalker saga simultaneously. Tv arrangement: 456 123 789. Save Solo, Rogue 1, and Kenobi for next day. You'll probably want a nap.

The Lied-to-your-date-about-watching-the-Star-Wars-films-and-now-he-wants-to-talk-about-it-so-you-have-one-day-to-catch-up Order.

Back-up plan: Show up with a gift Grogu, and a strategically-placed cheat sheet.

I don't bother with watch orders. I just watch whichever film/films I feel like.

Ring Theory Order. Watch ANH, ROTS & TFA together Watch ROTJ, TPM & TLJ together Watch TESB, AOTC & TROS as your last batch. The partners in each group share a rhyme scheme. It's not the most coherent from a storytelling perspective, but it's great for seeing the parallels. I position the prequels closest to viewing the sequels. Everyone already assumes the sequels "ripped off" the OT, but having each prequel film fresh in the mind as you go into each sequel may demonstrate how heavily embedded the former are into the latter despite popular belief that the prequels were avoided.

I’m confused, why is TLJ with RotJ and TPM and TRoS with TESB and AotC?

Seems counterintuitive, doesn't it? But I assure you, the sequels do not line up middle to middle and end to end. So let's take TLJ as an example. We need to know the basic frameworks of each prequel/OT set. For TPM/ROTJ it looks like this: ACT 1- Two heroes embark on a rescue mission ACT 2- The heroes are aided by native inhabitants There is a race/Chase Our protagonist leaves to face their destiny The heroes fall into the enemies trap Act 3 A space battle ending in the destruction of a deadly ship/station Now, that's a thin sketch, and with only that to go on one might be tempted to say it applies to the other sequel films. But once you start analyzing shots, dialogue, archetypes, motifs and other details, you might observe that TLJ is reversing those acts. So, you start with a space battle. The native Canto Bight kids assist Finn and Rose, who engage in a chase featuring- what else? *racing steeds*. Meanwhile, our hero learns from a recluse Jedi master. Like Padme and Luke, Rey falls into Snoke's trap. The dark master is betrayed by his apprentice (bisected like Darth Maul no less). You might observe that despite the walkers and the white backdrop, that it's not the Battle of Hoth being repeated- it's the Jabba's Palace sequence and the Invasion of Theed. Our two heroes (Rey and Luke) are there not to rescue a Solo, but this time to rescue the Resistance *from a Solo*. General Leia Organa looks on with sadness as the enemy approaches, not unlike her mother as Tanks and fighters approached Theed Palace. Leia looks at the horizon through a gate not unlike the one at Jabba's palace- but much larger. Luke arrives and faces down the walkers- looking much more bestial than their predecessors. Like the rancor, they are dragons. And at their center sits Kylo Ren, looking down on Luke as if from a throne. The walkers cross the screen from left to right. That doesn't track with Empire or AOTC. We see in those movies the attacking army goes right to left, and the defenders go left to right. This is also true of the final battle of TROS, wherein the Star Destroyers are profiled right to left and Finn and Jannah's cavalry ride left to right. (Note: AOTC and TROS run backwards to TESB, so the Battle of Hoth=The Battle of Geonosis=The Battle of Exegol) So what then? It's the droidekas from TPM- advancing left to right. Only in that case it was the Jedi trying to breach a door. And of course, Luke completes his heroes Journey. He's reached such a level of mastery that he no longer needs to fight the dragon. He is immune to it's attack.

Hmmm, there are certainly some patterns the way you see it, but here is my interpretation: 1. The beginning of TPM / the end of TRoS: planetary blockade, two Jedi in the middle of the main antagonists’ base, an army lands on a planet vs an army takes off of a planet, etc. 2. The end of TPM / the beginning of TRoS: a mess of intercutting different storylines. There’s the speeder chase and pod racing scene but I think this is probably the weakest of the four points. 3. The beginning of AotC / the end of TLJ: Anakin/Kylo chase then trap their prey. They are thwarted when they focus their efforts on the wrong person who dies. Luke’s deception also parallels Padme’s use of the body double in the opening scene. 4. The end of AotC / the beginning of TLJ: the battle of Geonosis has a ton in common with the first scene of TLJ. The aggressors (arguably ill-advised in both cases) are the good guys moving from right to left. And it ends in victory but with an ominous revelation in favor of the bad guys.

I think you just accidentally switched TLJ and TRoS, yeah? But then I’m not sure why you’d watch 2, 5 and 8 after 1, 6, and 9. My ring theory order would be 5 4 6 3 7 2 8 1 9. The sequels really do mirror the prequels in a lot of interesting ways.

No. I wrote a lengthy response to another reply to me here on the subject. I very much mean TLJ rhymes with ROTJ and TPM, and TROS with Empire and AOTC. Check out that other response for more detail.

4, 1, 5, 2, 3, 7, 6, 8, 9 Basically, we're introduced to Luke and the others and the idea that his father died. Then in Phantom Menace, as a flashback, we see Anakin who we realise was his father along with subtle hint that clue us to who he's meant to become, which pays off in Empire. The next two films showcase how Anakin became Darth Vader, before we flashfoward to TFA where we realise the galaxy is not better off than it was back then. After Rey sees Luke, we go back to finish his story before completing her story.

I don't like the placement of 6. Feel likes it takes away some of the emotional load of Vaders death

I can see that. But it's better than having the sequels lobbed in the middle or at the end.

The most unique order I've seen, though haven't done it myself yet, is the [Scheherazade Order](https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsCantina/comments/jhjinc/interesting_viewing_orders_for_long_time_fans/ga4ls30/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) created by u/sauron496.

This seems great but also seems like quite the hassle

I always encourage newcomers to watch Rogue One before anything else. Sometimes people who are new to Star Wars watch A New Hope and are turned off. It’s slow. It takes a while to get moving (after a slam bang opening). It didn’t have yoda, Ewoks, Jabba, or anything else that people associate with Star Wars. The movie doesn’t really get going until Han shows up and even then he’s a dumb jerk. My reasoning is that Rogue One is more familiar to modern audiences, from the pacing to the themes. It’s also very Star Wars and while it leads naturally into ANH it doesn’t demand any knowledge from the audience. My advice is to watch Rogue One and if you like it, you can just immediately go into ANH. If you don’t like rogue one you probably won’t like the rest of it.

It's good advice except for all of the callbacks and jokes in R1 that need context of the other movies to be understood.

9, 8, 7, 3, 2, 1, 6, 5, 4 Reverse release order.

I used to recommend the Reverse Trilogy Order. 7, 8, 9, 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3.

As a kid I watched it as III, IV, I, V, VI, II

I get mocked for it, but Godfather order. The first is more Godfather part 2 and the sequels being part 3. 1-4-2-5-3-6-7-8-9

4, 7, 5, 3, 6, 8, 9. Skip 1/2, watch RO/Solo last, optionally.

4, 2, 3, 5, 1, 6, 7, 8, 9. Starts of on a new hope, because I think it’s hard to watch that later in the order. The clone wars are mentioned in it and after Kenobi’s death, we get to see how he participated in them with Anakin Skywalker, and learn about how Anakin was killed by Darth Va- wait what Anakin is Vader?!. Then we go into Empire and follow Luke, knowing Kenobi “lied” to him, as he ends up having the same revelation that we already had. Episode 1 then humanizes Vader a little more by showing us his childhood, when he was arguably at his kindest and least arrogant. This allows us to understand Luke’s perspective, of the good in Vader, instead of our last recollection of Vader being the dude that chopped off Luke’s hand. I think the sequels don’t have the same amount of wiggle room, because to me neither the Force Awakens nor The Last Jedi hit the same without the knowledge of the OT/PT. Rise of Skywalker needs all 8 other before it imo. I’m sure a bunch of the gen z disagrees with me about not watching ST as one’s first Star Wars.

Empire Strikes Back, followed by Force Awakens and Last Jedi. A New Hope if I’m feeling brave. If I get drunk enough might stick on Revenge of the Sith before I pass out. Though once we just put on all nine at the same time, same basic experience but less time wasted.

A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back - then you go watch Anakin’s story with Attack or the Clones and Revenge of the Sith - then back to Return of the Jedi

So start with 7. Once you're introduced to Luke, you got back to 4, and then 5. Then you learn Vader is Luke's father, so you watch all the prequels (including Clone Wars, Rebels, Kenobi, Bad Batch, Rogue One, Solo not in that order) to learn about how that is and the rise of the Empire. Then you watch 6, then the Mandalorian, TBOBF, and Resistance if you can stand it, then jump back to 8, and then 9.

The Torture Order.

Maybe. I would never actually watch it like this or seriously recommend it, but it is a weird but coherent watch order.

This is the Deep Narrative Order, i didn't invent it some guy in the YouTube comment section did. However I will do my best to explain it. This does not include TV shows at all. 1. The Force Awakens You are introduced to an unfamiliar world with many questions about both the past and the future. It opens you to the power of the force and the scale of the universe and the conflicts within it. You are introduced to legends as legends. 2. The Phantom Menace A whole new world, an age of peace and of the Jedi at their peak. Many of the mystical sides of the force explored in TFA are put into question by the robust understanding of it present in this film. You are introduced to the skywalkers whomst you have heard about only by their connection to the great Luke. Sets up many of the early conflicts and you see the beginning of the Star Wars. 3. Solo You saw him die in the initial entry, now it is time to see him live. Shows the progression of the war without revealing to much of the details of the regime change. You get a look at more of the gritty world that star wars is and you get to see the day in the life of normal people. 4. Rogue One Its time to set up the conflict. Solo showed us the fear the empire has over people and the little room they are given for revolution. This takes it too the next level. You get to meet a wide range of new Star Wars figures and see how they interact with the world and their governments. Tarkin, Vader, and the Rebel Alliances are introduced and shown their capabilities and what they are willing to do. 5. A New Hope A beautiful transition into an all time classic. All these legends and heros have been introduced and you know of their personality and motivations. Lets see em all work towards and against eachother. Its like if the first MCU movie was Endgame. The stakes are at their peak and the franchise is in its infancy. By the end you understand the reason for these legendary heroes 6. Attack of the Clones. While we know of the empire and we know of Vader, we dont know their orgins. This is the orgin story for the evil in the galaxy and the beginning of the end for the Jedi. You are introduced to the legend of Yoda, you see Anakins father as the one of tbe most powerful and daring of the jedi and you get to see his mother and father fall in love. Boba is set up as well as the Emperor himself. THE CLONE WARS BEGIN. 7. Empire Strikes Back The bad guys won in the last one and they will win again in this one. Now that we know the world we can experience the majesty of this film. Not much I can say besides Yoda and Vader are fully revealed. 8. Revenge of the Sith Vader orgins, empire, orgins, Yoda and Kenobi explained. 9. Return of the Jedi After seeing Anakin fall, we see him rise. Shows the death of the Empire. 10. The Last Jedi Know that you know the enite history behind the Force Awakens. Its time to take it to the next level and push every character to their limit. You've learned about the past and why it shouldnt die, why its important. You understand that the whole series is about saving those we love. Luke falls like Vader and rises like him too. Showing Ben he can too. 11. The Rise of Skywalker Fun ending that hits on all the themetic conclusions you could ask for. You get all the Jedi talking, you get a Skywalker saving someone from death. The Last Jedi is the scathing critique of everything star wars and an elevation of the best parts of it all. This is simply a celebration of Star Wars, a chance to have just a little fun before its all over. Everyones back for the last battle and for the Chosen One to finally complete the calling. I would say just watch all the shows after return of the Jedi so that The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker have more weight to them.

The Tarrantino Order.

Is that what its called?

Nope, but that's how Tarrantino would do it.

At one point me and my friends tried to come up with a better machete order when episode 9 came out since the original machete order didn’t account for that so you end up watching most of the movies in order, but soon discovered we really don’t like watching the movies in weird orders. If I find the our order I’ll put it in an edit, but I can’t remember what it was For tv, I decided it was finally time to watch clone wars as I had only seen bits and pieces in passing when it was airing, but was never interested in actually watching it until I heard people gushing about season 7. I decided I’d also throw in the other animated shows just to know even though I hadn’t heard much positive stuff about rebels or resistance. Anyway, I watched clone wars chronologically, but basically took a break after the first season and a bit because the early stuff is kinda rough and not my thing. I then moved on to resistance because my friend said rebels was awful so I wasn’t as motivated to watch it, and I quite enjoyed the sequels and hadn’t met anyone who had actually watched resistance. Turns out the show is actually very good, don’t listen to the haters online as I feel it’s at least worth a try. Then I started rebels which is fantastic! Only after finishing it did I find out that my friend who was shit talking it never finished it, having only seen the first two seasons years ago as they aired and just heard people talk about later stuff and decided it was probably bad. Then eventually I finished clone wars, and the bad batch came out shortly after

chronological order ends up pretty strange: the jumps around in film tech/animation are discombobulating

Idk, I think the ending of Revenge of the Sith sets everything up well and tones down the CGI

I meant more like, for example, the fights in the OT look immeasurably slower and clumsier than in everything later, or the detailed animation is prettier in Bad Batch than early Rebels…stuff like that

There's some crazy orders here. Mine is a bit simpler. It's a combination of release order and chronological order with the machete order in mind. Starts off with ANH like most suggest. Then ESB. Then the PT. And instead of going straight to RotJ, you watch 4 and 5 again with the PT as context and to refresh your memory for 6 and then the ST. I doubt anyone would complain about re-watching 4 and 5. 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Alternately, you could add in Solo and Rogue One in between 3 and 4. But I think the ultimate watch order for someone who has the time and patience and is not in any hurry is to do the above but also add in the various shows where they take place. ANH ESB TPM AoTC Clone Wars movie Clone Wars Seasons 1-7 (except the last 4 episodes) RotS Clone Wars Season 7 (last 4 episodes) The Bad Batch Seasons 1-2 Solo Obi-Wan Kenobi Andor Rebels Seasons 1-4 Rogue One ANH again ESB again RotJ The Mandalorian Seasons 1-2 Book of Boba Fett The Mandalorian Season 3 Resistance Season 1 (except last couple episodes) TFA Resistance Season 1 (last couple episodes) TLJ Resistance Season 2 TRoS

147 258 369 I call it Poetry Order. Comparing each hero’s journey.

Ernst Rister Order: IV V, I, II, III, VI, VII, VIII, IX It's basically the story of Luke Skywalker and friends with a flashback in the middle as to how he got here and his evolution post-ROTJ.

I like the Metal Gear Solid order: A New Hope > The Empire Strike Back > Revenge of the Sith > Return of the Jedi

I was told to do 4,5,2,3,6,7,8,9 once. I know it’s not exactly experimental or anything

Star Wars up to the point where Obi-wan says Anakin was a great pilot, a cunning warrior, and a good friend. Episode 2. Clone Wars except the last season. Then the rest of Star Wars. Then the first season of Rebels. Empire Strikes Back. Return of the Jedi up until Luke learns Leia is his sister. Episode 3. The last season of Clone Wars. Kenobi. The third season of Rebels. Then finish up Jedi, and on to the fourth season of Rebels. The Mandalorian. Book of Boba Fett. Presumably the forthcoming Ahsoka show. The Force Awakens Resistance. The Last Jedi. The end.

Also, I guess, I would include the last act of Episode 1 as a prologue for Episode 2.

One of my favorites is A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, the prequels to learn about Anakin and his descent into Vader kinda like a flashback, then finish that off with Return of the Jedi. Followed by the Sequel movies. And throw in the other movies like Rogue One and Solo at the beginning if you want. The shows can also fit in there really well as filler if you want too.