Disney
Do you want to have a Star Wars marathon or introduce the cinematic world of the Jedi to kids who never saw any of the movies? Do you go by their release date of the films or do you go by the chronological events in the Star Wars films? Then where do you fit Rogue One into the viewing party? Who better to ask than a Jedi master… Luke Skywalker.
Mark Hamill broke down exactly what order you should watch the Star Wars movies in an interview with Collider.
“I always think the way that they were chronologically released. Now, I may be wrong, because if you’re starting out fresh, you may go I, II, III, IV, V, VI, Rogue One? It’s hard! I mean, wait a second, Rogue One comes before IV, so you go I, II, III, Rogue One, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII. I’m guessing. But it must be jarring for young kids, because the technology is so advanced now, so Star Wars looks primitive compared to the prequels where CGI just flourished.”
Remember, the Star Wars movies started with Episode IV – A New Hope back in 1977, followed by Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, and Episode VI – Return of the Jedi in 1983. The prequel trilogy ran from 1999 to 2005 starting with Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The last trilogies started in 2015 with Episode VII – The Force Awakens, then Episode VIII – The Last Jedi in 2017. The stand-alone Rogue One came out in 2016.
Besides the vast technological and visual advancements since the original trilogy, the other issue with Hamill’s order is that you’ll know who Luke Skywalker’s parentage before the big reveal. Might be the biggest twist in the Star Wars universe and watching the movies chronologically could ruin that beautiful aspect of the films.
[CNET]