May the Fourth be with you!
It's Star Wars day! No, not Life Day as they celebrate back on Chewbacca's home planet of Kashyyyk, but rather, May the 4th, Star Wars' unofficial, official holiday celebrating all things located in a galaxy far, far away.
That also gives us an excuse to rewatch our favorite movies - but, perhaps with a fresh pair of eyes and a new narrative thread. After all, there's more than one way to bullseye womp rats in your T-16 speeder.
While there's debate among the Star Wars community on the best possible way to enjoy the franchise's movies, really, there is no right or wrong answer. it's all pretty great. So, we decided to go through a couple different ways for you to enjoy the movies for your rewatch party. We stuck to the main theater release films, including Rogue One and Solo. All of these movies are available on Disney+ (excluding Solo: A Star Wars Story, which is currently available to watch on Netflix US).
Chronological Order
For many, it makes sense to begin a story at its beginning. You don't skip ahead to the last page and spoil the book, do you? So, for those who wish to rewatch the Skywalker Saga, here's how to watch:
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace - Set 32 years before A New Hope
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - End of the prequel trilogy.
- Solo: A Star Wars Story - Set about a decade before A New Hope, this tells the story of Han Solo, how he met Chewbacca and obtained the Millennium Falcon.
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - This movie takes place literal moments before A New Hope. We also get a glimpse of Darth Vader at his peak of power.
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - Where it all began.
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi - End of the Original Trilogy
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens -
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker - End of the Skywalker Saga
Release Order
This is the preferred way for most previous fans to introduce new fans to the universe. The release order allows people watch the Skywalker Saga unfold the same way everyone else in the world first got a glimpse of a galaxy far, far, away.
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
While most of the world had to take a nearly 15-year break in between trilogies, fortunately, you don't have to. Just hit next play!
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace - Set 32 years before A New Hope, we go back to see how Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side.
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones -
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - Set 19 years before A New Hope, we finally witness Anakin become Darth Vader.
Another decade wait for most fans, but again, lucky you! You get to watch it all now!
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Solo: A Star Wars Story
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
Machete Order
Coined by Rod Hilton in 2011, the Machete Order does away with Episode I entirely, preferring to keep the focus on Luke Skywalker and Anakin's fall to the Dark Side. It's also a great way to introduce new viewers to the Star Wars Universe by
The Machete Order has you begin your watch with Episode IV - A New Hope, introducing to the universe and the characters. After the shocking twist at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, Episode II introduces you to a younger Anakin Skywalker - shortly before his fall to the Dark Side.
Once you get through Episode III, you return to Episode VI: Return of the Jedi to complete Luke Skywalker's story and see him confront his father's past. Additionally, it can be fun to include Rogue One: A Star Wars Story during your rewatch in between Episode III and Episode VI, giving you a glimpse into the Empire's grip on the galaxy to see Darth Vader at his most terrifying.
- Episode IV: A New Hope
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
After Episode VI, you can pretty much watch the sequel saga as is.
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
No matter what anyone tells you, there's no wrong way to watch Star Wars or how to enjoy the characters. It's the ultimate escape