There have been many ideas over the years about what order you should watch the Star Wars movies in. This often changes when a new movie comes out. There have also been some more radical ideas such as the ‘Machete order’ which involves a rather unique way to view the saga.
One thing that crossed my mind recently, is does age matter when trying to recommend what movies some one should see first? Obviously for younger views there may be content that may not be appropriate, and for others there may be characters that appeal to children more than to adults.
There is also the question as to whether someone should include the two movies outside of the 9 main episodes: Solo: A Star Wars Movie, and Rogue One. And what about all the animated content and live action TV series. I would include Rogue One as its a direct prequel to Episode IV: A New Hope (the first ever Star Wars movie, released in 1977). Solo: A Star Wars movie, while providing interesting origin stories for some of the main characters is more of a stand alone feature that might be more of a distraction than an addition to the viewing order.
When we look at age, its interesting to note what official classification bodies have to say about the movies. In the USA all Star Wars movies are either rated PG or PG-13. The UK uses a different system, but as you can see below, both countries roughly agree on the content of the each movie.
|
USA |
UK |
|
|
Episode I – The Phantom Menace |
PG |
U |
|
Episode II – Attack of the Clones |
PG |
PG |
|
Episode III – Revenge of the Sith |
PG-13 |
12A |
|
Episode IV – A New Hope |
PG |
U |
|
Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back |
PG |
U |
|
Episode VI – Return of the Jedi |
PG |
U |
|
Episode VII – The Force Awakens |
PG-13 |
12A |
|
Episode VIII – The Last Jedi |
PG-13 |
12A |
|
Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker |
PG-13 |
12A |
|
Rogue One |
PG-13 |
12A |
|
Solo: A Star Wars Story |
PG-13 |
12A |
One issue about watching the movies in Chronological order, especially for young viewers is that some movies like Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, are a bit gory. This means that one of the most child friendly films, A Phantom Menace, is followed 2 movies later by one that’s more suited for teens. With that in mind this is my recommended order for the Star Wars movies:
Children aged 7+
Episode IV – A New Hope
Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
Episode VII – The Force Awakens
Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker
I would start with the first ever Star wars movie, Episode 4: A New Hope. This allows younger viewers to watch the more family friendly original trilogy. From there I would follow on into the latest trilogy, as it makes much more sense from a story point of view. One nice thing about this order is a lot of the surprises are not revealed in earlier movies. When they are older, show them the Prequel trilogy.
Children aged 10+
Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Rogue One
Episode IV – A New Hope
Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
Episode VII – The Force Awakens
Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker
Solo: A Star Wars Story
The main issue watching the movies in this order is that you child might grow up thinking The Phantom Menace is the best Star Wars movie. They might also be disappointed that Jar Jar isn’t as big a character in later movies. But it does give a good chronological story line. Any fans of Han and Chewie can watch Solo as a nice prequel at the end of the series.
Adults and Children aged 15+
Rogue One
Episode IV – A New Hope
Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
Episode VII – The Force Awakens
Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker
Rogue One is a good way to introduce the evil of Darth Vadar and the Empire. Its also a much edgier film than some of the other movies. I would leave out the original trilogy altogether, unless someone wants to view them as an origin story at a later date, along with Solo: A Star Wars Story.
In the end if you can’t decide what order to watch the movies in, my advice is to watch them in the order they were made. Each movie will be viewed as original audiences would have, and the writers and directors will have included all the relevant information to make the story make sense.