What is the perfect order to watch Star Wars films? Dave Filoni shares his take amid 'The Mandalorian & Grogu' buzz
With the release of 'The Mandalorian & Grogu' came back an age-old question: What is the perfect order to watch all the 'Star Wars' films. While fans have debated the order for decades now, the latest from the new film's co-writer and director Jon Favreau, and newly-minted Lucasfilm President Dave Filoni, sees a new perspective to the order of the films. The original trilogy was 'Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope' (1977), 'Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back' (1980), and 'Star Wars: Episode VI – The Return of the Jedi' (1983). The prequels followed after with 'Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace' (1999), 'Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones', and 'Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'. The sequels were 'Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens' (2015), 'Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi', and 'Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker'.
"It's less controversial for me," Favreau told Collider. "I feel like [Episode] IV. I like watching it in the order I watched it in, but it might because that's how I saw it. [Episode] IV drops you right in the middle of it. It'll be interesting now with the rerelease of IV coming out next year. But I think it also builds the tone. Even though chronologically it's one through nine, the technology of the filmmaking and the voice of the storyteller have changed. So I actually think that the order that they released it, I still back that. But I've never watched… Have you watched it from one through nine that way, in order?" In response, Filoni had a rather diplomatic answer: "There's no wrong way to watch Star Wars. I wouldn’t second-guess the maker," he added. Most fans have stuck with the coventional order (by release), while some have focused on the prequels first to better understand the original trilogy. Like Favreau, most of the audience of his age group have begun with 'A New Hope'. However, with a well-rounded set of films, the order is mostly a personal choice.
As for 'The Mandalorian & Grogu', the movie comes after the adventures of bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his Jedi companion and apperentice, Grogu. The plot follows the New Republic fighting to rebuild in the wake of the Rebellion and they enlist the help of Djarin and Grogu. The movie is running in theaters and opened to mixed responses from critics and fans.
