Here's How 76% Of Star Wars Fans Prefer To Watch The Skywalker Saga
It's well known that Star Wars fans love to debate all the details in the films and expanding universe. But there's one specific question that has been tossed around and considered for years — and that's the matter of what order, exactly, you should watch the three sets of Star Wars trilogies in. Of course, this question was a lot easier when there were only six films out, not nine, but even then, fans had a lot of strong opinions.
Should you watch the films in the order they were released, starting with the original three films, followed by the prequel trilogy, and then the new trilogy? Or should you watch them in chronological order with the Star Wars timeline, beginning with young Anakin Skywalker, and ending the story with Rey? Some people even skip The Phantom Menace entirely, going right to Attack of the Clones, and proceeding forward from there.
In order to get a more solid idea of what fans are doing for their own Star Wars Skywalker Saga movie marathons, Looper conducted a survey asking just that. Here's what you told us.
Star Wars fans would rather watch the Skywalker Saga by chronological order
To keep things simple, the poll gave two options, those being watching in chronological order, or by release date. Around 102,000 people responded from all over the world, with a clear winner — watching by chronological order. In other words, when people want to watch the Skywalker Saga all over again, the people who voted made it clear that they preferred starting with the prequel trilogy and following the timeline from there, with 76% of votes going to chronological order compared to 24% for release order.
This preference for chronological order over release date can seem surprising, given how many people prefer the original trilogy to the prequels, but it certainly makes it easier to keep everything straight. Though the poll question was looking solely at the three Skywalker trilogies, this technique also makes it easier if people decide to include the one-off films Rogue One and Solo, as well as the various animated series like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and The Mandalorian, which takes place five years after the events of Return of the Jedi. As the Star Wars universe keeps expanding with new TV shows and films, like a rumored upcoming series of movies set 400 years before the start of the Skywalker Saga, the timeline will get increasingly convoluted. If fans continue to watch everything Star Wars in the order it got released, well, that would make anyone's head spin.
However, in the comments, fans did clarify that if they were showing the films to someone for the first time — I.E., a person unfamiliar with Star Wars — they would encourage them to do it by release order. That way, big twists like the "I am your father" moment are surprises, delivered to the audience as intended.
Of course, fans should watch the Skywalker Saga in whatever order they prefer. There are no hard set rules here, and the Star Wars films can surely be watched and enjoyed no matter which way you choose.