So just because it was the first film to be released doesn't mean it's the start of the story. George Lucas had always intended for the original Star Wars film to be a small part of a much larger story. Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (Opens in a new window) Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (Opens in a new window) Rogue One (Opens in a new window)(optional) Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (Opens in a new window) Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (Opens in a new window) Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (Opens in a new window) Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Opens in a new window) Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (Opens in a new window) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Opens in a new window) Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (Opens in a new window) If you want to go by release order, your marathon should look like this:
First-timers who want the full experience can certainly watch them in release order, or place the standalone films before or after the sequel trilogy. They have no impact on the overarching narrative, anyway. If you're doing a re-watch and are interested in preserving the storyline of the core movies, just skip these two films. Going by release date, Rogue One and Solo would interrupt the sequel trilogy. It starts with the original trilogy, then takes us back to the prequel movies, before finishing with Disney's sequel films.įollowing this order, you get the story of Luke overcoming Darth Vader, followed by Vader's origin story, then see Rey pick up the legacy Luke left behind. This can get a little awkward if you intend to add the standalone Star Wars films to your watch party. The most obvious answer is theatrical release order, since this is how the movies were shown and what George Lucas intended.
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How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.The violence may be too much (and the Shakespearean-level of deaths too sad) for the youngest moviegoers, but otherwise this is a well-executed piece of Star Wars lore.
The odds are against this lot of revolutionaries from the start, and the movie's epic battle sequences are the most violent of any Star Wars installment, sometimes bringing to mind the final Hunger Games films. The Night Of breakout star Riz Ahmed plays an Imperial pilot who wants to help the Rebellion, and veteran actors Mendelsohn, Mikkelsen, and Forest Whitaker have pivotal roles on both sides of Dark and Light. They're a fierce but comedic pair of old friends who have each other's backs. The supporting characters in Rogue One are a refreshingly diverse ensemble, with Chinese martial artists Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang playing blind warrior monk Chirrut Imwe and his assassin bestie, Baze Malbus.
Their banter isn't quite as funny as Leia and Han's, but for that there's K-2SO, who drily states the probability of success in any given situation - or why he thinks partnering with Jyn is a bad idea. In some ways, they're the opposite of Leia and Han, with Jyn the roguish heroine with a spotty reputation and Cassian the tried-and-true Rebel with a Cause. Jones and Luna are wonderful as Jyn and Cassian, both of whom have complicated pasts. While there have been plenty of rumors about the characters and events in this stand-alone "bridge" between Episode III and Episode IV, the reality is that this story is very much in keeping with that you'd expect from that precarious moment when the Empire was basically at its most powerful. For decades, devoted fans have wondered why the Death Star had a design flaw that the Rebel Alliance could even think about exploiting. This is the Star Wars story you were looking for but may not have even known it.