You’ve Never Seen Star Wars?!

By Alexandra Cochran
Blog Content Contributor

That’s what my boyfriend exclaimed to me in early March this year when he found out I had no clue who Darth Vader was, why Leia is a princess or what kind of animal Jabba the Hutt was. I then decided to binge watch the entire film series to let you know it’s not just a bunch of old movies – these are truly a classic.

In order to understand the entire script and not fall behind, I made sure to research the best order to watch these movies. I found a link on Reddit and realized that I needed to watch them in the order of “as released, you can’t go wrong with that. Chronological order is for when you’ve seen them at least once” which apparently is the same order that George Lucas tweeted the public explaining that Episode 4, A New Hope, sets up the universe and is the only movie to properly explain what The Force and Jedi are in the movie as Obi-Wan explains it to Luke within the film itself. So, 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 7, and Rogue One is the “unofficial” official order.

Spring Break rolled around and I figured I wouldn’t have the same amount of down time like I did then, so I grabbed my kettle corn and began to watch. Now, I didn’t begin this article so that I could give you a review about every movie because I think everyone needs to see these films to create their own perspective and personal understanding. I needed to grasp the storyline on my own terms and quickly Episode 4 caught my attention – the witty sense of humor between Han Solo and Chewbacca’s relationship forced the audience to create a connection to their characters. Every detail was precise and perfectly chosen. I couldn’t even tell, besides from the animation, that these movies were made four decades ago.

Originally released in 1980, the trilogies were the most popular films created in their time. Similar to our generation’s Harry Potter, Star Wars was incredibly thought out and well-executed. What’s so remarkable about Episode 4, 5 and 6 is that there was so much information left out purposely for future movies, now released, that explain everything that happened in between, making you much more eager to complete the entire series. After Episode 6, I finally had the best understanding of Jabba the Hutt, a vile gangster. They did a great job of including these characters that weren’t humans, which really assisted in the realism of their galaxy.

The latest film released, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, introduces a new character, Rey, who ends the film by discovering long lost Luke Skywalker while leaving fans guessing who she’s related to and anticipating how she connects to the narrative. George Lucas made sure to create terror within a great storyline about their galaxy: Luke Skywalker, a Rebel, Han Solo, a leader in the Alliance, Princess Leia, General of the Resistance against the First Order, could make their way to restore freedom and continue the story of the Star Wars.

If you happen to be one of the few who haven’t gotten around to watching Star Wars, find and buy, rent, or borrow your friend’s series and absorb the classic stories the George Lucas has to offer. If you’ve seen them all, comment below your favorite episode!

Featured image via Pixabay.