Warning: Spoilers ahead
It has been hard to find information about it on the Internet, so in case you didn’t know, a new Star Wars film was released this past weekend, and it’s getting pretty good reviews. People seem to like it.
In all seriousness though, “The Force Awakens” is great. I can’t say enough about it. J.J. Abrams takes the source material, including the prequels, and uses it more effectively than I ever could have imagined. I doubt any viewer will be disappointed.
However, now that there are seven episodes (and two more on the way), the question arises for fans: in what order should we watch the movies? Traditional logic has paved two paths: the Release Order and the Episode Order.
Release order is too jumpy now – the viewer starts with IV, then jumps to I after VI, then goes to VII after III. It’s not a cohesive story.
Episode order doesn’t work either because you have to start with the weakest movie. Also, for anyone watching the films for the first time, the twists aren’t satisfying at all, either because you don’t have enough information and investment in the characters (e.g., Luke and Leia being sibling is basic knowledge because of Episode III) or because you fell asleep during all the spoken exposition.
However…
It’s this: the Machete Order. Proposed by blogger Rod Hilton, it suggests that we watch the films in the following order: IV, V, II, III, VI. Allegedly, it is much more satisfying, more engaging, and it leaves Luke as the central protagonist with the prequel serving as an extended backstory, proving to viewers that Darth Vader is Luke’s father.
But now there are seven movies, and of course when it was made, the Machete Order did not account for that. While I was watching “The Force Awakens” last night, I was trying to place it nearly in the Machete Order. I originally thought that would be an easy task, but I was wrong; finding its place was tough on a number of levels.
Firstly, Luke is mentioned a number of times, but is nowhere to be found until the final moments of the film. Can he be a central character if he’s barely in the movie?
Secondly, the main protagonists in “The Force Awakens,” at least as far as we know, are not Skywalkers. The characters that do return from the Original Trilogy are there as exposition, to help guide the new characters and appease old fans rather than to be any sort of actual heroes.
With all that in mind, though, one line stuck in my mind and ultimately solidified my decision. At one point, Han Solo says to Rey and Finn, “It’s true. All of it. The Dark Side. The Jedi. They’re real.”
With that, I knew that, at least for now, “The Force Awakens” belongs at the beginning of the Machete Order.
As strange as it is to essentially have two flashbacks in the series now – one at the end of Episode VII going into “A New Hope” and another after “The Empire Strikes Back” going into “Attack of the Clones” – I think it works and is the best alternative.
At the end of “The Force Awakens,” Luke Skywalker turns to face Rey as she tries to hand him his original lightsaber, inherited from his father – this seems like a perfect jumping-off point. Throughout the entire movie, we’ve heard about Luke Skywalker, then we finally meet him. Now we go back and find out his backstory and credibility before he begins to train a new Jedi.
“But there are so many old characters, Patrick. New viewers won’t be as emotionally invested in them!”
They will be. Plus, knowing what you know from “The Force Awakens,” I would argue that it makes the series more exciting and tragic, and adds an extra layer of emotional investment.
To clarify, however: I’ve watched “The Force Awakens” once, and the Sequel Trilogy is only a third of the way over. My analysis could change with more information. But as I see it now, the New Machete Order should be VII, IV, V, II, III, VI, VIII, IX.
Patrick Hoff is a senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who has spent the last three years writing and editing at his college newspaper, The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. He has written for a number of publications, including Jyrno and The Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Massachusetts, as well as writing for the blog at the Institute for Community Inclusion.
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This is not actually confusing or difficult. The reason for Machete Order is the fact that NONE of the movies so far have matched their release order with their episode order, and to preserve the plot twists while telling the story in a more sensible way.
Episodes 7-9 will actually be released with their episode number matching their release order, and therefore they are not an issue.
Simply put, Episode 7 fits into the Machete Order as the seventh film you will watch, if you include episode I. If you follow the true Machete Order and eliminate Episode I, then it will be the sixth film you watch after Episode 6.
Done. No mental gymnastics required.
With Episode VII coming out on 18th April in the UK I re-watched the films in the Machete Order and still think VII will work on the end. As they talk bout the prophecy at the beginning of the film and the film was written with the original films in mind. I think it works as we know about everything that’s come before and that is how I will continue to watch the saga
Literally everything in this article is freaking idiotic…this moronic machete order amies no sense from any perspective…it must have been created by a troll trying to see how many morons he could convince. Release order is the only intelligent way to watch the films…at least if youve never seen them…if you have, then the surprises arent important so you go chronological…this is a no brainer…
As for the new film…its utter crap. A scene by scene repeat of episode 4 without any of the good stuff. Its marginally entertaining as mindless fluff, but there isnt a single new thing going on in the entire film. Add that to the fact that the scumbags at disney axed thirty years of history…the novels…because it was too convoluted, then created a new history thats just as convoluted…but without the benefit of anyone actually knowing anything about it…
This writer is either a troll or on disney’s payroll…
Now this makes Han Solo’s death more tragic, because when your watching the OT, you’ll keep thinking “Oh no, he’s gonna die in a few years” and the OT becomes infinitely more tragic because you realize that all of the victories are for nothing.
I understand it sux- but completely ignoring EP-1 is a cop out.
Where does that turd fit in the machete order? But otherwise, damn this makes
sense-I may just test this out…
Nope.
Only order is: I, II, III, IV, V, VI. Ignore VII as it’s corporate trash made by a committee.
Anyone who would rate the Phantom Menace above any incarnation of Star Wars to include fan films, has lost any credibility in my mind. Go watch Star Trek.
Some people actually like Star Wars: Episode I above Episode II. Personally, my favorites in descending order are: V, IV, III = VII, VI, II, I.
V, IV, III, VI, II, I….
There is no VII just some crap remake of IV thats been floating around for a few months…
Lol…anyone who could like 7 is the moron in this scenario…1 is weak but not really bad…7 has absolutely no redeeming qualities…
Every single complaint ive ever heard about ep 1 is found in 7 as well…at least menace is an original story…
Grown ass adults arguing what is essentially a kids movie. #firstworldproblems
However,
you’re wrong, the correct place in the Machete Order is to continue in Episode Order for this New Trilogy.
7 Obvious Reasons Being:
1. Machete Order gets you Invested in Luke Skywalker, and to an equal extent Darth Vader.
2. VII is about “Where did Luke Go?”
3. Ergo, throughout VII, you are feeling, along with the characters, “Where is Luke?”
4. Kylo Ren is the centrallest on screen character in VII with obvious connections to Machete Order.
5. Kylo Ren makes Zero Sense and is Utterly Confusing in Machete Order if you meet him before you meet…..Everything that came before to make him.
6. IV could be a standalone movie on its own. So could VII. (barely. Darth Vader survives and Luke appears, but still.)
7. Therefore you are basically showing “The End” before “The Beginning”, with what we have so far. That is Ben Affleck’s Daredevil. No. Stahp. Why are you doing this to Star Wars. 😛
sigh….i read 78% of the article….maybe 89%, reacted, and, erm….Okay the remaining 5-10% of your argument began to make more sense.
So this means actually there are Two Different Plausible Machete Orders. greeeattt
I knew I was going to be confused by seeing more Star Wars movies. It was nice knowing that for years there happened to only be three of them.