When introducing someone new to Star Wars — yes, people like that exist — great care has to be taken with the viewing order of the complete saga. While some people advocate for chronological within the universe of the saga, others are more in favor of by release date. Collider decided to ask Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself, to weigh in, and while he ultimately said that it was up to the viewer to decide, he was in favor of chronological within the universe.
I always think the way that they were chronologically released. Now, I may be wrong, because if you’re starting out fresh, you may go I, II, III, IV, V, VI, Rogue One? It’s hard! I mean, wait a second, Rogue One comes before IV, so you go I, II, III, Rogue One, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII. I’m guessing. But it must be jarring for young kids, because the technology is so advanced now, so Star Wars looks primitive compared to the prequels where CGI just flourished.”
While I can see Hamill’s point, I have to respectfully disagree and advocate in favor of release dates, primarily because of the iconic Empire Strikes Back twist. There’s nothing quite like that moment when you find out Luke’s true parentage, and to cheat a new viewer out of that experience would be a real shame. But who am I to argue with a Jedi master?
(Via Collider)