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My co-worker watched Star Wars for the first time...

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So my co-worker watched Star Wars for the first time, the original and prequel trilogies. She had no idea what the movies are aside from knowing what a light saber is and that Darth Vader is a bad guy.

Without my consultation and to my disapproval, she watched the saga in numerical order.

Here's the amazing part, she said when she finished episode 3 she cried because Anakin became Darth Vader, she had no idea that was coming...

My jaw was dropped, I had never imagined anyone could go through those movies and not realize that. I never thought about viewing those movies from that perspective...

She loved the movies, to her surprise, anyone else know someone who was that removed from pop culture that is able to experience a movie/show like that?
 
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It's interesting to talk to kids who grew up watching the prequels first, because their entire POV on the films centers on Anakin. All through the OT they're consumed by the tension of Anakin being evil and whether Luke will figure out who Vader is before he kills his own father. They're rooting for Anakin to turn it around the whole time, and they hate Palpatine in RotJ in a way '80s kids just couldn't because he was nobody to us before that movie.

I once asked a kid who'd seen the prequels first whether he thought the end of Empire Strikes Back was stupid because the "I am your father" surprise was something he already knew, and he said that he thought the whole point of that fight was that you were supposed to be afraid that Anakin was so far gone that he'd kill his own son. He was tremendously relieved when Vader tells Luke, but then felt really bad for Luke and had never considered how Luke would react. It's a totally different way of looking at the movies and I find it fascinating.
 
I could certainly see that yeah. I mean if you're just watching casually for the first time.

It's funny how the whole prequel trilogy thing works, it sort of makes the whole experience of the original trilogy a very unique event of its time lol.

Wish your friend luck diving into those though, while they are decently watchable, first-timers will have less rose tints so first impressions may be rough.
 
It's interesting to talk to kids who grew up watching the prequels first, because their entire POV on the films centers on Anakin. All through the OT they're consumed by the tension of Anakin being evil and whether Luke will figure out who Vader is before he kills his own father. They're rooting for Anakin to turn it around the whole time, and they hate Palpatine in RotJ in a way '80s kids just couldn't because he was nobody to us before that movie.

I once asked a kid who'd seen the prequels first whether he thought the end of Empire Strikes Back was stupid because the "I am your father" surprise was something he already knew, and he said that he thought the whole point of that fight was that you were supposed to be afraid that Anakin was so far gone that he'd kill his own son. He was tremendously relieved when Vader tells Luke, but then felt really bad for Luke and had never considered how Luke would react. It's a totally different way of looking at the movies and I find it fascinating.

My first exposure to Star Wars was with Episode 1 when I was 7 years old. Immediately fell in love. My dad, who'd been a big fan back when he was younger, proceeded to immerse me into the OT. By the time Clones and eventually Sith came around, I already knew all about them.

I still remember being 13 after Revenge of the Sith came out and talking to a kid who'd told me he was a big Star Wars-fan, too. "Did you see what happened to Anakin? I can't wait they left us on a cliffhanger like that!" He even mocked me when I told him that Episode IV was already out.
 
It's interesting to talk to kids who grew up watching the prequels first, because their entire POV on the films centers on Anakin. All through the OT they're consumed by the tension of Anakin being evil and whether Luke will figure out who Vader is before he kills his own father. They're rooting for Anakin to turn it around the whole time, and they hate Palpatine in RotJ in a way '80s kids just couldn't because he was nobody to us before that movie.

I once asked a kid who'd seen the prequels first whether he thought the end of Empire Strikes Back was stupid because the "I am your father" surprise was something he already knew, and he said that he thought the whole point of that fight was that you were supposed to be afraid that Anakin was so far gone that he'd kill his own son. He was tremendously relieved when Vader tells Luke, but then felt really bad for Luke and had never considered how Luke would react. It's a totally different way of looking at the movies and I find it fascinating.
This is...really interesting to read actually! I watched the OT first myself but I also like the PT because it makes Darth Vader even more of a tragic figure to me. But to read your post about the kid's experience w8th Star Wars, it opened my mind.
 
My sister has never seen Sixth Sense and has no idea what the twist is. I should get her to see the movie one day.
 
You shouldn't tell her that there's a twist.

I believe the words I used were, "so, you know the thing people talk about, right?" and she said, "when he says he sees dead people?"

That line is all she knows about the movie.
 
I once asked a kid who'd seen the prequels first whether he thought the end of Empire Strikes Back was stupid because the "I am your father" surprise was something he already knew, and he said that he thought the whole point of that fight was that you were supposed to be afraid that Anakin was so far gone that he'd kill his own son. He was tremendously relieved when Vader tells Luke, but then felt really bad for Luke and had never considered how Luke would react. It's a totally different way of looking at the movies and I find it fascinating.

I feel like this read of it would pack even more of a punch if the kid in question had seen all of Clone Wars.

That is really interesting.
 
It's interesting to talk to kids who grew up watching the prequels first, because their entire POV on the films centers on Anakin. All through the OT they're consumed by the tension of Anakin being evil and whether Luke will figure out who Vader is before he kills his own father. They're rooting for Anakin to turn it around the whole time, and they hate Palpatine in RotJ in a way '80s kids just couldn't because he was nobody to us before that movie.

I once asked a kid who'd seen the prequels first whether he thought the end of Empire Strikes Back was stupid because the "I am your father" surprise was something he already knew, and he said that he thought the whole point of that fight was that you were supposed to be afraid that Anakin was so far gone that he'd kill his own son. He was tremendously relieved when Vader tells Luke, but then felt really bad for Luke and had never considered how Luke would react. It's a totally different way of looking at the movies and I find it fascinating.

that's actually super interesting. Man, I kinda want to experience Star Wars that way.
 
I haven't seen any of the Star Wars movies, and everything has been spoiled for me due to pop culture that I don't see the point of watching them now. It's always fun seeing people's reactions when I tell them I haven't seen the movies, though.
 
I haven't seen any of the Star Wars movies, and everything has been spoiled for me due to pop culture that I don't see the point of watching them now.

Star Wars ain't Star Wars because of the strength of its story. Being spoiled isn't going to hurt what works.

Watch it for the visuals/audio/characterization. The story is old as hell. It's the way the story is re-told/re-imagined that hooked people.
 
My first exposure to Star Wars was with Episode 1 when I was 7 years old. Immediately fell in love. My dad, who'd been a big fan back when he was younger, proceeded to immerse me into the OT. By the time Clones and eventually Sith came around, I already knew all about them.

This is roughly my experience too. I mean, looking back, I don't feel the PT holds a candle to the OT, but I still have some affection for it (mostly 1 and 3, 2 only for the Adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi). You read some threads and it's like people forget a generation did grow up with this being their version of Star Wars.

The toys for Episode I were proper good too. Plus, we got to grow up with Battlefront.
 
My sister has never seen Sixth Sense and has no idea what the twist is. I should get her to see the movie one day.

You shouldn't tell her that there's a twist.

This. Someone said to me "So you don't know about the twist!? Oh man, it's amazing." And because I knew there was a twist it was really easy to work out. Until he'd said that I just assumed it was a popular horror movie.
 
So my co-worker watched Star Wars for the first time, the original and prequel trilogies. She had no idea what the movies are aside from knowing what a light saber is and that Darth Vader is a bad guy.

Without my consultation and to my disapproval, she watched the saga in numerical order.

Here's the amazing part, she said when she finished episode 3 she cried because Anakin became Darth Vader, she had no idea that was coming...

My jaw was dropped, I had never imagined anyone could go through those movies and not realize that. I never thought about viewing those movies from that perspective...

She loved the movies, to her surprise, anyone else know someone who was that removed from pop culture that is able to experience a movie/show like that?

Don't leave us hanging! Did she prefer the PT or the OT? Which episode is her favourite? Has she seen TFA?
 
That's pretty cool. Being a big Star Wars fan and working with lots of young people, I hear this kind of thing often.

It's interesting to talk to kids who grew up watching the prequels first, because their entire POV on the films centers on Anakin. All through the OT they're consumed by the tension of Anakin being evil and whether Luke will figure out who Vader is before he kills his own father. They're rooting for Anakin to turn it around the whole time, and they hate Palpatine in RotJ in a way '80s kids just couldn't because he was nobody to us before that movie.

I once asked a kid who'd seen the prequels first whether he thought the end of Empire Strikes Back was stupid because the "I am your father" surprise was something he already knew, and he said that he thought the whole point of that fight was that you were supposed to be afraid that Anakin was so far gone that he'd kill his own son. He was tremendously relieved when Vader tells Luke, but then felt really bad for Luke and had never considered how Luke would react. It's a totally different way of looking at the movies and I find it fascinating.

That was pretty much Lucas' intention. He said way back around the time of The Phantom Menace that, rather than it losing its original shock value, Vader's revelation would eventually come to be seen by future generations as a moment of tremendous release. It's still a huge, huge scene.

I haven't seen any of the Star Wars movies, and everything has been spoiled for me due to pop culture that I don't see the point of watching them now. It's always fun seeing people's reactions when I tell them I haven't seen the movies, though.

Even if you take key plot points out of the equation, they're still thouroughly exciting, drop dead beautiful, impeccably scored, extremely well-made films.
 
i only watched the star wars movies for the first time a couple years ago. TFA was the first one i went to see in the cinema and that's when i got hooked.

my best friend growing up was obsessed with star wars so i knew some stuff. the only characters i knew were vader, maul, obi, jabba, yoda, r2d2/c3po, chewbacca, and jar jar. i knew vader was luke's father but i didn't know what one luke was lol. to me leia was just the princess with the ear muffs and i didn't know what one Han Solo was. story wise i only knew the bad guys had the death star and jedi's could use the force. both sides had light sabers.

i saw a little bit of the prequels years ago at my friends house but never paid much attention. back then i was more into harry potter/lord of the rings. anyway in 2014 i decided to watch episodes 1-6. i enjoyed it but felt really confused on a lot of stuff but it was a good way to pass the day though.

i watched the TFA trailers and was quite interested but never really followed it closely. i was off work when it launched and was bored so decided to go see it and really enjoyed it. went to see rogue one too and that was great. can't wait for the last jedi!
 
I really do think that when average people, who probably aren't too concerned with the craft of filmmaking, watch the prequels first, they come out with a greater appreciation for those movies than a lot of fans would seem to prefer. Hence why I hate telling people that they HAVE to watch the OT first.
 
Don't leave us hanging! Did she prefer the PT or the OT? Which episode is her favourite? Has she seen TFA?

She still hasn't seen episode 6 or 7, she's still hoping Darth Vader will become a good guy again by the end.

I'll find out which trilogy she prefers when she's done. She seems to be well aware of how much shit the prequels get, and I'd be first in line to tell her that, but she certainly has had a unique approach to the series. She enjoyed the prequels a lot.
 
My parents and little brother haven't watched Star Wars yet. I was gonna just give them the Original Trilogy for the "I am your father" twist which they don't know about, but now I'm wondering about the prequels. Thoughts?
 
Is the prequel trilogy a long work? Where it was Lucas's intention to make an artificial trend of terrible up to amazing, knowing that he could make bank with the good shit up front, then fund the bad before anyone had the financial clout to stop him - knowing that future generations would watch them numerically and not critise him like the original fans did.

Have we been played?
 
My sister introduced her boyfriend to Star Wars. He's watched 4, 5, 6, 1, 2.

TPM is his favourite so far. I told her to dump him.
 
I want to see the reaction of a kid who goes through the entirety of the saga and the shows in chronological order. Start with episodes 1 and 2, then all of Clone Wars, 3, Rebels, Rogue One, and then 4-6.

I'd be really interested to know what they think by starting off at the beginning, watching Anakin being a true hero in the cartoon, then transforming into Vader. Seeing how evil the Empire is through Rebels and Rogue One, and finally getting to see the resolution of it all with the OT.
 
I want to see the reaction of a kid who goes through the entirety of the saga and the shows in chronological order. Start with episodes 1 and 2, then all of Clone Wars, 3, Rebels, Rogue One, and then 4-6.

I'd be really interested to know what they think by starting off at the beginning, watching Anakin being a true hero in the cartoon, then transforming into Vader. Seeing how evil the Empire is through Rebels and Rogue One, and finally getting to see the resolution of it all with the OT.

I think this would be difficult to do without them getting spoiled just because it would take so long to get through with the inclusion of the shows that theyd have to be kept from reading about or hearing about spoilers the entire time. You could probably pull it off with an adult though who might have more discipline.

Extra hard mode: find someone to go through the entire canon in order for the first time.
 
I find this extremely hard to believe but thats good for you OP because it means she wants to smang

You're probably always talking about star wars and ignoring the fact that she's eye fucking you, so she made up a ridiculous story about being unaware of the one tale that is completely baked into our culture.

I can see it now. You both are sitting un the break room and shes like geez OP what are you doing this weekend? *wink* *wink*. To which you lean back and go OHHHH I dunno take a stroll around Dantooine before blasting off for Kashyyk. And as you daydream about those things shes biting her lip yet cursing that you won't notice her.
 
I want to see the reaction of a kid who goes through the entirety of the saga and the shows in chronological order. Start with episodes 1 and 2, then all of Clone Wars, 3, Rebels, Rogue One, and then 4-6.

I'd be really interested to know what they think by starting off at the beginning, watching Anakin being a true hero in the cartoon, then transforming into Vader. Seeing how evil the Empire is through Rebels and Rogue One, and finally getting to see the resolution of it all with the OT.
And don't forget to make sure to watch the episodes for TCW in order as well
 
Its alright I watched ep 1-6 in numerical order leading up to ep 7 with my wife. She had only seen 1-3.

She said out of 4-6, 5 was the worst one. :(

Funfact: Most critics and moviegoers at the time of Empire's release agreed with her. It was only in the '90s that the idea that Empire was the best of the three gained any real traction.
 
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