#original trilogy and clone wars show yoda

[thalassic-p4rk]

there is a serious lack of natquik content in this fandom and i am bitter about it. ty factual for keeping the natquik angst appreciation train alive 🙏🙏

*Dreamily sighs*.. thinking about Octonauts again..

[elendiliel]

While it's still technically May the Fourth, here are some of my favourite moments from every Star Wars film and show so far (other than Visions and Forces of Destiny). (Yes, most of these are taken from my previous compilation; no, I don't know what happened to the subtitles on two of the new clips, or how to fix them.)

[tossawary]

Thinking about how hard the "Star Wars" prequel films dropped the ball in terms of female representation. Like, looking back on the original trilogy, it kind of sucks that the only main female character is Leia, and while Leia does kick ass and I love her, it also sucks that the last film 1) put her in that bikini and 2) abruptly made her Luke's twin but didn't let her have a lightsaber or use a lot of the cool space magic powers.

When you only have one female character, she often ends up bearing the unintended burden of a lot of hopes and expectations of fans. She's just one person. She's never going to be compelling to everyone.

And then you have the prequels and you'd hope that they'd do a little better with male-female ratios this time? With experience? But the only main female character is Padmé, who's pretty fun, but also ends up 1) desperately in love with a murderer, 2) spending most of the last movie barefoot and pregnant, staring out a window, because they cut the "founding of the Rebellion" plotline, and 3) dying not because she was Force-choked but because she has "lost the will to live" because "fuck them kids", I guess.

(I know there's theories about Sidious siphoning her life force or what the fuck ever, but I don't caaaaare, because I hate the idea that Sidious has that kind of reach for no fucking reason and also it's not actually IN the movies! It doesn't count!)

The Nubian handmaidens are a cool concept, but they're all background characters, who barely get named. We don't get to actually see them and Padmé do a lot of on-screen work together. She doesn't get to confide in them regarding her love or her fears. She speaks to her guard captain more onscreen than her handmaidens.

And while we do see female members of the Jedi Order in the films, they're ALSO all background characters, like Jocasta Nu and Aayla Secura and Yaddle. As opposed to more active Jedi characters like Qui-Gon Jinn or Mace Windu. Like, damn, the prequels are the perfect opportunity to introduce and show off even a female Jedi supporting character, and they just did not do that. That sucks. The careless absence of women in this universe sucks. The careless absence of women as significant characters in these films sucks.

Every other piece of additional material for "Star Wars" has to move to patch this. The "Jedi Apprentice" and "Jedi Quest" novels strive to add and name female agemates and mentors. "The Clone Wars" television shows add Ahsoka as a protagonist and Ventress as a villain and a whole bunch of new female characters.

Yes, given that these are prequels, there are some characters who are not really realistically changeable. (Yes, trans people exist, obviously, that would be very cool; not sure that "Star Wars" was going to go for that back in 1999.) Obi-Wan. Anakin. Yoda. The Emperor. Unnamed Sad Mother of Luke and Leia. You need those ones. EVERYTHING ELSE was up for whatever they wanted to do.

So, anyway, I'm currently thinking about characters you could potentially genderbend without affecting the story pretty much at all. Qui-Gon, obviously. Mace Windu, as well. I think fandom would then hate both of these characters even more then, unfortunately, because fandom is what it is. Whatever legitimate criticisms levied at both of these imperfect characters would have increased tenfold, I am certain of it. But we're talking about the prequels's badly executed stories, not fandom's misogyny. (And misogynoir. A black woman as the leader of the Jedi Order when it was destroyed by the Sith? Fandom would have been even more of a fucking nightmare.) It would suck that they both die, but the prequels are a tragedy anyway, so, eh.

Bail's role in the prequels could have potentially been played by Breha Organa instead. Although, I don't know how well the Extended Universe novels had extended Leia's backstory by that point in time, maybe Bail had already been established as the Senator and Breha as Queen, so maybe not. At the very least, you could have had Mon Mothma in there doing his superspy stuff with him or something. Padmé's guard captain could have been a woman.

Both Darth Maul and Count Dooku could have been women. Yes, they're both evil, and yes, they both die, so it's not perfect on the representation front. But it's something, especially if you balance that out with some good characters, and look, I can't coherently complete this thought, I keep getting distracted by the mental image of hot evil Sith ladies. I think a female Count Dooku would have kicked ass, honestly, as much as I enjoy Christopher Lee in the role.

My main goal with this thought exercise is purely upping the number of plot-relevant female characters, pointing out that it wouldn't have been hard to add more women without changing all that much if anyone involved had actually bothered to think about that.

The original trilogy only mentioned "The Clone Wars", so the clone army didn't all need to be copies of Jango Fett. There could have potentially been a half-dozen genetic donors, with the Kaminoans creating different clone soldiers for different purposes. Some of them could have been clones of women. (I hold the unpleasant headcanon that the clone soldiers are all sterile (or functionally sterile, incompatible with unmodified humans) anyway, because the Kaminoans don't want clients to be able to "steal" their work.) And the clones are actually a fairly minor role in the films themselves, admittedly, not given any more development than any of the droids (it's the show that does the work), but again, it's still something more.

[grifonecoronato]

The Guardians of Peace and Justice

(spoilers for The Acolyte)

In A New Hope, Obi-Wan describes the Jedi as the "guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic"...

...okay, but what does that mean, exactly? On its surface, Star Wars positions the Jedi as agents of pure goodness (at least if we're to take Obi-Wan's description at face value).

But The Acolyte asks us to wrestle with that question on a practical, everyday level for the galaxy's citizens. After all, a religious order whose charge is to be "guardians of peace and justice", coupled with the fact that its members are armed, implies that militarisation is part of their mandate.

Faith-based police, in other words.

Orthodox Star Wars fans seem to hate this portrayal of the Jedi as cops; Jedi in The Acolyte tend to throw their weight around the citizens of the galaxy, routinely using intimidation to get what they want, and when they make mistakes they have an institution that provides them with cover and support.

With all these traits in mind, The Acolyte positions the Jedi not as agents of pure goodness, but as imperfect members of an institution that prioritises its own protection at least as much as its duty to the Republic's citizens.

So... not just faith-based police, but corrupt faith-based police!

But if you look at the story George Lucas told in the prequels, the Jedi's portrayal in The Acolyte keeps faith with how they were portrayed, and what they will eventually become.

Jedi as Superheroes

So if not cops, how do orthodox Star Wars fans want the Jedi portrayed?

I've been watching Star Wars since the 80s, and to my surprise, the Jedi we've seen in the (canon) movies, and TV shows have surprisingly few scenes with everyday citizens. Usually, the Jedi in these stories are involved in larger-than-life struggles, like blowing up the Death Star, commanding Clone Troopers, or talking in the Jedi Council chambers about politics and Force stuff.

When Jedi do encounter citizens, they are positioned as superhero archetypes: they hear a call for help from beleaguered citizens, rush in to resolve the dispute -- usually through talk and diplomacy, but also with violence and lightsabers -- and then fly off into hyperspace.

Two recent examples come from Tales of the Jedi and Jedi Survivor, both of which feature Jedi acting on their own volition in places where there is no formalised local security.

In the Tales of the Jedi episode "Justice", Count Dooku and Qui-Gon Jinn defend villagers who are holding a Senator's son hostage, and act against the tyrannical Senator who's starving the villagers. Toward the climax of the episode, Dooku reveals that he never informed the Senate that he was undertaking this rescue operation, and thus he and Qui-Gon Jinn were acting without oversight (which is not something Jedi are supposed to do, especially if they're trying to rescue a Senator's son!).

In Jedi Survivor, Cal Kestis saves a villager from being killed by the Bedlam Raiders. This story takes place during the Reign of the Empire era, when the Jedi are almost all dead, so Cal is taking decisions without Senate oversight.

In essence, Dooku, Jinn, and Kestis are free to act as superheroes because no one else is able to do anything. By acting, these Jedi "restore peace and justice".

The Jedi's Hubris

The Original Trilogy portrays three Jedi: Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Luke, and each is a paragon of goodness. Well... Obi-Wan deliberately misleads Luke about his father, and both Yoda and Obi-Wan conceal Leia's true parentage and her relationship to Luke...

... small potatoes stuff.

But when the Prequel Trilogy came out, the Jedi were portrayed very differently. These Jedi:

...attempted to defraud a merchant of his livelihood...

... cheated at games of chance...

... and were happy to risk the life of a child on a dangerous race.

But it was for the greater good, right? There were more pressing concerns at play than one junk trader's livelihood, and besides the kid was Force-sensitive, so he'd be fine in a high-octane contest.

The prequel Jedi had good intentions, after all.

But that's exactly the kind of permissiveness that led to the Jedi's downfall. And it is this attitude that The Acolyte showcases the most in its Jedi characters.

In episode 1, "Lost/Found", Jedi Knight Yord Fandar boards a Trade Federation ship to find, question, and arrest Osha. He comes aboard without permission, and when the captain doesn't immediately give him the answers he seeks, Yord outstretches his hand as if to use the Force against him.

The captain and first mate are terrified, and immediately reveal what Yord wants to know.

In episode 3, "Destiny", the Jedi tresspass into the witches' compound, in order to rescue the children they believe are being mistreated.

The scene is very tense, with the witches being very apprehensive of these Jedi and their intentions.

These actions, and many more, were taken because the Jedi had "noble intentions", as Sol puts it. And if the intentions are what matters most, the way they fulfil those intentions are of secondary concern.

Because the Jedi cannot be perceived as having done wrong, less their political enemies use that to undermine them.

That's hubris. And that was George Lucas' intent, which Leslye Headland fulfilled to a tee.

Because Headland absolutely knows her stuff when it comes to Star Wars.

The Jedi's overarching story says that the Order was destroyed because of their own hubris. Darth Sidious was just an instigator, and he only had to topple a few dominoes, which the Jedi Order had already set up by themselves.

But at the same time, we can't accept the overarching story that the Jedi fell from hubris, and then get upset when the Jedi are portrayed as acting hubristically.

The Jedi on The Acolyte had good intentions but they acted badly. That's the whole point: to sow the story seeds for what comes later.

In short, The Acolyte nailed it.

[2stepadmiral]

So I’ve been getting back into Bionicle lately, I loved it as a kid and I’m on a whole nostalgia trip right now, rebuilding my Toa and Bohrok and rereading the comics/watching the movies, and as much as I still love it, it makes me sad for anyone who didn’t get to experience it as it was coming out.

Like take the MCU, for example. If you weren’t old enough to start watching the MCU before the first Avengers came out, you could still experience the MCU in its golden times. And if you have young kids, who are just getting to the age, where they can start the MCU, they can still kind of experience that by watching the movies in order and building up to Endgame. It obviously won’t be the same, but I feel like if you do it the right way and paste it right, you can kind of re-create that experience in a reasonable proximity.

The same goes for Star Wars, you can have your kids, watch the original trilogy, then show them trailers for each of the prequels before letting them watch those to get them. Excited, then let them go back and watch clone wars and rebels, and let them read the expanded universe books at their own pace. It won’t be the same as growing up with the prequels coming out and being excited to see new Star Wars movies after seeing the original trilogy when you were little, but it’s still a fairly decent facsimile.

But with Bionicle, that feeling cannot possibly be re-created.

You can’t recreate the feeling of being 11 years old and finding out that Mata Nui is dying, and that the Toa Nuva, your traditional heroes, were defeated by the new villains, and that the six Matoran you grew up with since the franchise started are the new Toa who have to pick up where the Nuva left off.

You can’t recreate the shock of finding out that the eccentric village elders who have advised your heroes for three years were once Matoran themselves who became a team of Toa a thousand years earlier, defeated the main antagonist, went through a Jekyll and Hyde mutant phase, and then turned into the Yoda type elders.

You can’t recreate the horror at finding out that Makuta won in the end, his convoluted, millennia long plot resulting in himself gaining control of the universe. You can’t recreate the disbelief that the story abandoned the Matoran on that dark note to explore an entirely new planet with entirely different characters, species, and culture. You can’t recreate the relief when Mata Nui showed up, his presence, carrying the promise that the original storyline would tie into the new one sooner later, and the grim ending was only a temporary pause. You cannot re-create the excitement at seeing the story climax with the final showdown between Mata Nui and Makuta. A final battle that you had never imagined possible, but one that only feels right and full circle.

You cannot re-create the horror and sorrow when Matoro failed to reach Mata Nui with the Mask of Life in time to save him. You can’t re-create the disbelief and terror at wondering where the story can possibly go after that point. You can’t re-create the disbelief and sorrow and morning as you read the pages of that comic, as you see Matoro put on the mask and start to become part of its energy. You can’t re-create the stunned, heartbreaking silence that you felt as the death of Matoro, who you would known for six years, who you had at least peripherally grown up with, whose journey you had watched unfold as he went from a simple but well-known and even iconic Matoran, to a new Toa of Ice, unfolded on the pages of that comic in that curious new art style that you would never quite gotten used to. You can’t recreate the feeling of mourning you share with his friends as they learn that Matoro has died, that feeling of almost being part of this universe as you share in the sorrow of the characters (Matoro’s sacrifice was way better than Tony Stark’s, sorry but not sorry).

And above all, you can’t re-create the feeling of having to wait two months for the next comic or the next book, or the movie to find out what happens next, and filling that time by making up your own storyline, and acting it out with your own toys.

Largely because the story unfolded through books and comics, and through the new wave of toys, and through the movies in some years, trying to re-create, even a close facsimile of that feeling just isn’t possible. And it breaks my heart for any kids I might have one day that I’ll never truly get to share this wonderful franchise with them.

[marvelstars]

Star Wars and the Influence of the Force

One of the things I really liked about the Original and the Prequel trilogy is how they call to each other in terms of themes, character moments and journeys.

One of those character moments is the way each character reacts to the force succedenly not showing them everything or becoming nebolous.

In the Jedi´s case they recognize the force is slowly getting darker and try to find the Sith Master even if at first they are wary to believe Qui-Gon the Sith may be back but on EPII and EP III they search for the master because he evidently is clouding the force but they are not quite aware that it isn´t just the Darkside clouding it but their own interpretation of the events happening around them, which Yoda makes mention as Lucas center character to make those comments.

"Yoda says it Ep2.

OBI-WAN: But he still has much to learn, Master. His abilities have made him... well, arrogant.

YODA: Yes, yes. It's a flaw more and more common among Jedi. Too sure of themselves they are. Even the older, more experienced ones.

Yoda after discovering the clones:

Blind we are, if creation of this clone army we could not see.

So in the end the Jedi fall because of the Sith conspiracy to take them and Anakin´s choice of supporting Palpatine because he thought the Jedi were as corrupt as Palpatine always told him. Palpatine did this because the Jedi were the Sith main adversaries but also because the Sith Palpatine and Darth Plagueis, were able to hide where the Jedi would not look, into the larger galaxy, into the institutions of power like the Banks and Politics, instead of confronting them directly as they did in the previous Sith vs Jedi war.

This may not look like it but this is an inversion of what happened in ROTJ with Palpatine and the Sith.

Palpatine noticed in the Death Star that there was a force bond already grown between Luke and Vader when Vader tells him he noticed Luke came to Endor while the Emperor could not sense it despite being more powerful than Vader.

The Emperor then ask Vader if "His feelings are clear" Vader said they are, it was true, Vader didn´t believe there was any hope of changing his decision and believed the only one left to make a choice was Luke.

The Emperor and Vader just like the Yoda and the Jedi before them lost contact of what the force was trying to tell them because they had made up their oppinion on the matter, in Vader´s case he wasn´t aware how much his choices served to cloud or clear from the DS the force and in the end the Sith were defeated as well because as Luke said

"Palpatine´s overconfidence(in his control over Vader and Luke and the galaxy) was his main weaknes"

While Vader´s weakness was believing there was no more to be done about his past choices but when push came to shove he decided to sacrifice everything he had, his life, his loyalty to the Emperor and the Empire, to save his Son, out of compassion. This is what brought again the Jedi he used to be and by saving Luke, he gave an opportunity for the Jedi Order to flourish once more.

The story rhymes and the circle was complete once again

[mandos-mind-trick]

I'm forever grateful for this fandom

I've been meaning to post something like this for a while. I debated doing it during my next follower milestone (which is very close) but today just felt right.

I've been in a funky place these last few weeks due to a lot of things going on, and this time of year is always a struggle for me. I'm feeling better now, putting aside how today makes me feel, and some things have happened that are going to continue to make things improve slowly but surely.

Today marks twelve years since my mom's death. She died of colon cancer, which the diagnosis for came on rather suddenly and traumatically (that's a story in itself) and she fought for two years before finally succumbing to it on August 14, 2011. I was only 15 when it happened, sitting across the room from her when she took her last breath.

She and I were very close. I was a surprise child, born about 20 years after my siblings so I was raised as an only child. My mom was everything to me since my dad took on the more stereotypical gender role of working all day. (I was close with my dad but not nearly like I was with my mom.) My mom was the glue that held our family together and her getting sick and then ultimately passing really took its toll on my family, and me.

My mom was the one that introduced me to Star Wars. She loved the movies. She went and saw the original trilogy when they came out in theaters, and she instilled that love into my siblings and I. I still remember the day when she finally let me watch The Phantom Menace. I think it sticks out to me because if you had known her, you wouldn't have thought Star Wars would be something she was into. We went and saw the two remaining prequel trilogy movies when they came out in theaters and even the Clone Wars movie (the last one to come out before she got sick) and it was just so special that we shared this thing as a family that we all loved.

I didn't watch Star Wars for ten years after she died.

I rebuked anything and everything that had to do with Star Wars. Every new movie, every new show that came out, all I could think was how much she would have loved it (even the sequel trilogy.) I tried so hard to hate Star Wars because every time I saw anything related to it, it just brought up all those horrible feelings. The pain and grief of losing my mom and in a way I felt like I was betraying her because she'll never get to watch Star Wars again.

I don't really know what changed my mind. I honestly couldn't tell you what switched, what caused me to risk dipping my toe back into the world of Star Wars. Maybe it was all the Baby Yoda memes.

I decided early last year that I was going to watch The Mandalorian. It felt like a safe place to start since there were no emotions attached to it like other things. Also, I've been in love with Pedro since Game of Thrones so that also helped. Watching it, it didn't really feel like Star Wars, but at the same time, it reignited the feelings I used to get watching it with my mom. It took me a long time to watch the first two seasons (the only two that were out a that time) but I'm glad I did it. I went back after I finished those and rewatched the prequels and decided I was going to watch the Clone Wars show. I never really got into it when it was on TV, since I was reaching that stage of pubescence where I was trying to distance myself from anything that felt too childish.

Well, long story short, here I am now. The Mandalorian helped me ease myself back into the world of Star Wars, and the Clone Wars dunked me in head first.

I still think about it, I still think about her when I watch things. It's less painful now and more bittersweet. There's a sense of melancholy underneath everything that just kind of sits there. It never goes away, but sometimes it gets buried enough I don't feel it.

I certainly don't regret coming back to Star Wars. I certainly don't regret getting involved in the fandom side of things. When I decided to watch Star Wars again, I was sort of flailing between fandoms. That awkward spot when you leave one and have to find something else to occupy your every waking (and sleeping) moment. I had just left Marvel due to a toxic friendship (that's a whole other thing in itself) and had briefly jumped into Kpop (I still love Kpop but yikes at the fandom side.) I needed something and Star Wars decided to be that thing.

I didn't plan on getting so involved with the clones. I originally started this blog as a Mando blog (hence the name) and my first Star Wars fics were Mando fics. A lot of them have never seen the light of day and probably won't and that's okay. I hadn't realized, even when I first started getting into the fandom, that there was such a community centered around the clones. I remember when the Clone Wars movie came out, I desperately searched for any fics related to the clones, and there was nothing. So to return fourteen years after searching to find an entire fandom based around the clones...it was a bit unbelievable.

I'm so glad I found this place and eventually became active within it. Y'all have helped me more than I can ever say. I went from debating quitting writing entirely to enjoying it again. I'm writing like I did seven/eight years ago. It no longer feels forced, like I'm forcing myself to write so I don't lose my ability. I like what I'm writing. I'm proud of it. Y'all have helped me get over the impostor syndrome, the hatred I used to have for my writing. I can look at my works and feel confident in them because I know that they're good and I believe that they're good. That confidence and positivity has translated into other areas of my life. I still struggle sometimes, I still question myself, but it's never to the end of "I should quit because this is utter garbage" anymore. (When I say my writing is trash now, it's coming from a joking place, not a serious one.)

A lot of that growth has come from me and the work I've been doing, but you all have had a hand in it. I'm so grateful for all of you, from the silent readers to the dedicated commenters. You've helped me in so many ways. I'm not going anywhere, no matter how bad things get. I may have to take breaks but I'll always come back here because I have a reason to. You're stuck with me for the long haul.

I'm so glad I found my love of Star Wars again. I'm so glad I decided to engage in this fandom space. You're all so special to me and I love each and every one of you and I am so thankful for you. I can only continue to repay you with my writing and my unhinged thots.

[nerds-yearbook]

The final film of the devisive Star Wars prequel trilogy was released on May 19, 2005. Of the first 6 Star Wars movies, Revenge of the Sith was the first Star Wars movie to be rated PG-13. It was also the first Star Wars film to not recieve a nomination of Best Visual Effects. The original cut of the movie tied directly to the end of the Genndy Tartakovsky animated Clone Wars (2003 - 2005) shorts and showed Shaak Ti (Orli Shoshan) being executed after failing to protect Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). The animated shorts also introduced General Grievous (Matthew Wood) and explained why he had respratory problems. The title was simular to the original title of episode 6 Revenge of the Jedi (1983), which was turned to Return of the Jedi as Lucas felt revenge was not a Jedi trait. The title was changed late enough that it altered the title of Vengeance of Khan (1982) to Wrath of Khan as Star Trek producers felt Vengeance sounded too close to Revenge. Lucas finally worked in a Wookie planet battle that was originally in the script for episode 3 Star Wars A New Hope (1977) and reworked as Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. Originally, George Lucas planned to write and direct the first movie and then story and executive produce episodes 2 and 3, like he did with 5 and 6, but after the panning the first prequel got, he wrote and directed 2 and 3 himself. The movie had the key points of ending The Clone Wars, turning Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen and James Earl Jones) into Darth Vader, the fall of the Jedi and the Republic, the creation of the Empire, the revelation of the Emperor and his disfiguration, the duel between Vader and Obi Wan (Ewan McGregor) that disfigured him, the death of Padme (Natalie Portman), the birth of Luke Skywalker (Aidan Barton) and Princess Leia Organa (also Aidan Barton), Luke's adoption by Owen (Joel Edgerton) and Beru Lars (Bonnie Piesse), Leia's adoption by Bail (Jimmy Smits) and Breha (Rebecca Jackson Mendoza) Organa, Yoda's (Frank Oz) exile to Degobah and Obi Wan to Tatooine, and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) getting his memory wiped. The movie introduced the planets Utapau, Mygeeto, Felucia, Saleucami, Kashyyk (though technically this first appeared in the Star Wars Holiday Special - 1978), and Mustafar. Action also took place on established planets Coruscant, Naboo, and Tatooine. Noteable deaths in the movie were Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), General Grievous, Padme, Agen Kolar (Tux Akindoyeni), Saesee Tiin(Kenji Oates), Kit Fitso (Ben Cooke), Mace Windu (Samuel L Jackson), Boga, Ki-Adi-Mundi (Silas Carson), Aayla Secura (Amy Allen), Plo Koon (Matt Sloan), Stass Allie (Nina Fallon), Zett Jukassa (Jett Lucas), Whie Malreaux (Coinneach Alexander), Bene (Olivia McCallum), Cin Dralling (Nick Gillard), Nank Tun, Passel Argente (Marty Wetherill), Po Nudo (Paul Nicholson), Poggle the Lesser (Richard Stride), Rune Haako (Jerome Blake), Rute Gunnay (Colin Ware), Nute Gunray (Silas Carson), Tikkes , Cat Miin, Shu Mai, San Hill, and Wat Tambor (Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood). Characters that continued on to the original trilogy were Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, the Emperor, Yoda, C-3PO, Tarkin (Wayne Pygram), R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), Owen and Beru Lars, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly), Luke Skywalker, and Leia Organa. Critically, Revenge of the Sith is often called the best of the prequel trilogy and was the highest domestic grossing film in year release of 2005. ("Revenge of the Sith", Star Wars Movie Event)

[ddejavvu]

I’m a Star Wars virgin lol how would u recommend I watch the films? cause omfg that mf anakin is sexy but I don’t know where to start I wanted to watch it a few weeks ago in release date form but idk

Okay if you’re watching strictly movies (called episodes):

4 (a new hope) -> 5 (empire strikes back) -> 6 (return of the Jedi) -> 1 (phantom menace), -> 2 (attack of the clones) -> 3 (revenge of the sith) -> 7 (the force awakens) -> 8 (the last jedi) -> 9 (the rise of skywalker).

Those movies are the trilogies. The original trilogy (episodes 4,5,6), the prequel trilogy (episodes 1,2,3), and the sequel trilogy (episodes 7,8,9). I highly recommend at least the originals and the prequels. The sequel series gets a lot of complaints because of some questionable writing choices, but I still do enjoy them and the actors’ performances. Those trilogies are the core of the Star Wars fandom. They are the must-sees if you want to know what people are talking about.

If you’re focused on anakin specifically, he’s the center of the prequel trilogy and also appears in a show that I’ll talk about later. Do not skip straight to his movies, watch the original trilogy first, but you don’t have too many movies to get through before you meet him.

Other movies:

Solo is a movie about Han Solo’s younger years and it takes place before episode 4, but I recommend you watch it after you watch all three trilogies in that order, as it was released after Han’s main presence in the franchise (episodes 4, 5, and 6).

Rogue one is a move that takes place directly before episode 4, and I also recommend watching that after you finish the trilogies. One of the main characters in rogue one is Cassian Andor, and he has his own spin-off series, Andor (1 season), which takes place before rogue one.

Series:

If you do want to delve into series, there are a lot 😅 I’m only going to go over the ‘main/relevant’ ones (if your favorite isn’t on this list I’m not insulting it. I’m just trying not to overload newcomers with a thousand series that don’t matter to casual fans, and will most likely focus on the newer series. This isn’t meant to start an argument.) but let it be known that I like all of the series, I just think that they aren’t always essential to a basic knowledge of the franchise. This post isn’t written as a Bible, I’m not trying to put down every series or spin-off ever made, it’s a quick and easy guide.

All of these should be watched AFTER completing the trilogies.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a 7-season show that takes place between episodes 2 and 3 (the last 2 of the prequel trilogy). It is consistently regarded as a fan-favorite and it gives fantastic insight into the huge gap between those movies, and helps flesh out a lot of amazing characters (pssst… you like anakin already? he’s an MC ;) ). Seriously the show is like people’s favorite Star Wars Thing ever, so if you do end up moving on from the movies and you want to watch more content, I strongly recommend it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a one season series centered around Obi-Wan, a character that appears in the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy. Honestly I like the plot but I really fucking love it bc he’s one of my favorite characters and also anakin is in it so if you finish the trilogies and want more of him, I think you’d like Obi-Wan. It takes place between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy, but closer to the end of episode 3.

The Mandalorian is a three season series that takes place after the original trilogy. Din Djarin (the mandalorian himself) appears in a few episodes of The Book of Boba Fett. This show gained enormous popularity because of both Pedro pascal’s role as the MC and how much of a phenomenon ‘baby yoda’ (grogu) became, so i would honestly recommend it so that you know what people are talking about if they mention it.

those are the series I most recommend.

The Book of Boba Fett is a one season series that centers around the bounty hunter Boba Fett, who’s main presence in the franchise is in episodes 5 and 6. However, he also appears in episode 2. A lot of people really like Boba Fett as well as Din’s appearances, so I am including this series on the list. However, I don’t really think you need to watch it unless you really like him or Din lmfao.

Ahsoka is one season, currently being released over a few weeks on Disney+, and centers around Ahsoka (Anakin’s former padawan, developed in the clone wars series I mentioned before, also in the mandalorian for a short time). I am behind and I haven’t watched the two episodes that have come out yet, so I don’t know if they’re good, but that series is what’s currently coming out, so I figured I’d mention it.

Once more if you’re a seasoned fan and I didn’t include your favorite media please don’t come at me, I know I left stuff out. Hardcore Star Wars fans are fucking cutthroat and I’m not citing these as the only series ever or the only series that matter, I’m just trying to help confused people navigate the overwhelming amount of content the franchise has to offer.

I hope this helps, even if you just want to watch the movies. I also hope I didn’t overwhelm you, I really did try to narrow stuff down!

[eriexplosion]

Clone Wars - Ambush

And for now, back to the very start!

Real talk, part of the reason I was putting this off is because it STILL gives me such conflicted feelings regarding the Jedi & the clones relationship. And about Yoda, who is not my favorite but I hesitate to say I DISLIKE him because I do think he has fascinating angles but also I want to dropkick him like a little green football much of the time. I don't tend to talk about him much because I get Rambly.

However, his turn will come in a second, first things first: VENTRESS. Honestly it's still hilarious to me how if I had actually watched this show as a kid this woman would have single handedly led me to my sexuality like 7 years earlier than I managed it.

One of the clones kneeling to present Yoda with the communicator is SO cute. When the clones interact with beings much smaller than them........... I feel. But okay the first Complicated Feeling with Yoda is that I genuinely like him during the moment when he's marveling over the beauty of the moon and being a little playful. Kind of like I genuinely like him in the Original Trilogy when he's being a touch senile. Which just drives home how much I do not like him during most of his serious moments where his whole reputation for wisdom is used mostly to lead the plot around or say shit like his 'when our loved ones die we should be happy for them' advice to Anakin which, shockingly, didn't improve his Anxieties.

And he acknowledges the clones as individuals! It's a really sweet scene actually, and it starts the show out with the confirmation that yes these are people, they are full people with individual personalities. And then it gets helpfully ignored and Yoda never shows any concern about the clones as individuals again. Especially with the decision to retcon Jek in as one of the clones that Yoda straight up decapitates without pause or reflection.

Likeeee, this really undermines the feeling of the scene and sets an entirely different tone for Yoda's character to me, because it's such a strong moment in episode, so for it to never really come up with Yoda in particular again it's just. It's a weird decision, character tone wise.

Anyway this kind of ended up making me more resentful of Yoda in the long run? Because we get the immediate and obvious proof that he knows the clones are individuals, all of them unique and valuable, and then he proceeds to keep leading the Jedi through using them as tools for the rest of the war and ends up executing one of these same clones years later without pause or concern. If they had threaded this through a little more and given us more scenes like this it might not feel so stark? But that's also a big issue with the writing of the Jedi in general, where they lightly brush against the moral issues of the clones and then suddenly go "OH LOOK, LIGHTSABERS" and ignore it for 20 episodes.

My headcanon way of interpreting this is that Yoda was still very open early on but soon enough he starts realizing how many clones are going to die in this war. Each of them unique in the force. And since he's not really willing to push back against the Senate, for a variety of reasons, his other option is to just. Retreat back emotionally from the clones as individuals. Can't be consumed by negativity if you simply refuse to feel those bad things!

That said 'the force resides in all lifeforms' - increasingly loving this kind of drop in now that we know anyone can learn to use the force to some degree.

Another thing I enjoy is that I think that Yoda is actually really served design wise by the early season TCW animation. He looks good when he's stylized in the wood carving fashion.

This is much more of a flashy fight episode than a plot one, but any time clones are onscreen of course I can collect a pile of Thoughts about them. We also get a lot of battle droid comedy relief because they may be godawful fighters but at least they're funny. I think it does work better several episodes into the watch than it did as the very first episode, because watching the TCW movie (which was mostly excuses for long fights) and THEN this was a slog, but interspersing with other episodes that had a bit more substance to them made it feel like less of one.

Still. Vibrating about the clones even more in this watch because of having Hidden Enemy be so early on and calling attention to the clones horrifying situation makes my complicated feelings on Yoda acknowledging their individuality once and never again SO much stronger. Just. GAH. MY BOYS?

On a final note. Shout out to this fucking. Face. Ventress makes when she gets her lightsabers back.

Ventress the instant she's called 'young one': >:<

[unleashthegoats]

DELETED SCENES: MOD NATCH'S PREQUEL FILM SUMMARIES (with emphasis and notes by mods Sugar and Angela)

So originally for Episode 2: The Jedi Were Always Right, Mod Natch was going to rewatch the Prequels and then summarize the entire trilogy as quickly as she could, but it turned out to be a little longer than anticipated and we wanted to get to the fun nitty gritty analysis stuff a little quicker and we decided not to include this section in the final draft of the episode. However, there are some really fun pieces in Natch's notes for the section, so we've decided to release them to the world of Tumblr for everyone to enjoy.

EPISODE ONE: THE PHANTOM MENACE

The Trade Federation (evil twins) have a blockade of Naboo. Qui Gon and Obi Wan show up to negotiate (they do not negotiate, they get attacked)

QG and OW sneak onto droid ships to get to the surface of Naboo and meet Jar Jar, who takes them to his city and force manipulates the Boss to give them transport so they can get to the city of Naboo. Also QG convinces the Boss to let Jar Jar join them 

The evil twins capture the “queen” and tell her to sign a treaty, she says nah bitches. The J crew (the Jedi and Jar Jar) show up at the palace and rescue her and her squad. They get onto ships with the goal of going to Coruscant 

Their ship is super damaged (but not destroyed, thanks R2D2) so they can’t make it to Coruscant, so they go to Tatooine, bc the Hutts control it and not the Trade Federation 

The twins tell Lord Sidious the queen escaped and he sends Maul to find her 

Jar Jar, Qui Gon, R2, and Padme go to the city in Tatooine and meet Watto and baby Anakin. Watto can’t be mind manipulated into selling them things for credits. They get caught in a sandstorm and meet Shmi 

Anakin offers to podrace for QG and crew so they can win the prize money and buy the parts for their ship 

QG takes a blood sample and has OW analyze it, they discover he has OFF THE CHARTS midichlorian counts

Jabba the Hutt is at the race with his little gay cousin or whatever from the clone wars (note from mod Sugar: it turned out to be Gardulla the Hutt, NOT Ziro the Hutt)

Anakin is very competent in this podrace and wins, which means bc of a bet QG made he gets to take Anakin 

Conveniently Maul does not catch up with them until they’re at the ship, but QG fights him off

Anakin gives Padme a carved kind of bead thingy 

They make it to coruscant, Palpatine becomes the new supreme chancellor 

Qui Gon tells the Jedi Council about the Sith Lord and also Anakin. They don’t want to test him, Qui Gon convinces them, they test him and they’re like he’s too old to be trained. Qui Gon says fuck it! I’ll train him! Obi Wan is ready and Obi Wan is like YES I SUPER AM READY FOR THE TRIALS

Jedi council say go to Naboo with Padme who refuses to stay put and draw out the Sith

When they get to Naboo, Jar Jar brings them to the Gungan’s sacred place and Padme (real Padme) begs them for help

They have the Gungans draw the droids away from the palace so they can go capture the viceroy, and they’ll send pilots to knock out the droid’s control ship 

Fights: Gungans vs droids, Anakin and R2 as pilots, Maul vs QG and OW. Gungans barely win. Anakin accidentally blows up a reactor (convenient), flies away as the ship explodes.

Maul kills QG but OW kills Maul. QG’s dying wish is for OW to train Anakin

Mace says that was for sure a sith and yoda says damn that means there are 2. There are always 2 

ABRUPT cut to huge Naboo celebrations where Padme gives the Gungan leader a plasma ball thingy 

EPISODE TWO: ATTACK OF THE CLONES 

Intro: several thousand systems under Count Dooku have said they’re leaving the republic (these are the separatists)

The Jedi are overwhelmed, so the Senate is voting on creating an army of the republic 

Padme gets to coruscant and her double gets blown up 

The Jedi Council meets with Palpatine and Padme and the Loyalists (Jar Jar and other people) enter. The Jedi don’t believe Padme’s theory that Dooku tried to kill her bc he was a Jedi once, so he CAN’T be a murderer. Palpatine says what if Jedi protect Padme, but specifically Obi Wan 

Enter Anakin and Obi Wan. Anakin is immediately weird around Padme

Enter bounty hunter Zam and her bottle of centipedes. Big chase after they get into Padme’s room, OW jumps out the fucking window, they have like a car chase, they catch up to her in a club, OW cuts off her hand but someone in a jetpack shoots her with a dart before she can name the person who hired her

The Jedi Council send OW to track down the bounty hunter who killed Zam, and send Anakin to protect Padme back in Naboo. 

Anakin throws a tantrum in front of Padme

Obi Wan’s journey: 

Obi Wan has a great scene at Dex’s diner and finds out his goal is Kamino

He does MAKE it to Kamino even though someone erased it from the Jedi archive. When he shows up they’re like the prime minister is expecting you! Your clone army is going great! 

We meet boba, who is a very cute young child, and jango, who is a very cute adult man. Jango says I was hired by Tyranus (it’s NOT subtle)

Obi Wan calls the council and is like I think Jango Fett is the bounty hunter we’re looking for! Also did we order a clone army? And they’re like ??? No? Pls grab Jango for us

Obi Wan vs Jango in the rain on Kamino, then pt 2: asteroid field 

OW finds the droid factory and the separatists talking about having a droid army 

Anakin’s journey:

Padme and Anakin arrive at the lake house and have an awkward bad kiss and some conversations where Anakin is jealous of her first crush or first kiss from model UN or whatever and also fundamentally disagree about how the world should work

Anakin and Padme have the weird fireplace scene 

Anakin has a nightmare about Shmi and says he has to leave, Padme goes with him 

On Tatooine Anakin finds Watto and finds out his mom has been freed and also married a farmer. We meet Anakin’s stepbrother and his girlfriend and Shmi’s husband, find out Shmi was kidnapped by Tusken raiders 

IMPORTANT NOTE: HE SAYS 26 PEOPLE DIED TRYING TO RESCUE HER ALREADY

Anakin goes to find Shmi, she dies, he does lots of murder

Anakin throws another tantrum with Padme

OW gets a message to Anakin which they forward to the council and he gets captured on film lol. Padme is like we are closer to Geonosis, we should go after him ourselves

Also meanwhile Jar Jar is manipulated into proposing the senate give the chancellor immediate emergency powers and they CHANT “palpatine” which is very culty 

palpatine says I’m gonna create an army. Yoda says I’ll go see the cloners. Mace says I’ll go rescue obi wan

Padme and Anakin go in the droid factory and get captured and also Padme admits her love for him that exists I guess

Big fight on Geonosis against the beasts and also the droids

Lots of jedi die. Clones show up. Also Jango dies and there’s that devastating shot of Boba with his dad’s head/helmet

We see the separatists freaking out about the jedi having an army and Dooku takes the plans for the death star to his master on coruscant 

Dooku vs OW and Anakin: anakin loses an arm. Yoda shows up, we see Dooku’s lightning powers, Dooku escapes while Yoda saves OW and Anakin from being crushed to death 

Clone wars begin. Anakin and Padme get married.

EPISODE THREE: REVENGE OF THE SITH 

We are at war, General Grievous the droid leader has kidnapped Palpatine 

Strong start with another space plane fight. Also Anakin has the scar now (note from mod Angela: he slipped in the shower)

They rescue Palpatine, Anakin kills Dooku, Grievous escapes pretty quickly. They crash land

They have the line about him being shorter than expected that made tcw so hard to write 

Anakin is in Coruscant? I guess? And Padme is pregnant. She wants to have her baby in Naboo

She’s wearing the charm baby Anakin made for her

Anakin has nightmares about her dying in childbirth. He goes to Yoda for help

Palpatine says you’re going to be my representative on the Council. The Council don’t like that but they say fine, but you’re not a Master yet 

Obi Wan asks Anakin on behalf of the council to spy on Palpatine for them

Palpatine says we found grievous and also plants this Sith legend of a sith lord who could keep people from dying

The Council sends Obi Wan after Grievous. It’s excellent. We meet Cody. He kills Grievous it’s great (note from mod Sugar: OBI-WAN kills Grievous, not Cody, although it should be noted that Cody absolutely COULD'VE killed Grievous if he'd had the opportunity)

Anakin reports back to Palpatine that OW found Grievous and the clones are attacking, and Palpatine reveals himself as the Sith Lord

Anakin tells Mace that he’s discovered that Palpatine is the Sith Lord, Mace goes after him, Anakin follows bc Palpatine promised that only he could teach him how to keep Padme from dying. Anakin arrives and assists Palpatine in killing Mace, and then becomes Palp’s apprentice. 

Anakin is crowned as Darth Vader and ordered to kill all the Jedi in the Jedi Temple, then go kill the Separatists on Mustafar (which is where he told them to go lmao)

Anakin and a bunch of clones kill everyone in the Jedi temple, including the Younglings 

Order 66 is executed, Obi Wan survives but we see a LOT of scenes of Jedi being killed by clones across the galaxy

Yoda on the Wookee planet is feeling the loss of all the Jedi, but he does eventually escape. Thanks Chewbacca for the assist!

Bail Organa sees thousands of clones attack the Jedi temple and goes to intercept/save some Jedi, so he gets together with Yoda and Obi Wan. 

Anakin tells Padme that he’s going to Mustafar and that the Jedi tried to overthrow the Republic 

Obi Wan and Yoda go back to the Jedi temple to change the signal that’s calling all the Jedi to fall back there. They kill a lot of clones. Obi Wan finds the security recordings of Anakin doing more murder

In the Senate, Palpatine reorganizes the republic into the Galactic Empire

Obi Wan tries to get Padme to tell him where Anakin is and she doesn’t. He guesses that Anakin is the father. She and C3P0 fly to Mustafar, and Obi Wan sneaks on board 

On Mustafar, Anakin killed all the Separatists - yellow eyes

Padme shows up and desperately wants Anakin to not have fallen to the dark side but he super has. He force chokes her because he thinks she intentionally brought Obi Wan to kill him. 

Obi Wan and Anakin battle on Mustafar while Yoda and Palpatine battle on the Senate floor

Yoda doesn’t succeed in killing Palpatine, but he safely escapes with Bail’s help 

Obi Wan cuts Anakin’s legs off and leaves him burning in the lava (note from mod Sugar: he also cuts off Anakin's remaining arm)

Padme gives birth to Luke and Leia and dies

Palpatine finds Anakin and they build him his Darth Vader suit. Palpatine tells Anakin that he was the one who killed Padme 

Bail takes Leia. Obi Wan says he’ll take Luke to Tatooine and watch over him. Yoda says he wants to teach him how to commune with Qui Gon’s force ghost. 

We see Padme’s funeral, it’s beautiful and so sad and she has the bead Anakin carved in her hand

Vader and Sidious are on a ship looking out at the beginnings of the Death Star being built

We end the movie with Luke’s new parents looking out at the Tatooine sunset (note from mod Sugar: it's technically Luke's aunt and uncle, but you know what, they're effectively acting as parents so it's not inaccurate)

[the-far-bright-center]

I'm so confused by comments I keep seeing from fellow Prequels/Clone Wars-era fans saying things like 'the love was there but it wasn't enough' with regards to Anakin. The implication being that because there were people in his life who loved him, he shouldn’t have had any reason to go and fall to the dark side. It always smacks of people blaming Anakin's fall on him not 'appreciating' his loved ones enough or something. Which is just...wtf?? Love was always enough. That's why it's explicitly shown that keeping Anakin from his mother is a huge part of the tragedy. His mother, who loved him unconditionally.

After TPM, being without the unconditional love of his mother was a huge gaping hole in his life. While his relationship with Obi-Wan eventually became closer, that was still not a true substitute for the familial love that Anakin needed and craved. AotC is pretty clear about that. And after AotC, Anakin of course had Padme and Ahsoka in his life, but the problem, in case fandom has forgotten, is that he lived in a context in which his love for others and theirs for him was not valued and was, in fact, forbidden. Anakin was not permitted to live openly as part of a family unit in the manner he needed, nor was he allowed to openly demonstrate his love for others in the way he wanted. Because he was always being told it was somehow at odds with his place in and service to the Jedi Order. This context (particularly the lack of a parental figure) was destablising for Anakin and gave Sidious an 'in' to groom him and exploit his fears. It is also telling that in the lead up to Anakin’s fall in RotS, Sidious was constantly trying to isolate Anakin FROM his loved ones. That certainly suggests that love, even forbidden as it was, still had a chance of holding Anakin in the Light, and that even Sidious knew it.

Lest anyone forget, Anakin's fall happens because of his Fear of Loss, and because of the context in which his struggle takes place. He is afraid of LOSING his loved ones. Of being unable to save them. And he feels unable to seek adequate help in part because he doesn’t want to reveal his secret forbidden marriage to Padme, but also because his dreams about his mother had been previously dismissed and he doesn’t believe that anyone in the Order will care enough to help. Yoda's 'advice' only solidifies this view. And when it comes to direct intervention from his loves ones, we will never truly know if Padme could have reached Anakin on Mustafar because Obi-Wan showed up at the worst possible moment. But even then, even AFTER Mustafar, Anakin didn't fully lose the love in his heart. His first words in the Vader suit are concern for Padme's safety and well-being. Sidious tried to snuff out that 'barest flicker of persistent light' that remained within Anakin ('it seems in your anger you killed her'), but even the years of despair and self-loathing that followed could not fully extinguish it.

By the time we get to RotJ, Luke's love is able to get through to Anakin in large part because the context in which Luke is operating during the Original Trilogy is ENTIRELY different to that of the Prequels-era characters. Luke's not hampered by the Old Order's rigid mentality and restrictive way of life, and has no reason to to view emotions of love and attachment as something he’s expected to avoid. Not to mention that a Sith lord hasn't been grooming him for years nor attempting to isolate Luke from his loved ones. And of course, there's no one else showing up to duel Anakin and getting in the way of Luke's love reaching his father. Luke was able to look at Palpatine with open eyes and see for himself what that evil man had done to his father. And he was able to understand that Anakin was a victim of Palpatine, and was able to empathise with his father, and, crucially, have compassion for him. Compassion, which Anakin himself had once defined as 'unconditional love'. So, it's really frustrating that anyone would dare to say that love was not ‘enough' to save Anakin, when love was ALWAYS enough, and when love literally did save him in the end.

[jellogram]

Rating Star Wars installments based on how much I accept them as part of the canon:

Original Trilogy: 11/10 obviously, this is the true Star Wars

Prequel Trilogy: 7/10 because they kinda suck ass but they're fun and they do an okay job with the characters

The Clone Wars: 8/10 I didn't watch this but I'm willing to accept it based on reputation

Sequel Trilogy: 4/10 I'll accept Kylo's arc and Rey's addition to the franchise but the second Palpatine shows up it's all going in the trash

The Mandalorian: 2/10 I didn't watch this either. I want to dropkick baby yoda.

That Boba Fett show: I didn't know this existed until just now so I don't feel right giving it a rating

Obi-Wan Kenobi: 4/10 because Obi-Wan is there but it otherwise doesn't need to be a thing

Ahsoka: This exists???

[425599167]

Just something I think you'd enjoy the idea of. In the case that Barriss shows in the Ahsoka series in canon, or ever but Ahsoka series is the best bet for this (so quite unlikely) that things circle back to the conversation the two had in Season 2 Brain Invaders. About after the war. The two surviving Padawans of the Clone Wars. There's a weight to the question of after the war after not only the Clone wars but the Empire. Pre Original Series there's less thematic room for redemption arcs (as seen by every single time it happens very very soon death follows) post... Post there's room. Also room to explore the more complicated legacy of the Jedi Order .

As much as I love the Jedi survivors we've seen and I hope they somehow live, Yoda telling Luke he's the last of the Jedi is tough to dispute. I definitely consider Ahsoka and Barriss the last ones standing by virtue of being a dropout and a washout, then they have to decide what they want to do next. It's a shame all roads lead to the Sequel Trilogy.

Post-RotJ Ahsoka has the chance to truly become a Jedi if she teams up with Luke, and she would resist it because at this point she's been a soldier for almost 30 years and isn't going to stop.

I think Barriss and Luke would get along.

[thelordofshrimp]

STAR WARS MEDIA

ranked based on how Into the universe you want to get! new stuff added to the list is bolded

TIER 1: "don't care at all" WHAT TO WATCH: none of it! if you don't care, don't consume lmao

TIER 2: "just the good stuff, bare minimum" WHAT TO WATCH: Episode 4: A New Hope Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back Episode 6: Return of the Jedi these are the "original trilogy" everyone talks about! they were the first three Star Wars things to ever be released. ignore the numbers.

TIER 3: "form your own opinions about the prequels" WHAT TO WATCH: Episode 4: A New Hope Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back Episode 6: Return of the Jedi Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Episode 2: Attack of the Clones Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith The Clone Wars (TV) The Mandalorian (TV) this is where things start to get dicey fandom wise, but we are ignoring that. the prequels have a lot of mixed reviews, so it's important to think your own thoughts about them. they are also a prerequisite for watching the Clone Wars TV show, which is good. the Mandalorian (the one with baby yoda) takes place after the orignal trilogy. it is also good.

TIER 4: "all the mainstream stuff" WHAT TO WATCH: Episode 4: A New Hope Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back Episode 6: Return of the Jedi Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Episode 2: Attack of the Clones Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith The Clone Wars (TV) Episode 7: The Force Awakens Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Episode 8: The Last Jedi Solo: A Star Wars Story Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker The Mandalorian (TV) The Book of Boba Fett (TV) in this tier, you are now capable of understanding all pop culture references and probably now have a very strong opinion about the sequels. there are two bonus movies (rogue one and solo) thrown in for flavor (nobody remembers them but they were decent) and a new TV show (it is the Mandalorian 2, this time twice as many mandalorians)

TIER 5: "star wars fan (potentially derogatory)" WHAT TO WATCH: the other stuff from here on out, what you'll enjoy is entirely dependent on what you liked from the other things. the opinions on these pieces of media are far too split for me to even dare recommending them, so this is a solid "to each their own" moment.

TIER 6: "chaos lord" WHAT TO WATCH: The Star Wars Holiday Special okay i lied there is ONE piece of media i can recommend. this movie is awful. it has been removed from canon and George Lucas (the creator) would like very much for you to pretend it does not exist. i will not be doing that at this time. the holiday special makes so little sense and ignites so much rage in superfans that i adore it on principle.