If you were to introduce the STAR WARS Trilogies to someone who hadn't seen them...

[JIF]

...which order would you play? EPISODE IV to EPISODE III or EPISODE I to EPISODE VI? Please explain your answer.


My girlfriend hadn't seen STAR WARS, but that didn't stop her from going to see EPISODE I to III with me. Afterwards, I introduced her to EPISODE IV and then I suddenly realized something. When Darth Vader first approached Leia at the start of the film, before he even began to speak, my girlfriend said "so that's his daughter right?" Suddenly, all the revelations and surprises that made the original trilogy special were out of the bag. She could never enjoy EPISODES IV to VI the same way that I did when I was a kid.

Therefore, I've come to the decision that when I eventually introduce STAR WARS to my little nephew (who's only 2 now), I'm going to play EPISODE IV to EPISODE III. Otherwise, he just may consider STAR WARS to be another ordinary Sci-Fi series.

[hindolio]

interesting question.

im no star wars fanatic, but, prolly like yourself, i grew up with it. i think that is the key difference between "our" experience with the star wars saga and anyone who will watch it now.

you can argue that watching episode 1 on makes sense because that is true to the timeline. yeah, it would probably not have the impact that "we" had. then your little nephew may think its average. maybe the harry potter saga is the thing. maybe there will be an alien vs predator saga. whatever and so on.

you can argue that episode 4 on is the way to go. and theres many reasons that thats how "we" enjoyed it. however, i think even if your nephew (or anyone else today) watches the star wars saga from episode 4 on, he wont get the same thing that "we" got out of it. its that thing to do with growing up during the 1970s and 1980s.

star wars is better now to me than it was when i watched it. hope im making sense!


that said, i would start with episode 4 :shrug:

[coli]

You have to start with Episode IV, because every movie after that had different special effects and faster lightsaber battles, and looks and feels differently.

If you watch Episode IV as the #4 movie, the movie will come off very jarring to the viewer, as they will start to compare the way the movies look from the Prequels and will forget it is the only SW movie that was made as a standalone movie of good vs evil, and doesn't have the saga context that the other 5 movies have.

By watching Episode IV first, they can just enjoy it without worrying about whether it is Darth Vaders story yet, and many other things when watching it 1-6 now. And 99% of the SW fans saw it 4-6, 1-3, if it aint broke, why fix it?

[nemein]

Really more of a movie question than a DVD question. Also double check that forum, I think they might have had this conversation before...

[Jackskeleton]

go in the order they were released. no other answer needed

[grundle]

This is the order that I saw them in. It worked for me.

IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV

V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V

VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI VI

IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI

I

II

III

IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI IV V VI

[toddly6666]

you show it in the original order -4, 5, 6, 1, 2, and 3....

If you show someone these movies in chronilogical order, then there is a good chance of the person losing interest in them and not even reaching the original masterpieces, especially after The Phantom Menace...

The prequels were more or less crap in comparison to the original ones. What's the purpose of showing the prequels first then if it's going to make a person lose interest?

[Doughboy]

Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi

And if at all possible, show them the original versions. Then if they're a glutton for punishment, show them I, II, III, IV(DVD version), V(DVD version), and VI(DVD version).

[Terrell]

Start with the originals for obvious reasons.

[brianluvdvd]

You should have just told her that Leia is not Darth Vader's daughter...at least he wasn't when both Star Wars and Empire came out. Then if she made it to Return of the Jedi, say oops...like Lucas did.

I just try to ignore the whole Luke/Leia brother/sister thing completely when viewing the OT.

[Egon's Ghost]

Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi

And if at all possible, show them the original versions. Then if they're a glutton for punishment, show them I, II, III, IV(DVD version), V(DVD version), and VI(DVD version).Exactly my sentimonies.

[Anubis2005X]

Show her IV through VI, then I-VI...

[resinrats]

1-6 in that order. That is how the story goes. Just because they were made out of order doesn't mean they should be viewed out of order. When watching LOTR, you don't start with Two Towers first and later go back to Fellowship.

As stated above, the 'surprise' of ESB is so over used, that it is a joke now. Even people that have never seen the movies know Darth is Luke's dad. I'm sure Luke/Leias relationship is well known as well.

Showing ANH first because of the effects is essentially saying "Here watch the crappy one first since they others all have better production quality."

[Lunatikk]

have them watch IV-VI, and then IV-VI.

[coli]

1-6 in that order. That is how the story goes. Just because they were made out of order doesn't mean they should be viewed out of order. When watching LOTR, you don't start with Two Towers first and later go back to Fellowship.




That analogy doesn't fly, because The Two Towers was filmed second, so that is different than ANH and the OT, which was filmed first.







Showing ANH first because of the effects is essentially saying "Here watch the crappy one first since they others all have better production quality."

It is not totally about effects, it has to do with a huge difference in trilogies when going from Episode III to IV. With the PT, you are watching a story solely on Anakin. When you get to Episode IV, that movie was not written at all about his story, let alone him being Lukes father, so the viewer will totally miss the point of what makes it great. They will be looking for Yoda, Palpatine, and the inner struggles of Darth Vader, and none of that was there in 1977.

Watch ANH first, just for a classic good vs evil story. Then if they are interested, tell them there are two more movies that deal with rebels vs empire. And then if they are still interested, tell them there is a whole backstory on how Darth Vader came to be.

1-6 is not a linear story, if it was, Darth Vader would be more prominent in ANH, and he would be the protagonist, not the antagonist for 4,5,6. The OT is the story of Luke, and the PT is the story of Anakin.

I think many fans get sucked into this 'Tragedy of Darth Vader' revisionism by Lucas. The last time I checked, if it was Darth Vaders story, he would have more than 15 minutes of screentime in ANH.

[scott1598]

i've said it before and i'll say it again...
II, VI, IV, III, V, I

any other way is simply not in keeping with the "Star Wars" lore.

[Draven]

I've always thought it's the droids' story, actually...if you look at the whole series. They are there for most of the pivotal scenes.

I think it would be interesting to watch them in order for the first time. I have a feeling it might hold up better than we think it will. It's not a big stretch for me to see that 1-3 is Anakin's story and 4-6 is Luke's, and they both tie together at the end. Works for me.

[Phod]

grundle's post rules.

Anyhow, I'm surprised no one has mentioned the temporary fad way of watching them: IV, V, I, II, III, VI.

You get the goodness of starting with the best two. You get some questions posed in V and one hell of a cliffhanger. Then you watch I, II, III to see if those questions have answers. Then back to VI for the resolution. Luke vs. Darth in VI is pretty sweet after III.

But then again, you're watching the best two followed by the worst two. That might be too much for some ppl :)

[TylerDurden_73]

I'm another one who says start with ep's 4,5,6. Then 1,2,3. I too saw them in that order and that's how I will show my son. When I saw Darth Vader walk onto the screen In episode 4, I was in awe of who this Bad Ass was.

[CPA-ESQ.]

i've said it before and i'll say it again...
II, VI, IV, III, V, I

any other way is simply not in keeping with the "Star Wars" lore.


Explain more?

[BassDude]

Anyhow, I'm surprised no one has mentioned the temporary fad way of watching them: IV, V, I, II, III, VI.

You get the goodness of starting with the best two. You get some questions posed in V and one hell of a cliffhanger. Then you watch I, II, III to see if those questions have answers. Then back to VI for the resolution. Luke vs. Darth in VI is pretty sweet after III.


This is what I came in here to post. :thumbsup:

[Damfino]

IV - V - I - II - III - VI

here's why: You must preserve the impact of the ending of The Empire Strikes Back. Even after all these years I can still remember the stunned reaction of the audience.

Following V with I-II-III provides all of the back story and VI brings everything to a satisfying ending.

[Joseph B]

The proper way to view Star Wars for a neophyte is:

Episode IV - Sets up the Jedi Mythos; hints a little about Luke's father.
Episode V - The "Big Revelation" : "I am your Father!"
Now ... A three episode "Flashback" to see how this could be so :
Episode I
Episode II
Episode III

After viewing Episode III, then it's time to "Flash Forward" again for the Resolution:
Episode VI

This is the only way a Star Wars "Newbie" should ever view the Saga!

EDIT: Ooops! I see that "Damfino" and "Phod" above beat me to it!

[scott1598]

Episode V - The "Big Revelation" : "I am your Father!"

oh great! ever hear of spoiler tags?? sheesh!

[milo bloom]

IV - V - I - II - III - VI

here's why: You must preserve the impact of the ending of The Empire Strikes Back. Even after all these years I can still remember the stunned reaction of the audience.

Following V with I-II-III provides all of the back story and VI brings everything to a satisfying ending.


Even if they've heard about the big surprise, there's still a difference in tone in the different trilogies that makes IV a better introduction. I'd also stress the importance of watching the two discs of Clone Wars between II and III. They do so much to improve the friendship of Anakin and Obi Wan, plus provide more foreshadowing for Anakin in his fight with Ventress and his spirit quest on the ice planet.

So IV - V - I - II - CW - III - VI

[grundle]

grundle's post rules.



Thanks!

[grundle]

My girlfriend hadn't seen STAR WARS

How old is she, and what are her favorite movies?

[Suprmallet]

There is something to be said for watching it 1-6. When you see Vader and Obi-Wan in IV, there's a different kind of connection. Obi-Wan isn't just a crazy old hermit and Darth Vader isn't just some big bad guy.

I hadn't heard of the VI-V-I-II-III-VI way of watching it. I can see the attraction to it, but I think going from III to VI would be jarring in that you lose the connection to Luke through three full movies.

To be totally honest, you could probably just show them IV-VI and ask them if they want to see the prequels, then show them the prequels.

[JIF]

How old is she, and what are her favorite movies?


She's in her late 30's and loves foreign films more than Sci-Fi.

[Joseph B]

I hadn't heard of the VI-V-I-II-III-VI way of watching it. I can see the attraction to it, but I think going from III to VI would be jarring in that you lose the connection to Luke through three full movies.

IMO, there are quite a few scenes in VI that actually resonate better after having just viewed III. I never thought I would say this, but ROTS actually seems to make ROTJ a better movie!

Anyway, just think of it as the "Pulp Fiction"-esque way of viewing Star Wars! :)

We recently did a Star Wars marathon over a period of two weeks, and this was the order that we viewed the movies in, and it really seemed to work great. (We have a nine-year old that we were exposing the series to for the first time.) When you think about it, IV actually does a better job of setting up the whole Jedi/Force mythos than "The Phantom Menace" does. In IV, you have the "For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire." speech. By the time we view Episode I, it's assumed that we all already know this.

[DarkEye]

I would tell them to watch the Original Trilogy.

[chanster]

Well that was the problem with I. It never explains who the Jedis are and what the Force is. I think Lucas was attempting to do it with I's Qui Gon's very early dialogue about different types of "Force", but Lucas pretty much abandoned it, in II and III (I was hoping that Qui Gon's ghost in III would explain it, but Lucas dropped that too)

So IV remains the best explanation of the force and lightsabers! Its baffling to me that I fails to set any of that stuff up, if he truly wanted people to start with I. Its like he forgot where he was in his story and relied on people's knowledge of Jedis, lightsabers, The Force to have them understand Phantom. Its why Phantom is a spectacular failure IMHO.

[Egon's Ghost]

Its why Phantom is a spectacular failure IMHO.
That's just the tip of the iceberg

[coli]

Well that was the problem with I. It never explains who the Jedis are and what the Force is. I think Lucas was attempting to do it with I's Qui Gon's very early dialogue about different types of "Force", but Lucas pretty much abandoned it, in II and III (I was hoping that Qui Gon's ghost in III would explain it, but Lucas dropped that too)

So IV remains the best explanation of the force and lightsabers! Its baffling to me that I fails to set any of that stuff up, if he truly wanted people to start with I. Its like he forgot where he was in his story and relied on people's knowledge of Jedis, lightsabers, The Force to have them understand Phantom. Its why Phantom is a spectacular failure IMHO.

And you didn't even mention Jar Jar. Now that is a disaster!

But you are exactly right, Episode I was written by Lucas in the vein that the viewer saw 4-6 already. There are so many things in it that you would only catch if you saw the OT first.

During the podrace, there is OT characters cameos galore: Jabba the Hutt being in Episode I, spoils his appearance in ROTJ, then again ANH SE did that too. You should wonder who this Jabba guy is Han Solo is talking about during ANH, but Lucas puts him in the TPM just to have the fans notice someone familiar. The jawas have a 5 second cameo during the race too.

Then listen to all the things Kenobi says to Luke about the force in ANH. He talks about how the weak minded are easily fooled by the jedimind trick, he talks about the lightsaber and what its purpose is. The first ten minutes of TPM Qui Gon is using the jedi mind trick on Boss Nass, and if you are a new viewer seeing the saga from 1-6, you will have no idea what he just did.

Lucas always wants it both ways, he says watch them 1-6, but writes it the other way around. And then the death star being built 20 years before ANH as it is shown at the end of ROTS. Can you say plothole?

[Ginwen]

I always prefer to experience things in the order they were created, whether it is movies or books, so I'd watch Star War, ESB, ROTJ, and then the prequels.

[Mondo Kane]

I-VI

At least all the sequels would be better (At least that's how everyone else feels)

[caligulathegod]

We were led to believe that Star Wars was about the rise, fall, and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. Turns out what we got was the story of Luke Skywalker and his buddies and three movies of bloated backstory. Lucas might have "intended" to have the stories go 1-6, but I agree with other posts that it is quite obvious that the prequels are presented as though the viewer has seen the original trilogy first.

Another vote for watching the original trilogy first or even the increasingly attractive premise of watching Return of the Jedi last after watching Star Wars, then Empire, then the prequels.

[grundle]

She's in her late 30's and loves foreign films more than Sci-Fi.


OK. Thanks.

[marioxb]

I will always side with Mr. Lucas on everything. Even look at the original Greedo scene. There is smoke everywhere. Greedo could have easily pulled off a shot. Why does everyone think it changed Han so much? I NEVER thought of Han as a "badass". Just someone who cares more about himself than others, or so we are led to believe. I think Han was always a nice guy (he "adopted" Chewie didn't he?), but had a "reputation" to uphold. It's cool to pretend not to care, when deep down you really do care. Anyway it's of course 1-2, Clone Wars, 3-6, every time. It's the way my ex-girlfriend watched them with me (and no, that is not why she's an ex, before anyone says anything) and she loved them. For her, the surprises were different. So that's his daughter? Do they know? Does he know that's his father? Why is Obi-Wan lying to him? Eww. She just kissed her brother. Do they ever find out they are related? It's a whole nother (and to me better) experience watching it as a "Saga". I can't help but picture Hayden in the Darth suit thru all 4 movies. And yes, that is a good thing. And she was THRILLED (as was I) to see Hayden again at the end of Jedi. It's the Anakin we've come to love (shut up you haters) and know throughout the saga. And I can 100% understand that a Jedi's spirit "dies" when he fully embrases the dark side.

[coli]

I will always side with Mr. Lucas on everything.

Atleast you have announced your bias upfront and know that the rest of it will be Lucas-spin.

Even look at the original Greedo scene. There is smoke everywhere. Greedo could have easily pulled off a shot. Why does everyone think it changed Han so much? I NEVER thought of Han as a "badass". Just someone who cares more about himself than others, or so we are led to believe. I think Han was always a nice guy (he "adopted" Chewie didn't he?), but had a "reputation" to uphold.

The new scene is ridiculous when you have Greedo miss at point blank. This is where Lucas is inconsistent about changing the saga. He always said he changes stuff cause of technology that wasn't there in 1977. So what they didn't have cameras back then that could have Greedo and Han shoot at the same time?

And she was THRILLED (as was I) to see Hayden again at the end of Jedi.

I don't think you showed her the Sebastian Shaw Force Ghost ROTJ version, so how could you even tell she liked it better? If you never saw something someway for 20 years, you can't be pissed that it was changed.



It's the Anakin we've come to love (shut up you haters) and know throughout the saga. And I can 100% understand that a Jedi's spirit "dies" when he fully embrases the dark side.

100% of his spirit died when Vader embraces the darkside?

-Who was it in ROTJ that was conflicted the whole time? Sebastian Shaw aged Vader.

-Who was it that killed The Emperor in ROTJ? Sebastian Shaw aged Vader.

-Who was it that tells Luke, "Tell your sister, you were right."? Sebastian Shaw aged Vader.

By putting in Hayden in ROTJ SE, it totally contradicts everything redemption wise that Vader did in the movie. But then again, I'm sure your a PT fan, cause you guys don't care if anything makes sense, as long as it looks cool on screen!

[marioxb]

Well, I grew up watching Star Wars (sorta, I was one year old when A New Hope was released.) and I always loved it. To me, they are just movies, GREAT movies, all six of them, by the way. There is no sentimental "as it used to be" attached with them whatsoever to me. I'm happy that they are finally coming out with the original versions just so I can have them on DVD for the sake of having them, not that I prefer them by any means. No, she has never seen the original versions. I have, but I was super exited as soon as I heard that Hayden would be at the end of Jedi. "They" also said that he would be in the unmasking as well at the time, but I am happy the way it turned out. I can believe that that guy all burned up is an older Hayden. But for his final ghost scene, he should also be seen BEFORE he recieved any major bodily damage. He was never one piece as an old man. Yeah the ghost dude probably has a robotic arm, but that is just ONE TINY LITTLE THING. There never was an old man Ani that had two legs, two arms, hair, etc.

I love the prequels and they make as much sence as flying spaceships, aliens and laser swords possiblly can.

[mh4268]

I just did this for my girlfriend about 6 mo ago. I did 4-5-6-1-2-3. I didnt think of the prequels before return of the jedi, that may be the best way. She fell asleep during TPM so it was a good thing I didnt show that first.

[hardercore]

The way they were released is best. Don't let her first Star Wars experience be Episode I, because IV captures that fresh, adventurous spirit that made us all love the series as kids. Besides, if she saw "The Duel" in Episode III along with the other FOUR lightsabre battles (Anakin-Dooku, Kenobi-Greivous, Windu-Palpatine, Yoda-Palpatine) then A New Hope's sole Vader/Obi-Wan confrontation will seem a little dull.