Dave Filoni Just Settled the Star Wars Viewing Order Once and For All

If you thought figuring out your bank account password was a headache, try deciding how to watch the Star Wars films these days. With Lucasfilm tossing fresh spin-offs and shows our way—'The Mandalorian & Grogu' is on deck for a proper cinematic release, first in years, by the way—the question of where to start with Star Wars has become a surprisingly heated topic. And yes, after all these decades, people are still at each other’s throats over whether you watch them in release order (when the films actually came out) or in the chronological order of events in the galaxy far, far away. Not exactly world peace, but that’s where we are in 2024.

The Original Space Soap Opera: Where it all Began

Just to set the mood: back in 1977, we met Luke, Leia, Han and a proper Darth Vader when George Lucas dropped the original Star Wars—eventually retitled 'Episode IV – A New Hope'—into cinemas. No one saw the hysteria coming. It turned into a nine-film mega-franchise. That’s three trilogies for the trivia nerds: the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, and the sequel trilogy. Collectively, that’s the so-called Skywalker Saga. And, as with most things in Star Wars, it’s led to years of bickering. In this case, it’s the 'which order do I watch these in' argument.

Release Order vs Chronological Order: The Nerdiest Ongoing Duel

The films weren’t made in story order—George Lucas had his own, let’s call it 'special', way of rolling things out. So we’re faced with two main options:

• Release order: IV, V, VI… then I, II, III… and finish with VII, VIII, IX. You experience the saga like cinema audiences did, bumps and all.
• Chronological order: I, II, III… then IV, V, VI… finish with VII, VIII, IX. The story flows in-universe, from Anakin’s angst to Rey’s awkward Palpatine reveal.

This is one of those debates that never really dies. Fans argue, critics get involved, and half the time even the people making the films seem unsure what to suggest. So, Lucasfilm’s top dogs have finally piped up to settle this—at least for now.

Lucasfilm's Head Honchos Chime In

Dave Filoni, who’s basically steering the whole Star Wars ship these days as President and Chief Creative Officer, alongside Lynwen Brennan (Co-President), has weighed in. In a chat with Collider, Filoni threw his support behind George Lucas's preference: chronological order, straight down the numbers. If you want to chase the story beat by beat, that’s the way, apparently.

But then Jon Favreau, the bloke behind 'The Mandalorian' and now the upcoming film about Mando and Grogu, went slightly rogue. He reckons the release order is the answer. Here’s his bit, and I think it’s worth laying out directly because he does make a fair point:

"It’s less controversial for me. I feel like [Episode] IV. I like watching it in the order I watched it in, but it might be because that’s how I saw it. [Episode] IV drops you right in the middle of it. It'll be interesting now with the rerelease of IV coming out next year. But I think it also builds the tone. Even though chronologically it's one through nine, the technology of the filmmaking and the voice of the storyteller have changed. So I actually think that the order that they released it, I still back that."

Translation: You get dropped in the deep end with 'New Hope', the tone changes as you go, and it’s a kind of lovely mess as you time-warp through evolving effects and hairstyles. That’s Star Wars for you.

So...Which is Actually 'Correct'?

Unless you get a personal message from George Lucas or suddenly inherit the Lucasfilm throne, you’re still on your own here. Chronological order lets you follow the story in-universe, but release order lets you relive the cultural whiplash firsthand. If nothing else, it’s typically Star Wars: more options than you asked for, and enough opinions to fill a Death Star trench run. Either way—good luck, and may the scrolling text explain at least half of it.