Star Wars: 5 Reasons New Viewers Should Start With The Phantom Menace (& 5 Why It Should Be A New Hope)
Given its decades-long impact and influence on American pop culture, it might seem surprising that there are people who have never seen a single movie in the Star Wars franchise. It all began in 1977 with George Lucas's Star Wars (A New Hope), a monumental sci-fi movie that would eventually be turned into an episodic trilogy with its sequels The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of the Jedi in 1982. That trilogy would lead to the formation of the Skywalker saga, but Lucas wouldn't return to the galaxy far, far away to begin that saga until 1999 when Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace premiered.
Lucas warned longtime fans that his Prequel Trilogy would be a very different story than the Original Trilogy, altering their perspective on his opus, particularly around the creation of one of the most integral figures in the Skywalker saga; Darth Vader. The question about which movie to watch first - A New Hope or The Phantom Menace - is a debate in the Star Wars community that continues to this day.
10 Start With The Phantom Menace: It Was Lucas's Original Vision
As explained in his biography "Skywalking: The Life And Films Of George Lucas", George Lucas thought A New Hope would always be a failure. He was so sure that it would never be a significant hit that he decided to start his Skywalker saga somewhere in the middle, making what appeared to be a stand-alone movie that had the capacity to be a jumping-off point for an entire series provided it didn't flop.
When the movie defied all the odds C-3PO could muster, Lucas was able to continue his vision. However, if he'd had his way and unlimited resources, to begin with, he would have started at the beginning with Anakin Skywalker, and it would have been a very different movie.
9 Start With A New Hope: It's A Better Movie
A New Hope may not be quite as visually impressive as it once was to audiences decades ago, but structurally it's timeless. This is due to George Lucas refining dozens of drafts to distill the story to its most basic essence, and by employing storytelling techniques grounded in the work of historian Joseph Campbell who emphasized the universal appeal of myths and legends that focused on the "Hero's Journey".
Aside from the fact that the story is superior, the dialogue, direction, and pacing are also commendable. New viewers' first taste of Star Wars is something that's universally considered quality if they start with A New Hope.
8 Start With The Phantom Menace: It Sets Up Key Plotlines
Before Luke Skywalker could ever leave Tatooine and explore the stars, his father, the galaxy's most powerful Jedi, had to do the same thing. During that time, a Republic needed to fall and an Empire needed to rise, setting the stage for the conflict of the Galactic Civil War that young Luke would later become entrenched in.
The formation of the Empire couldn't come about without the machinations of a political-minded Sith Lord whose evil dictatorship would one day cripple the galaxy, nearly obliterate the Jedi Order, and destroy all hope.
7 Start With A New Hope: Shocking Reveals Are Preserved
Some of the most shocking plot twists in cinematic history occur in the Original Trilogy that simply won't have the same significance if they're known about ahead of time. Namely, the particular origins and fate of Luke Skywalker's father, and the whereabouts and connection of the rest of his family members.
By watching A New Hope, fans have the chance to be surprised and shocked by the twists that come later in the trilogy, rather than simply watching the characters be shocked themselves. It can make all the difference finding out the connection between Luke and Leia at the same time they do!
6 Start With The Phantom Menace: It's The Beginning Of The Saga
The Skywalker saga is one of the most epic feats in cinematic history - a familial drama that spans generations of characters as well as generations of fans. Children who grew up with Luke Skywalker have introduced their grandchildren to him, and their grandchildren will be able to follow the adventures of the Skywalkers for years to come.
The beginning of the saga is an important place to form an attachment to the Star Wars franchise because it not only encompasses Lucas's vision, it tells the story of his characters in a linear, profoundly impactful way that starting in the middle can't achieve.
5 Start With A New Hope: It Shows The Progression Of Special Effects
In "The Secret History of Star Wars" author Michael Kaminski explains that there were technical and narrative reasons Lucas started with A New Hope. The scope of the story was so massive, it needed two other movies to bookend it. Lucas's reasons aside, purists will always feel a specific affinity for the very first piece of Star Wars ever released.
It's not only a piece of pop culture history, but movie history as well, and watching A New Hope first allows new viewers to see just how far movie-making magic and special effects technology has come. Its effects work well because they're practical and often look more connected to their environs than the gratuitous CGI of The Phantom Menace.
4 Start With The Phantom Menace: It Contains Important References For Later Movies
The Phantom Menace allows first-time viewers to be presented with an immersive galaxy coupled with context, something that A New Hope simply can't provide. The characters, circumstances, and events of its narrative (and the entire Prequel Trilogy) are essential in understanding the significance of later developments in the Original Trilogy.
Viewers will be able to know exactly what Obi-Wan Kenobi is referring to when he says, "before the dark times, before the Empire" and the "Clone Wars" in A New Hope because they will see those important galactic events unfold in the Prequel Trilogy.
3 Start With A New Hope: It Makes More Sense
While it might be a bit confusing to be dropped right into the action of Princess Leia's ship being boarded, most of A New Hope progresses in a linear way that follows a hero's quest archetype. Characters and events develop in a way that is congruous with their internal logic.
A hero saving a princess and triumphing over evil using the lessons he has learned on his quest is a tale as old as time. Most viewers know the story without needing to understand what a "Jedi knight" is, the ways of the Force, or even why Darth Vader is evil.
2 Start With The Phantom Menace: It Shows The Passage Of Time During Key Events
The state of the galaxy in The Phantom Menace is one of political disquietude but affluence under the Republic, with ships looking visibly better kept, clothing appearing more opulent, and planets showing abundance. The movie's CGI is at its best making the galaxy look beautiful. When the Republic falls and the Empire rises from its ashes, the galaxy is thrown into a state of visible and moral decay.
Seeing that passage of time through the slow rot of a gleaming utopia is an important visual storytelling device that Lucas communicates, comparing the look of the Prequel Trilogy to the shiny chrome hot rods of the '50s that were replaced by the boxy, utilitarian cars of the '70s and '80s (which became analogous to the Original Trilogy).
1 Start With A New Hope: It Appeals To Every Age Group
A generation of fans grew up with The Phantom Menace as their first Star Wars movie, and it's the most kid-friendly of the Skywalker saga, but there's an argument to be made for beginning with A New Hope since there's something in it for every demographic.
Young children can be just as happy with the comicality of R2-D2's antics as Jar Jar Binks, and the movie doesn't need a child protagonist to be relatable to children - they'll still idolize Luke, Han, or Leia. Lucas has maintained he always made all the Star Wars movies for kids, but there's nothing wrong with wanting to watch a more mature movie without dialogue that insults fans' intelligence.