Just posted this in a thread about watching the show Andor. Additional context, I’d watch the movies first before you decide to get into any of the shows
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I highly recommend Rogue One as well. It follows Cassian Andor as a spy for the rebellion immediately after the second (and final) season of the show.
Rogue One is a story set immediately before the first movie: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Immediately as in the final scene of Rogue One is the first scene of A New Hope.
Similar to the other commenter, the problem is that Rogue One is by far the best movie of the entire franchise, so you start at the high point.
If you like the movie and want more Star Wars, I recommend this order. I’ll list the title and the “episode” number
- Rogue One (3.9)
- A New Hope (4)
- The Empire Strikes Back (5)
- The Phantom Menace (1)
- Attack of the Clones (2)
- Revenge of the Sith (3)
- Return of the Jedi (6)
There are three more movies after #6, but there’s almost no point in watching them.
It’s really important to remember that a lot of the Star Wars movies aren’t good but they’re cultural institutions and you kinda have to accept them as they are. The writer/director of the original trilogy spent a lot of time tweaking and editing them after their original releases including adding new scenes digitally created decades after the release.
That’s an interesting take. I don’t really like the mainline Star Wars films at all. I think the entire skywalker saga is incredibly boring and a massive waste of a fascinating universe.
Rogue One is great because there’s enough exposure to the universe without relying on any prior knowledge.
Discussion about the plot
The first half of the film gives us an interesting cast of characters who all have motivations that are at odds with each other. Then they earn each other’s trust and agree on a common goal.
The final hour of the movie is an exciting action sequence spanning space fighters to ground troops and an infiltration mission
The characters are well written and the main elements of plot don’t rely on any Star Wars knowledge to really understand what’s going on.
If you like the film, watch more. If you don’t, leave it at an action film that doesn’t explain everything about that dude with a laser sword or why the Empire is bad or what they do afterwards.