My co-worker N and I have determined the order in which the six Star Wars films should be watched by people who have never seen any of the films:
- Star Wars
- The Empire Strikes Back
- The Phantom Menace
- Attack of the Clones
- Revenge of the Sith
- Return of the Jedi
Watching the movies in this order preserves two of the key twists in the first trilogy: that Darth Vader is Luke's father, and that Leia is Luke's sister. It also provides the necessary context for understanding why Darth Vader turned against the Emperor at the end of Return of the Jedi.
So, one problem solved. Now to convince Harper Collins to abandon their foolhardy chronological ordering of the Narnia books, and things will be golden.