By Mario Eduardo for Tango’s Thoughts
Episode I
To begin this post with the iconic words ”a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away” would be almost too cheesy but in a way they’re the most true words that this guest writing series could begin with.
A long time ago, in a little suburban house a young boy was introduced by his father to a saga that would forever shape his life and every decision he’s ever made.
So who am I, who is this guest writer who gets the privilege to write for Mr. Tango himself?
Well, I’am as you might guessed a huge Star Wars fan or nerd or whatever you might call it! My name is Mario Eduardo. My age, just under thirty and my passion for Star Wars began at age four when my father showed me a VHS recording of Star Wars Episode VII – A New Hope on a bulky-ass 90’s television set. It was my first moment of love at first sight.
We watched it, I didn’t understand the English language at the time but I understood the saga. I understood the mythology and the concept of good and evil. I understood heroes, villains, companions and friendship. I learned what sacrifice is, I didn’t understand at the time exactly what a sacrifice is, but I learned it and what it meant. After watching Epsiode IV multiple times it didn’t take long until my father showed me and my then newborn little brother the continuation in The Empire Strikes Back and the finale that is Return Of The Jedi. The more we watched the Star Wars saga, the more I understood. Not yet the language but the story, the saga, and the concept of life. Because that is what Star Wars is to me, a part of my life. As I said, or rather wrote in the beginning of this post I can break down every decision in my life to Star Wars. The reason why I love and have more than a passion for both movies and music all can be back tracked to Star Wars!
Well, that’s just a little snippet out of how much the saga means to me, now maybe we should focus on why I’m here, writing this post and why you’re reading it. Since you’ve find your way to this site you know very well what Hank Tango is about – movies. Reviewing and breaking down movies and the cinematic art, but for this series he has given me the privilege and honor to write a guest series as a lead up to the next chapter in the Star Wars saga – Episode VII: The Force Awakens! So this series will be a mixture of reviewing and random thoughts about what has been, and speculations about what to come in the Star Wars universe! This will be done in an eight part series during the now 96 days left until The Force Awakens premiers here in Sweden.
Before we get to the reviewing part of this series I have to say that this series of posts will follow the saga in the RIGHT way! Lot’s of people, both fans, nerds and people completely new to Star Wars are always in some kind of conflict of how you should watch the saga, in witch order you should see the episodes that form the greatest saga ever told. In chronological order or in the release order, also known as the RIGHT order. And for some special people in a special group in the world there is the “machete order”. When I say the right order, I mean that you watch the movies in order they where made and cinematically released. When you’re introducing someone new to the Star Wars saga you have to start them off in the right way, so you begin with the original trilogy opening and starting with Star Wars Episode IV – A New Hope, continuing with Star Wars Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back and end with the finale Star Wars Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi. If you want to introduce someone new and none educated to the Star Wars saga, that’s how you start, period! Give the person a couple of weeks and let it magic sink in before you invite for a marathon of the prequel trilogy, beginning with Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace, continuing with Star Wars Episode II – Attack Of The Clones and ending it all with the closing chapter in Star Wars Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith.
That’s how you easily introduce someone to the Star Wars-saga. The faster way to do it is of course banging out a marathon Episode IV, V and VI and Episode I, II and III back to back in the RIGHT order, as I previously mentioned, also known as the cinematic release order, or if you’re up to it you can always do a marathon in chronological order and go full on Episode I through VI back to back! I guess the point being that you can do it both ways, but if you’re introducing someone for the first time, you start them of right!
And if you want to mess everything up completely you can do a marathon in machete order, witch basically is just watching the movies in what ever the hell order you think is best for your own selfish needs. Because that what’s the machete order is, its SELFISH, and shouldn’t be done!
Watching the Star Wars saga should be done at least twice a year in two sets of marathons. This is my opinion and my recommendation to everyone, fan of the saga and no-fan alike. In the summer you watch the saga in the right order, done in slow marathon style, one film per week. And in the winter you always make time for one back-to-back marathon, watching all six movies back to back in chronologic order. Every time you watch any Star Wars movie during the year is of course a special and sacred moment but as I said, at least two marathons a year should be witnessed by everyone, every human being on our planet. Get some friends and your family together, snack up and enjoy every minute of it!
As I read this post back to myself I realize that this was more an introduction to myself and my own relationship with the saga and not so much a review. But I guess that is my subconscious who wanted it to be this way since I just put the digital pen to paper and wrote what first came to my mind and heart about Star Wars, and by the way, as I said this would be an eight part series so I can say that in my next post we’ll dive more into the first movie, Episode IV – A New Hope!
So until next time, thank you for taking your time and I’ll hope you’ll enjoy the rest of the series!
May the force be with you!
Tango's Thoughts 