# Can I enjoy the new Star Wars movie if I haven't seen all of the other ones? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 28, 2015, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556 "2015-12-28T12:07:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/1 "2015-12-28T12:07:15Z")
I saw the first movie back in the late 70’s, I think. I can’t remember seeing another one. I remember very little from the first movie. I know some things, like there’s a princess Leah and Luke and Han Solo. I think Luke is the son of Darth Vader? Darth is a bad guy, I think. That about sums up my knowledge. I hear the special effects are good so I’d like to see it in the theatre, but I don’t want to be completely lost. So what do you think? Should I wait until I have time and access to watch all the other ones first or what? ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/2 "2015-12-28T13:17:09Z")
The Force Awakens is basically a rehash of the first one, so you can go see it just for the nostalgia factor and special effects. ---
**Author:** ![Lisaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lisaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisaren)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/3 "2015-12-28T13:56:51Z")
My children had never seen any of the other movies and enjoyed it greatly. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/4 "2015-12-28T14:02:06Z")
Yeah It’s made for casuals ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/5 "2015-12-28T14:22:20Z")
All you really have to know is that Luke is the last Jedi Knight, Darth Vader was his father, and Leia is his sister. You’ll figure out everything else. ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/6 "2015-12-28T14:31:10Z")
Yes - Star Wars: The Next Generation. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/7 "2015-12-28T15:15:26Z")
It’s essentially a Reboot. Go have fun! ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/8 "2015-12-28T16:21:25Z")
My gf has never seen any of the movies. I gave her a brief overview over dinner before the show and she enjoyed it far more than she thought she would. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/9 "2015-12-28T17:20:57Z")
Yes, I think a newbie to SW would like it just fine. It might actually be better that way - you’ll miss a lot of the allusions to earlier SW bits, true, but no biggie. Far better, the final action sequence won’t seem as thoroughly rehashed to you the way it did to this ol’ fan. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/10 "2015-12-28T17:36:19Z")
Definitely. It’s a launch of a new trilogy. It relies on some knowledge, but nothing above the basics. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/11 "2015-12-28T17:41:47Z")
You will definitely enjoy it. As mentioned, you may enjoy it more since you won’t realize how derivative the plot is. OTOH you won’t understand the significance of some moments and will miss some in-jokes but that doesn’t matter too much. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/12 "2015-12-28T17:54:03Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Darth is a bad guy, I think. Darth Vader is a good guy. He brought balance to the Force. I think you should at least watch the first prequel. It doesn’t sound like you should watch it before you see the new one. (I haven’t seen the new one yet.) But you should watch it at least once. Jar-Jar is one of the better characters. He’s funny and he adds the heart to the movie. Also Darth Maul. Darth Maul was pretty much the coolest character in the franchise. It’s just too bad that Lucas is stupid and doesn’t know what he was doing. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/13 "2015-12-28T19:11:07Z")
You can certainly enjoy the movie without having seen the others recently, but I do think a lot of the subtext will be lost. You’ll still be entertained by the surface action, but you won’t necessarily understand why some things are significant (or even that they are significant). At the very least, I’d recommend reading a synopsis of the plots of the prior movies. That makes sure you recognize names and references. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/14 "2015-12-28T19:29:29Z")
Yes. It’s essentially a remake of the first one, with elements of the second and third. It’s basically a soft reboot of the franchise, with a few of the old characters for continuity. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/15 "2015-12-28T20:21:10Z")
I only saw the first few and enjoyed this one greatly. Some of the jaded comments in this thread make me glad I haven’t seen the others. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/16 "2015-12-28T20:58:11Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > You can certainly enjoy the movie without having seen the others recently, but I do think a lot of the subtext will be lost. You’ll still be entertained by the surface action, but you won’t necessarily understand why some things are significant (or even that they are significant). > > At the very least, I’d recommend reading a synopsis of the plots of the prior movies. That makes sure you recognize names and references. Dude. It’s _Star Wars_, not _Waiting For Godot_. She doesn’t need homework. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/17 "2015-12-28T21:06:31Z")
The other night, I watched my mom, who’s 70 and utterly uninterested in science fiction, completely geeking out on the new Star Wars movie with two of her similarly inclined (and aged) friends. It was fucking weird. They were _into it_, speculating about various relations between the characters and what some of the unresolved plot hooks would lead to. Anyway, you should be fine. It’s a popcorn movie. Just enjoy the pretty people standing near things that are exploding, and you’ve got about 75% of the value of it right there. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/18 "2015-12-28T21:35:13Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Dude. It’s _Star Wars_, not _Waiting For Godot_. She doesn’t need homework. Hey, I take my Star Wars seriously! But I did start off by saying that it’s not strictly necessary, and ten minutes of reading is hardly homework. I will understand if some people think Star Wars is just a movie. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/19 "2015-12-29T05:43:20Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Darth Vader is a good guy. He brought balance to the Force. > I think you should at least watch the first prequel. It doesn’t sound like you should watch it before you see the new one. (I haven’t seen the new one yet.) But you should watch it at least once. Jar-Jar is one of the better characters. He’s funny and he adds the heart to the movie. Also Darth Maul. Darth Maul was pretty much the coolest character in the franchise. It’s just too bad that Lucas is stupid and doesn’t know what he was doing. Do not listen to the **Smurf**. He is **Drunk**. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556/20 "2015-12-29T07:22:04Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Dude. It’s _Star Wars_, not _Waiting For Godot_. She doesn’t need homework. I agree with **dracoi** , a basic grounding would help. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-enjoy-the-new-star-wars-movie-if-i-havent-seen-all-of-the-other-ones/741556.md?page=2)