I attempted to take full advantage of the free HBO promotion on our cable plan the past couple of days. I noticed that five of the six Star Wars movies were available “on demand” (for some reason Episode VI was not available). So while Kim was out of town, I started watching them in order starting with Episode I. It had been awhile since I saw Jar Jar Binks but I was quickly reminded how annoying his voice can be. Sure this isn’t the best of the group, but it does a great job at introducing so many characters that will be seen throughout.

Next up was Episode II, which has a lot more action in it than the first movie. It even includes a butt kicking Yoda. The movie also introduces the relationship between Anakin Skywalker (the future Darth Vader) and Padmé Amidala. It also begins to show Anakin slipping toward the dark side of the force. Both of these are crucial to Episode III, which in the end will reveal that Anakin and Padmé have twin children, Luke and Leia. It also shows Anakin transforming into Darth Vader. Episode III is my favorite of the new trilogy and does an excellent job tying up the loose ends between the first two movies and the next three.

The transition into Episode IV and the original trilogy is very interesting. The time between the release of this film and the third episode (the last made) was nearly 30 years! Obviously there are some differences in the way everything looks, but the plot transitions almost seamlessly. We see Darth Vader almost immediately and then pan to the simple life of Luke Skywalker and watch as everything changes for him. This movie is a classic and definitely one of the tops. The next in the sequence, Episode V, is another one of the tops. And just as I was getting into the whole series, this movie ends and I don’t have a copy of the final episode anywhere. I was hoping to rent it and finish the series, but now I may just wait and try it again after I build a home theater in the basement. I already have my projector now I just need some walls.