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So there’s a lot of talk about how the so-called “Machete Order” cuts out Episode I. But I have to wonder why you would stop there. Why not cut out Episode II too? Not just because it’s an awful, awful film. But also because nothing happens in it that is important, least of all when viewed in Machete Order!
Consider that when you watch the movies in Machete Order, you’re reframing the overall arc of Star Wars into the story of Luke Skywalker moreso than Anakin Skywalker. So what is the point of including one or two movies in which Luke Skywalker is not even conceived throughout the entire runtime of the movies? They add nothing. Literally nothing of substance is added to the originals by Episode 2. No revelations are gathered from watching it following the big one at the end of Episode 5. Episode 3 has 100% of the important stuff involving Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side and answers literally every question you may have about how Luke was born and why Anakin became Darth Vader. At the end of Episode 2, he’s still a Jedi and Lucas did a terrible job of setting up any indication that he would fall, so it’s totally pointless to watch it. His shift seems sudden and rushed no matter whether you watch Episode 2 or not.
Seriously. Obi-Wan’s already told you about the Clone Wars in Episode 4, so just watch Episode 3 when they throw you right into the Clone Wars. Do you really need to see all the intergalactic politics of how the Clone Wars started? No. That’s not an important question when watching the movies in Machete Order. You’re focusing on the Skywalkers. And do you even need to see how Luke’s parents “fell in love?” No, in fact you’re much better off leaving it to the imagination, which skipping Episode 2 allows you to do. Knowing that Anakin has a pregnant wife is all you need to know. The romance plot in Episode 2 certainly adds no emotional depth to the situation, so it’s pointless.
So basically, all including Episode 2 does is drag out the flashback time before you get back to the main story and give you a worse, less sympathetic impression of Anakin/Vader, his friendship with Obi-Wan, his relationship with his wife, etc. You can still leave most of this to the imagination if you cut out Episode 2, meaning you get to preserve most of what Obi-Wan says in Episode 4. You don’t even have to think that Owen Lars was just Anakin’s stepbrother he only met once. They could have been raised together for all you know now!
Trust me, watching it this way improves both Episode 3 and 6 substantially and makes the whole experience much more enjoyable.
I think perhaps a tiny fanedit consisting of a rewritten crawl for Episode III adding just the right amount of exposition and backstory that isn’t in the movie so you aren’t lost at the beginning if you’re watching the first time would make it totally perfect.