Because it had prequels. When Episode IV was released, it wasn't called Episode IV. It was called
For those wondering why it took so long for one of the most successful movie franchise's in history to produce another movie after 1983, there's your answer. It was mainly due to the rise of technology.
In total, only four years pass during the original trilogy. Luke Skywalker is 19 years old in A New Hope and completes his Jedi training by 23 years old. Anakin Skywalker was 45 when he died as Darth Vader, 36 years after he first became a Jedi in The Phantom Menace.
Why? While the original movie from 1977 was originally titled simply "Star Wars", it was later amended to be known as Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope. As a result, the order in which the films were released is not the order in which the events depicted in the galaxy far, far away happen.
One of the biggest questions fans have had is why 1977's Star Wars was called Episode IV, despite being the first film in what would become a blockbuster franchise. The logical explanation is that the prequel trilogy was (naturally) set before the original; hence, the numbering.
So why did George Lucas make Star Wars out of order? Looper sums up the answer per Lucas himself – “The Star Wars series started out as a movie that ended up being so big that I took each act and cut it into its own movie [...] When I first did Star Wars, I did it as a big piece. It was like a big script.
*According to sources published at the time the prequels came out, Anakin was 20 in Episode II, but 9 in Episode I, which took place ten years earlier. The explanation for this was that he turned ten right after Episode I, and the two movies are actually about ten years and one month apart.
During the iconic opening moments of Star Wars: A New Hope, Darth Vader has a tense confrontation with Princess Leia, an adversary who, unknown to him, is actually his daughter. Despite participating in Leia's interrogation, the Sith Lord doesn't uncover his familial connection with the rebellious royal.
Watching them in release order is fun (and easy), but breaking the series down into canonical order elevates your viewing experience, and can help you appreciate the Star Wars universe on a whole new level.
The best way of watching all the films and shows of the saga is to follow the chronological timeline order. This is because fans will follow the characters as they progress through the storyline and develop a much better understanding of events in the Star Wars universe.
While things like Yoda never laughing in the prequels may seem like small details, they made this Yoda iteration different from the original. Just the fact that Yoda was a CGI character, not a puppet, was enough to make Yoda feel quite different to the one seen in the original trilogy.
Thought dead, Darth Maul survived his injuries by focusing on his hatred of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi who cut him in half. His shattered body was dumped amid the refuse of the junk planet Lotho Minor, where the once deadly warrior fell into madness, staying alive on a diet of vermin.
Padmé was born in the year 46 BBY on Naboo, and Anakin was born five years later, in the year 41 BBY. That makes Padmé five years older than Anakin.
An all-to-common criticism of the new Star Wars films is the lack of story planning that seemingly went into rebuilding this universe. From Rey's parentage to Snoke's origins, these plot points were devised without clear thought as to where they would eventually end up.
Disney brought fans the Star Wars sequel trilogy beginning with 2015's The Force Awakens, continuing in 2017 with The Last Jedi and wrapping up last year with The Rise of Skywalker. Yet, in all of those movies, Anakin Skywalker, arguably the most important Skywalker of all, is not mentioned by name one time.
1. The Empire Strikes Back. Empire Strikes Back is widely recognised as the best Star Wars movie of all time for a reason. A New Hope might have introduced fans to the cinematic world of Star Wars but Episode VI built on that universe and took the viewer far, far further.
Always a canny foe, Ventress baited Anakin by threatening to kill Padme Amidala, before striking him across the face. The scar became another symbol of Anakin's journey to the dark side when he punishes Ventress by binding her in cables and flinging her from the top of a skyscraper.
Some claim there are five different orders you can watch the Star Wars saga in, but there are a few widely accepted preferred ways. The three seen as the best in telling the Skywalker story are the order of episodes (chronological), production (release date), and the Godfather cut.
That's a date. 'BBY' stands for 'Before the Battle of Yavin,' referring to the climactic battle over the moon of Yavin IV where Luke shoots a proton torpedo down the Death Star's exhaust port in the original Star Wars film.
Reva knows that Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader because she was one of his targets—a child—during the Order 66 killings that took place during the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
The real answer is: When the original trilogy was written and filmed, Anakin Skywalker was not the creator of C3PO. There was no consideration given to who Vader would recognize, because there was no reason for Vader to recognize the droid, at all.
Leia Organa-Skywalker
Leia Amidala Skywalker (portrayed by Carrie Fisher) is the wife of Han Solo, the mother of Ben Solo, the younger twin sister of Luke Skywalker, the daughter of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, and the granddaughter of Shmi Skywalker, raised by Bail and Breha Organa of Alderaan.
The second time Yoda mentions his long life is in Return of the Jedi, when he tells Luke, “When you reach 900 years old, you will not look as good as you will.” If we take Yoda at his word, that means the Jedi Master died at the ripe old age of 900.
Even though Luke tried his best to protect him, Anakin accepted his fate and expressed his love for his son and daughter, Leia, whom he learned about before dying. While it seemed like Anakin had lived a long life, his choices eventually led to his demise at 45.
How Old Was Padmé When She Died In Revenge Of The Sith? The age difference between Anakin and Padmé was ultimately immaterial, given that Padmé's death at the end of the Star Wars prequels brings an end to her story at just 27 years old.