There’s An Objectively Correct Way To Watch The Star Wars Saga, According To David Corenswet

David Corenswet may be the DC Universe’s new Superman, but that hasn’t stopped him from gushing over a very different franchise. The new Man of Steel is also a diehard Star Wars fan; he’s proven his love in viral clips recorded long before he donned Superman’s trademark red and blue, but he’s reupped that interest while on Superman’s press tour. When pressed to choose between a sequel to James Gunn’s latest film or a stint as a Jedi in that galaxy far away, Corenswet chose the latter. Most recently, he appeared on Brittany Broski’s Royal Court, where he shared his preferred Star Wars watch order.

The best way to watch the Star Wars movies has been a topic of debate ever since George Lucas released his divisive prequel trilogy. Lucas has long insisted that fans should watch the films in chronological order, starting with the prequels and then moving into the original trilogy, but that undermines the franchise’s greatest twist in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

One could always watch the originals before the prequels, but there’s also the more adventurous “Machete Order.” The latter cuts Episode I: The Phantom Menace but fits its two sequels, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, into the original trilogy after The Empire Strikes Back. This way, the prequels serve as a “flashback,” offering context to Anakin’s fall to the dark side. But without The Phantom Menace, viewers can skip parts of Anakin’s backstory that creator Rod Hilton deemed irrelevant or convoluted.

It’s an interesting concept, but it’s never been a viable approach for a completionist. Sure, some parts of The Phantom Menace are hard to appreciate — Hilton names Jar Jar Binks, Anakin’s “virgin birth,” and the Naboo politicking among the film’s vices — but it’s all necessary to get a clear picture. That’s why Corenswet has opted for a more comprehensive version of Hilton’s watch order:

1. Episode IV — A New Hope
2. Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back
3. Episode I — The Phantom Menace
4. Episode II — Attack of the Clones
5. Episode III — Revenge of the Sith
6. Episode VI — Return of the Jedi

“You preserve the twist of — spoiler alert — Darth Vader is [Luke’s] father,” Corenswet explained. “Then you watch [Episodes] I through III as a flashback, essentially. And then VI: it’s not as strong as IV and V as a film, but it’s a great culmination to the whole thing. It brings it all together.”

This retains the framing device of the Machete Order, as well as the resolution one gets from Return of the Jedi. Per Corenswet, “the stakes are bigger” with the context of the prequels, even The Phantom Menace.

“It feels more like a saga,” Corenswet added — and he’s right. As grating as Jar Jar can be, he’s key to the fall of the Galactic Republic, while Padmé Amidala’s relationship with (and need for) her decoys directly informs the conflict in Attack of the Clones. It may not all be executed perfectly, but it does tell a complete story. The necessity of the sequels, on the other hand, is a debate Corenswet can solve another day.