4, 5, 6 ... 1, 2, 3?

Thank you, George Lucas.

As my 3-year-old boy Samson gets to the stage of his life when he's learning to count, before I know it, the time will come when I'll introduce him to one of the greatest movie franchises in history: The Stars Wars trilogy, times 2.

Here's the difficult decision: Do we start with Episode IV: A New Hope (aka, Star Wars), then onto Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: The Return of the Jedie? Or do we start with Episode I: The Phantom Menace, then Episode II: The Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith?

Easy as 1, 2, 3, right? Not so fast.

How could I deny my boy the excitement of where it all began in 1977, when I, as a 7-year-old, could hardly contain myself in anticipation for the original? How I could I deny my boy the moment when Darth Vader reveals to Luke he is his father in Empire?

(Note: I brought this up to my wife a while back. She just shook her head, and had to be thinking, "Who is this dork I married?)

Numerically, it makes sense to start with The Phantom Menace, but Samson's venture into the Star Wars saga will begin with A New Hope. The numbers will be jumbled, but he'll figure it out, and enjoy it all the more.
   
- Mark Podolski