Keys to watching the ‘Star Wars’ marathon

Published 8:00 am Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Listen up, nerds. Chances are, you’ve already watched all 13 hours and 37 minutes of the first two “Star Wars” trilogies (perhaps more than once?), but you also understand the importance of binge watching the series before “The Force Awakens” premieres.

The premiere of the first film in the next trilogy is destined to be a historic cinematic moment. That’s why it’s important to prepare by watching the first six films with these movie marathon tips.

Schedule a battle plan

Watching more than 13 hours of movies in a short amount of time is no easy feat, so proper planning is vital. That means scheduling exactly when you want to watch each movie, when to take breaks and deciding which friends have the strength and skill set to fulfill your mission.

Talking rules need to be established

Do you require total silence to soak in the awesomeness that is “Star Wars?” Do you like to have intense debates about who shot first as the scene plays out? Do you have to hum along to the films’ score? You – and everyone else in the group – need to know what the expectations are for chatter during the movie… before you start watching.

Arrange the room

There’s a lot of action onscreen in “Star Wars,” but watching it all play out means you’ll be stationary for quite some time. Making a watch area as comfortable as possible with ways to move around will make Future You happy by the time you reach hour four … and beyond.

Rest up

Since you successfully made your watch area incredibly comfortable, it can be pretty tempting to doze off at some point. But like we said, this is a marathon, and it’s important to get a good night’s sleep before a marathon.

Weaklings need to be eliminated

Don’t get us wrong – you don’t have to kill anyone or cut off anyone’s hand or anything like that. However, if one of your companions just isn’t in the mindset to go through with the marathon then they should probably leave the room and avoid distracting those who want to enjoy both trilogies.

Acoustics are in order

There’s no buzzkill quite like audio problems. Do whatever you can to eliminate pesky issues like audio not matching the screen and having to repeatedly turn up and turn down the volume, as well as deciding if you’re going to use surround sound (of course you are).

Real food is a necessity

That means you should prepare to eat at least one real meal. Do you think Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie saved the galaxy by eating just Doritos and chocolate? Sustenance is important, so either prepare a good meal ahead of time or schedule a break in between movies to make one.

Snacks are important, too

You can’t honestly expect to sit through 817 minutes of movies without popcorn and pop, can you? Just try not to go overboard, otherwise you might end up looking like Jabba the Hutt.