At FinanceBuzz, we love side hustles and saving people money. Paired with a good hero’s journey and a side of lightsaber battles? A match made in Cloud City.
Earlier this year, we started our own hero’s journey by launching a nationwide search for someone to watch and review Star Wars movies for the first time. We wanted to know, from an outsider’s perspective, whether it’s worth the time (and money) investment to jump into the franchise in 2024.
After receiving more than 34,000 applications for the role, an arduous selection process, and more than 25 hours of movie marathoning, our Wookiee Rookie’s results are in.
- What we did
- Meet our Wookiee Rookie
- The Best Star Wars Movies According to a First-Timer
- 1. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- 2. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- 3. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
- 4. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- 5. Episode IV: A New Hope
- 6. Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- 7. Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- 8. Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- 9. Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- A final Q&A with our Wookiee Rookie
- Missed out on this side hustle? Here are other ways to make money on the side.
What we did
- A few months ago, we put out a job listing for a Star Wars newbie to watch the Skywalker Saga (episodes I-IX) for the first time.
- We wanted our expert to rate and review each movie to figure out whether it’s actually worth hopping into the franchise at this point or if you’re better off staying away if you’ve managed to this long.
- We offered our Wookiee Rookie $1,100 for their time (and snacks).
Meet our Wookiee Rookie
After reviewing nearly 35,000 applications, we selected Aly Ruffing of Pittsburgh, PA, as our Wookiee Rookie. Aly was born and raised in the Steel City where she currently works and lives with her yellow lab, Remy, and her husband, Jeff: the only Star Wars fan in the house.
Aly’s submission was simple: Jeff is obsessed with Star Wars, and this was the perfect opportunity for her to catch up.
“My husband is literally the biggest Star Wars fan ever! He has his own lightsaber hanging up on the wall in our house next to all of his Star Wars memorabilia. We recently went on our honeymoon to Disney World, and we wore matching ‘Til Death Star Do Us Part’ shirts,” Aly’s application essay read.
According to Aly, she hasn’t seen Star Wars yet because she’s just not that into SciFi.
“I haven’t watched Star Wars until now because it’s not the typical genre of movie that I enjoy watching. I mostly associate action-type movies with masculinity and always thought science fiction/fantasy type movies were nerdy,” Aly wrote.
And while she was excited about the experiment, the movies weren’t the first thing on her mind. “I’m most looking forward to spending quality time watching the movies with my husband, as well as bingeing movie theater popcorn and GetGo slushies.”
The Best Star Wars Movies According to a First-Timer
Armed with enough snacks to feed an Ewok army, Aly went chronologically (by release date) through each of the nine canonical movies in the Skywalker Saga. We asked her to give her own review of each movie and rate each on how fun it was to watch, how bored she got, how confusing each film was, and to give any other thoughts.
1. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
2. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
3. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
4. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
5. Episode IV: A New Hope
6. Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
7. Episode VII: The Force Awakens
8. Episode I: The Phantom Menace
9. Episode II: Attack of the Clones
A final Q&A with our Wookiee Rookie
1. What was your favorite part of the experience? What was the worst part?
My favorite parts of this experience were:
- Being able to spend quality time with my husband doing something that he loves
- Chatting with friends and family after watching the movies about their favorite/least favorite Star Wars movies and comparing our opinions on the franchise
- Buckets and buckets of movie theater popcorn
The worst part was that I wasn’t motivated to watch the next movie if I didn’t enjoy the one before it, but I was pleasantly surprised at some of the ones I wasn’t looking forward to.
2. How has this changed your understanding of pop culture, movie history, or the Star Wars fan base?
It makes you appreciate movie history and older/more nostalgic movies in general given what they had to work with in the years the movies were produced. It also helped me appreciate different types of genres of movies as well too. I used to think that those who liked the Star Wars franchise were “weird,” but it just makes you realize that everyone has their different interests and to not knock it until you try it.
3. How does your husband feel about all of this?
He loved it! Both he and I are flabbergasted at the fact that we have differing opinions of some of the movies, as well as some of the characters, considering how alike we are. He didn’t tell me which movies were his favorite until after we watched them to keep away from bias, and after he told me #4 was his favorite, I couldn’t believe it. We then googled the ranking of the movies, and every single site had something different listed. Just goes to show you again that everyone has different perspectives and opinions! He made a joke that his friend, Kasey, loved Star Wars movie number #6 the best and that nobody else agrees with that, and after we were done watching it, I told him that I thought that #6 was my favorite too HAHA!
4. Will you watch Star Wars content (shows, games, whatever) going forward?
Honestly, most likely no. Possibly The Mandalorian just because of the exposure it has at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (we frequent Disney more than we’d like to admit), but I’m not jumping at the opportunity at the moment.
5. Finally, do you think it's worth the time (and money) investment to jump into the Star Wars world for newbies? Would you do it again?
Yeah, I do think so! I honestly wish some of my friends and family members who haven’t seen the movies would give it a chance! I would probably only do it again if it meant spending some quality time with someone I love.
Missed out on this side hustle? Here are other ways to make money on the side.
- Find ways to supplement your income: There are plenty of great ways to make money on the side that can add funds to your bank account.
- Take advantage of free time: Earn as much as $100 a day from side hustles during any extra hours you have in your day.
- Look for ways to earn money off of your money: Learn ways to invest money to potentially help build your wealth.