The Machete Order, something I'm not sure if I should be ashamed for having recently now learned such a thing existed. Of pertinence is this was developed before the Disney acquisition, long before any step taken towards what would be The Force Unleashed and dismissal of the previous Expanded Universe as "Legends."
Star Trek and Star Wars are not just my two most beloved science fiction franchises: they're pretty much the only ones I've consistently followed my whole life. Their on-screen presence is common knowledge since that's what put them on the map in the first place. There's no question that if one is to experience what Star Trek is about you must watch TOS (TNG works as an alternative), while for Star Wars everything branches from Episodes IV, V & VI.
Like any media behemoth, both franchises generated entire market segments built on the popularity of their licenses. Yet, while set a handful of centuries in the future, Star Trek is one of those sci-fi properties whose potential for expansion will always be stifled by its real-world setting featuring Earth, Newtonian physics and actual star chart locations like Wolf 359. At its beginning Star Wars preemptively freed itself of any such restrictions by making its setting a faraway galaxy subject in full only to The Force which may supersede what we all understand as physical and metaphysical reality.
Wider Context
So what does this have to do with Machete Order or any other subjective best way to view the Star Wars films? For those unfamiliar I first encourage readers to look up what Machete Order is and its arguments for and against. Personally I accept it has strong arguments in favor for its intended context: putting the focus on Luke's journey...which is exactly what George Lucas said the first 6 episodes are NOT about but rather his intended focus was always Anakin.
The other part of the equation I consider is, I admit up front, not essential: the Expanded Universe. I've made no secret my hatred of what Disney has done to the franchise even with a few bright spots (Rogue One, Andor) because for sake of milking Star Wars for all they could they stripped the EU of its previous canon status. Back when George Lucas was still in control everything from Splinter of the Mind's Eye to Dark Forces and beyond had to have his personal blessing to exist alongside the Star Wars name which gave it all the authority of being a part of the official, wider story. Once they took control Disney chose to reject all that, so in turn I reject the Disney-verse and consider the continuity of everything produced before 2013 (plus narrowing the focus helps so I'm not on the fruitless endeavor of trying to complete an ever-growing picture).
What the EU offers is the same thing that, if cut out, is the same effect as Machete Order doing so with Episode I: promoting understanding by offering a more complete context. Not everyone takes a fantasy universe like Star Wars seriously enough to care, but for the fans who do care (which IS why they're fans) it is a gift that Lucas intended from the original 1976 novelization to offer a setting in which every known character potentially has a pertinent story of their own. Without the Expanded Universe there's precious little light shed on rise of the Jedi Order, nature of the Sith, or history of the Republic. None of it may be necessary to enjoying the films but everything, real or fantasy, is made richer with historical context.
The George Lucas Factor
It so happened on this week's Star Wars Day I let my young children watch The Phantom Menace (since it's the most child-friendly). If the focus of the series was on Luke, as Machete asserts, I fully understand ditching it. As I've mentioned before people are free to enjoy works of art their own way, however in the matter of Star Wars there's reasons Lucas proceeded with the order he did.
George may have initially adopted a pragmatic wait-and-see approach (he was not a prima donna who'd blindly bank on the success of his vision) but he had a 6-episode Anakin-centered story in mind all along. It may have been a happy accident or genius planning that A New Hope stands as the best introduction to Star Wars for any future newcomers, but it and its sequels were made first simply because it was the best Lucas could do with the budgets and technology he had. The Special Editions continue to draw a strong split of opinion among the fanbase but, remember, they exist because Lucas wasn't satisfied with the legacy of Episodes IV-VI as they were.
That factor was more pronounced for Episodes I-III: Lucas had the general storyline down in the 70s but it was such a grand vision there was no chance of even trying with the resources he had at the time. As a matter of fact there was no guarantee they would ever exist in movie form, but it was still important that they be established as they were because without them the story would lose much of its sense. Besides, as amazing as the Original Trilogy was everyone, including those who would go on to consider it inferior, wanted to see a Prequel Trilogy made and they know it.
The Universe Exponentially Expands
As the 80s turned into the 90s and all this was taking shape at Skywalker Ranch it so happened that, on no less than the same 1991 in which Star Trek celebrated its 25th anniversary, Star Wars entered a media revival period that would grow the franchise bigger than the movies themselves ever would. First came novelist Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire, the first official sequel to Return of the Jedi that introduced such a staggering array of now-mainstay characters nothing has matched it since, from Talon Karrde and his mentee Mara Jade to Grand Admiral Thrawn and his subordinate Pallaeon (plus Coruscant for name of the galaxy's capital planet). Heir and its two sequels have since been rechristened the Thrawn Trilogy but for years it had no such official name and was, effectively, the first Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Later that same year saw Star Wars (Episode IV) adapted by Lucasfilm Games and JVC for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Huge liberties were taken to turning the story into a run-and-gun platformer with vehicle action sequences interspersed and this naturally resulted in the creation of original content. This is not to the same impact as Heir to the Empire kicking off the Expanded Universe that would build until the Disney sale point, but JVC did for Star Wars interactive media what Zahn did for print media.
I know: Lucas never considered the EU "canon" but that's understandable because Star Wars is his baby and he'd only approve canonization of that which is under his direct creative control. I already said that if not canon blessing all EU works still got official blessing later referred to as "C-canon." To qualify for that badge the novels and video games had to have consistency in, if not their actual occurrences (Super Star Wars is obviously not how Episode IV played out), the distinct contexts they add to the overall story. Said consistency was remarkable but not surprising since initial source material was the same: the films themselves and detailed information found in West End's Star Wars Roleplaying Game.
Yet there's no doubt Lucas enjoyed how others expanded his vision, to the point that he'd get involved personally. Lucasfilm collaborated on two Star Wars multimedia projects promoted like official interquel entries in the film series with no films made: Shadows of the Empire in 1996 and The Force Unleashed in 2008. That Dash Rendar's Outrider appeared in the Special Edition of Episode IV testifies to George's open-mindedness to outside ideas.
My Personal Take
In summary, unlike Star Trek in which I'm NOT one of those fans who regard Gene Roddenberry as some transcendent visionary (I've already said I prefer the direction the franchise went after Rick Berman took over), I respect George Lucas providing in Star Wars a fantasy world full of action-packed adventure and relatable heroes (not the Trek-like virtue-signaling cash cow Disney's tried turning it into). The real world is not ideal, the struggle between good and evil perpetual, and choices made with good intention often lead to tragedy. Lucas wasn't providing anything truly new, just a different and exciting take on the old harsh fantasy genre humanity has refined over the ages (think Tolkien).
So in light of the original Lucas vision and Expanded Universe context, I can't cut The Phantom Menace. While the Original Trilogy is almost pure action-adventure the Prequel Trilogy enters the political thriller realm, something that demands background context as to why the Galactic Republic finds itself in such decline and what enables Palpatine to rise while skirting the rule of law to consolidate his power. And if it needs to be understood what started driving Anakin Skywalker down the path of depravity, the same goes for what made the Sith so powerful and the Jedi so vulnerable despite major disparity in numbers.
If it came down to the regular six films I'd add Episode I to the beginning of Machete's post-Episode V flashback phase. It comes with no sacrifice of surprise plot twists and the addition of innocent younger Anakin (whom the ill-fated Qui-Gon Jinn is determined to mentor) builds on the tragedy factor. And for me personally, Episode I is an important enough part of the story that it prompted the largest growth of the EU since the early 90s and is worthy of that respect since people can still enjoy those works today (or I could just be a biased sucker for Battle for Naboo and Starfighter).
Until next year: May the Fourth be With You.