Is it necessary to watch Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith before embarking on Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens?

Think about this; Episode III happened years before Episode IV. The Force Awakens is considered Episode VII. It is set 30 years after Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. As such, the happenings of Episode III aren't central to the plot, nor are the characters.

• Episode I: The Phantom Menace - Set as Year 0
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones - 10 years after Phantom Menace (Year 10)
• Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith - Year 13
• Episode IV: A New Hope - Year 32
• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back - Year 35
• Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi - Year 36
• Episode VII: The Force Awakens - Year 66

Episode III is likely the most important film of the prequels,

As it depicts the complete downfall of the Galactic Senate through Palpatine's manipulation, leading to his rise as Emperor. We also see how he manipulates Anakin into helping him wipe out nearly all of the Jedi alive at that time, causing them to go into hiding and thus fading into myth.

Setting up for the much later events of The Force Awakens and

how the efforts of the Rebellion seem to have gone completely unrecognized, even with the help of a mythical Jedi.

This single film details how everything that comes after came to be, so yes, I'd say you should see it.

No, you don't need to watch Episode III or any other movie from the "Prequel" trilogy.

They are not relevant in regard of story or style.

Every major plot point in Episode III is already revealed in Episode V and VI. These plot points are the relationships between Anakin, Darth Vader, Luke, and Leia. If you already know these relationships by watching V and VI, then you already know the major plot points in III.

I have not seen VII yet, (tomorrow), and I could see it as conceivable that some of the things that happen in III could be referenced in VII, and you would miss those potential references, if that's something you care about. The things I could see being referenced is how the Jedi order fell apart and exactly how the transformation to Vader occurred.

Edit: Saw the movie. If you have seen IV-VI then that is all you need.

It does appear that the villain in VII is probably taking a path similar to Anakin's with the villain's story starting where Anakin's left off at the end of III.

No. In fact, as long as you understand the gist of the Jedi, the Force, and the main characters (Han, Luke, and Leia), you can follow The Force Awakens just fine.

Having seen the film on Thursday (The joys of an earlier release date in the UK), no you don't need to have seen Revenge of the Sith.

If you have seen Star Wars 4-6 (ANH, ESB and ROTJ) you will have all the back story you will need to know, and even then there are enough hints of the back story to get you up to speed in the opening titles and throughout the film.

I'm keeping this very vague as not to spoil anything, as it was amazing going into the film knowing almost nothing about what was going to happen.

I know the prequels are often the butt of jokes, and what makes a movie good for one person, doesn't make it good for another, but in general most fans of Star Wars do seem to agree that the prequels are inferior to the original trilogy and really didn't add much to the overall story (as much of what happens in the prequels was already implied in the original trilogy).

If you enjoy stories with long, slow, plodding explanations of backstory, then the prequels might be of interest for you, but otherwise, no, there's nothing in EIII that wasn't already assumed in EIV-VI.

UPDATE: personal anecdote = I couldn't get my 10 year old to watch even the original trilogy. He only made it half way through A New Hope before declaring it boring. Took him to The Force Awakens tonight and he loved it. So just one 10 year olds opinion but, there you go, the movie seems to stand on its own.

While other answers on here give good "key" reasons why one would want to see Revenge of the Sith before The Force Awakens, it is also significant to ANY Skywalker Saga entry (Episodes 4-9) thereafter, because it features the transformation of Anakin Skywalker into the Sith Lord, Darth Vader.

Anakin's Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader is significant to both the Original Trilogy and the Sequel Trilogy overall, as the entire Skywalker Saga narrative is ultimately about the Sith Lord Darth Sidious/The Emperor being able to destroy the Republic, The Jedi Order, and abuse (and create powerful abusers) out three generations of Skywalkers in order to maintain power over the entire galaxy, while also seeking eternal life...

When one looks at the Original Trilogy, the story is about Darth Vader's children and if, especially his son, will be turned to the dark side, or stay on the light and help his sister free the galaxy! The story ends with the death of Darth Vader, *almost defeating the Emperor, but with Luke returning Vader to light to be Anakin Skywalker once more, upon death, which is in turn significant to Star Wars over all "Force" mythology.

In terms of the Sequel Trilogy, it's two new young leads, one Anakin's grandson (Kylo Ren), the other a mysterious scavenger (Rey), have all of the characteristics of Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader combined between them, making the audience wonder who "Rey" is and if she will fall to the dark side and/or if Kyo Ren can ever be redeemed and return to the light and become Ben Solo once more?

The story is that of a new generation on path of self discovery by facing the past. Anakin then serves as a figurative ghost that looms over the story/fate of the two leads, while it is later revealed that once again The Emperor has behind many things and is seeking these two strong force users (who also happen to be a DYAD = One soul split between two beings) to fully come back to life and continue his reign. It ultimately is story about breaking this cycle!

To not have seen Revenge of the Sith takes something away from the deeper context that Anakin's tragedy is echoing/rhyming through this ongoing saga and/or it also takes away the darkest of determinations of Darth Sidious' will, since he is the catalyst for the entire Skywalker Saga.

I have no idea if you have decided to watch Episode III or not but I will say that out of the prequel films it is by far the best of that trilogy. It tells you exactly how Anakin fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader which was the primary focus George Lucas had in creating the prequels. Disney's Episode VII fan fiction is set 30 years after Return of the Jedi and the death of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. Therefore Anakin's fall which directly ties into the Original Trilogy is unconnected to events following his passing. Vader's impact on the Disney trilogy is minimal with his past only really holding any sway over Kylo Ren who is misguided in his view of who Vader was - something highlighted by knowing Vader's story from the six Star Wars films.

If I'm being completely honest you should watch Episode III instead of any of the Disney films. It has far more importance within the Star Wars story and comes directly from the creator of the franchise so I'd say it's something you should absolutely be watching as a fan of Star Wars. I also consider Episode III to be one of the better films of the Star Wars saga, whilst I wouldn't say it touches the level of Empire or the original 1977 film, I personally tend to regard it as being on the level of Return of the Jedi in terms of enjoyment, so considerably higher than The Phantom Menace and the awful Attack of the Clones.

I would also recommend you check out The Clone Wars TV series created by Dave Filoni and originally having direct input from George Lucas himself, as that covers the Clone Wars conflict in depth and establishes many fantastic characters including Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex. When it comes to current Star Wars under the Disney banner I would recommend Filoni's Rebels and Bad Batch shows. I'd also recommend watching Rogue One which essentially is a movie based on the original film's opening title crawl and ties directly into the events of the original film. Of course when it comes to recommending anything from the current Star Wars projects, you can't go far wrong with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni's live action series The Mandalorian.