Initially, there were three Star Wars movies. Now there’s a whole load of movies and spin-off TV shows like The Mandalorian. So what is the correct order to watch Star Wars these days? Let’s find out…
Before Marvel, we had Star Wars. For the last four decades, Luke, Han, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and Chewbacca have been firmly lodged inside the zeitgeist. The original Star Wars movie was a massive success when it first came out, as were its sequels. They made George Lucas a very rich man and one of the most important players in Hollywood.
The idea behind Star Wars, which drew inspiration from everything from Tolkien to the Indian Vedas, was to do something that had never been done before, outside of novels: world-building – or, more specifically, universe-building. Lucas wanted to create a universe of characters, politics, struggle, and paint it with as much detail as possible with everything from religion to trade embargoes.
He knew he had limitations with the first movie, but if it proved to be successful he had a clear vision for how things would play out for the next few decades.
This is one of the things that made Star Wars so popular. It was designed for young audiences, but it had a reality to it that everybody could relate to – things like class warfare, totalitarian governments, corruption, disenfranchised planets, and struggling farmers and craftsman caught in the middle of a galaxy-wide power struggle between the forces of darkness and light (Sith and Jedi).
Add in things like superpowers – or, Jedi powers – evil bad guys, heroic anti-heroes (Han Solo) and a few, very well placed twists and turns, and Star Wars’ sci-fi spin on the ups and downs of living in a feudal society in space had everything a modern blockbuster required to succeed. Its breadth and scope, at the time, were more or less unparalleled. Sci-fi, at this point, was still very much considered low-brow.
Star Wars does NOT take place in chronological order, however, so if you want to watch the narrative unfold in REAL-TIME, you will need to change the order of how you watch them.
For instance, the films released in the early-2000s, starting with The Phantom Menace, are set a good couple of decades before the events of the original movie, Star Wars: A Hope New. Whereas the newest films take place after the original films and the ones released in the early-2000s.
The Correct Order To Watch Star Wars In
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Solo
- Rogue One
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
If you want to watch the Star Wars films in the right order, the above list is the correct timeline. As you can see, there are two additional films – spin-off ones – that some of you might not recognize. They are Solo and Rogue One. Both take place after The Phantom Menace trilogy but before the timeline of the original Star Wars movies.
Out of the two movies, Rogue One is well worth a watch. In fact, I would argue that it is the best Star Wars movie to date, save for the original trilogy. It is action-packed, full of new and engaging characters, and it is one of the best stories told in the Star Wars canon to date. I much prefer it to the newer films like Force Awakens, Last Jedi, and Rise of The Skywalker.
This ordering of Star Wars is the correct chronological order to watch the movies in. This means the story arc begins right at the start – with The Phantom Menace – and concludes with the final chapter, The Rise of The Skywalker. Of course, there will be more movies added. But most will follow the events of The Rise of The Skywalker. Or, like Rogue One, slot in before and/or during the events of the older films.
How Does The Mandalorian & The Book of Boba Fett Fit In?
Since Disney acquired the rights to Star Wars, there have been plenty of new shows and movies added to the Star Wars canon. The latest TV shows are, of course, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. But where do these two shows fit into the overarching Star Wars story?
For the sake of simplicity, the events portrayed in both The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian take place AFTER Star Wars: Return of The Jedi, whereas Star Wars: Visions takes place AFTER the events of Star Wars: Rise of The Skywalker.
The Bad Batch, conversely, takes place after The Revenge of The Sith. Confusing, right? It does seem like it but when you put everything into a list, things start to make more sense.
Correct Order To Watch Star Wars Movies & TV Shows
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- The Bad Batch
- Solo
- Star Wars: Rebels
- Rogue One
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- The Mandalorian
- The Book of Boba Fett
- Star Wars: Resistance
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
- Star Wars: Visions
Just keep in mind that Star Wars: Visions takes place across various points inside the grand Star Wars narrative. That’s why it is included last; it doesn’t really have a set chronological setting, it jumps around between different points in Star Wars history.
Whatever happens, you now have the correct order to watch ALL of Star Wars, including the TV shows and animated series. But this isn’t the end. Oh, hell no! Disney has BIG plans for its Star Wars franchise and you can expect plenty more films and TV shows in the coming years.
As of right now, here’s all the current Star Wars TV shows and films in development over at Disney:
New Star Wars Films & TV Shows In Development
- A Droid Story is an animated series starring C-3PO and R2-D2.
- The Acolyte takes place hundreds of years before The Phantom Menace.
- Ahsoka stars Rosario Dawson and take place at the same time as The Mandalorian.
- Andor stars Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk in a prequel to Rogue One (2022).
- Lando centers around the the titular smuggler.
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, is set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith (2022).
- Rangers of the New Republic is another spinoff of The Mandalorian.
- Rogue Squadron, directed by Patty Jenkins, is a film that will focus on a new generation of starfighter pilots.
