How to Watch the 'Star Wars' Movies in Order (original) (raw)

Spanning 11 live-action feature films and six live-action TV shows (and counting), the “Star Wars” universe is ever-expanding. And starting with the very first installment, filmmaker George Lucas made clear to audiences that he was telling a saga out of order. The title “Episode IV: A New Hope” underlined there was both a past and a future beyond the 1977 film, and indeed this saga has moved forward and backward in time throughout its history, telling a number of different kinds of stories in a galaxy far, far away.

To that end, whether you’re new to the franchise or hold it dear as a favorite film series, you may be looking for a way to watch all the “Star Wars” movies in order. From young Anakin Skywalker to Rey Palpatine, we’ve got the full story in order below.

But not just that – we also weave in how to watch the “Star Wars” shows in order, and for the hardcore fans, how to watch the movies and shows together in order. And even an update on all the new “Star Wars” movies and TV shows currently in the works.

With May the Fourth and the 25th anniversary of “The Phantom Menace” impending, there’s never been a better time to start a “Star Wars” binge-watch.

“Star Wars” Movies in Chronological Order

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Lucasfilm

Chronologically, the “Star Wars” story begins with George Lucas’ 1999 prequel “The Phantom Menace,” which introduced audiences to young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) before chronicling his turn to the Dark Side (later played by Hayden Christensen). The episodic entries make the chronological order easy, but you also have to factor in the spinoffs “Solo” and “Rogue One.” All together, this makes for a complete (and time-intensive) marathon.

Here’s a rundown of the “Star Wars” movies in chronological order.

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“Star Wars” Movies in Release Order

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Lucasfilm

Of course, you can also watch the “Star Wars” movies in the order in which they were released, which is how most fans came to the franchise. At least at first. From Lucas’ first six installments to the Disney era, here’s a list of the “Star Wars” films in release order.

What’s the best way to watch the “Star Wars” movies in order?

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Lucasfilm

This is an age-old question — is it better to watch the “Star Wars” movies in chronological or release order? While watching them in chronological order is a fun exercise, there are a couple of main drawbacks: One, the prequels pale in quality when compared to the original trilogy so you’re slogging through some fairly intergalactic politics and stilted acting. And two: The added context from the original trilogy makes the Anakin saga much more tragic (and interesting) than watching his downfall in a vacuum.

Here’s my recommendation: If it’s your first time watching “Star Wars,” watch them in release order. If you’ve seen most or all of the movies before, watch them in chronological order for fun.

So the best way to watch the “Star Wars” movies is arguably to watch in release order. This is how they were made, and also avoids the jarring effect of going from the prequels to the recent spinoffs back to George Lucas’ original trilogy.

“Star Wars” Shows in Chronological Order

Ewan McGregor on “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” (Disney+)

And then we come to the “Star Wars” TV shows. The first to get off the ground was an animated series called “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” – first in 2003, as a show from Genndy Tartakovsky, and then in 2008, as a different animated “Clone Wars” series from Dave Filoni. Then, of course, in the Disney era, we have the live-action shows and the animated series “Star Wars Rebels,” which all take place before “The Force Awakens.”

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is set in the oldest era, 10 years after the events of “Revenge of the Sith,” and then “Andor” and “Star Wars Rebels” take place during the lead-up to “A New Hope,” while “The Mandalorian” picks up five years after “Return of the Jedi.”

We’re leaving out the more minor shows like “Ewoks” (yes, there was an animated “Ewoks” series) to keep it to the shows that have the biggest connections to the “Star Wars” saga. So below, here are the “Star Wars” shows in chronological order.

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“Star Wars” Shows in Release Order

You can also just watch the “Star Wars” shows in the order in which they were released to see the progression of investment from Disney and Lucasfilm, especially as “The Mandalorian” rose to popularity.

How to watch the “Star Wars” movies and shows in chronological order

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Lucasfilm

If you want to get really nerdy, here’s the complete chronological “Star Wars” timeline of how to watch all the movies and TV shows in order of events.

Upcoming “Star Wars” Shows

But that’s not all! There are many more “Star Wars” shows to come, all of which hail (in some form or fashion) from Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, the folks responsible for “The Mandalorian.”

First up is “The Acolyte” on June 4, 2024, which was created by Leslye Headland (“Russian Doll”) and focuses on the dark side 100 years before the events of “The Phantom Menace.”

2024 will also bring us “Skeleton Crew,” described as an Amblin-esque adventure of kids lost in the galaxy and trying to find their way home. The show hails from Jon Watts, who directed the Tom Holland “Spider-Man” movies and will debut in December.

There’s also the long-in-the-works “Lando” TV series, which is being developed by Donald Glover and his brother Stephen Glover, with whom he worked on “Atlanta.”

Upcoming “Star Wars” Movies

The Mandalorian Season 3 poster

“The Mandalorian” Season 3 poster (Lucasfilm)

On the film side, things have been quiet but are starting to heat up.

“The Mandalorian & Grogu” is set for release on May 22, 2026. The film is a big-screen continuation of the “Mandalorian” saga with Jon Favreau set to direct. Production will get underway in 2024.

Then there’s an untitled film that will feature the return of Daisy Ridley as Rey, as announced at Star Wars Celebration in April 2023. This film had been in the works for quite a while, with Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson writing the screenplay and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy attached to direct. Lindelof and Britt-Gibson departed the project in early 2023 with Lindelof later admitting he was “asked to leave” the film, and currently “Peaky Blinders” and “Spencer” scribe Steven Knight is working on the script.

This new Rey movie will take place some time after the events of “Rise of Skywalker” and find her shepherding a new era for the Jedi.

There are also several other “Star Wars” movies in the works.

Dave Filoni, long a fixture in the “Star Wars” universe with shows like “The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels,” is directing his first live-action film. The movie is set before the events of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and is expected to draw together the various characters and plot threads from the live-action TV shows he’s been helping to spearhead with Jon Favreau, including “The Mandalorian” and “Ahsoka.”

The third new “Star Wars” movie announced at Star Wars Celebration is a film set in the distant past in the “Star Wars” universe, to be directed by “Logan” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” filmmaker James Mangold. Set 25,000 years in the past, the film chronicles the dawning of the Force and will be an origin story of sorts for the entire “Star Wars” universe. Mangold is writing the screenplay himself.

In 2022, it was announced that “Free Guy” and “The Adam Project” filmmaker Shawn Levy would be directing a “Star Wars” movie of his own, although not for some time as he’s currently finishing up “Deadpool & Wolverine” and working on the final season of “Stranger Things.”

And Taika Waititi is writing and directing a “Star Wars” movie of his own, which is still in development.

Lucasfilm had intended for a new movie called “Rogue Squadron,” directed by Patty Jenkins and following a squadron of X-Wing fighters, to be the next “Star Wars” movie released in 2023. But that film was pulled from the schedule following delays and ultimately never happened. Jenkins now says the film is still in the works.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was producing a new film being written by “Loki” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” screenwriter Michael Waldron, but that project has been scrapped.

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