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How to watch the Star

Wars movies in order:
Every order from
chronological timeline to
release date
Star Wars is one of the most beloved
franchises in the world - and here is how to
watch it all in order...

Disney/Lucasfilm

By Lidia Molina-Whyte

Published: Wednesday, 26th April 2023 at 4:20 pm

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The possibilities are endless in a galaxy far far

away as Star Wars is stronger than ever.

Almost half a century has passed since the first

Star Wars film changed cinema forever in 1977,
with the franchise still going strong decades
later. As a result, there are more options than
ever to choose from.

The third season of The Mandalorian has now

finished on Disney+ after we were treated to the
first season of Rogue One prequel Andor last
year.

With nine mainline movies, two spin-offs and a

host of Disney Plus shows to consider, working
out what order you should watch the saga in can
seem like an impossible task.

There are also more Star Wars series on the way

to Disney Plus including The Mandalorian spin-
offs Ahsoka and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. We
will also be getting the oldest chronological
offering yet with the Disney+ show The Acolyte
which will be set during the glory days of the
High Republic.

We can also rest comfortably knowing that The

Mandalorian will return for a fourth season on
Disney+ sometime in the future.

But the Star Wars order gets more tricky when

you add in the TV shows like Clone Wars, Rebels,
The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
Disney Plus has all the Star Wars movies (in 4K
too), as well as the shows and breakaway
standalone shorts and animations.

If you want to watch the Star Wars movies and

shows in order, you have a few options. Some
claim there are five different orders you can
watch the Star Wars saga in, but there are a few
widely accepted preferred ways.

The Mandalorian/Din Djarin with Grogu in The Mandalorian

season 3. Disney+/Lucasfilm

The three seen as the best in telling the

Skywalker story are the order of episodes
(chronological), production (release date), and
the Godfather cut. There's also the Machete
order that cuts The Phantom Menace. There are
pros and cons for all of these of course, which
we've broken down for you.

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• Subscribe to Disney Plus for £79.90 for a

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Read on for everything you need to know about

how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

• Star Wars movies in chronological timeline

order

• Star Wars movies and TV series in release

order

• Complete Star Wars viewing order

including TV shows

• Star Wars movies in 'The Godfather order'

• Star Wars movies in The Machete Order

• Star Wars movies in The Rinster Order

• What's the best Star Wars movie order?

• Star Wars movies on Disney Plus

• How long will it take to watch all the Star

Wars movies?

Star Wars movies in

chronological timeline
order

Liam Neeson plays Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: The Phantom

Menace SEAC

The Star Wars movies in chronological order

sets the movies in a real timeline so you
experience the story as it would unfold for the
characters. Below, we have every Star Wars
movie as well as the spin-offs. If you start the
movies in this order you could watch them in a
weekend.

If marked in italics then the titles remain

unreleased.

How to watch the Star Wars in chronological

order:

• Untitled James Mangold film (TBC)

• The Acolyte (2024-)

• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

• Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)

• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

• Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

• Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

• Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018)

• Andor (2022-present)

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

(1980)

• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

• The Mandalorian (2019-present)

• The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022)

• Ahsoka (2023-)

• Skeleton Crew (2023-)

• Untitled Dave Feloni film (TBC)

• Star Wars: Resistance (2018-2020)

• Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

• Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

• Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

• Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy film

(TBC)

Or, going by movies only:

• Untitled James Mangold film (TBC)

• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

• Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

• Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

(1980)

• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

• Untitled Dave Feloni film (TBC)

• Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

• Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

• Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

• Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy film

(TBC)

Pros: If you choose to watch the Star Wars

movies in chronological order, you'll be living the
story along with the characters, following the
official chronology of the series. We've used New
Hope as the central point to work out the
timeline here.

Cons: This order does, however, come with a

couple of downsides. For one, the big reveal
about Luke's parentage (one of the most iconic
scenes in cinematic history) is ruined this way. It
also makes the saga's inconsistencies glaringly
obvious, including Obi-Wan forgetting about
Leia's existence despite being present at her
birth. And that's assuming you make it through
the divisive prequels, a feat that might require
you to use the Force, or don't want to have to
rush through the full Mandalorian series on
Disney Plus.

If you're looking for the Star Wars complete saga

- that's including the Mandalorian - then skip to
that section further down the page.

Which Star Wars character are you?

Can you do the Kessel Run in less than 12 par

secs? Or are you better suited to swinging a
lightsaber? Take the quiz to find out...

Start

• Read More: Obi-Wan Kenobi: How the

Disney Plus series fits into the Star Wars
timeline

Star Wars movies and

TV series in release date
order

Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) in Lucasfilm's OBI-WAN

KENOBI, Disney+/Lucasfilm

Next up, watching the Star Wars movies in

release order.

It may not marry up to the chronological order of

the story, but this release date order allows you
to experience it how the rest of the world did.

You can also observe how cinematic techniques

have developed (or not developed) over time.

Here's how to watch the Star Wars movies in

release order.

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

(1980)

• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

• Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

• Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

• Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

• Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

If you want to watch the Star Wars movies in

release order with the TV series (in italics) we've
got that list for you too.

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

(1980)

• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

• Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)

• Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018)

• Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

• Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

• Star Wars: Resistance (2018-2020)

• Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

• Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

• The Mandalorian (2019-present)

• The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022)

• Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

• Andor (2022-present)

• Ahsoka (2023)

• Skeleton Crew (2023)

• The Acolyte (2024)

• Lando (TBC)

• Untitled James Mangold film (TBC)

• Untitled Dave Feloni film (TBC)

• Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy film

(TBC)

Pros: Enjoying Star Wars by release date, aka the

purist way, means you watch the movies in the
same order they originally came out in cinemas.
After all, this is how most Star Wars fans
experienced the intergalactic saga in the first
place.

Cons: However, George Lucas made more than a

few tweaks to the original trilogy following the
release of the prequels, and has been vocal
about watching them by in-movie chronology
instead. Also, thanks to the advent of spin-off
movies and TV shows watching this way means
you might end up jumping around the story a bit.

Complete Star Wars

viewing order including
TV shows

Ray Park as Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom

Menace. LucasFilm, Sky, HF

Although some of the orders above include

select Star Wars TV shows and specials
produced since 1977, there are more out there.
A lot more. While several are either unknown to
many fans (like niche 1980s animation series
Droids), others have been completely disavowed
by Star Wars creator George Lucas (looking at
you, Holiday Special). All, however, are part of the
extended Star Wars Universe, officially or not.

When Disney bought Lucasfilm it also meant that

the Expanded Universe was reset, in plain terms
it meant all the movies, animation and shows that
had built up in the background were now not
canon. The Prequel Trilogy, Original Trilogy and
The Clone Wars animation all remain canon. Of
course, Disney has added to the canon and more
than replaced what was taken away. This will take
you far longer than a weekend.

For those brave enough to view it all, here’s the

entire Star Wars Saga and limited specials in
chronological order - as best as we know at
present.

• Untitled James Mangold film (upcoming)

• Star Wars: The Acolyte (upcoming, 2024?)

• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

• Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles

(2013 to 2014)

• Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace

(2011)

• The Clone Wars (2008 to 2014)

• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

• Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021)

• Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

• Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

• Star Wars Rebels (2014 to 2018)

• Andor (2022 to present)

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

• Star Wars: Droids (1985 to 1986)

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

• Star Wars: Holiday Special (1978)

• Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out

(2012)

• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

(1980)

• Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi (1983)

• Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker

Adventures (2016 to 2017)

• Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales (2015)

• Ewoks (1985 to 1986)

• The Mandalorian (2019-present)

• The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022)

• Ahsoka (upcoming, 2023)

• Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (upcoming,

2023)

• Untitled Dave Feloni film (upcoming)

• Star Wars: Resistance (2018 to Present)

• Lego Star Wars: The Resistance Rises

(2016)

• Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2016)

• Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

• Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

• Star Wars: Forces of Destiny (2017)

• Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy film

(upcoming)

Pros: The ultimate fan wants the ultimate Star

Wars saga order. This order leaves nothing out,
you'll get all the background for characters like
Ahsoka getting you ready for The Mandalorian
and the spin-offs. Ahsoka came from Clone
Wars, then popped up in Rebels and was last
seen in The Mandalorian. We also expect Obi-
Wan Kenobi to add more layers to the Jedi's
story too as it's set 10 years after Revenge of the
Sith, so around the Solo movie timeframe. Spin-
off Andor, is set five years before Rogue One, so
it's nearer Rebels and the new series; The Book
of Boba Fett, Skeleton Crew are all before The
Force Awakens. The Acolyte will come years
before The Phantom Menace and lastly, The Bad
Batch spins-off from The Clone Wars, and
follows on from the series.

Cons: It's a lot! Get ready to spend every waking

minute catching up. It's also being added to all
the time with all the new series.

Star Wars movies in 'The

Godfather' order

Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa and Mark Hamill as Luke

Skywalker in Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope Lucasfilm

The following are the Star Wars films in the

"Godfather" order.

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

(1980)

• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Pros: The idea of this ordering is to watch the

original two Star Wars movies and then, after the
shock reveals at the end of Empire Strikes Back
that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father, jump
back to the prequel trilogy to fill in the
background of Anakin Skywalker. After Revenge
of the Sith, you then return to watch Return of
the Jedi, adding new depth to Vader and Luke's
final clash without disrupting the big twists of the
story.

As you may have noticed this ordering evokes

the flashback structure of Francis Ford
Coppola's classic gangster movie The Godfather
Part II (in other words it's Luke, I am your