With new Star Wars series on the horizon, such as the Obi-Wan Kenobi show and the Cassian Andor series – not to mention hugely popular show The Mandalorian, which has a second season in development – fans of the franchise will want to know the best orders in which to watch the classic movies.
There is no right way to watch the movies, but there are different orders in which to try them to gain different perspectives of the saga. Here are a few ideas to get started with.
Chronological order
The chronological order of the Star Wars movies looks at the placement of each movie with A New Hope as the central focus. Those before A New Hope took place before these events, and those after took place…afterwards.
As it includes The Rise of Skywalker, it completes what many refer to as the Skywalker Saga. We’ve included the live-action movies, animated series and upcoming shows where possible:
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (animated series)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Solo: A Star Wars Story
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- 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
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
The upcoming Obi-Wan series will be placed between Episodes III and IV. An exact placement for the Rogue One spin-off series focusing on Cassian Andor has yet to be exactly determined. Furthermore, the Resistance animated series takes place in the timeframe of the sequel trilogy. Fans will know that the official timeline for Star Wars uses The Battle of Yavin as the central focus point, and this timeline uses the same event.
Release order
This viewing order isn’t as popular, as the prequels are in between Episodes VI and VIII if they’re watched this way. However, veteran Star Wars fans may like to mix things up by following this timeline:
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
The Machete order
This timeline erases Episode 1 and focuses on Luke’s story. After A New Hope and Empire, some of the prequels are watched as a flashback to Anakin’s story before Return of the Jedi showcases the final showdown.
While those who haven’t seen Star Wars before would benefit the most from seeing this order as their introduction to the franchise, it also works for those who want a viewing order without The Phantom Menace. It starts out with:
- Episode IV: A New Hope
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
There is then a sequel saga, which works as a part two and continuation of the story:
- Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
Galaxy Brain order
If you’re a Star Wars fan who has seen all of the movies more times than they can count, this order helps veterans to connect small references between movies or shows. It starts out with a Rebellion focus, followed by a look at Anakin’s timeline towards becoming Darth Vader. Then the fall of the Empire is chronicled, with the aftermath shown in The Mandalorian.
The new trilogy is ordered in such a way that Han takes on a more central role. First his family is seen struggling in The Force Awakens, and then his backstory with Solo is chronicled.
To level up this viewing order, you can watch A New Hope until the Battle of Yavin’s planning meeting, then go to Rogue One, watch it in its entirety and switch back to the rest of A New Hope in order to see Rogue One as a flashback of events for the Rebellion.
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Star Wars: A New Hope
- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (animated movie)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (animated series)
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
- Star Wars Rebels
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
- The Mandalorian
- Star Wars Resistance season 1
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Solo: A Star Wars Story
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi
- Star Wars Resistance season 2
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars movies on Disney Plus
The main streaming platform it makes sense to access these movies on is Disney Plus. While most of the titles are currently available, some aren’t. The good news is that all of them should have been added by the end of 2020. Here is what you can watch now if you’re based in the US:
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- 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
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Here is what’s coming later this year:
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (expected for 2020)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (coming July 9, 2020 – but can be watched on Netflix US)
Those based in Australia have a superior deal, as they can stream all of the movies (except The Rise of Skywalker). UK residents will most likely have a similar setup when Disney Plus launches there in March.
