How to Watch 'Star Wars' in Order, Including the Prequels, Sequels, TV Series, and One-Off Movies
From Andor to The Mandalorian, here's how all the 'Star Wars' movie and TV series fit together.
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Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: There are many acceptable paths through the Star Wars universe. When trying to figure out an order to watch Star Wars, most people choose to watch them in the order in which the movies were released — after all, that’s how the vast majority of fans have experienced Star Wars since, in the beginning, that was the only option.
Now that all of the movies in the Skywalker saga have been released (at least for now), it’s possible to try and make your way through the tales of rebels and empires in chronological order, starting with the roots of the Skywalker family tree and proceeding from there.
But add in all the sequels, prequels, “A Star Wars Story” movies, and TV series, and no matter which way you choose to watch, figuring out the sequence is going to be confusing. If you’re looking for a map, here’s how to watch all of Star Wars in chronological order — start with Anakin Skywalker, and see how things progress from there. (Looking for release order? Skip to the end.)
The Acolyte (2024)
We don't get many glimpses of the "High Republic" era of Star Wars — you know, when things were supposedly going well for the Jedi and the citizens they protect. The Acolyte, having been canceled after just one season, is so far all we get of this period, which is about 100 years before the prequel trilogy.
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
Yes, it all starts here: The first of the "prequel trilogy," which begins the story of the Skywalker clan by meeting up with Anakin when he was just a young podracer on Tatooine. You also get to meet a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and a villainous Darth Maul.
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
The prequel series continues, and romance blossoms between Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, while sinister forces make moves to upset the balance of power in the rest of the galaxy. Will Anakin follow his heart, or the Jedi order?
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
This computer-animated TV series takes place in the years between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith — it makes sense, since, after the clones attack, there's the war. This long-running series aired its seventh and final season on Disney+ in 2020.
Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003)
One good series about the clone wars deserves another! This older, shorter 2D animated series actually aired in the hiatus between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, filling in some of those story gaps, and it was made by animation great Genndy Tartakovsky.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
The prequel trilogy concludes with this darker, more serious films For those with real little fans at home, this one might be too upsetting.
The Bad Batch (2021)
Everybody knows the all the clones went bad after Order 66 was given. What this show pre-supposes is, maybe they didn't? This series follows a battalion of clones who didn't do as they were told. Since Order 66 was given during Revenge of the Sith, this series begins partway through that movie.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
There's a lot of material that attempts to bridge the big time gap between the prequel trilogy and A New Hope. This fun adventure movie, directed by Ron Howard and meant to be a stand-alone, goes into the backstory of Han Solo and his famous piloting of the Kessel Run.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Obi-Wan has a lot of time to himself on Tatooine, watching over baby Luke as he grows up to fulfill his Destiny. This miniseries sheds light on what he was doing during that time, when Luke and Leia were still kids (so roughly a decade before A New Hope).
Star Wars Rebels (2014)
This computer-animated TV series takes place about five years before the events of A New Hope. It follows a group of characters who try to do the right thing even in the midst of dark times for the galaxy, providing the seeds for a rebellion. The main characters are mostly new, but you can find people from both Clone Wars and A New Hope popping up.
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Andor (2022)
Now we're reaching the most well-covered territory in the Star Wars timeline, since Andor leads into Rogue One, which leads directly into A New Hope. In Andor, rebels and imperials are engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse as the Resistance begins to form.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
This movie, about rebels who attempt to steal the plans of the infamous Death Star. If you're familiar with what happens in A New Hope, you know how it turns out for them.
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Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
This is the OG. The first movie of the original trilogy — the first blush of Star Wars ever put out into the world — A New Hope introduced audiences to the world of Jedi, rebellious princesses, bounty hunters, and Darth Vader.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Often regarded as the best Star Wars film, this one has lots of the classic moments you associate with the series. ("I love you."/"I know.") Chances are, if you're catching a Star Wars reference somewhere else, it's from this movie.
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985)
Do stand-alone Ewok movies count? Probably not, but if you feel they are essential viewing for completist purposes, these take place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
The original trilogy concludes with this film, where our heroes travel to Endor, meet Ewoks, and stage the ultimate battle of good against evil.
The Mandalorian (2019)
Aka, the TV series with "Baby Yoda" (actually Grogu). The series takes place between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, but feels separate since it doesn't concern itself with Jedi or Sith. There are also quite a few series taking place concurrently during this time period.
The Book of Boba Fett (2021)
The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew all take place roughly around the same time, when the Republic is at a low ebb. In this series, Boba Fett returns to Tatooine to rule over it like a warlord.
Ahsoka (2023)
Meanwhile, on the light side, Ahsoka Tano has teams up with old friends to find a lost Jedi — hey, it's Ezra from Rebels!
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (2024)
Elsewhere in the galaxy, four kids live happy lives on an isolated, bureaucratic planet far away from warlords and Jedi. When they accidentally board a ship and head out into the galaxy, they go on an adventure of a lifetime — and run afoul of the pirate Jod Na Nawood.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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