Skywalker’s rise is here and the Star Wars sequel trilogy is over. And now that the Skywalker saga is complete, it’s the perfect time to find out about all of the Star Wars films that have been there before. Fortunately, the new Disney Plus streaming platform has almost all of the movies and shows that are currently canonical (you’ll need to jump to Netflix to see Solo until it’s available on the platform in a few months), as well as the new one Original series The Mandalorian.
But how should you see it? After George Lucas released his prequel trilogy, Star Wars fans discussed the order in which they should devour the series. With animated and live action side effects, the “right” way to see the Star Wars saga is even more complicated. With that in mind, here are a few alternative display modes to accompany you, whether you’re a longtime fan who wants to revisit the movies and shows, or a newbie who needs a Star Wars crash course to see Rise of Skywalker a theater.
Watch Star Wars in chronological order
Lucasfilm
This display order does not need much explanation. This is how the events of the Star Wars universe happened on the timeline BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin) / ABY (After the Battle of Yavin). It starts with the earliest events and progresses from there in time. Some of these can occur at the same time, but it’s not our fault.
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars: Clone Attack
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The Clone Wars animated film
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The Clone Wars animation series
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
- Solo: A Star Wars story
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Star Wars: Rebels animation series
- Rogue One: A Star Wars story
- Star Wars: A New Hope
- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
- The Mandalorian
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Star Wars: Resistance Season 1
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi
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Star Wars: Resistance Season 2
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Watch Star Wars order in Skywalker Saga
Lucasfilm
A little bit inspired by the order of Ernst Rister known on the Internet, which originally comes from a forum post that has since been deleted. In this list, A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back are used to prepare for the prequel films, and Luke Skywalker is more in the spotlight. If you watch the movies and shows this way, you know where his family is from.
This command deviates from the Skywalker story between Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi, but offers you a much better context for Anakin’s exploits during the Clone Wars, and prepares his redeeming moment to ally Luke with Emperor Palpatine. As you step into the new trilogy, Luke will continue to be the center of attention, although it is unclear what this will mean for Rise of Skywalker in December.
- Star Wars: A New Hope
- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars: Clone Attack
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The Clone Wars animated film
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The Clone Wars animation series
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
- Solo: A Star Wars story
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Star Wars Rebels animation series
- Rogue One: A Star Wars story
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
- The Mandalorian
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Star Wars Resistance Season 1
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi
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Star Wars Resistance Season 2
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Watching Star Wars in . Galaxy Brain Order
Lucasfilm
We recommend this playlist to those who have seen Star Wars so often that they want to confuse things with a really crazy experience. This does not really complement a character or an action, but the entire series. This order is intended to help you capture all the small references from one film or show and connect them to the next one – even if you are likely to miss some.
In the first three films, the focus is on rebellion. At the deepest moment we switch sides to Anakin to see how he became Darth Vader and how the Empire gained control of the galaxy. Then we see the fall of the empire in return for the Jedi and the aftermath in The Mandalorian.
The last strange piece of this assignment is the repositioning of the new trilogy with Han as the central figure. We see his family fighting in The Force Awakens and then catching up on his background story with Solo. This command turns Luke, who is giving Leia Hans luck dice in The Last Jedi, to a more important moment, making it clear that this is Luke trying to heal some of the pain he caused Hans’ family.
Note: If you want to complete this assignment, we recommend that you watch A New Hope until the planning meeting for the Battle of Yavin. At this point, switch to Rogue One, check it out, and then return to the rest of A New Hope. This way, Rogue One plays a bit like a heroic flashback 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: Clone Attack
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars (the cartoon)
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars (the animated series)
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
- Star Wars: Rebels
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
- The Mandalorian
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Star Wars: Resistance Season 1
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Solo: A Star Wars story
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi
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Star Wars: Resistance Season 2
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
