Star Wars has a very big following and the timeline can be pretty confusing for fans. Like, seriously, what is Spice? Some are just casual fans that watch the 9 movies and the many shows from time to time, and others watch the films and the many shows almost constantly. So, how exactly do you watch Star Wars in order?
For the casual fan or for someone who is new to the franchise the timeline can get pretty confusing. New fans might struggle in trying to watch Star Wars in chronological order. This is for those fans as we take a deep dive into the advanced Star Wars timeline and tell you how to watch Star Wars movies and shows in order (via Polygon).
Watching Star Wars in order starts with The Phantom Menace
Starting off we have episode one The Phantom Menace. Starting with episode one might sound pretty obvious, but it was not the first Star Wars movie released. The first movie was actually Episode 4, A New Hope, but if you want to watch it in chronological order, start with episode one. This follows a young Anakin Skywalker as he is discovered by the Jedi Order. This kicks things off for the rest of the timeline as the Skywalker family plays very important roles in the Star Wars galaxy.
Star Wars chronological order: Attack Of The Clones
Moving on to episode 2 Attack Of The Clones. Episode two will be the next movie to watch as it follows 19-year-old Anakin Skywalker as he goes through his Jedi training and is also reunited with the woman he loves as they discover a plot to destroy the Republic they fight for. They also face the threat of a Sith Lord that has infiltrated the Galactic Senate of the Republic. Anakin has a secret marriage to Padme Amidala and that wraps things up to move on.
The Clone Wars movie is next in the Star Wars timeline
This is where things get a little off course as the next watch is not a normal movie. The next step on the journey is the Animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie which follows 20-year-old Anakin Skywalker and his 14-year-old student Ashoka Tano. Ashoka was chosen by Grand Master Yoda to teach Anakin more responsibility and further his Jedi training.
Watching Star Wars in order: The Clone Wars
Coming right after the Clone Wars movie is the animated Clone Wars TV show. This is a seven-season series following the War that divided the galaxy and killed many Jedi Knights. Anakin serves the Grand Army Of The Republic as arguably their best General as he and Ashoka command the 501st legion of Clone Troopers. The Show covers a four-year span and leads right up to the events of the third movie Revenge Of The Sith.
Revenge Of The Sith comes next in the universe
Episode 3 will be your next watch as it will be the end of what is known as the Prequel Trilogy. Anakin is a War hero and is the poster boy of the Jedi Order. His wife is pregnant with twins and Anakin has visions of her death. Skywalker is now obsessed with finding a way of saving Padme’s life and he will do anything to achieve the power to save her.
Little does he know he is falling right into the lap of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. As Anakin goes to the Chancellor of the Republic and a close friend Sheev Palpatine it is revealed that Palpatine is the Sith Lord behind the War and his end goal is to have Skywalker join him to destroy the Jedi Order. Anakin, desperate to save his wife, joins Darth Sidious on the promise that they will save Padme.
Anakin gives himself to the Darkside as he is crippled by his old master and left for dead on a lava bank as he burns. The new Sith Lord Darth Vader aka Anakin Skywalker lives through his injuries but is required to wear a full-body armor suit and helmet to stay alive.
The Bad Batch comes next in the timeline
Shortly after Revenge Of The Sith, a group of rogue Clone Troopers defect from the new Galactic Empire and are on the run. The next watch for Star Wars fans would be The Bad Batch. With only one season out at the time of this being written it will be a quick watch, but a necessary one if you wish to understand the lore overall.
Solo: A Star Wars Story is next
As we get back to the movies, the next will be Solo: A Star Wars Story. Solo follows a young smuggler named Han Solo who will serve a greater purpose in Episodes four through seven. Han and his Wookie partner Chewbacca go on a journey to pay back a crime family they own money to as they also learn hope to make it in the galaxy.
Fans should then watch the Obi-Wan Kenobi series
Going back to TV shows, the next installment will be the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. With just one season as of right now, Kenobi follows the former master of Anakin Skywalker as he tries to live a normal life while also watching over Anakin’s son Luke Skywalker from the shadows. Kenobi has Obi-Wan leave the boy to save Anakin’s daughter Leia from the clutches of evil as he has to face his past and look death in the eyes.
Star Wars: Rebels comes after Kenobi
With another animated show coming up, this one is aimed more towards kids but still holds important lore details if you want to understand the Empire and the Jedi on a deeper level. Star Wars: Rebels is next on your watch list as it follows a rag-tag group of rebels as they fight for their freedom and the freedom of everyone in the Galaxy. With two Jedi on their side what could go wrong?
Watching Andor should be on any fan’s list
Andor is just a normal person in the Star Wars Galaxy. It will tell the story of how Cassin Andor went from being a normal guy to a rebel hero and spy. With just one season so far Andor is a must-watch if you are wanting to understand the ins and outs of how the Empire works.
Next up is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Next is a story that also has Cassian Andor in it as the first Disney-made Star Wars movie is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Rogue One is a story of how the Rebels are able to get the plans to the first Death Star. Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso lead a strike team on the paradise planet of Scarif to steal the plans as they all die heroically when the Death Star fires on Scarif. This leads right into the opening scene of episode four.
Stars Wars timeline: A New Hope comes next
Now we circle back to Star Wars Episode 4, A New Hope. This follows Anakin Skywalker’s children, a boy named Luke and a girl named Leia. Sidious and Vader have created a Galactic Empire and rule with fear and tyranny. Leia leads a group of Rebels against the evil Empire as Luke works as a moisture farmer on the desert planet of Tatooine.
Little does Luke know, his father’s old master Obi-Wan Kenobi has been watching over him in hopes of training the boy to become a Jedi Knight. After a horrible attack that leaves Luke’s aunt and uncle dead, Luke agrees to learn the ways of the Force as Obi-Wan and Luke recruit Han Solo and Chewbacca to take them off the planet. From there they get caught by the Empire on their superweapon space station called the Death Star.
It’s all about the Death Star
The Death Star has the ability to destroy an entire planet with its super laser. After the death of Kenobi at the hands of Darth Vader on the Death Star, Luke joins the Rebellion and takes part in the attack that destroys the Death Star, but Vader escapes and now knows who Luke is. The Death Star was going to the Rebel Base on the planet Yavin 4 and this battle is known as the Battle Of Yavin which is very important in Star Wars because it splits the timeline in two. So everything before the Battle of Yavin is labeled as “BBY” (Before The Battle Of Yavin) and everything after is labeled as ABY.
The Empire Strikes Back is a favorite of Star Wars fans
Now that we are in what the fan base calls the Original Trilogy due to the fact these movies came out before any other Star Wars projects we can move on to episode five, The Empire Strikes Back. This is a lot of the fan base’s favorite movie because of how much it moves the story along. Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca have led the Rebels to a new secret base on the ice planet of Hoth. Luke continues to try to understand the Force and the Jedi way although he has lost his teacher. In this movie, we are introduced to the Jedi Order’s Grand Master, Yoda. Yoda trains Luke to harness the Force and use it without trying so hard.
Luke rushes off without finishing his training to face Darth Vader and save his friends. Luke and Vader face off for the first time it is a fairly one-sided fight. However, Vader is too powerful and Luke ends up losing a hand and his lightsaber. It is then where one of the biggest reveals of all time is seen. Darth Vader tells Luke that he is his father. Luke escapes but Han has been captured and the Rebels are on the run again.
Fans should watch Return Of The Jedi next
Finally, we arrive at Episode 6 Return OF The Jedi. Luke has mastered his abilities and built a new lightsaber with a green blade instead of a blue one. He can now call on the force as he pleases and is fully aware of the Jedi way. Luke leads a successful mission to rescue Han Solo as the Rebellion learns of another one of the Empire’s superweapons. This new Death Star is still under construction and the super laser should not be ready to fire yet. Little do they know Emperor Palpatine has allowed the Rebels to know the location of this space station. He hopes to lead them into a trap as the super laser is in fact operational.
Luke knows what he has to do as he allows Vader to capture him and take him to Darth Sidious. From there the Rebels attack the station while Luke duels his father for the fate of the galaxy. Luke refuses to kill his father which would solidify his fall to the Darkside. Sidious decides Luke will die as he is hitting him with Force Lightning. Vader chooses his son over his master and throws Sidious into the Death Star’s reactor. Vader gets hit by lightning while he is holding Sidious. This ends up being enough to kill the newly redeemed Anakin Skywalker as he shares his final moments with his son.
How the original trilogy ends
The Rebels destroy the Death Star as Luke escapes and the War is won as the Rebel Alliance has freed the Galaxy and brought peace. Luke and Leia realize they are siblings as Han and Leia end up following in love as they rebuild the Republic.
Fans will love the TV series The Mandalorian
Now we get into a heavy TV show era of Star Wars as we move on to The Mandalorian. Seasons one and two of Mando takes place a few years after Return Of The Jedi. Most of the Empire has been destroyed but some pockets remain. This show follows a Mandalorian bounty hunter named Din Djarin. He looks after a small creature who is the same kind of species as Yoda. By this time Yoda has been dead for years. The baby that Din takes care of is actually 50 years old as he will live many centuries.
The Empire needs Baby Yoda whose real name is Grogu so they stole him from Mando. With the help of Bo Katan and Boba Fett, Din is able to save Grogu from the Empire. Din is tasked to take the child to a Jedi and at the end of season two. Luke Skywalker himself comes and takes Grogu to be trained as a Jedi Knight.
Next up is another Star Wars TV series The Book Of Boba Fett
After the two seasons of the Mandalorian, we move on to The Book Of Boba Fett. Book Of Boba is basically Mando season 2.5 as there are a few episodes where Din is the main character. The Book Of Boba Fett shows Grogu being trained by Luke. However, he decides to go back to Din Djarin to be a Mandalorian foundling.
Star Wars: Resistance follows
The Last show on our journey will be Star Wars: Resistance. This is a lot like Rebels as it is aimed towards kids but does hold some important lore details. With there only being one season it will be a quick watch.
The Force Awakens kicks off another trilogy
With three movies remaining this is what the fan base calls the sequel trilogy. Starting with Episode 7, The Force Awakens. We now follow Rey, a scavenger on the desert planet of Jakku. When Rey finds a droid belonging to a resistance pilot she gets mixed up in yet another Galactic War. The new Republic is Locked in Combat with the First Order. She then finds the mighty Skywalker Lightsaber belonging to Anakin and Luke.
She then learns of a new superweapon that has the ability to kill multiple planets at once. The Resistance leads an attack on this Starkiller base. There Rey fights a dark Jedi called Kylo Ren who is really Ben Solo. Ben is revealed to be the son of Leia and Han Solo.
The Last Jedi is next in the timeline
Episode 8 is titled The Last Jedi. Rey seeks out Luke Skywalker who is in hiding after Ben Solo destroyed this new Jedi Temple. She asks him to train her. Luke Teaches her some things and she is a fast learner. Much like Luke, Rey has to leave her training to save her friends. She goes to face Kylo and his master Snoke much like Luke did in Episode 6. Kylo ends up killing Snoke. He then tries to get Rey to join him. She refuses and we go into the final film.
The Rise Of Skywalker is the final film in the Star Wars order
Episode 9, The Rise Of Skywalker. Palpatine has returned as he never truly died on the Death Star. He tells Kylo to bring him Rey and he will give him power. Kylo, after fighting Rey on the wreckage of the Death Star, realizes he does not need the darkness. He joins Rey to kill the sith once and for all. Rey realizes that she is the granddaughter of Palpatine. She is also the heir to the empire Sidious wants to recreate. Rey and Kylo defeat Sidious but Rey is injured. Sadly, Kylo force-heals her but kills himself in the process. The Sith are defeated and the Galaxy is at peace once again.
That is the complete Star Wars timeline in all its glory. Star Wars is a complicated story. We hope we could help you all understand it a little better. So enjoy all the great content that has come and is yet to come.
Image Credits: YouTube, Disney Plus/YouTube, Disney Plus/YouTube.