Ready for 'The Mandalorian and Grogu'? How to Watch the Star Wars Movies and Shows in Order | PCMag
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(Credit: Zain bin Awais / LucasFilms / Disney)
A Disney+ subscription is your ticket to the complete Star Wars franchise. This includes the original trilogy, prequel movies, sequels, and standalone films, but also all the original TV series that have been released over the last few years. Among them are The Mandalorian, Andor, and Maul - Shadow Lord. Want even more to stream from the galaxy far, far away? The franchise has returned to theaters in a big way, with The Mandalorian and Grogu out now and Starfighter releasing in 2027. So if you're devising a full rewatch, you'll want to figure out your preferred viewing order. Do you start with the original trilogy or the prequel movies? What about the standalone films and the television shows? Here are all your options.Theatrical Release Order The most obvious answer is theatrical release order, since this was what George Lucas originally intended. It starts with the original trilogy, then takes us back to the prequel movies, before finishing with Disney's sequel films. Following this order, you get Luke overcoming Darth Vader, Vader's origin story, and then Rey picking up the legacy Luke left behind. It can get a bit awkward if you add the standalone Star Wars films, since Rogue One and Solo would interrupt the sequel trilogy. You May Also Like
If you're rewatching and want to preserve the core movies' storylines, just skip those two films. They have no impact on the overarching narrative, anyway. First-timers who want the full experience can certainly watch them in release order, or place the standalone films before or after the sequel trilogy. If you want to go by release order, your marathon should look like this:Star Wars Episode IV: A New HopeStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackStar Wars Episode VI: Return of the JediStar Wars Episode I: The Phantom MenaceStar Wars Episode II: Attack of the ClonesStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the SithStar Wars Episode VII: The Force AwakensRogue One (optional)Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last JediSolo (optional)Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of SkywalkerChronological Order George Lucas had always intended for the original film to be a small part in a larger narrative. So just because it was the first to be released doesn't mean it's the start of the story. Instead of going with release order, you can also try chronological order, based on when the movies are supposed to take place. This would mean watching Episodes I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX in numerical order. If you're adding the standalone films, Rogue One and Solo can fit between Episodes III and IV, and it should work fine.However, since this order completely ruins the Darth Vader reveal in the original films, it's not advisable to watch these movies for the first time in this order. Watching Star Wars in chronological order is more of a fun experiment for longtime fans, allowing them to see the series from a new perspective. If you were to watch the Star Wars films in chronological order, it would look like this: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom MenaceStar Wars Episode II: Attack of the ClonesStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the SithSolo (optional)Rogue One (optional)Star Wars Episode IV: A New HopeStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackStar Wars Episode VI: Return of the JediStar Wars Episode VII: The Force AwakensStar Wars Episode VIII: The Last JediStar Wars Episode IX: The Rise of SkywalkerMachete Order If you've already experienced release and chronological order, there's another option to try: Machete Order. This order splits the difference and has you watch Episodes II and III between Episodes V and VI. You start with A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, but then things get wonky. Just after Luke discovers the truth about Darth Vader, turn to the prequels as a flashback sequence. Watch Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith to witness how Anakin Skywalker was consumed by the Dark Side, before finishing with Return of the Jedi.The Machete Order cuts out Phantom Menace entirely, since almost everything in the movie is self-contained and has no effect on the other prequels. Qui-Gon Jinn plays no importance to the greater story. Midi-chlorians are barely mentioned again. You also basically avoid Jar Jar Binks entirely. It isn't perfect, though, so watch at your own risk. If you're not happy about removing Episode I and are also wondering where the sequel movies fit in here, the original creator of the Machete Order, Rod Hilton, suggests watching Episodes VII, VIII, and IX after the other movies. You can then treat Episode I as an anthology, like Rogue One and Solo. So if you go by the Machete Order, you would watch the movies as follows: Star Wars Episode IV: A New HopeStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackStar Wars Episode II: Attack of the ClonesStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the SithStar Wars Episode VI: Return of the JediStar Wars Episode VII: The Force AwakensStar Wars Episode VIII: The Last JediStar Wars Episode IX: The Rise of SkywalkerStar Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (optional)Solo (optional)Rogue One (optional)Disney's Narrative Timeline But what about the television shows? Star Wars has become more than just movies, with The Clone Wars, Rebels, Andor, and The Mandalorian taking over the conversation in recent years. While there's no specific watch order for all these different pieces of the Star Wars universe, Disney has released an official timeline. You probably assumed that The Clone Wars animated series takes place between Episodes II and III, but what about the others? According to Disney, Star Wars: Rebels is set before the events of A New Hope. The Mandalorian takes place after Return of the Jedi but before the Star Wars: Resistance animated series. If you happen to be crazy enough to watch every movie and show in chronological order, here's what that would look like: Recommended by Our Editors A New 'Punisher' Premieres: How to Watch All the Marvel Movies and TV Shows in Order Get Ready For 'Godzilla Minus Zero' By Watching All the Godzilla Movies in Order Finished Starfleet Academy? Brush Up On Your Star Trek Lore By Watching Every Movie and TV Show in Order
The AcolyteTales of the Jedi (set at various times from before Episode I, right up to Rebels)Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom MenaceStar Wars Episode II: Attack of the ClonesStar Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 film)Star Wars: The Clone WarsTales of the Empire (set at various times between Clone Wars and The Mandalorian)Tales of the Underworld (set at various times, from before Episode I to after Episode III)Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the SithThe Bad BatchMaul - Shadow LordSoloObi-Wan KenobiStar Wars: RebelsAndorRogue OneStar Wars Episode IV: A New HopeStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackStar Wars Episode VI: Return of the JediThe MandalorianThe Book of Boba Fett (Set between Season 2 and 3 of The Mandalorian)AhsokaSkeleton CrewStar Wars: ResistanceStar Wars Episode VII: The Force AwakensStar Wars Episode VIII: The Last JediStar Wars Episode IX: The Rise of SkywalkerStar Wars: Visions (set at various points in the timeline)Star Wars Vintage Disney may be pushing Star Wars TV hard, but it's not the first time the franchise has been on the small screen. Old TV movies and animated series were hard to find, until they were added to Disney+ under the Star Wars Vintage banner. While you still can't stream the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special in its entirety, a few classics have been made available to watch:The Story of the Faithful Wookiee - The animated portion from the 1978 Holiday Special that introduced Boba Fett.Caravan of Courage - A 1984 made-for-TV film about two children who meet a band of Ewoks while searching for their missing parents.Ewoks: The Battle For Endor - The 1985 sequel to the first Ewok film, which sees a young child and her Ewok companions fight a group of invading marauders.Ewoks - A spin-off animated series centered on a group of Ewoks that ran for two seasons between 1985 and 1986.Star Wars: Droids - An animated series starring R2-D2 and C-3PO that ran for