Star wars movies in order: Your definitive chronology

Every true Star War fan should watch the movies in order at least once, but it’s more complicated than it sounds because the timeline jumps around more than a time-travelling frog.

So, to help you, we’ve put this easy-to-understand list of all the Star Wars movies in order.

We can’t keep you from having to watch the prequel movies again, but at least you’ll get them out of the way early so you can move on to the best ones.

If you can get through The Phantom Menace and the others (not to mention the equally bad animated film The Clone Wars), you’ll be rewarded with the anthology films Solo and Rogue One.

After that, you can watch the original and most recent trilogy with Rey, Finn, and Poe.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, that’s more than 25 hours of shows, so don’t get too excited yet.

You have a long way to go before you finish this huge marathon, but at least you won’t get lost along the way.

This curated list of all the Star Wars movies in order will surely help you.

How to watch all of the Star Wars movies in order:

The order is:

• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
• Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018)
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
• The Mandalorian (2019-present)
• The Book of Boba Fett (2021-present)
• Star Wars: Resistance (2018-2020)
• Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
• Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
• Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Or, going by movies only:

• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
• Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
• Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
• Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Pro of watching star movies in order

If you watch the Star Wars movies in order, you’ll live the story with the characters since that’s how the series is supposed to go. For this timeline, we’ve used New Hope as the main point.

Cons of watching star movies in order

There are, however, a few bad things about this order. This changes the big reveal about Luke’s parents, one of the most famous scenes in movie history.

It also shows how inconsistent the saga is, like how Obi-Wan forgot about Leia’s existence even though he was there when she was born. And that’s if you can get through the controversial prequels, which might require you to use the Force, or you don’t want to rush through the whole Mandalorian series on Disney Plus.

Star Wars movies in ‘The Godfather’ order

Following is an order of the Star Wars films that mimic “The Godfather series.”

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Pros of watching Star Wars movies in ‘The Godfather’ order

The idea behind this sequence is to see the first two films in the Star War series and, after learning that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father in the shocking final moments of Empire Strikes Back, watch the prequel trilogy to learn more about Anakin Skywalker’s past.

Once you’ve seen Revenge of the Sith, you can watch Return of the Jedi again with a new appreciation for the stakes of the final confrontation between Vader and Luke without spoiling any of the major plot turns.

You may have noticed that this particular sequence is quite famous amongst fans online since it recalls the flashback framework of Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic gangster film The Godfather Part II (in other words, it’s Luke, I am your Godfather).

Cons of watching Star Wars movies in ‘The Godfather’ order

One clear drawback is that recent Star War films and TV shows don’t easily fit into this framework; the ideal way to view them in this form is in production order after Return of the Jedi.

Star Wars movies in The Machete Order

The order is:

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Star Wars movies in The Rinster Order

The order is:

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Final words

The best and most logical Star War viewing order for most people is chronological.

At the same time, there is a strong justification for watching the Original Trilogy followed by the Prequel Trilogy to preserve those aforementioned great reveals, especially for anyone who grew up with the original movies.

One advantage is that it can be watched in less time than the Ultimate Order, which may be too much for occasional watchers.

A good Star Wars marathon may be completed with the first eleven films, plus the two spin-offs, Rogue One and Solo, which give depth to the universe that you won’t find in the main Star Wars films.

The TV series adds even more depth to the mythology of the faraway galaxy.