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Star Wars Movies – Complete Release and Chronological Order

· Updated by  · ✓Reviewed by Patrick Nolan, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead
TheStarWarsfranchisehasgrownfromasingle1977spaceoperaintoasprawlingcinematicuniversecomprisingelevenlive-actiontheatricalreleases,multipleviewingsequences,andnearlyfivedecadesofstorytelling.Navigatingthegalaxyfar,farawayrequiresunderstandingnotmerelyreleasechronology,butthedistinctionbetweensagaepisodes,anthologystories,andtheoptimalsequenceforfirst-timeviewers.

GeorgeLucas’screationfundamentallyalteredHollywood’sapproachtoblockbusterfilmmaking,merchandising,andserialisednarrativestructures.Today,audiencesfacechoicesbetweenreleaseorder,chronologicalorder,andspecialisedviewingsequencesdesignedtopreservedramaticsurprises.

ThisguideexamineseveryStarWarsmoviecurrentlyavailable,fromtheoriginaltrilogythroughthesequeleraandstandaloneanthologyfilms,whilstaddressingupcomingtheatricalreleasesscheduledfor2026andbeyond.

WhatIstheBestOrdertoWatchStarWarsMovies?

Determiningtheoptimalviewingsequencedependsupontheviewer’sfamiliaritywiththefranchise.Releaseorderremainsthestandardrecommendationfornewcomers,preservingnarrativetwiststhatchronologicalviewingundermines.

TotalMainlineFilms:9Episodes(I–IX)

AnthologyFilms:2(RogueOne,Solo)

TheatricalAnimatedFeature:1(TheCloneWars)

FranchiseSpan:48years(1977–2025)

Film Year Episode Director Runtime
StarWars:EpisodeIV–ANewHope 1977 IV GeorgeLucas 121min
StarWars:EpisodeV–TheEmpireStrikesBack 1980 V IrvinKershner 124min
StarWars:EpisodeVI–ReturnoftheJedi 1983 VI RichardMarquand 131min
StarWars:EpisodeI–ThePhantomMenace 1999 I GeorgeLucas 136min
StarWars:EpisodeII–AttackoftheClones 2002 II GeorgeLucas 142min
StarWars:EpisodeIII–RevengeoftheSith 2005 III GeorgeLucas 140min
StarWars:TheCloneWars 2008 Animation DaveFiloni 98min
StarWars:EpisodeVII–TheForceAwakens 2015 VII J.J.Abrams 138min
RogueOne:AStarWarsStory 2016 Anthology GarethEdwards 133min
StarWars:EpisodeVIII–TheLastJedi 2017 VIII RianJohnson 152min
Solo:AStarWarsStory 2018 Anthology RonHoward 135min
StarWars:EpisodeIX–TheRiseofSkywalker 2019 IX J.J.Abrams 155min

CompleteListofAllStarWarsMovies

StarWarsMoviesbyReleaseDate

Thefranchisedebutedin1977withwhatlaterbecameEpisodeIV,establishingapatternofnon-linearstorytelling.Theoriginaltrilogy(EpisodesIV–VI)releasedbetween1977and1983,followedbytheprequeltrilogy(EpisodesI–III)between1999and2005.AfterDisney’sacquisitionofLucasfilm,thesequeltrilogy(EpisodesVII–IX)arrivedbetween2015and2019,interspersedwithtwoanthologyfilms.

StarWarsMainSagaMoviesList

Thenine-episodeSkywalkerSagaconstitutestheprimarynarrativethread:EpisodesIthroughIX.ThesefilmstracethefallandredemptionofAnakinSkywalker,theriseoftheGalacticEmpire,andtheultimateconflictbetweentheResistanceandtheFirstOrder.GeorgeLucasdirectedallsixfilmsoftheoriginalandprequeltrilogies,whilstJ.J.Abramsdirectedthefirstandfinalinstalmentsofthesequeltrilogy.

StarWarsAnthologyMoviesOrder

Twostandalonefilmsexpandtheuniversewithoutadvancingtheprimarysaga.RogueOne(2016)detailstheRebeltheftofDeathStarplansimmediatelyprecedingEpisodeIV,directedbyGarethEdwards.Solo(2018)exploresHanSolo’searlycareer,directedbyRonHowardafterthedepartureoforiginaldirectors.Foracomprehensivebreakdownofviewingsequences,refertoourStarWarsMovies–CompleteReleaseandChronologicalGuide.

CanonStatus Allelevenlive-actiontheatricalreleases,includingbothanthologyfeatures,constituteofficialcanonfollowingLucasfilm’s2014continuityrestructuringunderDisney,asdocumentedbyWikipedia’sStarWarsfilmlist.TheanimatedtheatricalreleaseTheCloneWars(2008)holdscanonicalstatus,thoughitbridgesintotelevisionseriescontinuityratherthanthemaincinematicsaga.

StarWarsMoviesRankedfromWorsttoBest

Aggregatedrankingsfromcriticalaggregatorsandaudiencepollingrevealconsistentpatternsregardingfranchisequality,thoughindividualpreferencesvarysignificantly.Nouniversalconsensusexists,yetcertaintrendsemergeacrossmultipleevaluations.

CriticalConsensus TheEmpireStrikesBack(1980)consistentlyachievesthehighestrankingsacrossRottenTomatoes,RadioTimes,andSpace.comevaluations.IrvinKershner’sdirectionandthescreenplaybyLeighBrackettandLawrenceKasdanestablishedbenchmarksforthefranchisethatsubsequententriesfrequentlyreferencebutrarelysurpass.

Criticalaggregatorsgenerallypositiontheoriginaltrilogyhighest,withparticularemphasisonEpisodeV.Theprequeltrilogytypicallyoccupieslowerpositions,whilstthesequeltrilogygeneratesmoredivisiveresponses.Anthologyfilmsgenerallyreceivemid-tierplacements.

  1. EpisodeI–ThePhantomMenace
  2. EpisodeII–AttackoftheClones
  3. EpisodeIX–TheRiseofSkywalker
  4. Solo
  5. EpisodeVIII–TheLastJedi
  6. EpisodeIII–RevengeoftheSith
  7. EpisodeVII–TheForceAwakens
  8. RogueOne
  9. EpisodeIV–ANewHope
  10. EpisodeVI–ReturnoftheJedi
  11. EpisodeV–TheEmpireStrikesBack
RankingVariations Rankingsvarysignificantlybetweencriticaggregatesandfancommunities.TheLastJediparticularlydemonstratespolarisation,achievinghighcriticalscoreswhilstgeneratingsubstantialaudiencecontroversy.Conversely,RevengeoftheSithhasgainedretrospectiveappreciationsinceits2005release.

UpcomingStarWarsMoviesandReleaseDates

Thetheatricalreleasescheduleremainssparsecomparedtothefranchise’stelevisionoutput.Space.comconfirmsnofilmsarescheduledfor2025theatricalrelease,contradictingearlierspeculationregardingimmediatefollow-upstothesequeltrilogy.

ConfirmedUpcomingReleases Twotheatricalreleasesarecurrentlyscheduled:TheMandalorian&Groguisslatedfor22May2026,representingatheatricalcontinuationoftheDisney+series,whilstStarWars:Starfighterisscheduledfor28May2027.Directorialattachmentsforthe2026releaseremainunconfirmedperRottenTomatoeseditorialguidelines.

Earlier2025mentions,includingTalesoftheUnderworld,refertostreamingseriesratherthancinematicreleases.LucasfilmhasshiftedfocustowardtelevisionproductionthroughDisney+,withtheatricalreleasesnowoccurringlessfrequentlybutwithhigherbudgetsandgreatermarketingemphasis.

WhatIstheChronologicalOrderofStarWarsMovies?

Forviewersseekingnarrativecoherenceoverhistoricalreleasepatterns,thein-universetimelinebeginswiththeprequeltrilogyandconcludeswiththesequeltrilogy.WishesandWayfindingnotesthatfullchronologicalviewingoftenintegratestelevisionseries,thoughthisguideaddressestheatricalreleasesonly.

  1. EpisodeI–ThePhantomMenace(32BBY)–Theearliestchronologicalentry,introducingAnakinSkywalkerasachild.
  2. EpisodeII–AttackoftheClones(22BBY)–TenyearsafterEpisodeI,depictingtheonsetoftheCloneWars.
  3. StarWars:TheCloneWars(22–19BBY)–AnimatedtheatricalreleasebridgingEpisodesIIandIII.
  4. EpisodeIII–RevengeoftheSith(19BBY)–ThefalloftheJediOrderandAnakin’stransformation.
  5. Solo:AStarWarsStory(13–10BBY)–HanSolo’searlycriminalcareer.
  6. RogueOne:AStarWarsStory(0BBY)–ImmediateprecursortoEpisodeIV,concludingmomentsbeforetheoriginalfilmbegins.
  7. EpisodeIV–ANewHope(0BBY/0ABY)–Theoriginal1977theatricalrelease.
  8. EpisodeV–TheEmpireStrikesBack(3ABY)–ThreeyearsafterthedestructionofthefirstDeathStar.
  9. EpisodeVI–ReturnoftheJedi(4ABY)–OneyearafterEpisodeV,concludingtheoriginaltrilogy.
  10. EpisodeVII–TheForceAwakens(34ABY)–ThirtyyearsaftertheBattleofEndor.
  11. EpisodeVIII–TheLastJedi(34ABY)–ImmediatelyfollowingEpisodeVII’sevents.
  12. EpisodeIX–TheRiseofSkywalker(35ABY)–OneyearafterEpisodeVIII,concludingtheSkywalkersaga.

WhichStarWarsFilmsAreConsideredCanon?

EstablishedInformation InformationThatRemainsUnclear
Allelevenlive-actiontheatricalreleases(EpisodesI–IX,RogueOne,Solo)constituteofficialcanonperLucasfilm’s2014continuityrestructuring. SpecificplotdetailsforTheMandalorian&GroguremainundisclosedbeyondtheconnectiontotheDisney+series.
The2008animatedtheatricalreleaseTheCloneWarsholdscanonicalstatusalongsideitstelevisioncontinuation. WhetherfutureanthologyfilmswilladdresstheKnightsoftheOldRepubliceraorotherLegendsmaterialremainsspeculative.
TelevisionseriesincludingTheMandalorian,Andor,andAhsokaexistwithinthesamecontinuityasthefilms. Directorialattachmentsforthe2026theatricalreleasehavenotbeenofficiallyconfirmedbyLucasfilm.

WhatIstheCulturalSignificanceofStarWars?

GeorgeLucas’s1977originalfundamentallyalteredHollywood’sapproachtoblockbusterproduction,merchandisingsynergies,andserialisedstorytelling.Thefranchisepioneeredthemodernhigh-conceptsciencefictionaestheticwhilstestablishingthesummertent-polereleasemodelthatdominatescontemporarycinema.

Financially,theseriesrepresentsoneofthehighest-grossingmediafranchisesglobally,thoughspecificcontemporaryboxofficefiguresfluctuatewithre-releasesandinflationadjustments.Beyondcommercialmetrics,StarWarspermeatesglobalpopularculturethroughiconography,musicalthemesbyJohnWilliams,andtechnologicalinnovationsinspecialeffectsdevelopedbyIndustrialLight&Magic.

Theprequeltrilogy(1999–2005)demonstratedboththepotentialsandpitfallsofdigitalfilmmaking,whilsttheDisney-erafilms(2015–2019)illustratedthechallengesoffranchisecontinuationwithoutoriginalcreativeoversight.TheanthologyfilmsprovedthatstandalonestorieswithintheuniversecouldachievebothcriticalandcommercialsuccesswithoutrelyingontheSkywalkernarrative.

HowReliableAreStarWarsMovieRankings?

RankingsderivefrommultipleauthoritativesourcesincludingRottenTomatoeseditorialaggregates,RadioTimesfilmdatabases,andSpace.comviewingguides.GeorgeLucasprovideddefinitivestatementsregardingthesaga’sstructureduringtheproductionoftheprequeltrilogy,establishingthesix-filmstructurelaterexpandedbyDisney.

KathleenKennedy,currentpresidentofLucasfilm,hasoverseenthefranchisesince2012,determiningwhichprojectstransitionfromdevelopmenttoproduction.Herstatementsregardingfuturetheatricalreleasescarryofficialweight,thoughspecificdetailsoftenremainconfidentialuntilformalannouncementviaStarWars.com.

WhatIstheDefinitiveWaytoWatchStarWars?

First-timeviewersshouldadheretoreleaseorder(EpisodesIV,V,VI,I,II,III,VII,RogueOne,VIII,Solo,IX),preservingnarrativesurprisesandhistoricalcontext.Repeatviewersmaypreferchronologicalorderfornarrativecoherence,orthespecialised”MacheteOrder”(IV,V,II,III,VI,VII–IX)whichpreservestheVaderrevealwhilstminimisingprequelweaknesses.Forcomprehensiveexplorationoffranchiseviewingoptions,consultourdetailedStarWarsMovies–ReleaseandChronologicalOrderguide.

FrequentlyAskedQuestions

HowmanyStarWarsmoviesarethere? Thereareelevenlive-actiontheatricalfilms:nineepisodesconstitutingtheSkywalkerSagaplustwoanthologyfilms(RogueOneandSolo).TheanimatedtheatricalreleaseTheCloneWars(2008)bringsthetotaltotwelvecinematicreleases.

WhatistheshortestStarWarsmovie? StarWars:EpisodeIV–ANewHope(1977)runs121minutes,makingitthebriefesttheatricalrelease.TheanimatedCloneWarsfeatureisshorteratapproximately98minutes.

IsTheCloneWarsamovieorseries? Both.The2008animatedfilmservedasatheatricalpilotforthesubsequentseven-seasontelevisionseries.ItholdscanonicalstatuswithintheStarWarsuniverse.

WhichdirectorhasmadethemostStarWarsmovies? GeorgeLucasdirectedsixfilms:theoriginaltrilogy(EpisodeIV)andtheentireprequeltrilogy(EpisodesI–III).J.J.Abramsdirectedtwo(EpisodesVIIandIX).

Aretheanthologyfilmsessentialtothestory? No.RogueOneandSoloprovidesupplementarycontextbutarenotrequiredviewingtounderstandthenine-episodeSkywalkerSaga.RogueOneleadsdirectlyintoANewHope,whilstSolofunctionsasastandalonecharacterstudy.

WhatistheMacheteOrder? Aviewingsequence(IV,V,II,III,VI,VII–IX)thatpreservestheDarthVaderrevealfromEmpireStrikesBackbyshowingAnakin’sfallimmediatelyafterthereveal,skippingPhantomMenaceinitially.

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Leon Carter
Leon CarterStaff Writer

Leon Carter covers cinema releases, movie cast guides and filmographies.

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