How To Watch 'Star Wars' In Chronological Order
Much like our own galaxy, the world of Star Wars is expansive and ever-growing. With the releases of the newer films and the recent streaming series, the franchise has become so enormous that it may feel a bit daunting for newcomers. Ultimately, there is not a definitive way to get into Star Wars. Every movie is someone’s first and anyone can start at any point they choose. Although, there are quite a few people (myself included) who like to start stories from their chronological beginnings. This article is for you if you are one of those people. Here is a listing of every currently released Star Wars film and series and where they each fit into the overall Star Wars timeline. We will begin with the earliest era and carry on from there.
Age Of Republic
The chronological beginning of the Star Wars saga, the Age of Republic, comprises The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, and Revenge of the Sith.
The Phantom Menace establishes the setting: a far-off galaxy ruled by the Galactic Republic. However, the Republic faces opposition from various groups and corporations. Among these is the Trade Federation who invades the planet Naboo with an army of battle droids in protest of the Republic. To resolve the matter, the Republic sends a pair of Jedi, peacekeeping knights who use a powerful mystical energy field known as the Force. However, the Jedi end up having to run for their lives along with the planet’s Queen and her handmaidens. On their way to warn the Republic, they go to the desert planet Tatooine and find a boy named Anakin Skywalker, who is exceptionally strong with the Force. In the process of freeing Naboo from the Trade Federation, one of the Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn, is killed by Darth Maul, a member of an ancient group of dark side Force users known as the Sith. The surviving Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, is left to train Anakin in the ways of the Jedi in the hopes that he will fulfill a prophecy involving the restoration of balance to the Force.
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Attack of the Clones takes place ten years later and follows Anakin and Obi-Wan as they protect the former Queen of Naboo and uncover a plot by the growing Separatist Alliance, which is a coalition of planets opposed to the Galactic Republic. Through his investigation, Obi-Wan discovers an army of clone soldiers seemingly created for the Republic. When the Separatists make their first official move against the Jedi on Geonosis, the Republic reluctantly accepts the clone army and declares war on the Separatists.
This leads into The Clone Wars, which covers a period of three years and follows Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Anakin’s new apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, as they fight the Separatists on various planets. Throughout the course of the series, they will slowly unravel a plot by the Sith.
The end of The Clone Wars leads directly into Revenge of the Sith, where we see the Sith reveal their ultimate plan, the eradication of the Jedi, the Republic’s reorganization into the Galactic Empire, and Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side as he becomes the feared Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Age Of Rebellion
Picking up immediately from the end of Revenge of the Sith, we see various characters throughout the galaxy forming pockets of rebellion against Darth Vader and the Empire. The first instance we see of this is in Star Wars: The Bad Batch. This animated series follows a group of unique clones who have defected from the Empire and now work as mercenaries for a variety of people, all the while fighting against the Empire and discovering their sinister plans. The Bad Batch is then followed by Solo: A Star Wars Story, which introduces us to a young smuggler named Han Solo and his Wookiee companion named Chewbacca as they struggle to make ends meet in a changing galaxy.
One year after Solo, we pick back up with Obi-Wan Kenobi, which follows the titular Jedi as he goes on a personal mission during his nineteen-year stay on Tatooine. Continuing on from Obi-Wan Kenobi is Star Wars: Rebels. This animated series follows a group of freedom fighters who band together to oppose the Empire and help to establish the Rebel Alliance. Rebels then leads into Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which depicts another group of rebels who are tasked with retrieving the plans for the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star. This leads directly into the original trilogy.
Being the trilogy that started it all, the original trilogy barely needs any introduction. Comprising A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, these classic films follow Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 as they fight against the Empire and uncover the truth behind Darth Vader and his mysterious master, Emperor Palpatine. While these films still stand incredibly well on their own, the previous films and series add incredible weight, depth, and backstory, making them even more narratively and emotionally fulfilling than they already were.
Age Of Resistance
Jumping five years ahead from Return of the Jedi, we start the third and final era of Star Wars with The Mandalorian. Following a Mandalorian bounty hunter and an unlikely companion, The Mandalorian continues many of the story and characters threads from The Clone Wars and Rebels, while also going into the Mandalorians and the state of their world and culture after the fall of the Empire. Directly continuing The Mandalorian is The Book of Boba Fett, which follows the famous bounty hunter as he reestablishes himself as a crime lord on Tatooine and also bridges the gap between Seasons 2 and 3 of The Mandalorian. We then jump ahead more than two decades to the last animated series on our list, Star Wars Resistance. A direct prequel to the sequel trilogy, Resistance follows a young pilot who works for the growing Resistance against the reemerging Empire, now known as the First Order. The latter half of the series actually takes place during the events of the first two films in the sequel trilogy and gives more context to what is happening in that time period.
Finally, we come to the sequel trilogy: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. These films follow new protagonists Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and BB-8 as they become involved with the Resistance’s war against the First Order and help Luke, Leia and Han come to terms with who they are now in a galaxy that has changed so much since their time. We are also introduced to the franchise’s new main villain, Kylo Ren, and gradually learn about the origin and true manipulator behind the First Order and their final goal for the galaxy.
As of now, this is officially every major piece of onscreen media we have seen for the canonical Star Wars universe. There is much more to come with Andor, which serves as a direct prequel to Rogue One, and The Acolyte, which is set more than a century before The Phantom Menace. Rest assured, this franchise is only getting bigger and bigger with each passing year. For those of you who still wish to get into Star Wars, this article may be your only hope.
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