George Lucas didn’t make it easy for us. He started in the middle, went back to the beginning, and then handed the keys to Disney, who blasted off into every direction at once. If you’re trying to figure out the best star wars movie order, you’re basically looking at a massive puzzle where the pieces are scattered across fifty years of pop culture history. Honestly, it’s a mess.
You’d think just watching them from 1 to 9 would work. It doesn't. Not really.
The debate over how to watch these films is almost as old as the franchise itself. It’s not just about what happens first in the timeline; it’s about how the story reveals its biggest secrets. If you show a newcomer Revenge of the Sith before The Empire Strikes Back, you’ve just nuked the greatest plot twist in cinematic history. You can’t undo that. Once they know who Vader is, the magic of the 1980 original theater experience is gone forever.
The Release Date Strategy (The Purist Way)
Most people will tell you to start with the "Original Trilogy." That means A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). This is the foundation. Without these, the rest of the star wars movie order doesn't even make sense because you lack the emotional context of why the Force matters or who the Skywalkers are.
After those, you jump into the Prequels: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. People love to hate on the prequels, but they provide the political backbone of the galaxy. Then you’ve got the Sequels—The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker.
Why do it this way? Technology.
Going from the high-octane CGI of 2019 back to a puppet Yoda from 1980 is jarring for some viewers. It feels like a step backward. By following the release dates, you watch the special effects evolve alongside the storytelling. You see how George Lucas pushed Industrial Light & Magic to its limits. It feels natural. It’s how the world actually experienced the phenomenon.
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The Chronological Nightmare
Now, if you’re a stickler for "The Timeline," you start with The Phantom Menace. This is the star wars movie order for people who want to see the fall of the Republic in real-time. It begins with a young Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine and ends with the final breath of the Resistance.
Here is the literal sequence:
- The Phantom Menace
- Attack of the Clones
- Revenge of the Sith
- Solo (Standalone)
- Rogue One (Standalone)
- A New Hope
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Return of the Jedi
- The Force Awakens
- The Last Jedi
- The Rise of Skywalker
Wait. There’s a catch.
Watching chronologically turns the "I am your father" moment into a foregone conclusion. There is no shock. There is no mystery. You spend three movies watching a kid turn into a villain, so when he shows up in a black mask, you’re just waiting for him to say the line. It robs the original films of their tension. However, for a second or third re-watch? It’s brilliant. You see the subtle seeds of Palpatine’s manipulation that you definitely missed the first time around.
The Machete Order: A Forgotten Gem
Back in 2011, a software developer named Rod Hilton proposed something weird. He called it the "Machete Order." It was designed to preserve the Luke Skywalker story while treating the prequels like an extended flashback.
You start with A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Right after the big Vader reveal, you pause. You don't go to Return of the Jedi. Instead, you jump back to Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. This serves as a backstory for Vader just as Luke is processing the news. Then, you finish with Return of the Jedi.
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Notice something? The Phantom Menace is gone.
Hilton argued that Episode I is largely irrelevant to the overall Skywalker arc. Midichlorians? Jar Jar? The trade dispute? Cutting it doesn’t actually hurt the narrative of Luke and Vader. While Disney-era fans might disagree because they love Darth Maul, the Machete Order remains the most structurally sound way to experience the "Skywalker Saga" as a cohesive character study.
Where do the spin-offs fit?
This is where it gets tricky. Rogue One and Solo are "A Star Wars Story" films. They aren't numbered.
Rogue One is arguably the best modern Star Wars movie. It ends literally minutes before A New Hope begins. Some fans insist on watching it first because it makes the stakes of the Death Star feel much higher. You see the cost of those plans. You see the people who died to get them. But, for a first-timer, the ending might feel a bit bleak without the hope that follows.
Solo is a weird one. It’s a prequel to the original trilogy but doesn't have much to do with the Force. It’s a heist movie. It’s fun, but it’s an outlier in a strict star wars movie order. Most experts suggest watching it after you've already seen the main nine, almost like a "bonus chapter" for when you're missing Han and Chewie.
The Complexity of Television
We can't talk about the movies without mentioning The Mandalorian, Andor, or Ahsoka. If you’re a completionist, the star wars movie order becomes a massive undertaking involving hundreds of hours of TV.
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Andor leads into Rogue One.
The Mandalorian takes place five years after Return of the Jedi.
The Clone Wars (animated) fills the three-year gap between Episode II and Episode III.
If you try to watch everything in a perfectly linear path, you will get burnt out. The movies are the pillars. The shows are the decorations. For most people, sticking to the films for the first pass is the only way to stay sane.
Addressing the Common Misconceptions
One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking the Sequels (Episodes 7-9) are universally hated or skippable. While the internet likes to argue, The Force Awakens was a massive cultural moment that brought the franchise back to life. Skipping them means you miss out on Kylo Ren, who many critics—including those at Empire and Rolling Stone—consider one of the most layered characters in the entire series.
Another misconception is that the "Special Editions" are the only way to watch. George Lucas famously tweaked the original movies in the 90s and 2000s, adding CGI creatures and changing who shot first in the cantina. If you can find the "theatrical" versions, they are a fascinating look at 70s filmmaking, but the modern 4K versions on Disney+ are what most people consider the "official" star wars movie order today.
Practical Steps for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re planning a marathon, don’t just hit play. Think about your goals.
- For the First-Timer: Stick to Release Order. Start with A New Hope. Protect the spoilers at all costs.
- For the Visual Learner: Go Chronological. See the galaxy grow from the shiny Naboo starships to the grimy, lived-in look of the Rebellion era.
- For the Narrative Enthusiast: Try the Modified Machete. Include The Phantom Menace if you must, but use the prequel-flashback method to keep the focus on the father-son dynamic.
Don't feel pressured to watch the animated shows right away, even though Clone Wars has some of the best writing in the franchise. Save those for when you've finished the movies and find yourself wanting to know more about the lore.
The best way to handle the star wars movie order is to prioritize the emotional beats over the dates on the calendar. Whether you start with a farm boy on a desert planet or a Jedi Master in his prime, the story eventually circles back to the same themes: redemption, choice, and the fight against fear.
The next logical step is to decide which version of the "Original Trilogy" you want to track down—the polished 4K HDR versions or the grainier, nostalgic theatrical cuts. Once you've made that choice, clear your weekend. You've got about 25 hours of cinema ahead of you.