How to watch every Star Wars movie and TV show, from Darth Vader to Baby Yoda

Star Wars is one of those huge, long-standing franchises that social media is always very happy about, which can make it intimidating to approach for the first time. What is a Jedi anyway? Why are not? the droids are you looking? And who is the big furry guy who flies this ship?

Don’t worry – how James Bond and Star TrekStar Wars remains an important cultural touchstone and offers some excellent escape opportunities. So it’s definitely worth getting involved. Fortunately, you can stream all the important things on Disney Plus. Let’s take a look at the simplest ways to learn about different aspects of this rich, almost 43-year-old universe.

Here’s how to watch the Star Wars movies in order

There are a total of 11 Star Wars films: the three trilogies that make up the Skywalker saga and two spin-offs. The best entry point is that original trilogy, which consists of …

1. A new hope.

2. The Empire Strikes Back.

3. The return of the Jedi.

These are some of the most popular films of all time and focus on the Rebel Alliance’s struggle against the totalitarian Galactic Empire and the central role of the Skywalker family in these events.

At least you should check out A new hope – the very first release from 1977 when it was simply known as “Star Wars”. The special effects are out of date, but it’s an exciting adventure that gently takes you into a rich science fiction universe and introduces some of the most enduring and popular characters in cinema.

If you like a new hope, check it out The Empire Strikes Back. This 1980 sequel is better in almost every way as it expands the universe featured in the previous film and increases engagement for our heroes and villains.

Return of the JedI rounded off this first trilogy in 1983. It’s not quite as good as the previous two, but it’s still worth your time and offers a satisfactory end to this era of franchise.

You could hear people talking about different versions of these films – ignore all of this first. They all tell the same story. So just check out the latest releases and explore the others later if you’re intrigued.

After the original trilogy is done, you need to explore two more: the prequels and the sequels. I would advise you to choose to continue the trilogy, which consists of:

1. The awakening of power.

2. The last Jedi.

3. The rise of Skywalker.

They came out in 2015, 2017 and 2019, so the pictures are spectacular and fresh in people’s memories. These films are set about 30 years after the original trilogy and feature a new generation of heroes and villains alongside older characters.

You may have seen very different reactions to these films on social media – forget it all and decide for yourself.

The prequel trilogy is the weakest link in the franchise, but there’s still a lot to love if you enjoy this universe, and it sets the trend for modern blockbusters in the pioneering use of computer-generated images (CGI). It consists of:

1. The dark threat.

2. Attack of the clones.

3. Revenge of the Sith.

These films were released in 1999, 2002 and 2005 and take place in the decades before the original trilogy. They take you to the time that led to the rise of the Galactic Empire.

This brings us to the two spinoff films:

1. Rogue One.

2. Solo.

They take place between the prequels and the original trilogy and are not part of the main Skywalker saga. Rogue One came out in 2016, revealing the events that led to A New Hope during 2018 solo is a story of origin for the charismatic smuggler Han Solo.

None of these films are as important to the franchise as the Skywalker Saga films, but they are better films than their predecessors and tell compelling stories about other aspects of the universe.

The only Star Wars movie that doesn’t run on Disney Plus in the U.S. is Solo – it comes out in July (but is currently available on Netflix).

Watch the TV shows, from The Clone Wars to The Mandalorian

You have probably heard of it The Mandalorian, the franchise’s first live action show, appearing on Disney Plus in late 2019. This show caused a sensation on social media, which mainly focused on a particularly cute character, and it will be a second season in October.

The first season consists of eight episodes and takes place a few years after the Jedi returns. It introduces the title-bound armored bounty hunter and the ridiculously popular one Baby Yoda to tell a largely self-contained story so that you can watch it without prior knowledge and make sense. However, you will have more of it if you saw the original trilogy.

The clone wars is a CGI cartoon series that reveals the intergalactic conflict between Attack of the clones and Revenge of the Sith. It started with a rather dubious film in 2008, but developed wonderfully over seven seasons. It was canceled in 2013, but revived on Disney Plus for one last season – the Last episode aired on May 4, 2020.

With 133 episodes, it may seem daunting, but this show tells us some of the best Star Wars stories ever, after making its move in season 2. You should look at the prequels before you look at them.

If you like The Clone Wars, check out the CGI series below Rebelswhat jumps to the years before A New Hope. You don’t have to see The Clone Wars for it to make sense – you can see Rebels after seeing the original trilogy. It introduces characters from The Clone Wars throughout its four series, but mainly focuses on a group of rebels fighting the empire.

The two CGI shows fill out some background information for The Mandalorian, but are not essential to enjoy this series.

Star Wars video games

The Star Wars franchise has spawned decades of video games, starting from the sublime to the cruel, but only two are currently part of the narrative canon.

The 2017 single player campaign Battlefront 2available on PS4, Xbox One and PC will be discontinued after Return of the Jedi. You should have seen the original trilogy before you play. You also get a fun online multiplayer shooter that a lot of people play every day.

Jedi: Fallen orderthat came out in 2019 is also canon. This lightsaber swinging adventure for third parties takes place between the prequels and the original trilogy.

Star Wars canon books and comics

Literature has been a big part of Star Wars since the franchise began, but only stories published since 2014 are still considered a canon. The books and comics often plunge into dark corners of the universe, but I recommend an author that you should look out for in any medium.

Regarding the most recent novels, Claudia Gray’s work stands out:

1. pedigree (political thriller before The Force Awakens).

2. Master and apprentice (Jedi adventure that leads to The Phantom Menace).

On the comic page, the series by Charles Soule is above everything. The two big ones are:

1. Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith (about his early days, shortly after the Sith’s revenge).

2. The rise of Kylo Ren (Original four issue story set before The Force Awakens).

That should be enough to help you dip your toe into the franchise – you should pretty much start with the original trilogy and continue from there. Just know that once you take the Star Wars path, it will dominate your destiny forever.

Currently running:
Look at that:

What’s new to stream in May 2020

4:08