Star Wars Movies (Chronological/Timeline Order) Watching Order

This watching order is designed to give an outline of the Star Wars movie franchise. It shows the films in order of their chronological timeline, which is a great way to watch the films after viewing them for the first time. It also looks at any connections between them. 

Jump to: Original Trilogy – Prequel Trilogy – Sequel Trilogy

Prequel Trilogy

The prequel trilogy of Star Wars films was released across the late 90s and early 2000s. These films contain the earliest appearances of several characters who form the centerpiece of most Star Wars movies.

The three films in this era are Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith. The story stretching through these three films is mostly self-contained and highlights the battle between the Galactic Republic and the Separatist Alliance (Confederacy of Independent Systems). Specifically, it centers around Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala, and Sheev Palpatine.

Original Trilogy

The original trilogy of Star Wars films was released across the late 70s and early 80s. Despite being released earlier than the prequel trilogy, they take place around 30 years after the prequel films. These films explore the galaxy after events taking place at the conclusion of Revenge of the Sith.

The three films in this era are Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi. The story stretching through these three films is mostly self-contained and highlights the battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire. Specifically, it centers around Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Darth Vader.

Later on, two anthology films were released that tied in to this era. Solo: A Star Wars Story is set sometime between the Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One. It details Han Solo's origin story and explains details about his character that go unexplained in the main films. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set immediately before A New Hope. It depicts many events that are alluded to in A New Hope and the final few scenes in Rogue One directly lead to the first few scenes in A New Hope.

Sequel Trilogy

The sequel trilogy of Star Wars films was released over the course of the 2010s. These films take place around 30 years after the events of the original trilogy. In this way, they explore how the conclusion of Return of the Jedi shaped the galaxy and they continue the narrative of many main characters from the original trilogy.

The main films in this era are Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode XII- The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: Episode XI- The Rise of Skywalker. The story stretching through these films is mostly self-contained and highlights the battle between the New Republic and the First Order. Specifically, it centers around Rey, Finn (FN-2187), Poe Dameron, and Kylo Ren.

All Star Wars Watching Orders