It's a debate that's raged among Star Wars fans since time immemorial ... or at least
since the prequels came out.
What's the right order to watch every Star Wars movie?
Well, pour yourself a glass of blue milk and settle in to watch every Star Wars movie in
the right order.
If you're going to make the commitment to watch every single Star Wars movie, there's
only one place you can logically start - and it's not with Episode I.
The first three Star Wars movies, commonly referred to as the original trilogy, remain
the defining example of what Star Wars is to this day.
Almost everything that's iconic about the franchise, from lightsabers and the Force
to droids and John Williams' score, was introduced in the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope.
Seriously, this film is what most people think of when they hear the words "Star Wars," and
it remains one of the most iconic movies ever made.
By beginning your Star Wars journey with A New Hope, which was originally just called
Star Wars, in case you needed further proof of where to start, you're experiencing the
space saga in its purest form.
The original trilogy was the only version of Star Wars that existed for almost two decades,
and every film that's come since has been loaded with references and callbacks to these
movies in a never ending quest to match their reputation and status.
And A New Hope alone introduces loads of some of the most recognizable characters in cinema,
including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Vader,
and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The original trilogy is the definition of Star Wars, and to fully comprehend the saga
you're about to undertake, you need to watch A New Hope first.
Since we've established you're starting your Star Wars marathon with the original trilogy,
your next appointment is, of course, with The Empire Strikes Back.
As the direct sequel to A New Hope, the 1980 film - which is often lauded as the best in
the franchise - further builds on the characters and story of its predecessor, while also introducing
some new franchise icons.
Luke continues his Jedi training, working his way up to an eventual confrontation with
Darth Vader.
Yoda is introduced as Luke's new Jedi master and instantly becomes a fan favorite.
Boba Fett is also introduced as the bounty hunter who hunts down Han Solo and freezes
him in carbonite.
And Lando Calrissian shows up as well, the only man in the galaxy who could actually
be cooler than Han Solo.
The story developments in the film are also notable, as the Empire gains strength by beating
the Rebels at every turn, a relationship blossoms between Han and Leia, and Luke discovers that
Vader is his father in one of cinema's most memorable twists.
By following up A New Hope with The Empire Strikes Back, you're seeing these iconic characters
grow, meeting more memorable Star Wars players, and becoming emotionally invested in the story
as the Rebellion sees some major setbacks in their fight against the Empire.
The Empire Strikes Back may be the ideal Star Wars movie, but it's also a sequel, and therefore
should be watched only after consuming its predecessor.
Return of the Jedi is up next, as it is - for better or worse - the climax of the original
trilogy.
The movie gets a lot of hate, especially from modern audiences, for a few of its choices.
A lot of people don't like that the film features a new Death Star.
Some aren't crazy about the fact that Han Solo is brought back from his frozen state.
And a lot of people really hate the Ewoks.
The cute teddy bear aliens are viewed by some as a bridge too far into Merchandise Town,
and their ability to defeat the Empire with sticks and stones stretches credibility.
However, Return of the Jedi really isn't as bad as some would have you believe.
With expanded roles for both Jabba the Hutt and the Emperor, the film continues the original
trilogy's tradition of bringing in iconic characters in every installment.
It also adds another big twist in the reveal that Luke and Leia are twins.
And it features a ton of iconic scenes.
There's the escape from Jabba's palace, complete with the Sarlacc pit, the speeder bike chase
on Endor, and the redemption of Darth Vader.
Even the Ewoks, hated as they are, were pretty popular at the time the movie was released
and are iconic in their own right.
So despite its flaws, Return of the Jedi makes for a satisfying conclusion to the original
trilogy.
There's no way around this, so we'll just come right out and say it.
The prequel movies aren't very good.
They're loathed by many fans, and they don't feel much at all like Star Wars, or at least
Star Wars as defined by the original trilogy.
Those films told the saga of farm boy Luke Skywalker, who becomes a powerful Jedi warrior,
discovers that the murderous Darth Vader is his father, and then overthrows the Emperor.
Or just….
throws him.
The prequels take place almost entirely prior to Luke's birth and reveal how the Chosen
One of the Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, becomes Vader, the scourge of the galaxy and Palpatine's
right-hand man.
It's an interesting concept, but one that the prequel movies don't pull off terribly
well.
And it's especially bad in this first installment.
The Phantom Menace is mainly remembered for a few, let's say, misguided decisions.
One is an over-reliance on CGI, which looks incredibly dated today, while also somehow
worse than the original trilogy's practical effects.
Second is a heavy focus on the politics of the Galactic Republic rather than action and
adventure.
And third is Jar Jar Binks, the kid-friendly, all-CGI character that everyone loves to hate.
"Monsters out there, leaking in here, all sinking and no power?
When youssa thinking wessa in trouble?"
The Phantom Menace just doesn't feel like Star Wars to many fans, but if you're determined
to watch every movie in the franchise, you might as well watch this one while the memory
of the original trilogy is still fresh in your mind.
Attack of the Clones seemed to hear the complaints about The Phantom Menace and doubled down
on all of them.
The second film in the prequel trilogy takes the unrealistic CGI to cartoonish levels,
and it features even more boring senatorial debates.
But it gets worse.
The film also replaces the villainous Darth Maul, one of the only cool aspects of The
Phantom Menace, with Count Dooku and a bunch of non-threatening CGI soldiers that look
like they came out of an old video game.
There's also a forced romance between Anakin and his future wife Padme, and the pair probably
have less chemistry than any movie couple ever.
Pretty much the only good thing about Attack of the Clones is that it features less Jar
Jar Binks than its predecessor.
So why watch Attack of the Clones at all if it's so terrible?
Well, it still advances the story of Anakin Skywalker's eventual turn to the dark side,
albeit clumsily, and the Clone Wars are a pretty significant part of Star Wars lore,
so it doesn't hurt to see what kicked them off.
It may be a slog to get through, and it's nowhere near as entertaining as the original
trilogy, but Attack of the Clones is still a part of the Star Wars story, and it should
be watched right after The Phantom Menace.
After watching the first two prequels, you may be wondering just what you've gotten yourself
into.
That's why we recommend taking a brief respite from the prequels to remind yourself why you're
sitting through them to begin with, and that reason is Darth Vader.
The prequels, awkward as they may be, are all about Anakin's transformation into the
Sith Lord.
It's easy to forget that while watching the first two episodes, which is why you should
follow up Attack of the Clones with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The movie is the darkest of all Star Wars films, as the bulk of its characters don't
survive past the final scene.
In other words, this isn't the start of a new trilogy.
The story takes place right before A New Hope, and it centers on the group of Rebel spies
who steal the plans to the Death Star immediately prior to the start of that film.
So given the time period in which Rogue One takes place, that means we get Darth Vader
at the full height of his powers and villainy.
With modern effects, Vader is transformed into a more frightening and impressive presence
than ever.
Watching him slaughter a bunch of Rebel soldiers will remind you of why you're watching the
prequels, and it may even get you excited to watch the final prequel movie so you can
witness his origin.
Congratulations, you've made it to the final prequel movie!
The good news is that it's considerably better than the previous two prequel films.
The bad news is that it's still not great.
Revenge of the Sith finally gives us the evil Anakin Skywalker we've been waiting for, and
while there are still issues with bad CGI, horrible dialogue, and a few iffy performances…
It at least tells a pretty compelling story.
Anakin fully turns to the dark side of the Force, taking on the identity of Darth Vader
and doing all sorts of horrible things.
He kills a bunch of kids, Force chokes his pregnant wife, and is just an all-around evil
dude.
And frankly, evil Anakin is way more interesting than pod racing Anakin, lovesick Anakin, or
any of the other Anakins who've popped up in the earlier prequels.
Plus, near the end of Episode III, Anakin completes his transformation into full-on
Darth Vader with the suit and everything, and it's admittedly pretty cool.
The transformation occurs after Anakin is rebuilt following a lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan
that left him severely debilitated, which gives some nice emotional weight to the scene.
And once you see Anakin put on that iconic Vader mask for the first time, you'll instantly
flashback to visions of Vader being menacing and awesome in the original trilogy and Rogue
One.
And for a brief shining moment, sitting through the entire prequel trilogy will have seemed
worth it.
By this point, it's been an epic four movies since you've seen any of the "big three" characters
from the original trilogy, not counting the baby Luke and baby Leia cameos in Revenge
of the Sith.
With a total of seven films in the bag, you've now watched more movies without Han Solo than
with him, so it's time to rectify that unpleasant situation by screening Solo: A Star Wars Story.
The 2018 film may have a bad reputation, but it's one that isn't wholly deserved.
The film's infamous director shakeup, its casting of an actor not named Harrison Ford
to play Han, and its premiere taking place only five months after the divisive The Last
Jedi all led to an underwhelming box office take and tepid critical response.
Solo's lackluster performance caused Disney to rethink its strategy with Star Wars movies,
which has resulted in a break from standalone movies.
But despite its controversy and failure to leave a significant mark on the Star Wars
universe, Solo actually makes for a pretty fun watch.
Don't get us wrong, it's not a great film by any means, and there's certainly nothing
revolutionary about it.
It's a mostly by-the-numbers adventure set in the Star Wars universe that features some
new interpretations of old characters, of which Donald Glover's Lando in particular
is a highlight, some cool alien creatures, and lots of fun fan service.
Also, watching Solo now and getting reacquainted with Han makes his storyline that much more
poignant in the next film on the list.
Only time will tell just how iconic the sequel trilogy of Star Wars films will end up being,
but there's no denying their success, especially The Force Awakens.
The first Star Wars movie to be released by Disney grossed over $2 billion worldwide,
and it remains the highest-earner of all time domestically with a $936 million take.
The film brought back almost every character of note from the original trilogy, making
sure that anyone burned by the prequels' weirdness would be treated with a heavy dose of the
Star Wars they remembered.
"I got a bad feeling about this."
Leia commanding Rebel Resistance forces?
Check.
Han and Chewie flying the Millennium Falcon?
Check.
Luke Skywalker… making an appearance?
Check.
The Force Awakens also introduced a variety of new characters, and though the fan bases
dedicated to Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren may not quite match the fervor attached to
their original trilogy parallels, the characters are now undeniably a big part of the Star
Wars story.
If you find yourself really missing the original trilogy after watching the prequels, then
you should especially enjoy The Force Awakens because it basically retells the story of
A New Hope.
A nobody finds out she can use the Force and joins up with a group of rebels to fight a
guy in a black helmet so they can stop him and his evil empire from using a superweapon
that can blow up planets.
It may not be original, but it's definitely Star Wars.
The Last Jedi is possibly the strangest Star Wars movie ever.
The sequel to The Force Awakens doesn't really build on any of the threads that were started
by its predecessor.
Who are Rey's parents?
Doesn't matter.
Who is Snoke?
Doesn't matter.
Didn't Finn already have a character arc where he learned to be brave and commit himself
to a greater good?
Doesn't matter, he's doing it again.
The Last Jedi almost seems to purposely undo pretty much every decision that was made in
The Force Awakens.
"I thought I'd find answers here.
I was wrong."
And while some thought this kind of shakeup was the exact kind of bold thinking the franchise
needed, others thought it was poor storytelling and a disservice to the fans.
This dichotomy has led to the film being labeled as the most divisive in the Star Wars canon.
The Last Jedi is so jarringly different from other Star Wars movies that it almost feels
as if you could watch it anywhere in this sequence and it wouldn't matter, but since
it's the sequel to The Force Awakens, we're placing it here.
Though it's true that the movie doesn't seem to have much respect for its predecessor,
it does still move the Skywalker saga along in a few important ways.
Rey and Kylo Ren both grow, with her becoming a Jedi and him becoming the new supreme leader
of the First Order.
The pair also develop a weird sort of Force connection that ends up forming the backbone
of this sequel trilogy.
The sequel trilogy is strange.
Where The Last Jedi undid pretty much everything in The Force Awakens, The Rise of Skywalker
undoes pretty much everything in The Last Jedi.
It turns out Rey is actually Emperor Palpatine's granddaughter, Snoke was created and controlled
by Palpatine, and Finn... well, Finn still doesn't really do very much.
The movie seeks to satiate fans by giving them the most Star Wars-y Star Wars movie
ever, with more lightsaber fights, more classic characters, and more planet-destroying weapons
than they can handle.
While critics were unkind to the film, the response from fans has been more positive,
and no one can accuse The Rise of Skywalker of being boring.
The film gives a satisfying end to the Skywalker story with Kylo Ren-slash-Ben Solo's redemption,
and by bringing back the Emperor - the main villain of both previous trilogies - it does
make all three trilogies feel more connected.
Although it may not be the sequel trilogy that George Lucas had planned or even wanted,
it's probably closer to what many fans wanted.
The sequel trilogy wraps up and puts a bow on most of what we've seen from big-screen
Star Wars up to this point, which is why it makes sense to end your movie journey with
this film.
Love it or hate it, this is the end of the Skywalker saga that has defined the franchise
for over 40 years.
Of course, this isn't the end of Star Wars.
The Mandalorian is many things, but a movie isn't one of them.
So why include it here?
Because the series represents the future of Star Wars, and the next Star Wars movies are
probably going to look a lot more like The Mandalorian than anything that's come before.
Plus, as the first-ever live-action Star Wars TV show, its eight-episode first season had
a blockbuster feature film budget and as much content as at least two movies, so comparing
it to a film isn't as outrageous as it seems.
"This is the way."
Ever since the original trilogy, Star Wars movies have been about the past.
The prequel movies tell the story of young Anakin Skywalker, Rogue One and Solo are both
prequel stories based on A New Hope characters and concepts, and the sequel trilogy is more
concerned with wrapping up the storylines of the original trilogy's characters than
it is with charting its own course.
But that's not true for The Mandalorian.
While there are certainly plenty of Star Wars Easter eggs for fans to drool over, they're
hardly central to the story.
It's the first standalone Star Wars tale that truly feels standalone, and its lack of connections
to the Skywalker saga shows a path forward for the entire franchise.
No longer bound by decades-old stories and trilogy formats, Star Wars is now free to
finally explore more of the galaxy far, far away.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
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