Star Wars watch order
All 13 Star Wars films and 15 series, in the order they came out and in story order, with what you can skip and how long each path takes. It is the same order the emberslate app uses for its Star Wars saga.
Updated · By emberfold labs
The short answer
Watching for the first time? Go in release order, starting with Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. That is how the story was first told, and it keeps the biggest twist intact. Only want the films? The nine Skywalker episodes plus Rogue One take about 23 hours.
- Titles
- 13 films, 15 series
- Everything
- about 221 hours
- Core path
- about 118 hours
- Films only
- about 29 hours
Release order
Star Wars in release order
The order they came out. How the story was first told, and the best way in for a first watch.
- 01
CoreStar Wars (1977)
Film · 2h 1m
- 02
CoreThe Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Film · 2h 4m
- 03
CoreReturn of the Jedi (1983)
Film · 2h 12m
- 04
CoreStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Film · 2h 16m
- 05
CoreStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Film · 2h 22m
- 06
CoreStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Film · 2h 20m
- 07
OptionalStar Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Film · 1h 38m
Theatrical film between the prequels and the series. The series covers the same stories.
- 08
Save for laterStar Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020)
Series · 7 seasons · 133 episodes · about 50h
Seven seasons, and nothing later depends on it. Save it for after.
- 09
CoreStar Wars Rebels (2014–2018)
Series · 4 seasons · 69 episodes · about 28h
- 10
CoreStar Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Film · 2h 16m
- 11
CoreRogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Film · 2h 13m
- 12
CoreStar Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Film · 2h 32m
- 13
OptionalSolo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Film · 2h 15m
Standalone heist film. Nothing in the main story needs it.
- 14
OptionalStar Wars Resistance (2018–2020)
Series · 2 seasons · 38 episodes · about 17h
Starts before The Force Awakens and runs past it.
- 15
CoreThe Mandalorian (2019–2023)
Series · 3 seasons · 24 episodes · about 17h
- 16
CoreStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Film · 2h 22m
- 17
CoreThe Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022)
Series · 1 season · 7 episodes · about 6h
- 18
OptionalStar Wars: The Bad Batch (2021–2024)
Series · 3 seasons · 47 episodes · about 23h
Clone Wars side story. Fine to skip.
- 19
CoreObi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Series · 1 season · 6 episodes · about 5h
- 20
CoreAndor (2022–2025)
Series · 2 seasons · 24 episodes · about 20h
A slow build that pays off in Rogue One.
- 21
OptionalStar Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022)
Series · 1 season · 6 episodes · about 2h
Anthology of short stories. Spans a wide stretch of time.
- 22
CoreAhsoka (2023)
Series · 2 seasons · 15 episodes · about 6h
- 23
OptionalStar Wars: Tales of the Empire (2024)
Series · 1 season · 6 episodes · about 2h
Anthology of short stories. Spans a wide stretch of time.
- 24
CoreThe Acolyte (2024)
Series · 1 season · 8 episodes · about 5h
- 25
CoreStar Wars: Skeleton Crew (2024–2025)
Series · 1 season · 8 episodes · about 5h
- 26
OptionalStar Wars: Tales of the Underworld (2025)
Series · 1 season · 6 episodes · about 2h
Anthology of short stories. Spans a wide stretch of time.
- 27
OptionalStar Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord (2026)
Series · 1 season · 10 episodes · about 4h
- 28
CoreThe Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)
Film · 2h 12m
Chronological order
Star Wars in chronological order
Earliest event first. Best on a second watch, since it gives away the biggest twist.
- 01Core
The Acolyte (2024)
Series · 1 season · 8 episodes · about 5h
- 02Core
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Film · 2h 16m
- 03Core
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Film · 2h 22m
- 04Optional
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Film · 1h 38m
Theatrical film between the prequels and the series. The series covers the same stories.
- 05Save for later
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020)
Series · 7 seasons · 133 episodes · about 50h
Seven seasons, and nothing later depends on it. Save it for after.
- 06Optional
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022)
Series · 1 season · 6 episodes · about 2h
Anthology of short stories. Spans a wide stretch of time.
- 07Core
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Film · 2h 20m
- 08Optional
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire (2024)
Series · 1 season · 6 episodes · about 2h
Anthology of short stories. Spans a wide stretch of time.
- 09Optional
Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld (2025)
Series · 1 season · 6 episodes · about 2h
Anthology of short stories. Spans a wide stretch of time.
- 10Optional
Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021–2024)
Series · 3 seasons · 47 episodes · about 23h
Clone Wars side story. Fine to skip.
- 11Optional
Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord (2026)
Series · 1 season · 10 episodes · about 4h
- 12Optional
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Film · 2h 15m
Standalone heist film. Nothing in the main story needs it.
- 13Core
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Series · 1 season · 6 episodes · about 5h
- 14Core
Andor (2022–2025)
Series · 2 seasons · 24 episodes · about 20h
A slow build that pays off in Rogue One.
- 15Core
Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018)
Series · 4 seasons · 69 episodes · about 28h
- 16Core
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Film · 2h 13m
- 17Core
Star Wars (1977)
Film · 2h 1m
- 18Core
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Film · 2h 4m
- 19Core
Return of the Jedi (1983)
Film · 2h 12m
- 20Core
The Mandalorian (2019–2023)
Series · 3 seasons · 24 episodes · about 17h
- 21Core
The Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022)
Series · 1 season · 7 episodes · about 6h
- 22Core
Ahsoka (2023)
Series · 2 seasons · 15 episodes · about 6h
- 23Core
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (2024–2025)
Series · 1 season · 8 episodes · about 5h
- 24Core
The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)
Film · 2h 12m
- 25Optional
Star Wars Resistance (2018–2020)
Series · 2 seasons · 38 episodes · about 17h
Starts before The Force Awakens and runs past it.
- 26Core
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Film · 2h 16m
- 27Core
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Film · 2h 32m
- 28Core
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Film · 2h 22m
Release order or chronological order?
Release order is the best way in for a first watch. You meet the story the way audiences did: the original trilogy first, then the prequels, then everything after.
Chronological order starts with The Acolyte, set about a century before The Phantom Menace, and ends with the sequel trilogy. It is better on a second watch, because seeing the prequels first gives away the biggest twist in the original films.
Just the films
If you only want the films, watch the nine Skywalker episodes in release order and add Rogue One after The Force Awakens. That is about 23 hours. Solo is a standalone heist film that nothing in the main story needs, and The Mandalorian and Grogu continues The Mandalorian series, so watch the series first.
What you can skip
Everything not marked core. Watch these whenever you like; the main story does not need them.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Theatrical film between the prequels and the series. The series covers the same stories.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020)
Seven seasons, and nothing later depends on it. Save it for after.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Standalone heist film. Nothing in the main story needs it.
Star Wars Resistance (2018–2020)
Starts before The Force Awakens and runs past it.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021–2024)
Clone Wars side story. Fine to skip.
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022)
Anthology of short stories. Spans a wide stretch of time.
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire (2024)
Anthology of short stories. Spans a wide stretch of time.
Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld (2025)
Anthology of short stories. Spans a wide stretch of time.
Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord (2026)
Optional: not needed for the main story.
Track it
Track the Star Wars saga in emberslate
The Sagas tab in the emberslate app has this exact order. Switch between release and chronological order, mark the next step watched, and see how far through you are. It is free on Android.
Get emberslate on Google Play
Star Wars watch order questions
What order should I watch Star Wars in for the first time?
Release order, starting with Star Wars (1977), then The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, then the prequels from The Phantom Menace. It keeps the twist in The Empire Strikes Back intact. Save chronological order for a rewatch.
Do I need to watch The Clone Wars?
No. The Clone Wars series runs seven seasons and 133 episodes, about 50 hours, and nothing later depends on it. It is worth watching once you have seen the main story, and the 2008 Clone Wars film covers the same stories, so it is optional too.
Where does The Mandalorian fit in the Star Wars timeline?
In story order, The Mandalorian comes straight after Return of the Jedi, followed by The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka. Watch the series before The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026), which continues its story.
How long does it take to watch all of Star Wars?
About 221 hours for every film and series on this page. The core path, the titles marked core in the lists, is about 118 hours, and the 13 films alone are about 29 hours.
What is the Machete order?
A fan-made order from 2011: Episodes IV, V, II, III and then VI, leaving out Episode I. It keeps the twist in The Empire Strikes Back intact and plays the prequels as a flashback before the finale. It is not one of the orders in the app, but you can follow it by marking titles as you go.
The order and the core, optional and save-for-later marks are the ones the emberslate app uses for this saga. Titles, years and runtimes come from TMDB; series runtimes count aired episodes only and are rounded. First published .