Depending on your generation, you may have been introduced to the Star Wars extended universe by several different movies — Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode VII: The Force Awakens, or even The Clone Wars TV show. Maybe you don't even remember.
And if you're really lucky, you haven't seen any of these movies yet, and you can dive into Star Wars in all its glory for the first time. Fortunately, all the Star Wars movies and TV shows are streaming in the same place.
How to watch Star Wars: Disney+
The Walt Disney Company spent a casual $4.05 billion in 2012 to buy Lucasfilm from Star Wars creator George Lucas. The House of Mouse has since given the entire franchise a permanent home on the Disney+ streaming service. (That includes all of the films in addition to Star Wars shorts, specials, and canon TV shows like The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian.)
If you'd rather rent or buy individual Star Wars movies instead of forking over $9.99 a month for a Disney+ subscription, you can do so via Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV, YouTube, and Fandango at Home. There's no guarantee they'll always be there, though.
What's the best order to watch Star Wars movies? You have three choices.
From "who shot first?" to "how useful are lightsabers, really?" and "has any character ever sucked more than Jar Jar Binks?" — hot take: yes — there are some debates that hardcore Star Wars fans will never settle. Four decades of intergalactic action will do that to you.
While the Star Wars universe is relatively quiet circa 2025, there's never a bad time to revisit one of the Star Wars fandom's favorite questions: In what order do you watch Star Wars movies?
Fans generally agree that you've got three ways to journey through the series:
The traditional order based on the movies' release dates
The chronological order of events within the Star Wars universe
The lesser-known "Machete Order"
What's the Machete Order? More on that in a sec.
How to watch the Star Wars movies in release order
The Star Wars movie series is made up of 11 films: a trilogy of trilogies known as the Skywalker Saga, plus two spin-offs that were released between the three newest films. (Disney considers those to be origin stories, but they're not required viewing to understand the main storyline.)
If this is your maiden voyage into a galaxy far, far away, do yourself an enormous favor and watch the series in order of release date. The original movie, Episode IV: A New Hope, sets up so much of the conflict and characters that'll carry you through the rest of the journey, and you'll spoil some pretty major surprises and twists if you start elsewhere.
Original trilogy (available on Disney+):
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (May 1977)
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (May 1980)
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (May 1983)
Prequel trilogy (available on Disney+):
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (May 1999)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (May 2002)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (May 2005)
Sequel trilogy, plus spin-offs (available on Disney+):
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (Dec. 2015)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Dec. 2016)
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (Dec. 2017)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 2018)
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (Dec. 2019)
How to watch the Star Wars movies in chronological order
If you've been around Tatooine a few times, so to speak, try binge-watching the Star Wars movies the way George Lucas intended: in chronological order of the series' events. This approach revolves around the Battle of Yavin, also known as the Battle of the Death Star, which took place in Episode IV and marks "year zero" in the Star Wars timeline.
Here's what a chronological watch list looks like for the series:
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (set 32 years before the Battle of Yavin)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (set in 22 BBY)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (set in 19 BBY)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (set circa 10 BBY)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (leads right into the Battle of Yavin)
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (set in 0 BBY)
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (set three years after the Battle of Yavin)
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (set in 4 ABY)
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (set in 34 ABY)
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (set in 34 ABY)
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (set in 35 ABY)
How to watch the Star Wars movies in Machete Order
One could easily make the argument that The Phantom Menace is just a 136-minute-long reminder of what happens when a movie's entire budget is spent on crappy CGI. That, combined with the fact that its plot has no real effect on the rest of the prequel trilogy, has led many a viewer to ask: Does Star Wars really, truly need it?
Software developer and Star Wars guru Rod Hilton tried to answer that very question about a decade ago when he created the "Machete Order," which slashes Episode I out of the series entirely and puts the other two prequel movies between Episodes V and VI — a viewing sequence that refocuses the story on Luke Skywalker, the protagonist of the original trilogy, while preserving the series' biggest reveals. (Also a bonus: way less Jar Jar.) It may not be the "proper" way to watch the Star Wars movies, but it's definitely a fan favorite.
Here's how to go about watching the movies (all available on Disney+) in Machete Order, per Hilton's blog:
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
If you really want to keep Episode I as part of your Star Wars rotation, Hilton recommends treating it like an anthology film that you pull in after the "book" of the main story is closed. (Same with Rogue One and Solo.)
Where do the Disney+ Star Wars TV shows fit into the franchise?
Star Wars has evolved beyond movies. From animated classics like The Clone Wars to recent Disney+ originals such as The Mandalorian and The Acolyte, the extended universe gets a bit more convoluted. So, it's helpful to know where each Star Wars TV series fits in chronologically.
The Acolyte (2024) is the earliest part of the Star Wars timeline, set at the end of the High Republic era, long before the Skywalker Saga begins. The Clone Wars comes in next, taking place between Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a mini series from 2022, follows the Jedi a decade after the events of Episode III. Five years before Episode IV: A New Hope, we have Andor (2022), which follows the formation of the Rebel Alliance.
In the gap between the fall of the Empire and the rise of the First Order, there are several different stories: The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Skeleton Crew, and Ahsoka.
Here's our best estimation of the chronological order of the Disney+ Star Wars shows:
The Acolyte
The Clone Wars
The Bad Batch
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Andor
Star Wars Rebels
The Mandalorian (Seasons 1 & 2)
The Book of Boba Fett
The Mandalorian (Season 3)
Skeleton Crew
Ahsoka
Star Wars Resistance
The best Disney+ deals
Not yet a Disney+ subscriber? Subscriptions start at $9.99 after a price hike in summer 2024, but we've rounded up a few of the best ways you can save some money on the streaming service below.
Best Disney+ deal: Save 17% on an ad-free annual plan
Last year, Disney+ hiked its price up from $13.99 to $15.99 for those who wish to watch ad-free. With the yearly plan, you'll pay $159.99 per year, which breaks down to $13.33 per month. That saves you about 17%, though you have to pay all at once.
Best Disney+ bundle deal: Save 44% on Disney+ and Hulu with ads
If you want the most bang for your buck, Disney's bundle deals are the best in the biz. You can bundle Disney+ and Hulu for just $10.99 per month with ads, which basically gets you Disney+ for $1 per month (44% in savings). You can also add HBO Max (with ads) or ESPN+ into the mix for a grand total of $16.99 per month. Going ad free costs an extra $9 per month for Disney+ and Hulu and an extra $13 per month for the trio bundle.
Best deal for Verizon customers: Save $6.99/month on Disney+ bundle
Verizon customers can score the Disney+ bundle for even cheaper with myPlan. Just add a Disney Bundle to your account through myPlan, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, all with ads. All three would regularly cost you $31.97 per month separately or $16.99 per month through the Disney Bundle deal, but by signing up through this myPlan deal, you'll only pay $10 per month.
Another way to get Disney+ for free
Verizon Total Wireless customers on the $60/month prepaid unlimited plan get Disney+ Premium (no ads) for free. No terms or trial periods. Just keep your account in good standing and you'll get Disney+ access. If you cancel or switch your plan, your subscription will end as well. If you're on the $50/month prepaid unlimited plan, you're also eligible for six free months of Disney+. Want to extend your trial? Just upgrade to the $60/month plan.
