Star Wars Movies in Order: The Nine-Film Skywalker Saga

Start with the nine-film saga

For a first watch, follow the list above: the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and then the sequel trilogy. This is the complete nine-film Skywalker saga, not a list of every Star Wars film, animation or television series.

Release order introduces the setting through Luke’s first adventure before returning to the earlier generation. It also lets you see how the visual style, scale and storytelling change between eras without needing a timeline diagram.

Release order versus chronological order

First-time viewing: Episodes IV, V and VI; then I, II and III; then VII, VIII and IX. This preserves the original trilogy’s introductions and major revelations.

Chronological rewatch: Episodes I through IX in numerical order. This follows the central story forward but changes when you learn important information about its characters.

For a manageable marathon, plan one trilogy at a time. Nine separate evenings allow more room for the films than three very long sessions; use the individual runtimes above when grouping them.

Is this collection for you?

What works well: adventurous world-building, memorable music and relationships that connect different generations. Each trilogy offers a distinct starting cast and visual identity.

What may not suit you: the trilogies differ in pacing, humor and emphasis on politics, and some transitions between films are abrupt. Our release-order recommendation is about a clear first experience, not a claim that every viewer should rank the films the same way.

Where do the spin-offs and shows fit?

Rogue One and Solo tell separate stories outside the numbered saga. Keep them optional for a first watch. Television series and animation can be explored afterward; they are not prerequisites for the nine-film list.

Use one Moviebase list for the saga and another for additional Star Wars stories. Open a title from this page to track it individually. The page does not create a prefilled list or provide film playback.

Sources and review

Movie metadata, ratings and artwork are sourced from TMDB. TMDB scores reflect audience votes and may change over time. Viewing recommendations are Moviebase editorial opinions. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.