The Star Wars Franchise Tracker covers the full saga — from the original theatrical trilogy through the current Disney+ streaming slate, including animation, anthology films, and the surrounding expanded screen universe. In total: 841 entries, made up of 23 films, 570 episodes, and 248 animated shorts and micro-episodes. Watching everything accounts for roughly 292 hours of content.
The central question for most viewers: what's the best order to watch Star Wars? The answer depends on which parts of the saga matter most to you — and whether you're watching for the first time or planning a family re-watch.
Star Wars Watch Order: Where to Start and How to Proceed
There are three main approaches to watching Star Wars in order:
- Release order (recommended for first-timers): Start with A New Hope (1977) and work forward. This is how the saga was meant to be discovered — the reveal in The Empire Strikes Back hits as intended, and the prequel trilogy becomes rich retroactive context rather than a spoiler.
- Chronological order: Start with the prequels and work through the in-universe timeline. Vader's arc reads as tragedy rather than twist. Popular for re-watches with younger viewers who've already seen the later films.
- Machete order: Watch IV → V, then I → II → III as a flashback arc, then VI — skipping The Phantom Menace. This preserves the central twist while giving the prequel context enough room to land before Return of the Jedi.
This tracker organises Star Wars chronologically within each production era. The timeline view shows where each series and film falls in-universe, which is useful for planning a watch that spans animation and live-action.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the best order to watch Star Wars?
- For a first-time viewer, release order — starting with A New Hope (1977) — remains the strongest recommendation. The saga's central dramatic beat was designed to land at the midpoint of the original trilogy, and the prequels work better as retrospective depth than as setup. For re-watches with family, chronological order from The Phantom Menace is also a solid choice.
- How many Star Wars movies are there?
- The Star Wars Franchise Tracker includes 23 films — the Skywalker Saga (Episodes I–IX), the anthology films (Rogue One, Solo), animated feature films, and theatrical re-releases. The main theatrical saga (Episodes I–IX) accounts for nine films across three trilogies.
- How long would it take to watch all of Star Wars?
- Roughly 292 hours — about 12 days of content. The Skywalker Saga films alone run approximately 25 hours. The animated series — The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Bad Batch, and others — account for the majority of the remaining runtime. The Disney+ live-action series add a further significant block.
- Do I need to watch the animated series?
- Not to follow the theatrical films, but you'll miss meaningful context if you skip them entirely. The Clone Wars substantially develops Ahsoka Tano, Darth Maul, and the Siege of Mandalore — all of which have live-action payoffs. Rebels feeds directly into the Ahsoka series. The tracker's series cards indicate cross-references so you can judge which animated runs to include.
- What Star Wars content counts as canon?
- All Disney-era Star Wars — the sequel trilogy, current Disney+ series, and animated runs from The Clone Wars Season 7 onwards — is part of the current canon. The prequel-era series are also canonical. The expanded universe novels and comics from before Disney's acquisition are classified as Legends and are not covered here. This tracker focuses on screen content only.