Over the past 50 years, 11 Star Wars films have been released-and those are the only ones released on the big screen. Whether you're watching the series for the first time or are trying to re-watch the entire series in preparation for watching The Rise of Skywalker, how to watch the Star Wars films is a hot topic of debate. There are 3 popular viewing orders to choose from: sort by release date, watch by chronological order, or use the Rinster method to rearrange the films and make them easier to understand. Whichever way you watch them, remember that there is no mandatory way to watch these movies, and choose the way you feel most comfortable for yourself!
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Method 1 of 4: Watching By Release Date
Step 1. Watch movies in the order they were released for an authentic experience
If you want an authentic experience of watching the films in the actual order, watch them in the order they were released. This is considered by many fans to be the best way to watch Star Wars movies, but it has a number of drawbacks. The change in atmosphere from Return of the Jedi to The Phantom Menace can be distracting, and the story can be a little confusing because you watch the films in the order they are told.
If you plan to watch with younger children, starting with older films can be difficult if they are used to modern animation
Release Order:
A New Hope (Episode IV) - 1977
The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V) - 1980
Return of the Jedi (Episode VI) - 1983
The Phantom Menace (Episode I) - 1999
Attack of the Clones (Episode II) - 2002
Revenge of the Sith (Episode III) - 2005
The Force Awakens (Episode VII) - 2015
Rogue One (A Star Wars Story) -2016
The Last Jedi (Episode VIII) -2017
Solo (A Star Wars Story) - 2018
The Rise of Skywalker (Episode IX) - 2019
Step 2. Start by watching the first trilogy
Watch his first trilogy, starting with 1977's A New Hope and ending with 1983's Return of the Jedi. The first Star Wars films are considered classics by critics and fans alike, and kick off the iconic Luke Skywalker storyline. is a great way to start this series of films.
There are 2 different versions of the first trilogy: the original release, and the 1997 remastered version. The remastered version is no different in terms of stories-the trilogy has the same characters and plot cores-but the animations have been updated. This can be a great option if you're watching with a younger crowd, although pure movie lovers tend to avoid updated versions
Step 3. Watch the prequel after watching the trilogy
When you're done watching Luke Skywalker's story, move on to the prequel. Start with The Phantom Menace, then watch Attack of the Clones. End the second trilogy with Revenge of the Sith to complete Darth Vader's backstory and learn about Luke's origins. You'll also get to see Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker when they were kids, which is fun if you enjoy linking one film to another.
- The prequel isn't essential to understanding everything that happened in the first Star Wars trilogy, and it has a very different feel to it than the rest of the Star Wars films (more ridiculous and more comedic). Some of the adult audience interested in the action and the main story chose to skip all the prequels.
- Story-wise, the prequel is set before the first trilogy, which means that every event in these films takes place before the start of 1977's A New Hope. This story can be hard to follow if you take long breaks between viewings, considering the events at the end of the last prequel (Revenge of the Sith) is the opening of the first film (A New Hope).
Step 4. Watch Disney's sequentially released films, including “Tales”, if you wish
When you're done watching the prequels, check out the newer Disney releases. Starting with The Force Awakens and followed by The Last Jedi. End this series of films with The Rise of Skywalker. You can watch Rogue One after The Force Awakens and Solo after The Last Jedi, if you want, but both films are called “stories” and are insignificant compared to the main story if you want to skip them.
- The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker have all been called the “sequel trilogy.” It is an extension of the main storyline in the first trilogy and prequel.
- Rogue One and Solo are called "stories" because they both have the subtitle A Star Wars Story. These films provide a bit of context and backstory to the main films, but are not something to watch. It's up to you if you want to include them or not, although these films were considered by critics to be solid additions to the Star Wars universe.
Method 2 of 4: Watching By Chronological Order
Step 1. Decide to watch the movie in chronological order to really understand the plot
One of the main drawbacks of watching these films in order of release date is that the stories can be difficult to follow. This is especially a problem when going from the first trilogy to the prequel and from the prequel to the sequel trilogy. To make the story easier to follow, rearrange the order of viewing the films so that they are in chronological order.
Since the prequels tend to be a bit goofy and lighter than other films, this is a great option if you have small children you want to see. This will also make the story easier to follow as it can be difficult for younger audiences to follow
Chronological Order:
The Phantom Menace (Episode I) - 1999
Attack of the Clones (Episode II) - 2002
Revenge of the Sith (Episode III) – 2005
Solo (A Star Wars Story) (Optional) - 2018
Rogue One (A Star Wars Story) (Optional) -2016
A New Hope (Episode IV) - 1977
The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V) - 1980
Return of the Jedi (Episode VI) - 1983
The Force Awakens (Episode VII) - 2015
The Last Jedi (Episode VIII) -2017
The Rise of Skywalker (Episode IX) - 2019
Step 2. Start the series by watching the prequel first
To watch movies in chronological order, go back to the beginning of the story when Darth Vader was a child. Start with The Phantom Menace and continue by watching Attack of the Clones. End the prequel by watching Revenge of the Sith.
One of the drawbacks of this method is that it places the prequel first. The prequels are widely regarded as the worst films in the Star Wars series, and critical audiences can be in a bad mood throughout the entire series if they start with the prequel
Step 3. Watch Solo, followed by Rogue One, after watching Revenge of the Sith
You can choose to watch or not watch Solo and Rogue One, but if you want to watch them too, watch them after the last prequel. These films will provide interesting background stories of some of the main characters in the first trilogy, and are generally considered good films. But you won't feel confused if you decide to skip it.
Rogue One is primarily the beginning of the Death Star and the Empire's first attempt at conquering the universe. Solo is the backstory of Han Solo, and you'll get to know a lot about Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and the Millennium Falcon
Step 4. Watch the first trilogy after the prequel or “stories
When you're done watching the prequel and watching or skipping the stories, watch the first trilogy. A New Hope continues the ending of Revenge of the Sith, so it's easier for you to identify the main characters, know the motivations of each character, and follow events as they happen in the story.
- One of the advantages of watching chronologically is that Empire's brutal behavior makes less sense at the start of A New Hope.
- Unfortunately, the big surprise at the end of The Empire Strikes Back film will not surprise anymore because it has been explained thoroughly in the prequel films. This is considered the biggest drawback of watching in chronological order.
Step 5. Watch Disney's released films for current events
End your viewing experience by watching the sequel trilogy. Watch The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker to conclude the Star Wars movies.
The events of the sequel trilogy contain many references to the first trilogy, and many of the characters from the first films appear here
Method 3 of 4: Selecting the Rinster Sequence
Step 1. Choose a Rinster sequence to increase the impact of Return of the Jedi
The purpose of watching in this order is to save the surprising ending at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. Basically, you start with the first 2 films in the first trilogy and then watch the prequel before watching the third film. It's kind of a middle ground between chronological order and release date order, and considers prequel films as long flashbacks before completing the first trilogy.
For many die-hard Star Wars films, this is the best way to watch the films because it reduces the prequel role and considers it a long flashback. This will also maintain the clarity of the story and increase the emotional impact of the end of the film in the first trilogy. This will also increase the emotional impact of Return of the Jedi because you will be more focused on Vader's backstory
Rinster Order:
A New Hope (Episode IV) - 1977
The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V) - 1980
The Phantom Menace (Episode I) (Optional for machete method) - 1999
Attack of the Clones (Episode II) - 2002
Revenge of the Sith (Episode III) – 2005
Return of the Jedi (Episode VI) - 1983
The Force Awakens (Episode VII) - 2015
The Last Jedi (Episode VIII) -2017
The Rise of Skywalker (Episode IX) – 2019
Rogue One (A Star Wars Story) -2016
Solo (A Star Wars Story) - 2018
Step 2. Watch the first 2 films in the first trilogy
To follow the Rinster sequence, watch A New Hope first. Then follow up with The Empire Strikes Back. When you're done watching the first 2 films in the first trilogy, refrain from watching the last one and save it for later.
Step 3. Slip the prequel just before finishing the trilogy with Return of the Jedi
When you're done watching The Empire Strikes Back, play the prequel trilogy. Watch The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. The Empire Strikes Back ends with a big reveal regarding Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker's relationship, and the prequel focuses on Darth Vader's youth and his journey to evil, so you'll get to know more about Vader and Luke when it concludes with Return of the Jedi!
Since Return of the Jedi ends just before the climax of the first trilogy, it will be easy enough for you to follow what happened as you rewatched the original films
Step 4. Watch the latest movies from Disney, saving Rogue One and Solo for later viewing
End with the sequel trilogy, which follows the story of Rey, Kylo Ren, and Finn-new characters who are spiritual successors to Luke, Vader, and Han Solo. Many of the characters from the first trilogy appear in these films, so you'll be happy to see how these characters develop as they age! Save Rogue One and Solo for last watch if you want to watch them.
With the Rinster sequence, Rogue One and Solo act like two different stories unrelated to the main story series. This will keep the sequence in line with the original purpose of the films as Rogue One and Solo are not intended as core parts of the main story
Method 4 of 4: Making General Adjustments
Step 1. Slip Rogue One between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back for more backstory
If you watch in chronological order or in Rinster order, you can watch Rogue One after A New Hope but before The Empire Strikes Back, if you prefer. Rogue One provides a lot of context to the Death Star and Rebellion's motivations against the Empire, which will enrich the experience of watching The Empire Strikes Back.
The conflict between Rebellion and the Empire seems not to be explained in the first films. The Empire is simply considered evil and Rebellion is considered the good side. Rogue One will provide a lot of background information about why these two factions were enemies in the first place
Step 2. Watch Rogue One and Solo before starting the first trilogy to get lots of context
If you watch in chronological order or use the Rinster method, you may decide to watch both films first. Doing so will reveal a lot of the backstory in the first trilogy, and watching these films first won't break the plot point or reveal any surprises as it's not essential to understanding the main story.
The original order of these two films doesn't matter if you watch them first
Step 3. Get rid of The Phantom Menace to streamline the Rinster Sequence
This method is known as the “machete method” because it cuts through the first prequel film, which fans believe is the weakest film in the series. This is a good choice if you want to streamline the story as The Phantom Menace doesn't provide much information that is important to the story and most of the events feel messy compared to other films.
'The Phantom Menace is visually appealing, but the story is often criticized for being boring and silly. If you like action and cool set pieces, this isn't a bad viewing experience
Step 4. Watch the prequel at the end and think of it as a flashback
Many die-hard Star Wars fans didn't like all of the prequels, choosing to place them at the very end of the film series to maintain the consistency, feel, story, and tempo of the first trilogy and sequels. You can even skip them all if they don't seem to interest you!
Tip:
Don't skip the prequel just because of other people's opinions. There are people who love these movies, and you might be one of them. If you haven't seen it, try watching The Phantom Menace and simply turn it off if you can't stand it after about an hour or if you're not interested.
Tips
- If you include the popular Clone Wars animation, watch it immediately after episode 2 of the prequel, which is clearly titled The Clone Wars. This will provide context for Revenge of the Sith. But this TV show runs for 6 seasons in total, so make sure you have plenty of time to include it!
- The latest Disney movies are all available online via streaming services. But you will have to rent other films if you don't have them.
