How to Watch the Entire ‘Star Wars’ Saga in Chronological Order

Perhaps the most influential science-fiction franchise of all time, Star Wars has endured almost 50 years on the big (and small) screen. With the franchise now worth almost US$50 billion, and serving as one of the major tentpole series of Disney’s entertainment empire, Star Wars is as successful today as it’s ever been.

And, with Star Wars: Starfighter, a new film launching in 2027 starring Ryan Gosling, Mia Goth, and Amy Adams, reportedly set all the way at the end of the series’ chronology – that is, during a new era without any prior canon to match up with – we thought it’d be a good idea to showcase how you could best catch up with the entire saga in chronological order. 

When Disney purchased the Star Wars franchise in 2012, it also completely redefined what’s considered canon within the galaxy far, far away. Here, we’re following Disney’s universe, so don’t expect to find any comic books or old novels that include the likes of Luke’s evil clone Luuke Skywalker.

It’s also worth mentioning that Star Wars’ universe, in typical sci-fi fashion, uses its own internal dating system to track the series’ chronology: specifically, it tracks time based around the Battle of Yavin – the monumental conflict that led to the destruction of the first Death Star in 1977’s Episode IV. Everything before that is tracked by how many years it is Before the Battle of Yavin (BBY), and everything after the Battle of Yavin (ABY) is tracked as such.

With all that out of the way, let’s dive into one of the greatest stories in modern history – here’s how to watch the entire Star Wars saga in Chronological Order.

Part 1: The Fall of the Republic

1. The Acolyte

• Release Date: June 4, 2024
• Timeline Date: 132 BBY
• Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Charlie Barnett, Carrie-Anne Moss

While there are certainly glimpses into earlier periods of the Star Wars mythology strewn throughout books and comics, The Acolyte is the first canonical story in the Disney-era cinematic universe. Set a century before the prequel trilogy, The Acolyte exists in a world where the Jedi aren’t some half-remembered myth of a bygone age, but the dominant authority keeping the known Universe in check. It follows a pair of separated twins – Osha and Mae – who straddle the line between the light and dark side of the force, and embody a more balanced viewpoint of the concept: more like ‘yin and yang’ than ‘good and evil’. 

In the series, which is set up a bit more like a traditional crime drama than Star Wars’ more traditional space opera framing, Osha ends up working with a former Jedi named Sol to investigate a series of crimes that inevitably lead them toward a shadowy Sith warrior tutoring Mae in the dark arts. While the series would have explored a more nuanced take on the relationships between these two sides of the coin, it ended after a single season – leaving many unanswered questions.

2. Star Wars: Episode – The Phantom Menace

• Release Date: May 16, 1999
• Timeline Date: 32 BBY
• Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ray Park, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson

The beginning of the Skywalker Saga, The Phantom Menace introduced Star Wars to a new generation of fans and revolutionised the use of CGI in cinema (for better and worse). Here, we’re introduced to series mainstays Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi apprentice still learning to balance his emotions with the control needed to fully embody the Jedi code, and Anakin Skywalker, a young boy born on a backwater desert planet who may just be the most naturally gifted force user of all time. Obi-Wan and his mentor, Qui-Gon Jinn, are tasked with protecting the queen of Naboo, Padme Amidala, on a diplomatic mission, and decide to take Anakin under their wing in the hopes of guiding him toward the path of the Jedi, but the unexpected return of the Sith – dark force users long thought extinct – puts the Jedi heroes in a collision course with a much deeper conspiracy than they expected.

The prequel trilogy, which this film sets up, is fairly divisive thanks to its focus on the downfall of the Republic and the Jedi Order, as well as some questionable character choices, but if nothing else The Phantom Menace introduced the world to Darth Maul, perhaps the edgiest character in the entire series. For that, we can always be grateful.

3. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

• Release Date: May 16, 2002
• Timeline Date: 22 BBY
• Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee

A direct sequel to The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones picks up a decade later, with Obi-Wan Kenobi now serving as a Jedi Master to an adolescent Anakin Skywalker, who has committed to the Jedi teachings. Well – committed in theory. As the pair investigate an assassination attempt on Senator Padme Amidala, young Skywalker develops a secret infatuation and relationship with the former Queen: a big no-no in the Jedi Order, as strong emotions inevitably lead to the dark side.

Beyond that ticking timebomb, thousands of planetary systems that formerly sat under the Republic’s rule are now seceding to join a Confederacy which, wouldn’t you know it, is being operated by a Jedi-Master-turned-Sith, Count Dooku. If that isn’t bad enough, Dooku is engineering a galactic-sized army of robotic drone troopers with the aim of toppling the Republic through might: the revelation of which leads to the mobilisation of the Republic’s secret army of clones, and the beginning of the Clone Wars.

4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Movie)

• Release Date: August 15, 2008
• Timeline Date: 22 BBY
• Starring: Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Tom Kane, Ian Abercrombie

The Clone Wars animated film details the beginning of the pivotal Clone Wars – a war for galactic dominance. The Republic fights to retain its power and peace, while the Confederacy (also called the Separatists) fight to begin a new galactic order under the control of Sith lord Count Dooku – or perhaps there is another Sith in play. 

The Clone Wars film didn’t light the world on fire when it first dropped, but it serves as the kicking off point for one of the franchise’s most lauded series, and introduces a number of new characters, such as Anakin’s apprentice Ahsoka and Dooku’s Sith assassin Asajj Ventress, who will go on to be pivotal parts of future entries.

5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Series)

• Release Date: October 3, 2008
• Timeline Date: 22 BBY
• Starring: Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Tom Kane, Ian Abercrombie

While the 2008 animated Clone Wars film sets the stage for the galactic conflict, this animated series dives deeper into the motivations of individuals throughout the three-year Clone War – using these characters as storytelling vessels to explore deeper and darker themes than the franchise often approaches.

While Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Dooku continue to be major players, the series also details numerous other warriors on both sides of the conflict in an effort to explore more varied stories. Also, it details the return of Darth Maul, and his subsequent hatred and rivalry for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

6. Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi

• Release Date: October 26, 2022
• Timeline Date: Various, up to 18 BBY
• Starring: Ashley Eckstein, Corey Burton

An anthology series that largely follows the parallel stories of Ahsoka Tano, Jedi apprentice of Anakin Skywalker, and Dooku, during his time as an apprentice to Qui-Gon Jinn. While the series jumps along the timeline, from before A Phantom Menace to the events of The Clone Wars, Tales of the Jedi largely tells fairly self-contained stories about each of these pivotal characters and how they came to be.

While the series itself can be safely watched almost in its entirety at this point in the timeline, I’d suggest saving the final episode for after having watched the next entry to avoid spoilers – if you haven’t already watched most of this stuff already.

7. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

• Release Date: May 19, 2005
• Timeline Date: 19 BBY
• Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson

The grand finale of the Clone Wars storyline, Revenge of the Sith details what happens when a Jedi warrior, forced to repress powerful emotions, finally gives in to temptation. Driven by love, anger, frustration, betrayal, and a drive for recognition, Anakin makes some… questionable choices throughout this film, usually at the behest of the Republic’s Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. 

As it turns out, Palpatine was a secretive Sith lord all along, and orchestrated the events of the past decade to get the Republic’s Senate to the point where they’re willing to cede all control of the galaxy to a single man – converting the Republic into an Empire. In doing so, Palpatine denounces the Jedi, making them galactic pariahs, and manages to turn Anakin to the dark side to become his new Sith apprentice, Darth Vader, after Amidala dies after giving birth to twins: Luke and Leia.

Following the collapse of the Republic any surviving Jedi flee into hiding, with Obi-Wan heading to Anakin’s home planet of Tatooine with baby Luke, and the Empire begins ruling with an iron fist.

Part 2: The Reign of the Empire

8. Star Wars: Tales of the Empire

• Release Date: May 4, 2024
• Timeline Date: 19 BBY – 9 ABY
• Starring: Diana Lee Inosanto, Meredith Salenger

The next few series are difficult to place in their entirety on the timeline, as they are anthology series’ that span quite a bit of time: both before the fall of the Republic, and into the rise (and fall) of the Empire. However, a majority of Tales of the Empire takes place within the period of time following the birth of the Empire, with Empire soldiers and Sith warriors hunting down Jedi in hiding.

9. Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld

• Release Date: 18 April, 2025
• Timeline Date: 56 BBY – 18 BBY
• Starring: Nick Futterman, Corey Burton

Another anthology series, Tales of the Underworld tells the tale of former Sith assassin Asajj Ventress as she begins aiding Jedi in hiding, and bounty hunter Cad Bane and his interactions with deputy marshal Niro – childhood friends, now on opposite sides of the law.

It’s a smaller scale take on the Star Wars mythos, with less focus on the grand battle of good and evil and more focus on the way people within the universe actually survive day-to-day. 

10. Star Wars: The Bad Batch

• Release Date: May 4, 2021
• Timeline Date: 19 BBY
• Starring: Dee Bradley Baker, Michelle Ang

The Bad Batch follows… well… the Bad Batch, a group of clone troopers who, due to a genetic mutation, were able to resist the reprogramming that caused a vast majority of clones to turn on the Jedi and immediately become the Empire’s lackeys. Instead, the Bad Batch escaped and took up work as bounty hunters – following in the footsteps of the clone trooper’s genetic model, Jango Fett.

The series also plants some seeds as to why the Empire eventually brings in conscripted Stormtroopers, rather than continue to utilise clones, and what that cloning technology may be used toward in future – a secretive ‘Project Necromancer’ that may just explain some things (way) down the line.

11. Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord

• Release Date: April 6, 2026
• Timeline Date: 17 BBY – 13 BBY
• Starring: Sam Witwer, Gideon Adlon, Wagner Moura

Somehow, Maul returns. After dropping the mantle of Sith (and the Darth from his name), the universe’s most edgy boy seeks a new purpose on a seedy, crime-ridden backwater planet, largely ignored by the tyrannical Empire, called Janix. 

Here, Maul hopes to take control of the planet’s underworld and become a force-powered crime boss, and manages to come into contact with someone who just may make a good apprentice – if that doesn’t sound fun to you, I don’t know what to tell you.

12. Solo: A Star Wars Story

• Release Date: May 25, 2018
• Timeline Date: 13BBY – 10 BBY
• Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover

An origin story that barely needed to exist, Solo explores the early life of renegade smuggler Han Solo, and details how he goes from being an Imperial infantryman to the roguish freelancer we know him to be. 

Along the way, Solo meets his best buddy Chewbacca, his charming rival Lando Calrissian, and ends up aboard the Millennium Falcon on his way to becoming hopelessly indebted to Tatooine’s crime lord, Jabba the Hutt. Everything is in its right place.

13. Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi

• Release Date: 26 May, 2022
• Timeline Date: 9 BBY
• Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen

After a fellow Jedi is killed on Tatooine, the now-reclusive Obi-Wan Kenobi takes up the mission of rescuing a kidnapped princess from the Empire’s clutches. That princess turns out to be Leia Organa, the daughter of his former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who Kenobi believes dead – until an Imperial inquisitor informs him that not only does Skywalker live on, but he does so as the tyrannical Darth Vader. 

Kenobi hopes that he may still be able to bring his former Padawan back to the side of light, but upon finally finding Vader he realises the man he knew is long gone and returns to his hermitage on Tatooine to protect and prepare his charge, Luke.

Part 3: Age of Rebellion

14. Star Wars Rebels

• Release Date: October 3, 2014
• Timeline Date: 9 BBY – 1 BBY
• Starring: Taylor Gray, Freddie Prinze Jr., Vanessa Barshall, Steve Blum

An animated series in the vein of The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels follows the early sparks of an organised rebellion against the all-powerful Empire, as well as continuing the story of many of the series’ most beloved characters in the years leading directly up to the moment the Empire is truly tested by the rise of Luke Skywalker.

Here, though, we largely follow a rag-tag starship crew uniting to take potshots against Imperial forces, with the likes of Darth Vader, Maul, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Emperor Palpatine, Wedge Antilles, C-3PO, Lando Calrissian, Princess Leia, and more getting quite a bit of airtime in the lead up to the beginning of Episode IV.

15. Andor: A Star Wars Story

• Release Date: September 21, 2022
• Timeline Date: 5 BBY – 1 BBY
• Starring: Diego Luna, Genevieve O’Reilly, Stellan Skarsgard

Operating in tandem with Star Wars Rebels to explore the beginning of the Rebellion, Andor narrows the scope down to focus on a smaller, more impactful story: the story of thief-turned-rebel spy Cassian Andor. The series covers the five years leading up to the events of Rogue One, with Andor growing increasingly disillusioned with the state of the universe under the Empire, and eventually deciding to ply his rogueish trade for a budding group of revolutionaries – culminating in the realisation of an Imperial superweapon being built in deep space.

Where many Star Wars spin-offs so far have been fairly action-heavy sci-fi fare following the battle between Jedi and Sith, Andor delves further into a more grounded, prestige tone, with its characters often being everyday citizens making the choice to stand up to a tyrannical regime, giving it a distinct feel within the broader Star Wars story.

16. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

• Release Date: 15 December, 2016
• Timeline Date: 13BBY – 1 BBY
• Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Forest Whitaker

Following directly on from the end of Andor, Rogue One follows Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso as they seek out Erso’s kidnapped father, Galen, who was pressed into service to build a superweapon with the intention of stamping out any potential resistance. While the pair go through hell, they do eventually manage to steal the plans for the weapon – known as a Death Star – and transmit it to the Rebellion mere seconds before the Death Star displays its power.

A film with a slightly darker tone than the rest of the franchise (save Andor), Rogue One finally brings us to the moment the original series kicked off.

17. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

• Release Date: May 25, 1977
• Timeline Date: 1 BBY – 0 ABY
• Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones

Originally titled Star Wars, A New Hope details the first major win against the seemingly all-powerful Empires – so impactful, in fact, that the universe literally changes how it measures time, from ‘Before the Battle of Yavin’ to ‘After the Battle of Yavin’. Luke Skywalker finally heeds the call of his destiny and joins the Rebellion after years of safety on the desert planet of Tatooine. Led by Obi-Wan Kenobi, and joined by smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca, the group stages a desperate rescue operation to save Princess Leia, though Kenobi is struck down by his former apprentice, Vader, in the scuffle.

Driven by his burgeoning control of the Force, and some guidance from Kenobi, Luke is able to deal the Empire a massive blow by striking a purpose-built weakness in the Death Star, left behind by its architect Galen Erso: destroying the superweapon, and weakening the Empire’s grasp on the universe at large.

It’s an absolute classic, and stands toe-to-toe with any modern sci-fi movie. If somehow you haven’t seen anything on this list, watch this one at minimum.

18. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

• Release Date: May 21, 1980
• Timeline Date: 3 ABY
• Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones

Despite launching to mixed reviews back in 1980, The Empire Strikes Back is perhaps the most beloved piece of Star Wars’ storytelling in the entire franchise. Here, Luke trains with Jedi Master Yoda in order to take on the Empire’s attack dog, Darth Vader, in an inevitable one-on-one lightsaber duel; Han Solo is betrayed by his former friend, Lando Calrissian, and is frozen in carbonite and retrieved by bounty hunter Boba Fett with the aim of cashing in on the bounty on his head; and Leia is saved by a repentant Calrissian and escapes the Empire’s clutches at the last minute.

And, when Luke and Vader finally meet, he is met with perhaps the greatest (and most well-known) twist of all time, with Vader finally informing the young Skywalker that he is, in fact, his father. Distraught, Luke is able to escape with Leia, and the film ends in a far darker place than A New Hope. 

19. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi

• Release Date: May 25, 1983
• Timeline Date: 4 ABY
• Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones

Perhaps taking some of the criticisms of Empire into account, Return of the Jedi maintains a slightly lighter tone than its predecessor: though still manages to tell a complex and complete story. It just offsets the darker philosophical leanings with a war-like tribe of alien teddy bears.

Here, reeling from their defeat in Empire, the Rebellion strikes back – with Luke and Leia saving Han from the grips of the crime lord Jabba the Hutt, before learning that a second Death Star is in construction. 

In order to get close to his fallen father, Luke surrenders to the Empire’s forces – coming face to face with both Vader and the shadowy Emperor Palpatine. Seeing Luke as a potential new Sith apprentice, the Emperor goads the Jedi and Sith to fight, and after Luke is triumphant Palpatine orders Luke to kill Vader and complete his transformation into a Sith. Unwilling, Luke is attacked by Palpatine, which causes Vader to finally snap back to the side of Light and throw the Emperor into a nearby exhaust shaft, killing him, and causing himself fatal wounds.

The day is saved, the Empire begins to crumble without its leadership, and Luke manages to forgive his father for being lured to the Dark side.

Part 4: The New Republic

20. Star Wars: The Mandalorian

• Release Date: November 12, 2019
• Timeline Date: 9 ABY
• Starring: Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff

Set five years after the death of Palpatine and Vader, The Mandalorian follows a Boba-Fett-like bounty hunter, Din Djarin, as he seeks out a force-sensitive Yoda-like child at the behest of what remains of the Empire. After finding his target, Grogu, Djarin decides instead to protect the child from its Imperial enemies, and begins a cat-and-mouse escape from Imperial Inquisitors and fellow bounty hunters – such as fellow Mandalorian, Boba Fett.

From there, the Djarin is tasked with transporting the child to what remains of the Jedi order, Ahsoka Tano and Luke Skywalker, in an effort to bolster the Light side of the force once again. 

21. Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

• Release Date: 29 December, 2021
• Timeline Date: 9 ABY
• Starring: Temuera Morrison, Ming-Na Wen, Pedro Pascal

Taking place within the gap between seasons two and three of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett sees the green-tinged Mandalorian attempting to take control of Tatooine’s criminal underworld following the death of Jabba the Hutt. While Fett has always been a purposefully vague character, he’s given a bit more depth here – with the bounty hunter seeking to finally take his future into his own hands, rather than work purely for others’ gain. 

22. Star Wars: Ahsoka

• Release Date: August 22, 2023
• Timeline Date: 9 ABY
• Starring: Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Hayden Christensen

Ahsoka follows the titular Jedi, and her apprentice Sabine Wren, as the pair seek out a surviving Imperial admiral who may have the power to unite what remains of the crumbling Empire into something to fear. Along the way, however, she’ll need to deal with her past as the apprentice of the disgraced and fallen Jedi Anakin Skywalker, in order to truly tap into the depths of the Force.

Along the way, Ahsoka will learn of a planet existing purely within the spiritual realm of the Force – Mortis – inhabited by three near-omnipotent beings known as the Mortis Gods., which becomes a new avenue for strength in an effort to displace Grand Admiral Thrawn. 

23. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

• Release Date: December 2, 2024
• Timeline Date: 9 ABY
• Starring: Jude Law, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith

A series more aimed at kids than die-hard Star Wars fans, Skeleton Crew tells the story of four children who join up with a roguish former Jedi, Jod Na Nawood, on an adventure to make their way back home after accidentally firing themselves off into space in an abandoned starship.

24. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

• Release Date: May 22, 2026
• Timeline Date: 11 ABY
• Starring: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Sigourney Weaver, Martin Scorsese

A cinematic follow-up to The Mandalorian series, this film (which was originally going to be a fourth season) sees Djarin and Grogu hunting down the remains of the Empire as bounty hunters. However, after a new job tasks the pair with rescuing a Hutt gladiator who, as it turns out, doesn’t want to be rescued, the bounty hunters are dragged into an ever-evolving escapade involving Imperial double-crosses, giant venomous snakes, and plenty of action. 

Part 5: Rise of the First Order

25. Star Wars: Resistance

• Release Date: October 7, 2018
• Timeline Date: 34 ABY
• Starring: Christopher Sean, Josh Brenner, Scott Lawrence

Resistance tells the story of a newly recruited member of the Resistance (which still exists, despite the fall of the Empire), Kaz, who takes up the role of spying on the crew of a refuelling station, the Colossus, in order to track the movements of the First Order – a splinter movement made up of Empire loyalists hoping to return the galaxy to their control, and led by a dangerous, hidden Sith Master and his hot-headed apprentice: Kylo Ren. 

The First Order are slowly exerting control over the station, which would effectively allow them to control the movement of starships through the surrounding region of space – something Kaz, and the Resistance, hope to thwart. 

26. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

• Release Date: December 18, 2015
• Timeline Date: 34 ABY
• Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

While the First Order grows in power, and the Resistance likewise prepares for an inevitable engagement, a disillusioned stormtrooper, Finn, escapes from a First Order starship with a captured Resistance pilot, Poe – crashing on the desert planet of Jakku. There, they meet a young scavenger, Rey, and the trio escape from the planet using an old “piece of junk” ship before the First Order can recapture them.

From there, the trio meet up with Han Solo and get drafted into the fight against the First Order, while Rey begins showing signs of being a natural-born Force user: putting her on a collision course with the First Order’s attack dog, Kylo Ren. 

The Force Awakens signaled the return of Star Wars to modern culture, and ends with Rey tracking down her own Jedi master to learn the ways of the force: an old, self-exiled Luke Skywalker.

27. Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

• Release Date: December 15, 2017
• Timeline Date: 34 ABY
• Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher

Quite the quandary of a film, The Last Jedi launched to critical and commercial acclaim, but any legitimate criticism from bolted-on fans was drowned out by a considerable review bombing campaign on audience-led sites, causing the film’s legacy to be a bit confusing.

An older Skywalker refuses to join the Resistance, and has come to believe the universe would be better off without the Jedi after he lost his former apprentice to the Dark side, Kylo Ren. Rey, learning of the good in Ren, decides to try to convert him, rather than defeat him. She sort of succeeds, managing to convince Ren to kill off the First Order’s supreme leader, Snoke – but the Sith offers to rule the galaxy alongside Rey, rather than turning a new leaf, causing her to reject him and escape.

After a series of Resistance failures and defeats to the First Order, a final group of survivors hold up on the planet of Crait. An enraged Ren attacks the Resistance base but is shocked to find his former master, Luke Skywalker, prepared to face him. After a particularly one-sided fight in Skywalker’s favour, Ren realises his opponent has simply spent the last of his life force to project himself there as a means of delaying the First Order’s attack, and the Resistance escapes.

28. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker

• Release Date: December 20, 2019
• Timeline Date: 35 ABY
• Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Ian McDiarmid, Billy Dee Williams

The final film in the modern trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker sees Rey, Finn, and Poe lead what is left of the Resistance against Kylo Ren’s empowered First Order. However, Ren may not be the only Sith Lord left among the First Order’s ranks – with potentially the most memed moment in the entire Star Wars saga letting the audience know that “somehow, Palpatine returned”. 

Regardless of how you feel about this, the stage is set for the Resistance to tackle the massive threat of the First Order head on in a final, climactic battle: as well as for Rey, Ren, and Palpatine to determine the future of the Force once and for all. 

What’s Next for the ‘Star Wars’ Franchise?

Confirmed Release Dates

• The Mandalorian & Grogu (Feature Film)
  • Release Date: 22 May 2026
  • Key Details: Directed by Jon Favreau; continues the story of Din Djarin and Grogu in cinemas.
• Ahsoka (Season 2) (Disney+ Series)
  • Release Date: Early 2027
  • Key Details: Written by Dave Filoni; picks up on the Peridea cliffhangers with Thrawn and Ezra.
• Star Wars: Starfighter (Feature Film)
  • Release Date: 28 May 2027
  • Key Details: Directed by Shawn Levy; stars Ryan Gosling in a standalone story set after Episode IX.

In Active Development (No Locked Release Date)

• New Jedi Order (Rey Movie): Directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, focusing on Rey rebuilding the Jedi Order 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker.
• Dave Filoni’s New Republic Crossover: A feature film planned to culminate the interconnected storylines of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and The Book of Boba Fett.
• Simon Kinberg’s Trilogy: A new mainline film trilogy being written and produced by Simon Kinberg (Star Wars Rebels co-creator).
• Dawn of the Jedi: Directed by James Mangold, exploring the origins of the Force and the very first Jedi Knights roughly 25,000 years in the past.
• Taika Waititi’s Untitled Movie: A standalone theatrical film project currently in script development.
• Lando: A feature film project centered on Lando Calrissian, written by Donald Glover and Stephen Glover.

Star Wars Chronological Order FAQs