Here's the best way to watch all the Star Wars movies in order. There's a sense in which Star Wars has always been told out of order; George Lucas retitled the first Star Wars movie as "Episode IV," confirmiing he'd dropped viewers in partway through the story he intended to tell. He wrapped up the original trilogy, only to return to tell the prequels years later. Lucas set a pattern that Star Wars has stuck to ever since, with movies and TV shows hopping around the timeline.

This, naturally, means everyone has their own opinion on the best way to watch Star Wars in order. Mark Hamill's preferred viewing order is by release date, for example, while others like to watch an in-universe chronological order. There's even more debate over whether you should integrate the ever-expanding range of Star Wars TV shows into the mix. Here are the best ways to watch Star Wars in order.

How To Watch Star Wars Movies In Release Order

The most basic Star Wars viewing order, efficient but hops around the timeline

Mark Hamill's recommended viewing order is the simplest - by release date. It means you start with the Star Wars original trilogy, before stepping back in time for the prequels, and then finally head to the most recent sequel trilogy. This viewing order has the benefit of keeping a sense of surprise around some of the big plot twists if you're a first-time viewer. Anthology movies Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Solo: A Star Wars Story slot in quite neatly, giving valuable backstory on the ideas and characters in the original trilogy.

Pros: There's a reason Mark Hamill prefers watching Star Wars by release order; it's simple and effective. It preserves many of the key twists, so anyone watching this who's not already spoiled on major twists will be taken aback when they happen.

Cons: Watching Star Wars in release order can be a little frustrating, simply because the story tends to jump around the timeline quite a bit. It's clearly not how George Lucas himself intended it, given he views the prequels as the first three chapters of his saga. More recent releases become even more difficult to navigate, with the sequels interspersed with fairly random steps back in time.

Watching The Star Wars Movies In Chronological Order

Navigating the Star Wars timeline

If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, you may want to watch Star Wars in its in-universe chronological order. The Star Wars timeline tends to center around the Battle of Yavin in the 1977 movie, and events are dated either "BBY" (Before Battle of Yavin) or "ABY" (After Battle of Yavin). This viewing experience is very different, giving a sense of the age of time and the growth of characters and concepts in the Star Wars galaxy. There are fewer surprise twists in the original trilogy, but the added context means many scenes resonate even more powerfully.

Star Wars Movies’ Timeline

For those who only want to watch the Star Wars movies without getting into several shows, viewing the films in chronological order works. There will always be a debate on how Star Wars should be watched – chronologically or by release. That said, considering that most people are already familiar with the biggest reveals from the original Star Wars trilogy, watching Star Wars chronologically may not be a problem in of “spoiling” things. Disney’s Star Wars spinoffs, Solo and Rogue One, must also be considered in the Star Wars chronological viewing order.

This chronological Star Wars watch order begins with Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine, covering George Lucas' Star Wars prequel trilogy before it gets into the Disney-era spinoffs. Both Solo and Rogue One are set between the prequels and the original trilogy, with Rogue One's ending leading directly into A New Hope. The original trilogy ends with Return of the Jedi, and there's then a massive jump forward to the sequels.

Pros: This is closer to the Star Wars viewing order George Lucas himself seems to have hoped people would enjoy. It allows viewers to fully understand character arcs, and appreciate the rhyming pattern Lucas loved. The relationship between the Disney anthology movies and the original trilogy is clearer than ever, with Rogue One's setup for the 1977 Star Wars movie proving to be particularly effective.

Cons: Twists in the Star Wars original trilogy don't land as well, because they were clearly set up or signposted in the prequels.

Our Favorite Star Wars Viewing Order (It's A Little Different)

An unusual approach that maintains many of the key surprises

In our view, the best Star Wars viewing order is a little more creative. In 2011, Rod Hilton proposed what he called the "Machete Order" - an innovative attempt to create a viewing order that doesn't spoil many original trilogy twists. The Machete Order is flawed, because Hilton had no love for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, and skipped it. But the best Star Wars viewing order borrows from this - and goes a step further, integrating the sequel trilogy and Lucasfilm's anthology films.

Pros: This Star Wars viewing order uses Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as a prologue, setting up the Death Star and Darth Vader. It is only after The Empire Strikes Back's revelations that it reveals Darth Vader was telling the truth, and certain parallels add suspense to Return of the Jedi. George Lucas always claimed Star Wars is like poetry, in that it rhymes, and this viewing order helps reveal the rhyme scheme.

Cons: The main problem with this Star Wars viewing order is the loss of momentum after The Empire Strikes Back. While most of the reveals are preserved, there is one involving Luke and Leia that is revealed in the final scenes of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. The placement of Solo: A Star Wars Story feels a little arbitrary, but nonetheless works in ensuring viewers have as strong a link to Han Solo as possible before Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Where The Canon TV Shows Fit Into Your Star Wars Watch Order

How To Watch Star Wars TV Shows In Release Order

It's pretty easy to watch the Star Wars movies in release order, but doing so with the TV shows is rather more challenging. Still, some viewers may choose to take this approach, although few will choose to integrate the movies and TV shows into a single viewing experience - it would take far too long. Here are the release dates of the various canon Star Wars TV shows; for the sake of conciseness, the list tends to group seasons together, except in The Mandalorian era, where the shows are beginning to cross over.

Watching The Star Wars TV Shows In Timeline Order

Except for the first three Tales of the Jedi episodes, which all take place before The Phantom Menace, all Star Wars TV shows happen during and/or between two Star Wars movies. As such, watching the Star Wars TV shows in chronological order without checking the movies can be a bit confusing. However, for those who are already familiar with Star Wars and plan on catching up with the TV shows, the chronological order works perfectly fine. Disney’s Star Wars shows make up the majority of Star Wars’ canon TV shows, which includes both live-action and animated productions.

It's important to note George Lucas' Star Wars: The Clone Wars followed an anthology structure, meaning the episodes were told out of order. Viewers who want to follow those particular stories in order will need to refer to a guide on how to watch the Clone Wars in chronological order, which is outside the remit of this particular piece. Still, with that exception, here's a guide to the Star Wars TV shows in timeline order.

Whatever approach you choose to take, there will always be more to the ongoing Star Wars story. The last few years have seen Lucasfilm successfully establish Star Wars as a trailblazing transmedia franchise, while four movies are in the works - meaning it won't be long until Star Wars returns to the big screen. These viewing orders are only going to grow.