How to Watch the Star Wars TV Shows in Order
Fans have tried to figure out how to watch their favorite Star Wars movies since Luke Skywalker first picked up a lightsaber. Back in the Original Trilogy days, they only worried about whether to watch them in chronological or release order with little care to other projects making appearances along the way.
Nowadays, though, TV shows don’t just present fun little snapshots into the adventures of characters like R2-D2 and C-3PO. They weave smaller storylines in with major trilogy plot points. So, in what order should fans watch newer Star Wars TV shows? Luckily, dedicated fans have taken the guesswork out of figuring it all out.
The Clone Wars
Understanding the Rebellion’s triumph against tyranny in the original Star Wars trilogy requires knowing how it first gained the upper hand. The Clone Wars chronicles important transformations and revelations — like Chancellor Palpatine’s rise to power as Darth Sidious, Emperor of the Galactic Empire.
The best watch order puts the animated series between Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. Anakin Skywalker’s Fall and transformation into Darth Vader and Palpatine using the clone troopers against the Jedi have ripple effects spanning multiple other storylines.
The Bad Batch
Watching General Leia haphazardly fight off stormtroopers in Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back makes one wonder: how did these unskilled fighters replace the clone troopers? The Empire strategically phased them out when it no longer had any use for them after Order 66 and the fall of the Jedi Order.
Years later, The Bad Batch uses the hilarious hijinks of its titular characters to finally reveal the fate of the clones. Captain Rex and Senator Riyo Chuchi tried to stop the inevitable in season 2 of the popular animated series. We’ll catch up on their progress in season 3 and get answers as to why clone troopers don’t exist outside of the prequel stories.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
In a galaxy far, far away, Han Solo steps into his legacy in Solo: A Star Wars Story. On a sandy planet even further away, Obi-Wan Kenobi has gone into hiding. After Anakin’s Fall kills Padmé Amidala and helps destroy the Republic, Obi-Wan struggles to pick up the pieces of a life left shattered after Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith.
Obi-Wan Kenobi connects the swaggering Obi-Wan from The Clone Wars with the somber Ben who trained Luke. Hence, the live-action show’s placement in the perfect Star Wars TV watch order. Plus, Obi-Wan’s confrontations with Darth Vader add emotional layers to their final fight in Star Wars IV: A New Hope.
Andor
As a grand space opera, Star Wars puts a lot of energy into sweeping moments between the Jedi, the Sith, and the Mandalorians. Andor, on the other hand, breaks down the bigger picture into complex parts. Watch Cassian Andor act as the reluctant hero in order to move towards a greater destiny.
Season 1 shows how his unfair imprisonment highlights the Empire’s dirty tactics in trying to quell the Rebellion. His forced labor helps build the first Death Star. Season 2 allegedly shows how Cassian’s road leads him to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. At this point, the galactic revolution has only begun.
Rebels
Star Wars TV fans love ragtag teams of characters joining forces to fight evil. So, naturally they took to the Ghost Crew of Rebels like tooka cats to sweetly causing problems on purpose. Their stories converging with those of fan-favorites like Darth Maul and Bo-Katan Kryze make the animated series even more beloved.
Watching Rebels in order updates fans on Mandalore’s fight for independence and the exciting return of the Jedi. This animated series fits nicely between Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars IV: A New Hope. It also sets up Ahsoka Tano’s return into the sequel storylines following her stint as a Rebel spy.
The Mandalorian (Seasons 1 & 2)
Five years after Star Wars VI: The Return of the Jedi, the galaxy has moved on from the original and prequel trilogies. The Mandalorian follows Din Djarin after he takes on the task of raising the Jedi youngling Grogu (aka Baby Yoda). He starts by looking for a mentor to show his adorable foundling the ways of the force.
Season 1 hints at the First Order. Ahsoka Tano refuses to train Grogu for fear of his powerful emotions, but Luke Skywalker later accepts him as an apprentice in season 2. All of this leads into Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens where everything has, like with the prequels before it, gone terribly awry.
The Book of Boba Fett star wars TV
Star Wars TV fans love an epic return. So, Lucasfilm gives them one with The Book of Boba Fett. Boba watches Mace Windu kill his father, Jango, in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones. He later returns as an angry teen in The Clone Wars only to end up thrown into a Sarlacc pit in Star Wars VI: The Return of the Jedi.
Boba re-emerges in his old armor to become the Daimyo (leader) of Mos Espa and Tatooine. He gets in touch with his Mandalorian roots with the help of a Tusken tribe. Djarin reunites with Grogu while helping Boba fight local thugs. So, fans will just have to keep watching in order to see where his story goes next.
The Mandalorian (Season 3)
Djarin and Grogu hit the road once more in season 3 of The Mandalorian. Djarin seeks redemption for showing his face to Grogu before the foundling officially joined his clan. When it takes a turn for the worst, Bo-Katan leaves her lonely throne to rescue him. Thus, Djarin joins her in her own path toward Mandalorian leadership.
Flashbacks finally reveal how Grogu survived the assault on the Jedi temple in Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. The Mandalorians fight Moth Gideon to stop his truly sinister intentions for Mandalore. The First Order, meanwhile, lingers on the edge of this live-action series and watches for the perfect time to take control ahead of the sequel trilogy.
Ahsoka
Ahsoka Tano first emerged as more of an annoying little sister to Anakin Skywalker. Her growth in both confidence and power throughout the series, however, eventually endeared fans to her. So much so that she eventually gets to strut into newer Star Wars TV storylines with her own compelling live-action series.
In many ways, Ahsoka occurs alongside The Mandalorian as all roads lead toward the sequel trilogy, like how she appears during Grogu’s Jedi training. In others, though, fans watch enthralled as her path leads toward an ending that’s never been explored before. Fans can only watch with bated breath to see what comes next.
Resistance
Star Wars TV delivers a thrilling storyline leading into the sequel trilogy with Resistance. The animated series follows New Republic pilot Kazuda Xiono’s discovery of the First Order. The Resistance, an off-shoot of the Rebellion, recruits him as a spy when they star sensing new horrors emerging from the edge of the galaxy.
Poe Dameron and Kylo Ren join other fan-favorite characters in making surprise appearances in seasons 1 and 2. Where other shows only allude to the First Order, Resistance plainly announces its arrival. Fans can watch the series tackle new villains, go on unexplored journeys, and bring fresh stories into an old fandom.
Some Star Wars TVfans won’t agree with this particular watch, which we totally don’t mind! Part of the fun in joining fandom stems from having really strong opinions about it. Hopefully, though, this will give seasoned and newbie fans alike a starting point on their next TV show binge.