What Order Should You Watch The Star Wars Movies

Whether you're planning a Star Wars marathon or are just trying to piece together the epic story from a galaxy far, far away, pinning down the order in which you’re going to watch the films (and even which films you'll include in your marathon) is key. Easy, right?

While you might be used to a film series being released in chronological order, that certainly isn't what you should expect from the George Lucas-turned-Disney franchise. The 'first' Star Wars movie - released in 1977 - isn't the best starting point and the latest film - 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story - certainly isn't the end.

So, in what order should you watch the Star Wars movies? You have a few options.

Watch Star Wars in Episode Order

The Order

1. The Phantom Menace
2. Attack of the Clones
3. Revenge of the Sith
4. Solo: A Star Wars Story
5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
6. A New Hope
7. The Empire Strikes Back
8. The Return of the Jedi
9. The Force Awakens
10. The Last Jedi

The Pros and Cons

If you're a Star Wars fan - especially the type of die-hard fan who finds themselves in heated debates about characters, plot and viewing order - you've almost certainly found yourself arguing about which episode of Star Wars is the 'first'.

Is the 'first' in the series the film that was released first (Episode IV - A New Hope) or Episode I - A Phantom Menace? If you chose to watch the films in episode order, the answer is clearly Episode I - A Phantom Menace. By watching the films this way, the story unfolds chronologically. There's no jumping around, no flashbacks and you'll get at least some back story on the main characters.

The drawback? You're starting with (arguably) the worst film in the series and will have to time travel between the CGI-heavy prequels and the basic effects of the originals.

Watch Star Wars in Release Order

The Order

1. A New Hope
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Return of the Jedi
4. The Phantom Menace
5. Attack of the Clones
6. Revenge of the Sith
7. The Force Awakens
8. Rogue One
9. The Last Jedi
10. Solo

The Pros and Cons

For most of us, this is how we watched the story unfold over the last several decades. It’s a mess of prequels and sequels that hops back and forth from the past to the future so much that it’s almost impossible to keep up.

But, by watching the original trilogy first (yes, it was originally a trilogy) and then moving on to the prequel, you'll experience the big twist as it was meant to be experienced.

*Spoiler Alert*: Darth Vader is Luke’s father.

As mentioned, the drawback of watching the films in production order is that the whole franchise can seem slightly disjointed. Over the course of 22 hours and 15 minutes, you'll have to endure five time skips and watch dubiously as actors like Hayden Christensen are suddenly thrust into the mix as replacements. But why not, if not for the sake of a purist's approach?

Watch Star Wars in Rinster Order

The Order

1. A New Hope
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. The Phantom Menace
4. Attack of the Clone
5. Revenge of the Sith
6. The Return of the Jedi
7. The Force Awakens
8. The Last Jedi

The Pros and Cons

If you're more concerned about the story arc and preserving the twist, the Rinster Order is for you. Named after Ernest Rinster, the fan who created it, this viewing order starts with the first original two films then jumps to prequels before returning to the third instalment in the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi.

Why? Well... why not?

Like we said, you preserve the twist, start with one of the best films and, with Return of the Jedi leading directly into The Force Awakens, you're left in a perfect position to enjoy the new trilogy.

Watch Star Wars in Machete Order

The Order

1. A New Hope
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Attack of the Clones
4. Revenge of the Sith
5. Return of the Jedi
6. The Force Awakens
7. The Last Jedi

The Pros and Cons

We can't pick favourites, but we can say that we've saved the best for last...at least in terms of the common consensus amongst Star Wars fans.

Like the Rinster Order, the Machete Order was created by a superfan. This time, a software developer named Rod Hilton. By watching the films this way, you'll see Luke Skywalker evolve from a farmhand to a hero, the prequels behave like flashbacks, the twist remains climactic and you get to skip The Phantom Menace which allows you to draw important parallels between Luke and Anakin. In short, it's the best way to experience the story of Luke Skywalker.

Of course, by choosing to watch the movies in this order, you're leaving out some instalments. While these aren't necessary to understand the story (use your imagination!) it is worth mentioning.

Other Options

While the above are the most popular - or at least common - orders to watch the Star Wars movie, it certainly isn't a definitive list.

You could watch the uncut, theatrical versions of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi before watching newer, revamped versions to really appreciate today's special effects and to see the changes that have been made since the original trilogy.

Another option is to watch the films in 'alternating' order in order to compare instalments with another from a separate trilogy. To simplify it, you'd watch three 'part ones' in a row, then three 'part twos' then three 'part threes'.

This would have you watching the films in the following order:

1. A New Hope
2. The Phantom Menace
3. The Force Awakens
4. The Empire Strikes Back
5. Attack of the Clones
6. The Last Jedi
7. Return of the Jedi
8. Revenge of the Sith

Conclusion

No matter how you plan to watch the Star Wars movies, we hope you have a good chunk of time set aside. Watching these movies back-to-back will take you upwards of 20 hours! Well worth it, of course.

Ready to start your movie marathon? Rent Star Wars today and catch up just in time for the final Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker!