Star Wars Timeline: Every Movie and Show in Story Order

The Star Wars timeline spans from The Acolyte, about 100 years before The Phantom Menace, to The Rise of Skywalker, a year after Crait, with numbered gaps for The Acolyte (100 years before), Attack of the Clones (10 years after Naboo), Revenge of the Sith (3 years into the Clone Wars), Obi-Wan Kenobi (10 years after Revenge of the Sith) and The Force Awakens (30 years after the Empire fell). Several entries have no stated gap in years and are placed by order only.

The full viewing sequence for the films alone lives on our Star Wars Movies in Order page.

The earliest story in the Star Wars timeline is The Acolyte (2024), a Disney+ series set in the High Republic era about 100 years before The Phantom Menace. Variety describes it as taking place in the final days of that era, and the series ran for one season before it was canceled in August 2024.

Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae lead the cast as Mae (Osha Aniseya) and Master Sol. No direct plot link to any specific film has been established, so it works as a standalone starting point for the chart.

The main Skywalker saga story begins with The Phantom Menace (1999), the first film in chronological order even though it was the fourth released. Directed by George Lucas, it opens with the Trade Federation blockading the peaceful planet Naboo, a scheme secretly directed by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious.

The Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi rescue Queen Amidala, stop on Tatooine to repair their ship and meet Anakin Skywalker, an enslaved boy whom Qui-Gon believes may be the Chosen One. The film ends with Darth Maul killing Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan defeating Maul, Senator Palpatine becoming Chancellor and Obi-Wan agreeing to train Anakin.

Palpatine's rise as Chancellor here runs through the next two prequels. Read the full account on our The Phantom Menace (1999) page.

Ten years after The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones (2002) sees Count Dooku's separatist movement shake the Republic and the Clone Wars begin. Directed by George Lucas, the film has Padmé Amidala survive an assassination attempt, and the Jedi Council assigns Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to guard her.

The story splits into two threads. Obi-Wan follows clues to Kamino and finds a clone army grown from the bounty hunter Jango Fett, while Anakin and Padmé fall in love on Naboo and Anakin loses his mother on Tatooine. A large battle on Geonosis follows, and Dooku cuts off Anakin's right arm.

The closing image is a secret wedding on Naboo, with only C-3PO and R2-D2 as witnesses. Our Attack of the Clones (2002) page has the cast and credits.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film 2008, series 2008 to 2020) takes place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The theatrical film, directed by Dave Filoni, came first, and the animated series followed on Cartoon Network in fall 2008.

The film introduces Ahsoka Tano, who is assigned to Anakin Skywalker as his apprentice, and centers on a mission to find Rotta, the kidnapped infant son of Jabba the Hutt. It ends with the Hutts agreeing to a treaty that gives the Republic passage through their territory.

The series ran for seven seasons: five on Cartoon Network, a sixth on Netflix in 2014 and a final season on Disney+ in 2020. Season 7 covers the siege of Mandalore and leads into Revenge of the Sith. For the film alone, see Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008).

The Republic falls in Revenge of the Sith (2005), three years into the Clone Wars, when Palpatine reveals himself as Darth Sidious and Order 66 turns the clone troopers on the Jedi. Directed by George Lucas, the film opens with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker rescuing Chancellor Palpatine from General Grievous, and Anakin kills Count Dooku at Palpatine's urging.

The film then turns to Anakin's fear for Padmé, who is pregnant. Mace Windu is killed, and Anakin kneels to become Darth Vader. Obi-Wan and Anakin duel on Mustafar, and Padmé dies after giving birth to Luke and Leia.

The twins are hidden, Luke on Tatooine under Obi-Wan's watch and Leia with Bail Organa on Alderaan. Our Revenge of the Sith (2005) page covers the film in full.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars Rebels and Solo: A Star Wars Story all sit between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, with The Bad Batch set directly after Order 66 and Obi-Wan Kenobi ten years after Revenge of the Sith. Star Wars: The Bad Batch follows Clone Force 99 and a young clone girl named Omega across three seasons from 2021 to 2024.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) has Ewan McGregor returning as Obi-Wan Kenobi, exiled on Tatooine, and Hayden Christensen returning as Darth Vader. It is a six episode story that bridges the prequels and A New Hope.

Star Wars Rebels, which began on October 3, 2014, follows the crew of the starship Ghost during the same general stretch, as the Empire consolidates control. Disney gives no exact year gap for it, so it sits in the era between the prequel and original trilogies.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), directed by Ron Howard, follows a young Han Solo from Corellia through the Kessel Run. It comes after Revenge of the Sith and before Rogue One, and no gap in years is stated. See Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).

Yes, Andor is a prequel to Rogue One, and its second season ends where the film begins. The series, made for Disney+ by creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy, ran for two seasons and 24 episodes between 2022 and 2025.

Season 1 covers one year of Cassian Andor's life, from scavenger to committed rebel, and season 2 covers the next four, so the series spans the five years before Rogue One. Diego Luna (Cassian Andor), Alan Tudyk (K-2SO) and Ben Mendelsohn (Orson Krennic) carry their roles over from the film.

Rogue One (2016), directed by Gareth Edwards, then shows the Rebels stealing the Death Star plans on Scarif. Jyn Erso and Cassian die, Darth Vader storms the Rebel flagship and Leia receives the plans, which leads directly into the 1977 film. Our Rogue One (2016) page has the details.

Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope (1977), originally released as Star Wars, is the point where the Rebels destroy the first Death Star. Directed by George Lucas, it was the first film released, and it comes right after Rogue One in story order.

Leia hides the stolen plans in R2-D2, who flees to Tatooine with C-3PO, where Luke Skywalker meets Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan lets Darth Vader strike him down during the duel, and Luke fires his torpedoes into the exhaust port to blow up the station. Vader survives, spinning away into space.

The film closes on a medal ceremony at the Rebel base. See A New Hope (1977) for the full page.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980) is the second film of the original trilogy and picks up some time after the Death Star was destroyed. Directed by Irvin Kershner, it finds the Rebel Alliance hiding on the ice planet Hoth, where Imperial probe droids reveal the base and the Rebels fight a delaying battle so the leadership can escape.

The heroes then split. Luke flies to Dagobah to train with Yoda, while Han, Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO flee in the Millennium Falcon to Cloud City, run by Lando Calrissian. Han is frozen in carbonite and handed to Boba Fett, and Vader tells Luke that he is his father after cutting off Luke's hand.

The film ends with the group deciding to go after Han. Our The Empire Strikes Back (1980) page covers the detail.

Return of the Jedi (1983) ends the original trilogy by breaking the Empire. Directed by Richard Marquand, it opens with the rescue of Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt's palace, after which Luke returns to Dagobah and Yoda confirms that Vader is his father.

The Empire is secretly building a second Death Star near the forest moon of Endor, protected by a shield generator on the surface. Han and Leia lead a strike team with the help of the Ewoks, while Luke gives himself up to confront Vader and the Emperor.

Vader turns on his master and kills him, and then dies himself. The second Death Star is destroyed, and Luke sees the Force spirits of Obi-Wan, Yoda and the redeemed Anakin Skywalker. See Return of the Jedi (1983).

The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) is set in the New Republic era, after Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens, with no exact number of years stated. It shares that stretch of time with the series that lead up to it.

The Mandalorian (Disney+, three seasons from 2019 to 2023) follows the bounty hunter Din Djarin and the child who becomes known as Grogu. The Book of Boba Fett (2021 to 2022) is set within The Mandalorian timeline, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (December 2024 to January 2025) shares its period. Ahsoka (Disney+ series, 2023) is set in the New Republic era after the Empire fell, and season 1 centered on the search for Grand Admiral Thrawn. Season 2 is scheduled for January 20, 2027.

The Mandalorian and Grogu, directed by Jon Favreau, has Din and Grogu working for the New Republic and hunting leftover Imperial warlords, with the rescue of Rotta, the son of Jabba the Hutt, at the center of the story. See The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026).

The sequel trilogy begins thirty years after the Empire fell with The Force Awakens (2015), directed by J.J. Abrams. A new military power called the First Order hunts for the missing Luke Skywalker, and a scavenger named Rey joins Finn, Poe Dameron and BB-8 in the search. Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) kills his father Han Solo, and Rey finds Luke on a remote island.

The Last Jedi (2017), directed by Rian Johnson, follows a Resistance fleet fleeing the First Order while Rey asks Luke for training. Luke buys the Resistance time on Crait and dies, and Kylo Ren declares himself Supreme Leader.

The Rise of Skywalker (2019), also directed by J.J. Abrams, is set a year after Crait. The resurrected Emperor Palpatine waits on Exegol, Rey defeats him, Ben Solo gives up his life, and Rey buries the lightsabers on Tatooine as Rey Skywalker. The Rise of Skywalker is the last Skywalker saga film in chronological order. Our pages are The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Use the Star Wars timeline as a spine of nine Skywalker saga films with series and spin-offs placed around them, and watch in chronological order only on a return viewing. In my opinion the spine matters more than the gaps: several placements are known by order only, and I would rather leave them that way than invent a year.

For a first watch, release order is the better choice. It lets the Vader reveal in The Empire Strikes Back land as a surprise, whereas chronological order gives it away in Revenge of the Sith. For a return viewer, though, it could be argued that the story date line is more rewarding, since Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor and Rogue One feed neatly into A New Hope.

In one sentence, the timeline covers roughly a century of High Republic era story, the prequel crisis, the Empire, the Rebellion, the New Republic and the First Order, with The Rise of Skywalker as the last Skywalker saga film in order.

One film falls outside the story order so far. Star Wars: Starfighter is due May 28, 2027. Our Star Wars: Starfighter page tracks its status. If you are new to this, start from our Star Wars Movies hub and then use the watch order page for the film sequence.