Star Wars Viewing Order

A family-friendly Star Wars viewing tracker with canon, release-order, and expanded chronological guides in one README.

Built for watching Star Wars with my kids, tracking progress together, and using each update as a small Git commit lesson.

Table of Contents

• Why This Repo Exists
• Our Family Progress Tracker
• Progress Snapshot
• How We Use It
• Fork and Sync
• Dynamic Stats and Automation
• Canon-Only Recommended Order
• Release Order Reference
• Expanded Chronological Guide
• Announced and Upcoming Projects
• Accuracy Notes
• Support This Project
• Image Credits and Sources

Why This Repo Exists

This repo started as a simple way to track a Star Wars watch-through with my kids.

We wanted to work through the saga in chronological order, keep our place, and use the checklist as a practical way to teach basic Git habits like editing a file, making a commit, and building progress over time.

If you found this repo because you were searching for a Star Wars viewing order, chronological Star Wars watch order, or a Star Wars release order tracker, that is exactly what this project is designed to help with.

Our Family Progress Tracker

This is the checklist we actually update as we watch. The reference sections below stay untracked on purpose so they remain easy to compare against official guidance.

Current Watch Path

• The Acolyte
• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
• Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles
• Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated movie
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars series
• Tales of the Jedi
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
• Tales of the Empire
• Tales of the Underworld
• Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord
• Star Wars: The Bad Batch
• Solo: A Star Wars Story
• Obi-Wan Kenobi
• Andor
• Star Wars: Rebels
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
• Star Wars: Droids
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
• Star Wars Holiday Special
• Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
• Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures
• Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales
• Ewoks
• The Mandalorian
• The Book of Boba Fett
• Ahsoka
• Skeleton Crew
• Star Wars: Resistance
• Lego Star Wars: The Resistance Rises
• Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
• Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
• Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
• The Mandalorian and Grogu
• Star Wars: Starfighter
• Star Wars: Forces of Destiny
• Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi

Progress Snapshot

Collection	Watched	Total	Progress
Family tracker	24	40	60%
Canon core tracker	16	29	55%
Skywalker Saga films	6	9	67%
Lego, legacy, and bonus extras	8	11	73%

How We Use It

1. Watch the next title in the family checklist.
2. Change [ ] to [x] when finished.
3. Commit the update so the kids can see progress in Git history.

Example:

git add README.md
git commit -m "Mark Andor as watched"

The progress badges and snapshot table above can be updated automatically by running:

python3 scripts/update_readme_stats.py

Fork and Sync

If you want to track your own family progress and still pick up new titles or ordering fixes from this project, the right workflow is to fork first, then clone your fork.

1. Fork the repo on GitHub

Create your own copy of:

• https://github.com/ericchapman80/star-wars-viewing-order

2. Clone your fork

Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your GitHub username:

git clone git@github.com:YOUR_USERNAME/star-wars-viewing-order.git
cd star-wars-viewing-order

3. Add the original repo as upstream

git remote add upstream git@github.com:ericchapman80/star-wars-viewing-order.git
git remote -v

4. Track your watch progress in your fork

Update the family checklist in README.md, then commit your progress:

python3 scripts/update_readme_stats.py
git add README.md
git commit -m "Mark Ahsoka as watched"
git push origin main

5. Pull in future upstream updates

When this repo gets new entries, order fixes, or README improvements, sync your fork like this:

git fetch upstream
git checkout main
git merge upstream/main
git push origin main

This keeps your personal tracker while still letting you inherit updates from the source repo.

Dynamic Stats and Automation

This repo includes a small automation layer so the progress badges and snapshot table stay aligned with the checklist.

How the dynamic stats work

• The family checklist in README.md is the source of truth.
• update_readme_stats.py reads the checklist entries between the family-tracker markers.
• The script recalculates Family tracker, Canon core tracker, Skywalker Saga films, and Lego, legacy, and bonus extras.
• It then rewrites the badge block and the Progress Snapshot table in the README.

Run it locally

After changing any checklist item from [ ] to [x], run:

python3 scripts/update_readme_stats.py

Then commit the updated README.md.

GitHub Action

This repo also includes a GitHub Action at update-readme-stats.yml.

It runs when one of these files changes:

• README.md
• update_readme_stats.py
• update-readme-stats.yml

The workflow:

• checks out the repository
• sets up Python
• runs the stats update script
• commits README.md if the generated values changed
• pushes the update back to the current branch

Editing guidance

• Update the checklist items inside the Our Family Progress Tracker section.
• Do not manually edit the badge block or the Progress Snapshot numbers unless you also plan to update the script behavior.
• Keep checklist titles consistent, because the stats script groups entries by exact title text.

Canon-Only Recommended Order

This is the cleaned-up canon-only Star Wars viewing order based on the official StarWars.com viewing guide, with a few notes where anthology series span multiple time periods.

Order	Title	Notes
1	The Acolyte	Earliest currently released live-action canon entry
2	Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
3	Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
4	Star Wars: The Clone Wars	Start with the 2008 movie, then continue into the series
5	Tales of the Jedi	Spans multiple eras; this is a practical placement
6	Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
7	Tales of the Empire	Spans multiple eras; placement here is approximate
8	Tales of the Underworld	Spans multiple eras; placement here is approximate
9	Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord	Officially set after The Clone Wars in the early Empire era
10	Star Wars: The Bad Batch
11	Solo: A Star Wars Story
12	Obi-Wan Kenobi
13	Andor	Runs close to Rebels in the broader timeline
14	Star Wars: Rebels	Runs close to Andor in the broader timeline
15	Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	Direct lead-in to Episode IV
16	Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
17	Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
18	Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
19	The Mandalorian
20	The Book of Boba Fett	Best watched after early Mandalorian seasons
21	Ahsoka
22	Skeleton Crew	New Republic era
23	The Mandalorian and Grogu	Upcoming theatrical story tied to the New Republic era
24	Star Wars: Resistance	Starts before Episode VII and continues into that period
25	Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
26	Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
27	Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
28	Star Wars: Starfighter	Officially set about five years after Episode IX

Optional canon side content not included in the core order above:

• Young Jedi Adventures is canon, but it is aimed at a much younger audience and is usually treated as optional side viewing.

Release Order Reference

This section is for the classic release-order Star Wars watch experience.

Release	Year	Title	Format
1	1977	Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope	Film
2	1980	Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back	Film
3	1983	Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi	Film
4	1999	Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace	Film
5	2002	Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones	Film
6	2005	Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith	Film
7	2008	Star Wars: The Clone Wars	Film
8	2008	Star Wars: The Clone Wars	Series
9	2014	Star Wars: Rebels	Series
10	2015	Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens	Film
11	2016	Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	Film
12	2017	Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi	Film
13	2018	Solo: A Star Wars Story	Film
14	2018	Star Wars: Resistance	Series
15	2019	The Mandalorian	Series
16	2019	Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker	Film
17	2021	Star Wars: The Bad Batch	Series
18	2021	The Book of Boba Fett	Series
19	2022	Obi-Wan Kenobi	Series
20	2022	Andor	Series
21	2022	Tales of the Jedi	Series
22	2023	Ahsoka	Series
23	2024	The Acolyte	Series
24	2024	Tales of the Empire	Series
25	2024	Skeleton Crew	Series
26	2025	Tales of the Underworld	Series
27	2026	Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord	Series
28	2026	The Mandalorian and Grogu	Film
29	2027	Star Wars: Starfighter	Film

Expanded Chronological Guide

This is the broader collector-style chronological Star Wars viewing order. It uses the canon timeline as the spine, then adds Lego, legacy, and bonus entries where they fit best for a fun family watch-through.

Canon Spine

Order	Title	Type
1	The Acolyte	Canon
2	Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace	Canon
3	Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones	Canon
4	Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie and series	Canon
5	Tales of the Jedi	Canon anthology
6	Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith	Canon
7	Tales of the Empire	Canon anthology
8	Tales of the Underworld	Canon anthology
9	Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord	Canon
10	Star Wars: The Bad Batch	Canon
11	Solo: A Star Wars Story	Canon
12	Obi-Wan Kenobi	Canon
13	Andor	Canon
14	Star Wars: Rebels	Canon
15	Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	Canon
16	Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope	Canon
17	Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back	Canon
18	Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi	Canon
19	The Mandalorian	Canon
20	The Book of Boba Fett	Canon
21	Ahsoka	Canon
22	Skeleton Crew	Canon
23	The Mandalorian and Grogu	Canon
24	Star Wars: Resistance	Canon
25	Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens	Canon
26	Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi	Canon
27	Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker	Canon
28	Star Wars: Starfighter	Canon

Suggested Bonus Placements

These are not official canon chronology placements. They are included because they make the watch-through more fun and more complete for kids, collectors, and franchise completists.

Suggested spot	Title	Type	Placement note
After Episode II	Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles	Lego	Fun prequel-era companion
After Episode II	Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace	Lego	Fits well as a light prequel-era extra
Before Episode IV	Star Wars: Droids	Legacy	Pre-original-trilogy legacy placement
After Episode IV	Star Wars Holiday Special	Legacy	Best treated as an original-trilogy curiosity
After Episode IV	Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out	Lego	Works as a playful post-ANH extra
After Episode VI	Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures	Lego	Sits comfortably around the post-OT period
After Episode VI	Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales	Lego	Best treated as a saga recap bonus
After Episode VI	Ewoks	Legacy	Practical legacy placement rather than strict canon timing
Before Episode VII	Lego Star Wars: The Resistance Rises	Lego	Useful lead-in to the sequel era
Around the sequel era	Star Wars: Forces of Destiny	Bonus anthology	Spans several eras, so placement is flexible
Around the sequel-to-post-sequel transition	Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi	Bonus anthology	Part of the Visions line, treated as a separate continuity

Announced and Upcoming Projects

These are included so the tracker stays current and forward-looking. Dates below are the latest official windows currently published on StarWars.com.

Project	Category	Status as of March 8, 2026	Release timing
Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord	Canon series	Announced, with dated premiere	April 6, 2026
The Mandalorian and Grogu	Canon film	Announced, with dated theatrical release	May 22, 2026
Star Wars: Starfighter	Canon film	Announced, in production; theatrical date announced	Memorial Day 2027
Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi	Visions spin-off	Announced, release year announced	2026

Accuracy Notes

• The canon chronology in this README was checked against the official StarWars.com guide published on May 4, 2025.
• Upcoming additions were checked against official StarWars.com announcements current as of March 8, 2026.
• The Rise of Skywalker belongs in 2019 for release order.
• The Bad Batch released before The Book of Boba Fett in 2021, so it appears first in release order here.
• Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord is placed in the early Empire era because official copy states it is set after The Clone Wars.
• The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter are included as future canon films; Starfighter is listed after Episode IX based on official wording that it is set about five years later.
• Tales of the Jedi, Tales of the Empire, Tales of the Underworld, and Forces of Destiny all span multiple time periods, so any single linear placement is a practical approximation.
• Star Wars: Resistance starts before The Force Awakens and continues through that era, so it is listed near the sequel transition rather than treated as a perfectly self-contained prequel.
• Lego and legacy entries are intentionally labeled as suggested bonus placements rather than official chronology.

Support This Project

If this tracker saved you time or made a family rewatch easier, you can support future updates here:

• Sponsor ericchapman80

Image Credits and Sources

The README now uses local SVG banners stored in the repo so they render reliably on GitHub.

Wikimedia sources that are still useful for reference and inspiration:

• Star Wars Celebration V - final look at the AT-AT lobby by Brent D. Payne via Wikimedia Commons
• Star Wars Celebration - Imperial Stormtroopers by Michael Elleray via Wikimedia Commons

Primary reference source:

• Star Wars: the best order to watch every movie and series in the franchise
• In Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord, the Former Sith Returns
• Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Teaser Trailer and First Poster Arrive
• The Mandalorian and Grogu Debuts a Big Game Spot
• Director Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter Film Starts Production This Fall
• Volume 3 Release Date and New Star Wars: Visions Spin-off Series

Other good free sources for README art:

• Wikimedia Commons: Star Wars
• Wikimedia Commons: Star Wars Celebration
• Wikimedia Commons: Lightsabers