Star Wars is one of the biggest space opera franchises of all time. Ever since the first Star Wars movie was released in 1977, the George Lucas-created universe has continued to expand with several additional films, television shows, books, comics, and even video games. The Star Wars property has become so massive that new fans often find themselves lost about how many films are there in the franchise.
If you’re one of those who are venturing into the galaxy far, far away for the very first time, then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we will look at how many Star Wars films there are in total, their order of release, and what trilogies they belong to. We’ll also explore other related topics such as LEGO Star Wars movies and upcoming Star Wars films.
How many Star Wars movies are there in total?
As of May 2023, a total of 15 Star Wars movies have been released. These include the 9 movies that make up the Skywalker Saga, 3 standalone theatrical movies, and 3 television films.
Skywalker Saga
The Skywalker Saga is the umbrella term for the 9 main Star Wars movies, which are divided into three trilogies:
Original Trilogy
1. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (May 25th, 1977): Set a long time ago in a fictional universe where the galaxy is ruled by the tyrannical Galactic Empire, the movie centers on a group of freedom fighters known as the Rebel Alliance, whose mission is to destroy the Empire’s newest weapon, the Death Star. Rebel hero Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) becomes caught in the conflict while learning the ways of a metaphysical power known as the Force from Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness).
2. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (May 21st, 1980): Set three years after the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, the film tells the battle between the malevolent Galactic Empire, led by the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid), and the Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). Luke Skywalker trains to master the Force so he can confront the powerful Sith lord, Darth Vader (David Prowse / James Earl Jones).
3. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (May 25th, 1983): Set one year after the events of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, the movie starts with the Galactic Empire constructing a second Death Star to exterminate the Rebel Alliance once and for all. With intel that the Emperor will be onboard, the Rebel fleet launches a full-scale attack on the Death Star in hopes of both destroying it and the Emperor. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker, now a Jedi Knight, struggles to bring his father, Darth Vader, back to the light side of the Force.
Prequel Trilogy
1. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (May 19th, 1999): Set 32 years before the original trilogy, during the era of the Galactic Republic, the film centers on Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) as they try to protect Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo (Natalie Portman) in hopes of securing a peaceful end to an interplanetary trade dispute. Joined by Anakin Skywalker (Jake Llyod) —a young slave with unusually strong natural powers of the Force—they simultaneously contend with the mysterious return of the Sith.
2. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (May 16th, 2002): Set 10 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the movie opens with thousands of planetary systems slowly seceding from the Galactic Republic and joining the newly-formed Confederacy of Independent Systems, led by former Jedi Master Count Dooku. With the galaxy on the brink of civil war, Obi-Wan Kenobi investigates a mysterious assassination attempt on Senator Padmé Amidala, which leads him to uncover a clone army in service of the Republic and the truth behind the Separatist movement. Meanwhile, his apprentice Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect Amidala and develops a secret relationship with her. Soon, the trio witnesses the onset of a new threat to the galaxy: the Clone Wars.
3. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (May 19th, 2005): Set three years after the onset of the Clone Wars as established in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, the film finds the Jedi in a full-scale war against the Separatists. The Jedi Council dispatches Obi-Wan Kenobi on a mission to defeat General Grievous (Matthew Wood), the head of the Separatist army, to put an end to the war. Meanwhile, after having visions of his wife Padmé Amidala dying in childbirth, Anakin Skywalker is tasked by the Council to spy on Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic and, secretly, a Sith Lord. Palpatine manipulates Anakin into turning to the dark side of the Force and becoming his apprentice, Darth Vader, with wide-ranging consequences for the galaxy.
Sequel Trilogy
1. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (December 18th, 2015): Set 30 years after Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, the movie follows Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and Han Solo’s search for Luke Skywalker and their fight in the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa and veterans of the Rebel Alliance, against Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order, a successor to the Galactic Empire.
2. Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (December 15th, 2017): The movie follows Rey as she seeks the aid of Luke Skywalker, in hopes of turning the tide for the Resistance in the fight against Kylo Ren and the First Order. Meanwhile, General Leia Organa, Finn, and Poe Dameron attempt to escape a First Order attack on the dwindling Resistance fleet.
3. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (December 20th, 2019): Set one year after the events of Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, the film follows Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron as they lead the Resistance’s final stand against Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and the First Order, who are aided by the return of the Galactic Emperor, Palpatine.
Standalone theatrical Star Wars movies
There are a number of Star Wars films unrelated to the Skywalker Saga. Below are three of these movies that debuted on the big screen:
1. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (August 15th, 2008): This animated movie served as a pilot to the animated TV series of the same name. Set shortly after the events of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and at the start of the titular Clone Wars, the film follows Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and Jabba the Hutt’s uncle Ziro (Corey Burton) who orchestrate a plan to turn Jabba (Kevin Michael Richardson) against the Galactic Republic by framing the Jedi for the kidnapping of his son. While Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter) and his newly assigned apprentice Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) attempt to deliver the child back to his father, Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor) and Padmé Amidala (Catherine Taber) lead separate investigations to uncover Dooku and Ziro’s plot.
2. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (December 16th, 2016): Set just a week before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, the movie follows a group of rebels who band together to steal plans of the Death Star, the ultimate weapon of the Galactic Empire. It details the Rebel Alliance’s first effective victory against the Empire, first referenced in the opening crawl of the original Star Wars movie.
3. Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25th, 2018): Centering on the character Han Solo, the film explores the early adventures of the titular character and Chewbacca, who join a heist within the criminal underworld 10 years prior to the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
Produced for television Star Wars movies
While most Star Wars movies premiered in theaters, there are a few that debuted on the small screen, and these are as follows:
1. Star Wars Holiday Special (November 17, 1978): The CBS-produced movie is a two-hour television special in the format of a variety show. It features the stars of the original Star Wars movie alongside celebrity guests in plot-related skits, musical numbers, and an animated segment. All these elements are loosely tied together by the premise of Chewbacca’s family waiting for his arrival for the “Life Day” celebration on his home planet, Kashyyyk.
2. Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (November 25th, 1984): Set in the Star Wars universe, the movie takes place on the moon of Endor, and features the Ewoks, who help two young human siblings as they try to locate their parents. The movie debuted on ABC but was later given a limited international theatrical run.
3. Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (November 24th, 1985): A sequel to Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, the movie focuses on Cindel Towani (Aubree Miller), the human girl from the first film, who, after being orphaned, joins the Ewoks in protecting their village and defeating the marauders who have taken control of the Endor moon.
Upcoming Star Wars movies
There has been no new Star Wars movie since 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but there are currently 4 live-action theatrical movies in development and 1 animated film coming to Disney+.
1. Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy movie: Set 15 years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the film will bring back Daisy Ridley as Rey. However, there are reports claiming that Rey will only appear as a supporting character in the vein of Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in the original and sequel trilogies. The film doesn’t have an exact release date yet, but Lucasfilm is reportedly hoping to release it on December 19th, 2025. Filming was reportedly set to begin in February 2024.
2. Untitled Taika Waititi movie: Being written and to be directed by Waititi, the movie is an origin story. Waititi, who is also likely to appear in the film, will reportedly shoot the movie in Los Angeles in 2024.
3. Untitled Dave Filoni film movie: The film will conclude the story set up by The Mandalorian and its spin-offs.
4. Untitled James Mangold movie: Set 25,000 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, the movie is about the dawn of the Jedi.
5. A Droid Story: The animated adventure film will introduce a new hero guided by R2-D2 and C-3PO. The Disney+ movie doesn’t have a release date yet.
How to watch Star Wars movies in chronological order?
To watch the 9 main Star Wars movies in order of the events that happen in the series, following the story’s timeline, watch the Star Wars movies in the sequence below:
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
- Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
- Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
- Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
How to watch Star Wars movies in Machete order?
Machete Order is a suggested viewing order for the Star Wars movies that was popularized by Rod Hilton in 2011. The order is intended to enhance the viewing experience by rearranging the sequence of the films. Here’s how it works:
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
- Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
- Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
- Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
The order eliminates Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace from the viewing sequence. The rationale behind this exclusion is to preserve the surprise reveal of Darth Vader as Luke Skywalker’s father in Episode V. By watching Episode II and Episode III as a flashback after the big reveal, the viewer experiences the origins of Darth Vader while maintaining the surprise element of the plot twist.
After Episode III, the order returns to the original trilogy to conclude the main storyline, followed by the sequel trilogy (Episodes VII-IX) to wrap up the saga. This order aims to create a more cohesive and emotionally impactful narrative arc while also maintaining the suspense and surprise elements of the original trilogy.
It’s important to note that the Machete Order is not an officially endorsed viewing order, but rather a fan-created alternative that gained popularity online.
What is the best way to watch Star Wars movies?
For first-time viewers, hardcore fans of the Star Wars franchise recommend watching the 9 main Star Wars movies in release order. According to them, watching the films in release order will give new fans the best experience of the Star Wars story.
How long are all the Star Wars movies combined?
When combining the runtime of all 9 main Star Wars movies, the total duration is around 20 hours. Here is the breakdown of each film’s approximate runtime:
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope – 2 hours, 1 minute
- Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back – 2 hours, 4 minutes
- Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi – 2 hours, 11 minutes
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace – 2 hours, 16 minutes
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones – 2 hours, 22 minutes
- Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – 2 hours, 20 minutes
- Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – 2 hours, 18 minutes
- Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi – 2 hours, 32 minutes
- Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker – 2 hours, 22 minutes
The total runtime varies, as the durations of the movies may vary slightly depending on the edition or version of the films.
Where to watch all the Star Wars movies?
Want to watch the Star Wars films in their entirety? All the 15 Star Wars movies mentioned above are currently streaming on Disney+.
How many Star Wars movies did George Lucas direct?
George Lucas directed 4 Star Wars movies:
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
- Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
How many Star Wars movies was Harrison Ford in?
Harrison Ford has appeared in 6 Star Wars movies:
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
- Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
- Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
- Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Ford also appeared in the 1978 television special The Star Wars Holiday Special, but this is not considered to be part of the main Star Wars canon.