How to Get into Star Wars: Theatrical Order vs Chronological Order and Why to Start with the Original Trilogy

Star Wars has such an expansive universe. There are many different characters, movies, series, graphic novels, and other books. With so much Star Wars content out there you may feel as I did when I first got into it. You see your friends, and they are so excited about a particular plot point in the Mandalorian or the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and you’re unsure as to why? The Star Wars Universe may seem rather interesting to you but with so many different stories, characters, and series where do you begin? In this guide, I’m going to answer those questions for you and show you how to get into Star Wars.

For this article, we will primarily focus on the movies. We will do a few follow-up articles to help you get into the other books, series, and graphic novels which I highly recommend. 

Theatrical Order vs Chronological Order

In the Star Wars fandom, you will have these two terms a lot. Jump in any forum or Star Wars group, and you’ll see someone like myself that just began their journey and we’ll ask should we watch these films in Theatrical Order or Chronological Order. When the first three films were originally released the creator of the Star Wars franchise, George Lucas, always intended the universe to be vast and expand on the original stories. The original trilogy is a true cinematic achievement and has spawned its own series of memes throughout Social Media. I watched these movies in the Theatrical Order, and this is my personal preference, but I will include both down below for you.

The Theatrical Order:

The Original Trilogy

• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was released on May 25, 1977
• Star War Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was released on June 20, 1980
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was released on May 25, 1983

The Prequels

• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released on May 19, 1999
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones released on May 12, 2002
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith released on May 12, 2005

The New Trilogy

• Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens released on December 14, 2015
• Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi was released on December 09, 2017
• Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of SkyWalker released on December 20, 2019

The Chronological Order:

The Prequels

• Star Wars Episode I
• Star Wars Episode II
• Star Wars Episode III

The Original Trilogy

• Star Wars Episode IV
• Star Wars Episode V
• Star Wars Episode VI

The New Trilogy

• Star Wars Episode VII
• Star Wars Episode VIII
• Star Wars Episode IX

Why I Recommend Watching The Original Trilogy

I strongly recommend watching the original trilogy first. I have several reasons for this, but the one complaint I have in the prequels is the acting is really lame throughout the trilogy. There are some really good moments though. For instance, I personally love Anakin’s turn to the dark side and of course, this two has spawned its own set of Star Wars memes. Also, Ewan McGregor is flawless as Obi-Wan Kenobi! He really captures the character, and in this trilogy, you really learn what it means to be a Jedi. Overall you really get a sense of the Star Wars Universe prior to Darth Vader and the Empire. After you watch these films be sure to come back to this post and share your thoughts on the original trilogy as I’d love to hear it. 

What to watch next?

After you’ve finished the main Star Wars story it’s time to learn more about the Star Wars Universe. There are other films you can watch such as Solo or Rogue One. I recommend watching the animated series The Clone Wars which is available on Disney Plus. The Clone Wars takes place at the same time as the prequels so you’ll notice many familiar faces like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan, and General Grievous. The reason I love this series so much is it continues to build on the original prequels and you really get a sense of the conflict through the galaxy especially when Order 66 is executed.

I hope the information in this article was helpful to you. Be sure to provide us with your feedback in the comments section at the bottom of this article. Follow us on social media using the links in the footer to stay up to date on additional articles and Star Wars guides.