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Spanning 11 live-action feature films and six live-action TV shows (and counting), the "Star Wars" universe is ever-expanding. And starting with the very first installment, filmmaker George Lucas made clear to audiences that he was telling a saga out of order. "Episode IV: A New Hope" underlined there was both a past and a future beyond the 1977 film, and indeed this saga has moved forward and backward in time, telling a number of different kinds of stories in a galaxy far, far away.

To that end, whether you're new to the franchise or hold it dear as a favorite film series, you may be looking for a way to watch all the "Star Wars" movies in order. From young Anakin Skywalker to Rey Palpatine, we've got the full story in order below.

But not just that - we also weave in how to watch the "Star Wars" shows in order, and for the hardcore fans, how to watch the movies and shows together in order. May the force be with you...

Star Wars Movies in Chronological Order

Lucasfilm

Chronologically, the "Star Wars" story begins with George Lucas' 1999 prequel "The Phantom Menace," which introduced audiences to young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) before chronicling his turn to the Dark Side (later played by Hayden Christensen). The episodic entries make the chronological order easy, but you also have to factor in the spinoffs "Solo" and "Rogue One." All together, this makes for a complete (and time-intensive) marathon.

Here's a rundown of the "Star Wars" movies in chronological order.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars Movies in Release Order

Lucasfilm

Of course, you can also watch the "Star Wars" movies in the order in which they were released, which is how most fans came to the franchise. At least at first. From Lucas' first six installments to the Disney era, here's a list of the "Star Wars" films in release order.

Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002)

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Star Wars Shows in Chronological Order

Ewan McGregor on "Obi-Wan Kenobi." (Disney+)

And then we come to the "Star Wars" TV shows. The first to get off the ground was an animated series called "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" - first in 2003, as a show from Genndy Tartakovsky, and then in 2008, as a different animated "Clone Wars" series from Dave Filoni. Then, of course, in the Disney era, we have the live-action shows and the animated series "Star Wars Rebels," which all take place before "The Force Awakens."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi" is set in the oldest era, 10 years after the events of "Revenge of the Sith," and then "Andor" and "Star Wars Rebels" take place during the lead-up to "A New Hope," while "The Mandalorian" picks up five years after "Return of the Jedi."

We're leaving out the more minor shows like "Ewoks" (yes, there was an animated "Ewoks" series) to keep it to the shows that have the biggest connections to the "Star Wars" saga. So below, here are the "Star Wars" shows in chronological order.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Obi-Wan: Kenobi

Andor

Star Wars Rebels

The Mandalorian Seasons 1-2

The Book of Boba Fett

The Mandalorian Season 3

Star Wars Shows in Release Order

You can also just watch the "Star Wars" shows in the order in which they were released to see the progression of investment from Disney and Lucasfilm, especially as "The Mandalorian" rose to popularity.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 - 2020)

Star Wars Rebels (2014 - 2018)

The Mandalorian (2019 - present)

The Book of Boba Fett (2021)

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

Andor (2022)

How to Watch the Star Wars Movies and Shows in Chronological Order

Lucasfilm

If you want to get really nerdy, here's the complete chronological "Star Wars" timeline of how to watch all the movies and TV shows in order of events.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Andor

Star Wars Rebels

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

The Mandalorian

The Book of Boba Fett

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Upcoming Star Wars Shows

But that's not all! While there is no new "Star Wars" movie currently slated for release, there are many more "Star Wars" shows to come, all of which hail (in some form or fashion) from Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, the folks responsible for "The Mandalorian."

Ahsoka (2023)

Skeleton Crew (2023)

The Acolyte (Release Date TBA)

Lando (Release Date TBA)

Upcoming Star Wars Movies

On the film side, things are quieter. Lucasfilm had intended for a new movie called "Rogue Squadron," directed by Patty Jenkins and following a squadron of X-Wing fighters, to be the next "Star Wars" movie released in 2023. But that film was pulled from the schedule following delays, and as of right now there is no "Star Wars" film dated for the future - although that's not to say none are in the works.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is producing a new film being written by "Loki" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" screenwriter Michael Waldron, and Taika Waititi is writing and directing a "Star Wars" movie of his own. But both are under wraps and very much still in development.

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How to Watch the Star Wars Movies in Order

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Spanning 11 live-action feature films and six live-action TV shows (and counting), the "Star Wars" universe is ever-expanding. And starting with the very first installment, filmmaker George Lucas made clear to audiences that he was telling a saga out of order.

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Mr. Pop Culture | Exploring the World of Pop Culture

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Star Wars is regarded as one of the most popular franchises in the film industry, and because of its popularity, the franchise has also appeared not only in films but also on television screens, video games, novels, comic books, and even in theme parks. It is estimated that Star Wars has a total value of $70 billion, making it one of the biggest franchises in terms of value.

Besides having a high value, the Star War franchise is also the fifth-highest-grossing media franchise of all time as of 2022. The franchise started with the very first film called Star Wars, which was released in and would later be subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope. From there, several more films would be added, and there would be a total of three movie trilogies that will be made until 2019, namely the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, and the sequel trilogy. To know more about the franchise and its popularity, here are details about the creation of Star Wars and its impact on pop culture.

The Creation of Star Wars

George Lucas, the mastermind behind the Star Wars franchise, initially wanted to create a film adaptation of Flash Gordon, a science fiction serial that was first published in 1936. However, when he could not obtain the rights for the serial in 1971, he decided to just make his own sci-fi space opera.

After he finished directing American Graffiti, a comedy-drama film released in 1973, Lucas wrote a two-page synopsis for his space opera and showed it to the executives of 20th Century Fox, who agreed to invest in it. After the synopsis was approved, Lucas would then start working on the screenplay for the film in 1974.

The first Star Wars film would be released in 1977 and would become a massive success for George Lucas and 20th Century Fox. The success of the film is evident in its box office, as it was able to get $775.8 million against an $11 million budget, making it one of the highest-grossing films of all time. When adjusted for inflation, the movie is actually the second-highest-grossing film in North America next to Gone with the Wind, which premiered in theaters in 1939.

The success of the first film allowed George Lucas to expand on the film's story and make it a basis for an elaborate film serial. He eventually decided to make Star Wars into a trilogy of trilogies, which means that there would be three trilogies that will be released over the years.

George Lucas's idea would eventually come to fruition, as the original trilogy (1977 to 1983), the prequel trilogy (1999 to 2005), and the sequel trilogy (2015 to 2019) were released in theaters. These three trilogies would be combined to form the "Skywalker Saga," and the universe of the franchise would further be expanded through various forms of media and art.

The Impact of Star Wars on the Film Industry

The first Star Wars film already made a huge impact within the film industry, as its box office shattered most records in Hollywood and in the industry as a whole. In just three weeks after the release of the film, the stock price of 20th Century Fox doubled, as their annual profits in 1977 were $79 million, while before the film was released, the profits were only $37 million.

Star Wars also impacted the trend in films during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Before Star Wars, films were often about deep stories that had dramatic conflicts, like Gone with the Wind in 1939. However, after the first Star Wars film, many directors and studios thrived by copying the success of Star Wars and making their own special-effects-focused blockbusters. Because of Star Wars, many studios also started to focus on making the best special effects, which was not really advanced during the to 1960s.

However, there are some people that criticize Star Wars for ruining or dumbing down the film industry, as many films that have come out after Star Wars were made for younger audiences and thus have little to no emphasis on the story and development of the characters. Before Star Wars, the popular movies were stand-alone and dramatic films that focused more on character development rather than special effects, and these movies include Taxi Driver and The Godfather. But, there are also some critics that defended Star Wars, as they believed that the film actually revived the industry and brought what it truly brings to audiences, which are happiness and excitement.

Despite criticisms of the franchises' story, there are plenty of film critics that actually analyze the story and the characters, which are believed to have deep motivations and emotions for their actions. While the franchise is primarily made for a younger audience, there are mature themes that are found within some of the films of the Skywalker Saga and the line of spinoffs. Some film schools even use Star Wars films as a learning resource for students to understand basic skills in storytelling.

The Weapons of the Star Wars Franchise

Besides the story and the characters, the weapons of the Star Wars franchise are so iconic that they are even referenced in several unrelated films. The most popular weapons in the franchise are the blaster and the lightsaber, although the latter is much more known because of its amazing blade that is supposed to be made of laser or plasma that can cut through almost all types of materials.

Because of the popularity of the lightsaber, many film studios, science labs, and independent garages have tried to make a real-life lightsaber that actually works as a weapon. Unfortunately, creating a real lightsaber is still quite a challenge for many people as of 2022, as creating so much energy in such a compact body or chassis is impossible. So, a working lightsaber would probably remain far-fetched for us in the 21st century.

Those are some of the best details that we can provide about the Star Wars franchise and its impact on pop culture and the film industry. As of 2022, the Star Wars franchise is still going strong, as there are a couple of TV series, films, and video games that have been released in the previous years or are planned to release soon. It is safe to say that the sci-fi franchise will remain relevant today and in the future.

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What Has Been the Impact of Star Wars on Pop Culture? | Mr. Pop Culture

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Star Wars is regarded as one of the most popular franchises in the film industry, and because of its popularity, the franchise has also appeared not only in films but also on television screens, video games, novels, comic books, and even in theme parks.

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How Star Wars Revolutionized Entertainment Dec 19, 2019 By Margaret A. Weitekamp

Home How Star Wars Revolutionized Entertainment

So many things come in threes, even Star Wars trilogies. Three sets of three sequential space science fiction films:

The original trilogy, Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and "Return of the Jedi" (1983)

The prequel trilogy, The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The newest trilogy, The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

So in honor of all of those threes, here are three ways that Star Wars changed the entertainment business.

First, in the late 1970s, Star Wars revived the marketplace for space science fiction as a genre. Space adventures had found wide audiences in the 1930s through characters such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon that began in short stories or comic strips and developed through movie serials and radio programs. The toys from Buck Rogers even have a holiday story of their own. But by the 1950s, space science fiction appeared mostly in alien monster movies or as children's television programming that was cheaply produced and melodramatic. The unexpected success of the first Star Wars movie in 1977 inspired other production houses to rediscover space adventures as a bankable genre. For instance, the planned television series Star Trek: Phase II was revamped and greenlit as Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). The success of science fiction and fantasy movies in the 1980s and beyond owes much to Star Wars.

Second, in addition to reviving the genre, Star Wars fundamentally changed how licensed toys and memorabilia were created and marketed. After Star Wars creator George Lucas initially had trouble finding a manufacturer for toys associated with the movie, the Kenner Products toy company signed on. Their 3 ¾-inch action figures, created to be small and affordable, became a runaway success. In fact, Kenner became overwhelmed by the demand. In a true story that has become legend in toy marketing, Kenner actually dealt with a Christmastime shortage of action figures in 1977 by selling "Early Bird Certificate Packages" through toy stores. The mail-in raincheck entitled the bearer to action figures that would not be available until the spring of 1978. The package also included a cardboard display for all twelve characters-encouraging buyers to order complete sets.

Kenner's Star Wars action figures gave new direction to the consumer desire to collect multiple toys. Each figure came attached to a card-back that included the names and accompanying photos of all figures available for purchase. Storage or carrying cases included labels for the individual slots, encouraging children to match the right playthings and collect them all. Star Wars toys did not invent the idea of buying toy sets but many other manufacturers later imitated their successful marketing scheme of emphasizing set completeness.

Third, Star Wars introduced the concept of toys as collectibles, not just children's trinkets. As author and toy historian Sharon Scott has argued in her book Toys and American Culture: An Encyclopedia, "When vintage Star Wars toys in good condition became quite expensive, consumers began to realize that other toys in good condition might be valuable over time as well. From the 1980s onward, it became common for Americans to purchase toys and keep them for collectible purposes." Beanie Babies and other toys that were marketed with the aim of being collectible owe part of their appeal to Star Wars.

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has long had an interest in how space flight has been imagined. The "Star Wars: The Magic of Myth" exhibition in 1999 was immensely popular and survives online. SpaceX founder Elon Musk even named his Falcon series of launch vehicles after the Millennium Falcon. So if you watch one of the movies or purchase any merchandise this holiday season, remember how Star Wars not only helped to influence real spaceflight but also shaped business and economics.

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How Star Wars Revolutionized Entertainment

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The three ways that the Star Wars franchised changed the entertainment business.

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May 4th has become commonly known as Star Wars Day. And who could be surprised? The words, "May the 4th" seem to beg for the rest of the catchphrase to be uttered.

Regardless of whether you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek, or if you are even a sci-fi aficionado at all, the influence of George Lucas' Star Wars on pop culture is undeniable.

It seems that George Lucas had a knack of being able to connect with people in ways that others just could not, let's face it, is there really a piece of work this man is responsible for that we cannot affix a quote to somewhere?

The truth is, Star Wars day represents more than just a quote in a film, the day itself is internationally recognized and is now as much a part of life as some of the most popular holidays you can name, we just have to ask ourselves why this is.

Well, if there is one thing we know for sure, it's that it started out as a homage to something quite brilliant and, in its infancy, belonged only to the inner circles. As time went on, however, it reached more people and gained traction.

When we think of Star Wars day now, it's not only a day, it's something fun, and it's also an in-joke that pretty much everybody on earth is a part of. While it may sound silly, something as incredibly simple as Star Wars Day has played a huge part in bringing people together no matter what background they are from.

The question of how this happened is all in the history, and the history of Star Wars Day is something that we are going to explore a little now.

The History of Star Wars Day

Star Wars, an epic space opera written and directed by George Lucas, premiered in 1977 and became an almost instant cult classic. Even today, almost 40 years later, Star Wars remains one of the most financially successful films of all time.

The franchise it began remains the most successful one of all time, earning over 2.5 billion dollars since the release of the first film. However, the money it's earned over the years is hardly the most impressive aspect of Star Wars.

As famous film critic Roger Ebert put it: "Like The Birth of a Nation and Citizen Kane, Star Wars was a technical watershed that influenced many of the movies that came after."

Star Wars was a real game-changer, beginning a new era of special effect-packed motion pictures bursting with excitement, adventure, and imagination that appealed enormously to younger audiences as well as older ones.

Many of today's most acclaimed film directors, such as Peter Jackson, Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan and James Cameron, cite Star Wars as a great influence on their careers.

Star Wars has also had an enormous cultural impact on other areas besides filmmaking, including politics-the Reagan Administration's Strategic Defense Program was mockingly nicknamed "Star Wars."

As recently as 2013, President Barack Obama used the phrase "Jedi mind meld" to describe what some people were expecting him to do in his opposition to make them accept his ideas.

"May the Fourth be with you" was first used by Margaret Thatcher's political party to congratulate her on her election on May 4th, 1979, and the saying quickly caught on.

However, the first celebration of May 4th took place much later, at the Toronto Underground Cinema in 2001. This first official Star Wars Day's festivities included a costume contest and a movie marathon. Fans' favorite parodies of the franchise were also enjoyed, as were some of the most popular mash-ups and remixes.

While for some people, there may have been a fleeting thought that Star Wars Day was nothing but a fad that would die out, regardless of the fact the films never did, in swoop Disney, and they restarted the whole thing off and took it to a whole new level.

In 2015, Star Wars saw a new saga come and with all the charm, class and lens flares that Disney could throw at it, and wow did it reignite a fire in Star Wars fans, and we know that lighting that fire again was tough after what JarJar Binks did to it.

Of course, the fire restarted with the Force Awakens, and the new saga promised to deliver fans everything they wanted from a 21st century Star Wars sage. Surprisingly, this time around, Disney really delivered and did what they did best, they took a franchise and made it incredible again.

With Disney behind it and a few familiar faces returning, Star Wars Day was soon to become something even more special to a whole new demographic. Now, a whole new set of parents have to explain why even though it's set a long, long time ago, things are way more advanced than they are now.

It seems that over the last five years, Star Wars has reached millions of new soon to be Jedi warriors, and if we know anything about Disney, we know they are going to make sure that this franchise is never left to rest again.

Since its revamp, Star Wars Day has gained so much more popularity and is celebrated by Star Wars fans worldwide, and before long, we expect Disney to declare May 4th to be a national holiday.

How to celebrate Star Wars Day

The way you celebrate Star Wars day will depend on how well you know this cultural phenomenon. If you are a longtime fan of the franchise, you might want to get a group of friends together and attend one of the many Star Wars events organized in different parts of the world.

Such events range from costume contests to museum exhibits to tours of space centers. And if you're not feeling up to going out, there's no reason why a Star Wars Day party organized by you at home should be any less fun.

Movie marathons with friends, Star Wars trivia games, and even Star Wars themed snacks (Death Star piñata, anyone?) will guarantee this day is full of fun as well as being very educational.

"Vadering" another person has also become an extremely popular thing to do on this day, and the photos you take of this are sure to bring a smile to your face for years to come.

Because Star Wars itself is such an enormous topic, the ways of celebrating the day dedicated to it are virtually endless. So choose one, have fun, and May the 4th be with you!

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May 4th has become commonly known as Star Wars Day. And who could be surprised? The words, "May the 4th" seem to beg for the rest of the catchphrase to be uttered. Regardless of whether you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek, or if you are even a sci-fi aficionado at all, the influence of [...]