Star Wars timeline keeps expanding – and getting more complicated – with new movies and TV series, as Ahsoka just surprised fans on Disney+ with the shocking ending of episode 4.
But, how is the best way to watch Star Wars in order? And how does Ahsoka fit into the timeline?
The new series starring Rosario Dawson takes place roughly around the same time as The Mandalorian season three, so it's easy enough to place on the timeline. However, with so much going on, it can be tricky to keep on top of what happened and when.
If Ahsoka has got you in the mood for a rewatch of the entire Star Wars saga, we're here to help with the ultimate guide to watching in chronological order, including every movie in the Skywalker Saga.
To understand the timeline you need to know these two acronyms: BBY (before the Battle of Yavin) and ABY (after the Battle of Yavin). The Battle of Yavin took place in Star Wars: A New Hope, beginning with an attempt to destroy the Rebel base of Yavin IV, which ended in the explosion of the first Death Star (remember this?).
Dates preceding the battle, BBY, count down to the event (like negative numbers, the closer they get to zero the closer to the event we get), and dates following it, ABY, count away from the event.
Congratulations! Now you're a little bit more of a Star Wars nerd than you were before. (Note: Contains major spoilers for the Star Wars movies and television shows. Duh.)
Star Wars timeline: How to watch Star Wars in order
Tales of the Jedi – approximately 50 BBY-18 BBY
Watch now: Disney+
Six-episode anthology series Tales of the Jedi doesn't have a definitive place on the Star Wars timeline as each episode takes place at a different point, roughly in the window of 50 BBY to 18 BBY.
Three episodes focus on Count Dooku during his time with the Jedi before his turn to the Dark Side. Dooku's final episode directly references Qui-Gon Jinn's death in The Phantom Menace, so that's as far as his episodes go in the timeline.
The other three episodes focus on Ahsoka Tano from her birth through to her survival of Order 66, which took place in Revenge of the Sith so that's as far as this show goes into the timeline overall.
If you were dedicated, you could watch each episode as and when they fall in the timeline, or you could just watch all the Dooku ones before Attack of the Clones and all of the Ahsoka ones before The Clone Wars.
Or just watch them all in one go at the start of the timeline as they're currently the earliest Star Wars offerings in the Skywalker Saga.
Episode I: The Phantom Menace – 32 BBY
Watch Now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
The infamous opening text crawl explained lots that – it quickly transpired – didn't warrant explaining. It saw Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) sent to officiate in a disagreement between the Trade Federation and Naboo, which led to the planet being blockaded.
They escape with Queen Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) and exiled fish-rabbit clown Jar Jar Binks to Tatooine, where they meet young and incredibly annoying space Jesus Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) and badass villain Darth Maul. A droid invasion is halted at the cost of Jinn's life, but it all turns out that was all an overly complicated double-cross to hand power to Naboo's senator and future Sith tyrant Emperor Palpatine.
How anyone could possibly blockade an entire planet is never explained.
Episode II: Attack of the Clones – 22 BBY
Watch Now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
Ten years later, Anakin (now Hayden Christensen) has developed from annoying to The Worst. We meet Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) a former Jedi and secret Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, who is trying to lead a load of planets called the Confederacy of Independent Systems (or Separatists) out of the Republic for very important and definitely clear reasons.
Terrible undercover bodyguard Anakin takes Padmé into protective seclusion and despite extended exposure she still falls in love with him. They all end up on the planet Geonosis, where droids kill a load of Jedi until a secret army of clones discovered by Obi-Wan shows up and carries the day.
No surprises for guessing that it was all a lot of flummery to give Palpatine emergency powers which he promises to give up at the end of the conflict. We totally believe you, Palps.
The Clone Wars (movie) – 22 BBY
Watch Now: Prime Video | Disney+
The setup for the long-running Clone Wars animated series, the feature-length movie expands the conflict between the Republic and the Separatists with a plot to frame the Jedi for the kidnapping of Jabba the Hutt's son.
We meet Anakin's troupe of clone soldiers, and the future Darth Vader is assigned his own Padawan – Ahsoka Tano.
The Clone Wars (TV series) – 22-19 BBY
Watch Now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
Star Wars: The Clone Wars desperately tries to shore up the gaping holes in the prequel trilogy... and succeeds fairly well.
Over seven seasons, the series covers everything from clone-fought conflicts with the Separatists, Count Dooku's plotting with his dark-side assassin Asajj Ventress, political intrigue and the Jedi being useless and wrong about everything.
The Clone Wars fleshes out the Republic/Separatist conflict, the corruption and issues plaguing the Jedi and Senate, and even managed to make Anakin (not voiced by Christensen) into a likeable and relatable character.
Don't believe us? Check out this guide to the essential episodes.
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – 19 BBY
Watch Now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
Three years after Attack of the Clones, the war comes to a head here. Goaded by Palpatine and visions of Padmé's death, Anakin explores new depths of awful, eventually killing his fellow Jedi and a bunch of children before being dismembered by Obi-Wan and left for dead.
Meanwhile, the Republic is on the verge of victory when Palpatine activates Order 66, causing the clone troopers' "bio-chips" to activate and turn them against their Jedi generals. The order of knights is all but destroyed, and Yoda and Obi-Wan go into hiding.
Padmé gives birth to Luke and Leia, then dies for no reason, Anakin is transformed into Darth Vader, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief that the prequels are finally over.
The Bad Batch – approximately 19 BBY
Watch now: Disney+
The animated show takes place during the so-called "Dark Times" of the Imperial era starting with the final moments of Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith. Members of a unique squad of clones find their way in a changing galaxy in the aftermath of the Clone War.
The second season takes place a couple of months after the first season ended, following Omega's continued growth within the titular group as things get more complicated across the galaxy.
Solo: A Star Wars Story – 13-10 BBY
Watch Now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
The solo Han Solo film stars Alden Ehrenreich as a younger version of the character from his time as a slum rat on the streets of Corellia to his first adventures as an outlaw.
He meets Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) for the first time, and we also get to meet his childhood friend Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) and his criminal mentor Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson).
The film is set at the height of the Empire, before the Rebel Alliance has begun to establish a noticeable toehold. And a surprise villain emerges at the head of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate to link the film back to the prequel trilogy.
Obi-Wan Kenobi – 9 BBY
Watch now: Disney+
The Obi-Wan series starts 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, which places it basically halfway between the end of the prequel trilogy and the start of the original trilogy.
It sees Ewan McGregor return as the titular character, as well as the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. The finale also featured surprise cameos from Ian McDiarmid's Palpatine and Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn.
While many fans thought it'd focus on Luke Skywalker, the first season actually sees Obi-Wan set out on a quest to rescue Leia from the Empire in a previously-unknown mission.
Don't worry though, any potential plot holes are neatly dealt with in the final episode.
Star Wars Rebels – 5-1 BBY (Epilogue after 4 ABY)
Watch Now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
This animated series deals with the early days of the Rebel Alliance, starting off as a series of scattered cells and building into a threat to the Empire.
It stars a collection of original characters – pilot Hera Syndulla, former Padawan Kanan Jarrus, young Jedi trainee Ezra Bridger, Mandalorian weapons expert Sabine Wren, Lasat warrior Zeb Orrelios and obnoxious astromech droid Chopper – as well as featuring familiar faces including Leia, Obi-Wan, Lando, Saw Gerrera, Darth Maul and Mon Mothma.
The fourth and final series ends shortly before the battle between the Empire and the Rebellion starts to heat up, with an epilogue set at an unspecified time after the Battle of Endor.
Andor – 5-0 BBY
Watch now: Disney+
While we know Cassian Andor's ultimate fate thanks to Rogue One, Andor starts five years before that movie to show how he became the rebel we met in the celebrated prequel movie.
The first season might have wrapped up, but we've got another 12-episode second season on the way. With one year done, Andor's second run will cover the next four years and the final scene of the show "will walk you into Rogue", creator Tony Gilroy explained.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – 0 BBY
Watch Now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
The first Star Wars spin-off movie draws heavily on the war-film genre to fill in the gaps of A New Hope's opening crawl.
Felicity Jones's Jyn Erso is reluctantly recruited by the Rebellion to contact her former mentor (Forest Whitaker as an ageing Saw Gerrera) and, eventually, her father, Death Star weapons designer Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen).
Jyn leads her merry(ish) band of Rebels in a desperate attack to steal the Death Star plans, leading to the almost total destruction of the Rebel Alliance fleet. It ends with the escape of Princess Leia Organa in a very familiar ship, leading right into the opening of A New Hope.
Episode IV: A New Hope – 0 BBY/ABY
Watch Now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
Even if you haven't seen the original Star Wars film (which you have, obviously), The Hero's Journey™ has been repeated a million times before and since.
Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is an ordinary (moisture) farm boy until he is thrust into the adventure he always wanted.
He finds a mentor in Obi-Wan (now played by Alec Guinness), a roguish ally in Han Solo (now Harrison Ford), a princess to save in Leia (Carrie Fisher) and a monster to battle in Vader.
We're more than halfway through our timeline now, but Star Wars really begins here.
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back – 3 ABY
Watch Now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
The sequel goes darker in the more serious follow-up to George Lucas's surprise hit.
Our heroes are nearly killed in their escape from Hoth. Luke discovers a new mentor in the weird form of Yoda, Han and Leia seek refuge with Lando on Cloud City, and everything goes to hell.
It also includes the most famous reveal in cinematic history, or did until the prequels came along and spoiled it, from the chronological-viewing perspective. Something about someone being someone else's father. We forget.
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi – 4 ABY
Watch Now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
The final part of the trilogy begins with an attempt to rescue Han from Jabba's palace that doesn't quite go according to plan.
That achieved, the Rebellion enter into a final battle with the Empire to stop them from completing another Death Star. The revelations fly thick and fast while the Emperor and Darth Vader try to tempt Luke to the dark side. Instead, it is Vader who is returned to the light, and the Emperor's death marks the end of Imperial dominance in the galaxy.
The Ewoks try to ruin everything, but they don't (quite) succeed.
The Mandalorian season 1 and 2 – 9 ABY
Watch Now: Disney+
The first Star Wars series on Disney+, The Mandalorian, stars Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, Wonder Woman 1984) as the eponymous bounty hunter.
It's set after the stories of Jango and Boba Fett as another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter called Din Djarin in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic.
But the only thing you really need to know is that the series introduces 'Baby Yoda' into the Star Wars universe, uniting fans everywhere. The show's second season gave us more about Baby Yoda every episode, including his penchant for eggs and his actual name.
However, the major reveal was left until near the very end as Luke Skywalker showed up to save the day, and take Baby Yoda Grogu away for training in the ways of the Force, leading to a tearful goodbye with Din.
The second season has also introduced fan favourites into the fold, including Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan, and brought back Boba Fett after his supposed death. The post-credits sequence of the finale set up the spin-off show for Boba.
The Book of Boba Fett – approximately 9 ABY
Watch Now: Disney+
After taking over Jabba the Hutt's palace from Bib Fortuna at the end of The Mandalorian season two, Boba Fett and Fennec Shand attempt to establish themselves on Tatooine and maintain control of Jabba's former territory.
The Book of Boba Fett also flashes back to just after Return of the Jedi to show how Boba Fett survived the Sarlacc Pit, as well as the challenges he faced to get to the place where we reunited with him in The Mandalorian.
Din Djarin pops up in the series too to help Boba Fett fight off a threat to his territory, but otherwise, it's quite a low-stakes series. The biggest thing was Din reuniting with Grogu and going off on an adventure together, setting up The Mandalorian season three.
The Mandalorian season 3 – approximately 11 ABY
Watch now: Disney+
We've separated out the third season of The Mandalorian because A) it definitely takes place after The Book of Boba Fett and B) Jon Favreau has given us a clue about how long it's been since the first season.
Talking to Skytalkers, Favreau confirmed that Grogu is now 53 and the little one was 50 in the first season. The timeline is a little squiffy as according to Favreau, Grogu spent "many years" with Din, before spending two years training with Luke.
We don't think that much time has really passed during the show so far, but if anybody knows, Favreau will.
In terms of what actually happened in the third season, Grogu carried on developing his powers and remained adorable, Moff Gideon was killed, Bo-Katan became ruler or Mandalore and Din Djarin took on Grogu as his apprentice. Awww.
We are already waiting to know more about season 4 of The Mandalorian.
Ahsoka – approximately 11 ABY
Watch now: Disney+
You could watch Ahsoka and The Mandalorian's third season in any order, really, as there's nothing to specify which takes place first. They're sort of taking place around the same time, so it depends if you want a Mando break.
The first season, which wraps up on October 3, 2023, is a direct sequel to Star Wars Rebels and sees Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), along with Sabine Wren (Natalie Liu Bordizzo) and Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), investigate the growing threat of Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen).
It could also lead them to find Ezra Bridger who's been missing for years...
Star Wars Resistance – 34 ABY
Watch Now: Prime Video
Running for two seasons, Star Wars Resistance is a tricky one to place in the timeline as it takes place across the sequel trilogy.
It starts six months before The Force Awakens, before crossing over with it at the end of the first season. Then season two crosses over with The Last Jedi and ends in the lead-up to The Rise of Skywalker.
The TV show follows New Republic pilot Kazuda Xiono as he becomes a new recruit in the Resistance and features familiar faces, including Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie).
Despite the crossovers, it's largely standalone, but fans of the show would have recognised a major ship during the epic final space battle in The Rise of Skywalker.
Episode VII: The Force Awakens – 34 ABY
Watch Now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
30 years after Episode VI, everything's gone to hell. A new Resistance (led by General Leia) battles Supreme Leader Snoke's Imperial remnant, the First Order.
Into this mess comes Finn (John Boyega), a rogue stormtrooper who meets a young scavenger with a mysterious past called Rey (Daisy Ridley). They soon team up with Han, Chewie and Leia and are recruited to help destroy a planet-killing superweapon. Now where have we heard that one before?
On the way, Rey discovers some Force powers, and Jedi traitor Kylo Ren/Ben Solo has a fatal meeting with his father. The film ends with Rey using a secret map to locate the missing Luke Skywalker.
Episode VIII: The Last Jedi – 34 ABY
Watch Now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
Following directly on from The Force Awakens, the Resistance is left scrambling to escape the First Order. Mistrusting the intentions of their new leader, Vice Admiral Holdo, Finn, Poe and their new ally Rose hatch a desperate plan to save their friends – one which does not go as planned.
Meanwhile, Rey discovers that Luke Skywalker is not the man she expected. He reluctantly agrees to teach her, but insists that the Jedi Order is finished and that he cannot help the Resistance. Rey finds herself connected to Kylo Ren and makes her own plot to save his soul.
Kylo eventually confronts both his masters (new and old), and Rey is left to lead the Jedi into a new age and tip the scales for the embattled Resistance survivors.
Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker – 35 ABY
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes | Disney+
There's no specific timeline put on The Rise of Skywalker, but it's apparently around a year after the events of The Last Jedi.
The Resistance is in tatters, so it's a perfect time for Emperor Palpatine to come back with his "Final Order" plan. Having survived the events of Return of the Jedi, Palpatine has a fleet of ships with planet-destroying weapons, and he wants Rey – his granddaughter – to lead them as Empress Palpatine.
But Palpatine doesn't expect Kylo Ren completing his Bendemption and fighting alongside Rey in the climactic battle, so Palpatine throws Ben down a shaft.
Rey summons up the strength of all the Jedi to defeat Palpatine once and for all. The effort kills her, but Ben returns from his shaft fall to resurrect Rey and dies in the process. Not before they kiss, though.
Rey goes to Tatooine, adopts the Skywalker name and looks on at the twin suns as the Skywalker Saga ends.
Upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows
• Skeleton Crew season 1 – 2023 TBC
• Andor season 2 – August 2024
• The Acolyte season 1 – 2024 TBC
• Tales of the Jedi season 2 – 2024 TBC
• Lando season 1 – TBC
• Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy movie – TBC
• Untitled James Mangold movie – TBC
• Untitled Dave Filoni movie – TBC
The entire Skywalker Saga is available to watch on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K, as well as on Disney+.
..Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
