Star Wars’ vast universe has always begged for long-form storytelling. Even though The Galaxy Far, Far Away is a movie franchise at heart, the space opera possesses so many different characters, settings, and plot lines that a film or set of pictures could never encompass all of the material. Since acquiring Star Wars, one of the best decisions Disney has made is turning the saga into more of a TV franchise. Episodic formatting lets writers and directors hone in on specific people, places, and even backstories that fans have long craved for more information on. Other series were shoddy depictions of the galaxy and should have been kept in the rough drafts. Either way, we are so glad that since The Mandalorian, Star Wars is deep into the streaming world, with all of these series available to watch on Disney Plus. These are the 10 best Star Wars series, ranked.
10. Star Wars Resistance (2018)
Star Wars Resistance is one of the only series focusing on the events during the sequel trilogy, leaving it as a black sheep of the TV franchises. There’s definitely some good stuff in here, though, such as the main character Kazuda Xiono. Dave Filoni created this series, so you know it has pedigree behind its name.
9. The Book of Boba Fett (2021)
The Book of Boba Fett is one of the more underwhelming ventures into the Star Wars TV universe due to a lack of interesting plot lines. Boba Fett is a cult figure in the fandom, but his popularity may have tapered off in the past couple of decades. This leaves his place in the galaxy not as necessary as before, and then the show was used as a bridge between seasons of The Mandalorian, another controversial idea.
8. Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021)
The clone troopers first introduced in the prequel trilogy always had a lot more going on underneath the surface than meets the eye. The Bad Batch gives insight into the more well-rounded characters amongst the clones, the good guys who are intermingled throughout the galaxy in the aftermath of the Galactic Empire’s takeover. The third season will premiere sometime in 2024.
7. Star Wars Rebels (2014)
While not as acclaimed as The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels has its strong qualities, too. The animation style has a unique flair, and the concept of the show, which fills in the gaps between the prequel and original trilogies, fulfills one of the fandom’s strongest points of curiosity. The series also served as a springboard for Ahsoka on Disney Plus.
6. Ahsoka (2023)
The most recent entry into the Star Wars canon, Ahsoka features the talents of Rosario Dawson in the lead role of Anakin Skywalker’s beloved padawan. Ahsoka has always been a fan-favorite character, so this spinoff of The Mandalorian just made perfect sense. The special effects and action sequences have worked in perfect unison with the detailed plotting to make for a really good show.
5. Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Seeing Ewan McGregor return as Obi-Wan wasn’t really necessary, but it sure was exhilarating. Millennial fans remember idolizing the British actor’s version of the heroic Jedi in the prequel trilogy, and McGregor is excellent at stepping back into those shoes in the series that takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Hayden Christensen also gets to redeem himself after many people mocked his depiction of Anakin Skywalker in the films from the 2000s.
4. Star Wars: Andor (2022)
Andor is the series that has brought Star Wars respect on a critical level that other shows and movies have been unable to. Diego Luna is superb in the role of Cassian Andor, a Rebel spy who first appeared in the film Rogue One. With a slow-burn style and a focus on politics and government, the crux of Andor is much deeper than most stories in this universe. A drawback is that the series moves much slower than many others, and a lack of familiar characters makes it a tougher watch for casual fans. For hardcore ones, Andor is sure to be one of the most enjoyable ventures into Star Wars.
3. Star Wars: Visions (2021)
The brilliance of Star Wars lies in its reliability to worldwide audiences. Star Wars Visions is one of the first items in the franchise that recognizes the culturally rich background of the characters and the creative endeavors of fans and artists who have leveraged the power of the galaxy to tell vast stories and unique perspectives. Told as an anthology series, each episode has a different writer and director using themes and motifs from Star Wars to craft novel stories that fit into the canon.
2. The Mandalorian (2019)
There is perhaps no Star Wars series more popular than The Mandalorian. Starring Pedro Pascal as the title character, the series distills everything we love about the franchise into its purest form. Space Western exploration, a sense of adventure, and the difference between right and wrong are all vital to finding out what will happen with Mando and Grogu, the young Yoda-like character that has turned into a stroke of marketing genius. Unfortunately, the third season of the show slipped a little in quality, but the first two seasons are must-watch. As Disney’s first big venture into TV with Star Wars, The Mandalorian was undoubtedly a success.
1. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Originally airing on Cartoon Network and directed toward a young audience, Star Wars: The Clone Wars eventually garnered universal acclaim from both critics and fans of all ages for its rich, thematic depiction of the time period between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Beloved characters like Ahsoka Tano were introduced here, and Dave Filoni practiced all of his storytelling methods that would go into several other series on this list. Star Wars: The Clone Wars proved the franchise was fit for TV, and it hasn’t turned back since.
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