We typically refer toStar Warseras in terms of the prequel era, the original trilogy era, and the sequel era, orienting the canon movies and series around the three major volumes. When Disney purchased LucasFilm, they declared the Legends material no longer canon. With those stories no longer needing to be adhered to, the new Disney LucasFilm was able to create new movies, novels, comics, and more to fill in the gaps between the major motion pictures.
With the introduction of The High Republic novel series, it was time for LucasFilm to clarify the timeline, which they did by labeling six distinct eras. We’re looking at each (chronologically The High Republic, The Fall of the Jedi, Reign of the Empire, Age of Rebellion, and The Rise of the First Order) and ranking them from worst to best, based on the stories contained in each (so far).
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6. The High Republic
In 2020, LucasFilm announced Project Luminous, which was later revealed to beThe High Republic, a series of novels and comics taking place 200 years before the prequel trilogy. The High Republic era is marked by its relative peace to start with, compared to the various wars otherStar Warseras are defined by.
Much of the beginning of The High Republic focuses on the launch of the Starlight Beacon, a space station marking a huge technological advancement for the era. As the galaxy celebrates peace and technological advancement, a mysterious new threat emerges. There are several novels, short stories, comics, manga, and audio plays that all tie into this era. The upcoming Disney+ seriesThe Acolytewill also take place during this era.
This era is ranked last purely for the lack of movies or series thus far. We’re not knocking the books; LucasFilm has some fantastic authors and artists creating exciting stories for this era in particular. However,Star Warsis heightened by the visuals its stories are encased in, so we’re very excited to see what the future of this era will hold.
5. The Reign of the Empire
The Reign of the Empire begins with Order 66, which is where the first (and so far only) series in this era, the highly underratedThe Bad Batch, takes place. Most of the main characters in this series were introduced in the seventh and final season ofThe Clone Wars, and the first episode ofThe Bad Batchintroduces the final member of the group, Omega (Michelle Ang).
Now, let’s talk about Omega, who is not only the highlight and heart ofThe Bad Batchbut of this entire era as a whole. Omega is, like Boba Fett, an unmodified clone of Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison). She’s also the only female clone. She’s also quite possibly the most darling addition toStar Warssince Grogu. Her presence elevatesThe Bad Batchand emphasizes the show’s themes. With her inclusion,The Bad BatchbecomesThe Good Dads, capitalizing on the well-trodden (but always great) trope of “gruff man adopts adorable child”.
Aside fromThe Bad Batch, this era also containsSolo: A Star Wars Story. Despite featuring a fantastic cast, this Han Solo spinoff frankly comes across as unnecessary and stale. It’s essentially a tour through Han’s past that shows how he came into contact with some of the most important people (and ships) in his life, but answering those trivia questions unfortunately just doesn’t make for a compelling story.
4. The New Republic
The New Republic Era takes place after the Rebel’s victory over the Empire. While the galaxy is in a state of positive transition, the remnants of the Empire continue to lurk in the shadows. Disney+’s two original live-action series take place during this time period.
The first isThe Mandalorian, which follows Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), a Mandalorian bounty hunter whose life changes when he meets the cutest being in the galaxy, Grogu. As he journeys throughout the galaxy on a mission to find the right home for the little guy, he begins to form a strong attachment, and the two become like father and little green son.
Then there’sThe Book of Boba Fett, currently airing weekly on Disney+. The spinoff series started as a story about Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) starting a new life on Tatooine with Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). Recent episodes have muddled that direction, as the Disney-helmed LucasFilm continues to lean into cameos that occasionally detract from the focus of the series.
3. The Rise of the First Order
The Rise of the First Order is a strange beast of an era, containing some of the best and the worstStar Warshas to offer. There’sResistance, a children’s series that fills in the spaces before and in between the films that make up the sequel trilogy. Then the sequel trilogy was kicked off withThe Force Awakens, a crowd-pleasing return toStar Warsthat basically remadeA New Hopewith different, but still compelling characters like those in the original trilogy.
Next cameThe Last Jedi, one of the most creative blockbusters. DirectorRian Johnsonrightly assessed that the new characters were the greatest non-derivative strength fromThe Force Awakens, and so created a film that challenged each character to make choices that would define who they are and who they wanted to be. Unfortunately, one of the brightest entries to the film, Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) was met with racism and sexism online after her role. To make matters worse, her role was cut significantly in the following film, which could be read as a response to the hate.
That film wasThe Rise of Skywalker. While there’s no denying that the cast and crew worked hard with the material,Riseis essentially a creative black hole of a film that fails on nearly every level. Too much of the film is wasted undoing the work of its predecessor, like reversing the decision made by Johnson regarding Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) identity, turning her into a Palpatine, and attributing her force powers to him.
2. Fall of the Jedi
WhenGeorge Lucasdecided to revisitStar Wars, it would have been easy for him to cash in with a simple script heavy on nostalgia that would capitalize on the enduring love for his first trilogy. Instead, Lucas made a brave, if flawed, series of films that resulted in landmark technological advancements for the film industry and created a whole new generation ofStar Warsfans.
The prequel trilogy begins withThe Phantom Menace, which has the job of establishing the state of the galaxy in an entirely different era than fans had seen before, introducing new characters (or new versions of old characters), and entertaining its target younger audience. Lucas succeeded in creating an era aesthetically distinct from the Rebellion era, but the somewhat stilted language was off-putting for some. The prequel trilogy was met with some pretty overblown backlash, with some fans taking to the internet to bully the actors in these films.
Then cameAttack of the Clones, which takes place ten years after the events ofThe Phantom Menace. It’s a bit uneven, and some flaws from the previous film carry over to the second. The prequels gave us one of the greatest additions to the saga:Ewan McGregoras Obi Wan Kenobi, who made the already-iconic role his own and really begins to shine inAttack of the Clones.
Before the events that would conclude the prequel trilogy, there were the events ofThe Clone Wars, which spans the years between the middle and last chapter of the trilogy. This animated series follows Anakin (Matt Lanter), Obi Wan (James Arnold Taylor), Padmé (Catherine Taber), and other characters introduced in the movies, and brings Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) into the fold as Anakin’s Padawan. The series is just fantastic, exploring mature themes that come up during wartime in the context of a beautifully animated series.
The Fall of the Jedi era is leading to inevitable tragedy delivered byRevenge of the Sith, the strongest film of the trilogy and one of our favorites of the saga as a whole.Revenge of the Sithdelivers on the heartbreak, as Anakin (Hayden Christensen) falls to the dark side and helps Sidious (Ian McDiarmid) destroy everything he (and we) have come to hold dear.
1. Age of Rebellion
And now we arrive at the greatest era ofStar Wars, simply for how airtight and unimpeachable it is. The Age of Rebellion, as the name suggests, takes place during the war the Rebels wage against the Empire, and ends with their victory. First, there’sRebels, the charming and magical animated series following a rag-tag, found family of rebels on a ship. This series spans the years leading up to the films in the original trilogy and introduced new characters and mythology that fans fell in love with. Some additions, like Ezra Bridger (Taylor Gray) and Sabine Wren (Tiya Sircar) are thought likely to show up in the upcomingAhsokaspinoff series.
But before we get to the original trilogy, there’sRogue One, the stronger of the two spinoff movies. The film introduces interesting characters but sadly doesn’t get to fully explore each of them in much depth. DirectorGareth Edwardsbrings a slightly different style and feel that makes this the de facto war movie of theStar Warssaga. The cast is stacked, and the ending takes a risk that pays off with surprising poignancy. We will see more of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in the upcomingAndorspinoff on Disney+.
Then, of course, this is the era that contains George Lucas’s original trilogy.A New Hopewas revolutionary in its space opera rendition of a classic Hero’s Journey, heightened byJohn William’s immediately iconic score. The next entry built on the success of the first, and the result was an improvement in the form ofThe Empire Strikes Back, one of the most successful and well-received sequels of all time. The middle chapter of the original trilogy was darker and more interesting and complex than its predecessor and split its heroes up to challenge them in more personal ways.
And, despite detractors, the trilogy did stick the landing (although maybe with a slight wobble) withReturn of the Jedi. In hindsight, it may just be the happiest endingStar Warshas to offer, and nowadays, that’s something we appreciate all the more. It’s goofy, yes, but we think that’s not only what adds to its charm, but what makes itStar Wars.
