Star Wars is probably best known for its blockbuster movies, but—over the past few years, especially—the saga has continued to unfold on television and streaming. Some of these stories are better left to die in the rough, coarse sands of Tatooine, but some of them are Star Wars at its finest. To help you separate the space-wheat from the space-chaff, we’ve put together a definitive ranking of every Star Wars TV show, with honorable mentions for a handful of outliers.
Honorable Mentions:
Web series
As this list is focused on Star Wars TV and streaming shows, it will not include any of the web series, such as Star Wars: Galactic Pals, Galaxy of Creatures, Forces of Destiny, Galaxy of Adventures, and Jedi Temple Challenge. I especially suggest taking a look at Galaxy of Adventures, which animates scenes from the Skywalker Saga and combines them in some new and interesting ways.
Non-canon cartoons
In the almost 50 years of Star Wars, there has been a lot of content created outside of the movies. Nowadays, a lot of that is considered Star Wars Legends—i.e., stuff that falls under the umbrella of Star Wars but is not technically canon. Among these are the following:
- Star Wars: Droids – The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO (1985)
- Star Wars: Ewoks (1985–86)
- Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003)
- Star Wars: Visions (September 22, 2021)
Despite being available to watch on Disney+, these shows are not considered part of the official Star Wars canon. That said, The Clone Wars owes a lot to the 2003 series, and I do encourage people to check it out.
9. The Book of Boba Fett
This is where the limitations of Star Wars as TV entertainment revealed themselves. The Book of Boba Fett felt at times both too long and too short, uncertain of whether it wanted to focus on Boba Fett’s backstory or on continuing the stories of the many characters surrounding Boba. Much in the way that The Mandalorian season 2 could feel like, “oh, this is the episode that acts as a backdoor pilot for this character’s show,” two episodes in the eight-episode Boba Fett series are almost entirely devoted to Grogu, Mando, and Luke. You only know about Boba and Cad Bane’s rivalry if you’re a major Clone Wars fan and have seen the deleted scene where Bane gave Boba the dent in his helmet. I love Star Wars … but this show is everything wrong with Star Wars’ easter egg-driven storytelling.
8. Star Wars Resistance
Honestly, the biggest problem is that the title of the show gave people different expectations for it; like most Star Wars animated shows, the early season of Star Wars Resistance is made for kids, which can annoy fans who think everything has to be made for them specifically. Despite the uphill battle, the premise is fun and the naive optimism of Kaz kind of works to emphasize the sheltered lifestyle he had as the son of a senator from a core world, now trying to cut his teeth doing some intelligence work. The fact that we know he’s from Hosnian Prime also provides a decent amount of tension for the blow you know is eventually coming.
7. Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi
Despite Ahsoka being my favorite character, I actually found that I liked Dooku’s episodes of Tales of the Jedi more—perhaps because we already know a lot about Ahsoka and therefore her episodes, while entertaining, just felt like more of what I knew and liked. They’re fun, but not exactly groundbreaking. Dooku’s episodes, on the other hand, showed what he was like as a Jedi and his descent to the Dark Side, which I found fascinating and honestly made me want to see more of Dooku before his fall.
6. Obi-Wan Kenobi
A bit of a mixed bag, I was slightly more forgiving of Obi-Wan Kenobi because it gave us Little Leia and allowed Hayden Christensen to shine as both Anakin and Vader. I do think it ultimately adds more meaning and good content to Star Wars as a whole; it cements that Obi-Wan cared for Luke and Leia, not just as tools to defeat the Sith, but as the children of his dearest friends. Also, I want more of Reva.
5. Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Don’t take this as me saying The Bad Batch is bad; if I had to judge Star Wars animated shows based only on their first season, I would say Bad Batch is the strongest of the bunch. But those other shows have all finished and therefore have a bit of a leg up as they tell a complete story. I also think that some of the Bad Batch members could use some individual episodes or arcs to round out their characters.
I’ve since watched season 2, and while it was excellent and I look forward to the future of The Bad Batch, I have since been enlightened to the whitewashing of the show, which has made me more critical of it as a whole. I feel like some of my critiques are still valid, especially since Hunter and Echo still feel less well-established than Tech and Wrecker.
4. The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian was Star Wars’ first foray into live-action television, and everything was riding on the success of this show. Somehow, it delivered. From the very first episode, the show was fun and engaging, but the introduction of Baby Yoda (don’t @ me, he hadn’t been named yet) was a reveal for the ages and one I still can’t believe wasn’t leaked. Season 2 could feel a little bit fan-service-y, with several episodes clearly being structured as pilots for future Disney+ series. But I also cried when I saw Ahsoka and Luke, so it feels disingenuous to critique Star Wars for something I actively enjoy.
Just go back and look at the reactions to the season 2 finale. Seeing all these fans have an identical response is genuinely powerful and cathartic. However, I think this series is limited by the fact that Book of Boba Fett (or at least the three episodes featuring Din Djarin) is now required viewing to understand season 3.
I legitimately enjoyed large parts of The Mandalorian season 3 and disagree with complaints that it’s become the “Bo-Katan show” (can you tell the story of Mandalore without talking about her family?). However, it did also feel like the season as a whole was more unsteady, establishing a lot of ideas but not fully fleshing them out. I also still feel like the show hasn’t grappled with the religious extremism issue that seems to divide Din’s covert and the other Mandalorians.
3. Star Wars Rebels
I will admit that I was initially determined to hate this show because it felt like The Clone Wars was canceled because of it. But I eventually got over myself and watched Rebels, and what followed was some of the best long-form Star Wars storytelling with some truly wonderful payoffs. It was fascinating having these episodes come out at the same time as the Disney movies and being able to see how they affected each other (Saw Gerrera first appeared in this show weeks after Rogue One premiered, Hera Syndulla and Poe Dameron were doing the same maneuvers in X-wing fighters, etc.).
Yes, it does suffer from requiring viewers to have watched The Clone Wars, the Prequels, and the OT, but that’s Star Wars for you. Ezra arguably became one of the best protagonists in Star Wars, the whole Ghost crew is amazing, and the ending of the show is honestly one of the best endings in all of Star Wars.
2. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
The Clone Wars has well over 100 episodes. As such, there are a few episodes that are outright childish or just plain bad. But when this show is great, it’s GREAT: The Umbara Arc, “The Lawless,” “The Wrong Jedi,” Fives and Order 66, and the whole Siege of Mandalore are just peak Star Wars in the best way. Ahsoka Tano is one of the greatest characters in all of the galaxy, and her growth over the course of seven seasons cannot be understated.
There are a million things I could say about this show, from the amazing villains to the reframing of Anakin Skywalker’s fall; the way it finds a balance between multi-episode arcs and one-offs, and the breather episodes that feel increasingly rare in the world of streaming; or even just the fact that it paved the way for future shows like Rebels and The Mandalorian. I would argue that every entry on this list owes a debt to The Clone Wars.
1. Andor
I say this as someone who grew up with The Clone Wars, watched Rebels religiously, and outright cried at multiple episodes of The Mandalorian: Andor is the best Star Wars show. The depth of its characters and storytelling is remarkable, as are its takedowns of how fascism and imperialism use capitalism, colonialism, and the prison industrial complex to control the galaxy. Andor is a piece of Star Wars media I genuinely cannot believe was made by Disney. This is the show Star Wars fans need, but one I almost feel that we don’t deserve—because if fans are really going to complain about bricks and screws in the set design, then there is no hope for the galaxy. Watch it if you haven’t. Rewatch it if you have.
What’s your favorite Star Wars show? Comment below!
(featured image: Disney+)
