Category: Finance | Title: Where to Start with Star Wars: A Practical Guide to the Franchise and Its Financial Footprint | Tag: Star Wars | Meta Description: A factual guide on where to start with Star Wars, covering the release order, box office rankings, and the franchise's financial structure...
Where to Start with Star Wars: The Core Films and Release Order
The original 1977 film, later subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope, remains the standard entry point for most viewers. The Skywalker Saga consists of nine episodic films released between 1977 and 2019, produced by Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company since 2012. The theatrical release order begins with the original trilogy (1977, 1980, 1983), followed by the prequel trilogy (1999, 2002, 2005) and the sequel trilogy (2015, 2017, 2019). For viewers who prefer chronological storytelling by in-universe events, the recommended sequence starts with Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), continues through the Clone Wars era, and ends with Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Streaming availability is concentrated on Disney+, where all nine episodic films are listed as the primary Star Wars catalog as of the latest public release schedule. Forbes has published an updated guide on where to start with Star Wars based on the current streaming lineup.
Box office performance provides a quantitative starting point for new viewers. According to publicly reported figures, the highest-grossing Star Wars film in North America is The Force Awakens (2015), which earned approximately 936 million dollars domestically. Globally, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi (2017) each surpassed 1 billion dollars in total box office revenue. The original 1977 film, adjusted for inflation, remains among the highest-grossing films in history when calculated by modern ticket sales data. Box Office Mojo tracks the official Star Wars franchise grosses and rankings. These figures help viewers prioritize which films to watch first based on commercial scale and cultural impact.
Where to Start with Star Wars: Series, Spin-Offs, and the Expanded Universe
Beyond the nine episodic films, the franchise includes multiple television series and standalone movies that expand the timeline. The Disney+ series The Mandalorian (2019), The Book of Boba Fett (2021), Andor (2022), and Ahsoka (2023) are set across different periods of the Star Wars timeline, with Andor focusing on the rise of the Rebel Alliance. The standalone film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) is set immediately before Episode IV and is frequently recommended as a prequel to the original 1977 film. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) covers the early life of Han Solo and is positioned as a lower-priority entry for new viewers. Forbes has ranked the Star Wars TV series by release date and narrative placement.
The expanded universe now labeled as Star Wars Legends includes novels, comics, and games published before 2014, when Lucasfilm rebranded the continuity. Current canon is managed by Lucasfilm Story Group, which oversees all new film, television, and publishing releases. As of the latest public catalog, the primary canon media consists of the nine episodic films, the two standalone films, and the Disney+ series listed above. Revenue data from Disney's annual financial reports shows that Star Wars licensing and media sales remain a