Rogue Squadron

Skywalker Saga

The main Star Wars film series is a trilogy of subtrilogies; as it neared completion, Lucasfilm began to refer to it as the "Skywalker Saga". It was released beginning with the original trilogy (Episodes IV, V, and VI, 1977–1983), followed by the prequel trilogy (Episodes I, II, and III, 1999–2005) and the sequel trilogy (Episodes VII, VIII, and IX, 2015–2019). The first film released, Star Wars (1977), is the fourth film chronologically and was later subtitled Episode IV – A New Hope in 1981. The saga begins chronologically with Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) and concludes with Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

The story follows each generation of the Force-sensitive Skywalker family and their struggle against Palpatine, an evil Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious. The prequel trilogy focuses on Anakin Skywalker's time as a Jedi under Obi-Wan Kenobi, marriage to Padmé Amidala, and fall to the dark side as Darth Vader. The original trilogy follows Anakin and Padmé's children Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, who join forces with Han Solo and the Rebel Alliance against Vader and Palpatine's Empire. The sequel trilogy features Kylo Ren (Ben Solo)—Leia and Han's son—who fell to the dark side and seeks to rule the First Order with Rey, Palpatine's granddaughter and the Skywalkers' last Jedi apprentice.

Each episodic film begins with an opening crawl, accompanied by the main Star Wars theme by John Williams, who composed each film's score. Following their initial theatrical releases, franchise creator George Lucas made multiple rounds of retroactive changes to the films of the original trilogy (and to a lesser extent, the prequels).

Standalone films

As Lucas was outlining a trilogy of trilogies, he also imagined making additional movies unrelated to the Skywalker Saga. The first films set outside the main episodic series were the Ewok spin-off films Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985). The films were screened internationally after being produced for television.

After the conclusion of his six-episode saga in 2005, Lucas returned to spin-offs in the form of television series. An animated film, The Clone Wars (2008), was released as a prelude to the TV series of the same name. An anthology series set between the main episodes entered development in parallel to the production of the sequel trilogy, described by Disney chief financial officer (CFO) Jay Rasulo as origin stories. The first entry, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), tells the story of the rebels who steal the Death Star plans directly before Episode IV. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) focuses on Han's backstory, also featuring Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian.

Animated film

Preceding the airing of the animated TV series in late 2008, the theatrical feature Star Wars: The Clone Wars was compiled from episodes "almost [as] an afterthought." It reveals that Anakin trained an apprentice named Ahsoka Tano between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith; the series explains her absence from the latter film. The film and series exist in the same level of canon as the episodic and anthology films.

Live-action films

Before selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, and parallel to his development of a sequel trilogy, George Lucas and original trilogy co-screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan started development on a standalone film about a young Han Solo. In February 2013, Disney CEO Bob Iger made public the development of a Kasdan film and Entertainment Weekly reported that it would focus on Han Solo. Disney CFO Jay Rasulo has described the standalone films as origin stories. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that there was "no attempt being made to carry characters (from the standalone films) in and out of the saga episodes." The standalone films are subtitled "A Star Wars Story".

Rogue One is set directly before Episode IV: A New Hope and focuses on the eponymous group of rebels who obtain the plans to the Death Star. Its laser was developed by scientist Galen Erso (played by Mads Mikkelsen) after the Empire forcibly abducted him, separating him from his daughter Jyn. Galen secretly sends a defecting Imperial pilot, Bodhi Rook, to deliver a message warning of the weapon's existence and revealing its weakness to his rebel friend Saw Gerrera. Under the false promise of her father's liberation, Jyn agrees to help Rebel Alliance intelligence officer Cassian Andor and his droid K-2SO retrieve the message from Saw, now the paranoid leader of an extremist cell of rebels.

The idea for the movie came from John Knoll, the chief creative officer of Industrial Light & Magic. In May 2014, Lucasfilm announced Gareth Edwards as the director of an anthology film, with Gary Whitta writing the first draft for a release on December 16, 2016. The film's title was revealed to be Rogue One, with Chris Weitz rewriting the script, and Felicity Jones in the starring role. Ben Mendelsohn and Diego Luna also play new characters, with James Earl Jones returning to voice Darth Vader. Edwards stated, "It comes down to a group of individuals who don't have magical powers that have to somehow bring hope to the galaxy." The film was the first to feature characters introduced in animated Star Wars TV series, namely The Clone Wars' Saw Gerrera, portrayed by Forest Whitaker in the film. The movie received generally positive reviews, with its performances, action sequences, soundtrack, visual effects and darker tone being praised. The film grossed over US$500 million worldwide within a week of its release.

Solo, the second anthology film, focuses on Han Solo about 10 years before A New Hope. After an escape attempt from his Imperial-occupied home planet of Corellia goes wrong, a young Han vows to return to rescue his girlfriend Qi'ra. Han "Solo" joins the Imperial Academy; however, he is expelled for his reckless behavior. Han and his newfound Wookiee friend Chewbacca resort to a criminal life, mentored by veteran smuggler Tobias Beckett. After angering gangster Dryden Vos, for whom Qi'ra now works, Han and his company's lives depend on pulling a heist for him. Without a ship to travel, they hire Lando Calrissian, the captain and owner of the Millennium Falcon. A twist ending acknowledges Maul's survival of The Phantom Menace, as previously explored by animated series.

Produced for television

A holiday TV special, often described as a film, aired in 1978. Two live-action TV films created in the mid-1980s feature the Ewoks.

Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

Produced for CBS in 1978, the Star Wars Holiday Special was a two-hour television special, in the format of a variety show. Stars of the original film and archive footage from the original Star Wars film appeared alongside celebrity guest stars in plot-related skits, musical numbers, and an animated segment, all loosely tied together by the premise of Chewbacca's family waiting for his arrival for the "Life Day" celebration on his home planet, Kashyyyk. The special is notorious for its extremely negative reception and was aired only once. Only the 11-minute animated sequence, which features the debut of bounty hunter Boba Fett, was positively received.

Ewok films

The Ewoks from Return of the Jedi were featured in two spin-off television films, The Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. Both aired on ABC on the Thanksgiving weekends of 1984 and 1985, respectively, with at least the first also being given a limited international theatrical release. Warwick Davis reprised his debut role as the main Ewok, Wicket, in both. They are set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Both films were released on VHS, LaserDisc, and on a double-feature DVD. Although based on stories written by George Lucas, they do not bear Star Wars in their titles, and were considered to exist in a lower level of canon than the episodic films. Following Disney's acquisition of the franchise, they were excluded from the canon. The Battle for Endor would be the last live-action Star Wars television project produced by Lucasfilm until 2019's The Mandalorian.

In a story by Lucas and a screenplay by Bob Carrau, the Towani family spaceship shipwrecks on the forest moon of Endor. While trying to repair their ship, the castaway family is split, when a giant creature known as the Gorax kidnaps the parents. Taking pity on the kids, a group of native Ewoks led by Wicket decides to help little Cindel Towani and her older brother Mace, rescue their parents. Among other stylistic choices making the film unique from the Star Wars episodes is the inclusion of a narrator.

The sequel focuses on the Ewoks protecting their village from marauders led by the evil Lord Terak, who killed all the members of the Towani family except for Cindel, in search of a power battery. It was followed by the TV series Ewoks (1985–1986).

Produced for Disney+

A Droid Story (TBA)

In December 2020, A Droid Story, an animated adventure film for Disney+ was announced. According to the official Star Wars Twitter, the "epic journey will introduce us to a new hero guided by R2-D2 and C-3PO." As of 2026, this project has not yet been released.

Reception

Box office performance

The Star Wars films are the third-highest-grossing film franchise of all time worldwide, behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Spider-Man, having grossed over $10 billion at the global box office.

Accolades

The eleven live-action films together have been nominated for 37 Academy Awards, of which they have won seven. The films were also awarded a total of three Special Achievement Awards. The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi received Special Achievement Awards for their visual effects, and Star Wars received a Special Achievement Award for its alien, creature and robot voices.

The franchise has received a total of fifteen Grammy Award nominations, winning six.

Notes

In 1989, the Library of Congress selected the original Star Wars film for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry, as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The Empire Strikes Back was selected in 2010, while Return of the Jedi was selected in 2021. 35 mm reels of the 1997 Special Editions were the versions initially presented for preservation because of the difficulty of transferring from the original prints, but it was later revealed that the Library possessed a copyright deposit print of the original theatrical releases. By 2015, Star Wars had been transferred to a 2K scan which can be viewed by appointment.

Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure was one of four films to be juried-awarded Emmys for Outstanding Special Visual Effects at the 37th Primetime Emmy Awards. The film was additionally nominated for Outstanding Children's Program but lost in this category to an episode of American Playhouse.

At the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor and the CBS documentary Dinosaur! were both juried-awarded Emmys for Outstanding Special Visual Effects. The film additionally received two nominations for Outstanding Children's Program and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Special.

Unproduced and abandoned projects

Untitled Zack Snyder film

In the 2000s Zack Snyder had pitched an adult-oriented film to Lucasfilm, but conversations ceased by the time Disney acquired the company in 2012. The project was redeveloped as Rebel Moon (2023).

Spin-off films centered on Boba Fett and Yoda

In early 2013, Bob Iger announced the development of spin-off films focusing on Han Solo, Boba Fett, and Yoda. Simon Kinberg was announced to be the screenwriter of the Boba Fett film shortly afterward. In mid-2014, Josh Trank was officially announced as the director of an undisclosed spin-off film, but had left the project a year later due to creative differences, causing a teaser for the film to be scrapped from Star Wars Celebration. Though it was later revealed that Trank was removed from the project following behind the scenes issues on Fantastic Four. In May 2020, Trank confirmed that his planned Star Wars film was the Boba Fett film. In May 2018, it was reported that James Mangold would direct the Boba Fett movie, with Kinberg still attached as screenwriter. Five months later, the film was announced to be cancelled, with Lucasfilm instead focusing their attention on The Mandalorian, which utilized a similar character to Fett. Mangold confirmed his brief involvement in 2023, revealing he wrote a "borderline R-rated" script. He cited the poor commercial performance of Solo as the main reason for the film's cancellation.

Obi-Wan: A Star Wars Story

In 2017, it was announced that an anthology film focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi was in development with Stephen Daldry set as director and writer. In May 2018, the film was reportedly titled Obi-Wan: A Star Wars Story, with a plot involving Kenobi protecting a young Luke Skywalker on the planet Tatooine during tensions between local farmers and Tusken Raiders. Production on the film was expected to take place in Northern Ireland under the working title Joshua Tree in 2019. The film was cancelled in 2018, later being redeveloped as a TV series for Disney+, which aired in 2022. In 2022, writer Stuart Beattie revealed in an interview that he pitched an Obi-Wan Kenobi trilogy and wrote a draft for the first installment.

Potential sequels to Rogue One and Solo

Rogue One and Solo actors Felicity Jones, Alden Ehrenreich and Emilia Clarke all stated that their contracts also included future installments. Solo director Ron Howard said that while no sequel was in development, it was up to the fans to decide. Although critics noted that Solo left room open for sequels, in 2022, Howard confirmed that the studio had no plans to make one.

Untitled Jabba the Hutt film

In August 2017, it was rumored that a film focused on Jabba the Hutt was in the works. In June 2018, a rumor circulated that a movie taking place in Mos Eisley was in the works as well. In September 2023, David S. Goyer confirmed that he had written a script treatment for an unproduced Jabba-centric film that was intended to be directed by Guillermo del Toro. It was also revealed that this was the same project as the rumored Mos Eisley film, with Alden Ehrenreich expected to reprise his role as Han Solo. The film was cancelled due to Solo's poor commercial performance.

Untitled D. B. Weiss and David Benioff series

In 2018, Lucasfilm announced that Game of Thrones showrunners D. B. Weiss and David Benioff would develop a series of Star Wars films, often believed to be a trilogy. In 2019, Kathleen Kennedy revealed the studio's intention of planning the next decade of films, with Weiss, Benioff, and Rian Johnson working together to map out the franchise's future. A month later, Bob Iger announced that the first Star Wars film released after a brief hiatus following the release of The Rise of Skywalker would be directed by Weiss and Benioff, set to be released in 2022. In October 2019, it was revealed that Weiss and Benioff had departed their trilogy after making an overall deal with Netflix, though Kathleen Kennedy expressed interest in working with the duo in the future. Weiss and Benioff's films would have focused on the origins of the Jedi.

Untitled Knights of the Old Republic film

In April 2019, Kathleen Kennedy was asked by MTV News about a potential Knights of the Old Republic adaption and stated, "Yes, we are developing something to look at. Right now, I have no idea where things might fall." The following month, BuzzFeed News reported that Laeta Kalogridis had been hired in the spring of 2018 to write a film based on the 2003 video game, and that she was close to completing the first script of a potential trilogy.

Untitled Kevin Feige film

In September 2019, Marvel Cinematic Universe producer Kevin Feige reportedly began developing a Star Wars film with Kennedy; Michael Waldron was later announced to write the screenplay. In May 2022, Waldron confirmed the project was moving forward and that it would more or less stand alone, however in a separate interview the same month Kennedy denied that the film was in active development. By March 2023, the film was confirmed to no longer be in development. Contrary to earlier comments, Kennedy clarified the following month that the project was more something conflated through the media, that "nothing ever got developed. We never discussed an idea... If [Feige] did come up with something, I would be all ears. But, that's never really happened, so it's not an abandoned project. It just never really happened." In May 2023, Anthony and Joe Russo (who collaborated with Feige on multiple films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) revealed that they had conversations with Feige about potentially directing the film.

Untitled J. D. Dillard and Matt Owens film

J. D. Dillard and Luke Cage writer Matt Owens were reportedly involved in the early stages of developing a Star Wars film in February 2020, which may have taken place on the Sith planet Exegol. In November 2022, Dillard announced that he was no longer involved in the project, which was purportedly to take inspiration from the Star Wars: TIE Fighter video game.

Untitled Rian Johnson trilogy

Rian Johnson, the writer/director of The Last Jedi (2017), was confirmed to write and direct the first film of a new trilogy he was outlining as of early 2019 with Ram Bergman producing alongside Kennedy. It was said to differ from the Skywalker-focused films in favor of focusing on new characters and possibly a different era than the main film franchise. The project was considered to have been "back-burnered" by May 2022 due to Johnson's involvement with other projects, including the Knives Out franchise. Johnson indicated that he would make at least one more film in that series following Glass Onion before returning to Star Wars. In May 2025, Johnson stated that if he makes "another Star Wars, [he will] be the happiest person. In July 2025, Johnson admitted that his Star Wars trilogy never got off the ground.

The Hunt for Ben Solo

In October 2025, Adam Driver revealed that he had been developing a film set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker entitled The Hunt for Ben Solo (operating under the code name Quiet Leaves). The film would have been directed by Steven Soderbergh, with Scott Z. Burns writing the script (based on a story outline by Soderbergh and Rebecca Blunt). While Lucasfilm loved the idea, when they presented the screenplay to Disney, Bob Iger and Alan Bergman said no because, according to Driver, "They didn't see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that." The Hunt for Ben Solo marked the first time that a project that was fully written out and approved by Lucasfilm was cancelled by Disney. In January 2026, Kathleen Kennedy stated the script for the film was still on the back-burner.

Untitled David Fincher film

On October 23, 2025, it was reported by Jeff Sneider that David Fincher had pitched a Star Wars film set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker and centered on a pre-existing character, but that the film did not enter production due to Lucasfilm not granting Fincher final cut privilege. Two days later The Playlist website said that the report was inaccurate and that the film would have been set instead between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker and that the pitch didn't progress past "a few phone calls". Fincher had previously been considered to direct The Force Awakens.

Untitled Paul King film

On August 8, 2026, screenwriter Simon Farnaby revealed that he and frequent collaborator Paul King were asked by Lucasfilm to develop a new Star Wars film. Farnaby was slated to co-write the script alongside King, who was intended to direct. The film's story was to center on a droid and did not feature any preexisting Star Wars characters. Despite being rejected by Disney, the studio encouraged Farnaby and King to redevelop the project as an original film.

Documentaries

Documentary films about Star Wars released by Lucasfilm include:

The Making of Star Wars (1977)

SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983)

From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga (1983)

The Beginning: Making 'Episode I' (2001)

From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in 'Episode II' (2002)

The Story of Star Wars (2004)

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (2004)

Star Wars: Heroes & Villains (2005)

Within a Minute: The Making of Episode III (2005)

Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed (2007)

Secrets of the Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey (2016)

The Force of Sound (2018)

The Director and the Jedi (2018)

The Skywalker Legacy (2020)

Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett (2021)

Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return (2022)