All Star Wars Shows: A Comprehensive Overview

Star Wars may have started as a movie, but the franchise didn’t find its real home until it made the leap to the small screen. Over the years, there have been so many different Star Wars TV shows that keeping them straight can get confusing. That’s why we put together this handy guide to all Star Wars shows released so far—and a couple still on the way.

Droids (1985)

Star Wars has a long tradition of animated shows, and it all started with Droids. Set 15 years before Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Droids follows everyone’s favorite pair of bickering robots on a series of early adventures. The series looks rough by today’s animation standards, but it’s worth watching if only for the occasional cameo from other Star Wars regulars like Boba Fett. 

Droids lasted only one season, if you don’t also count the hour-long special, but it was enough to develop a cult following among Star Wars fans. 

Ewoks (1985)

As the name suggests, Ewoks was a cartoon starring the furry bear-like creatures first introduced in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. The animated Star Wars television show takes place before Return of the Jedi and follows a group of Ewoks led by Wicket W. Warrick as they outwit the evil witch Morag and the Grinch-like Duloks.

Technically, the series debuted alongside Droids, but one of them had to come first on the list, and Ewoks lost the coin toss.

Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003)

Lucasfilm created Star Wars: Clone Wars to bridge the gap between Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Despite the relatively short runtime of Clone Wars episodes, the series still managed to pack a punch. Out of all the Star Wars TV shows, it’s easily the most kinetic. 

The duels in Clone Wars were on a different level than those in the movies, especially when it came to General Grievous. His fights were so impressive that fans couldn’t help but be disappointed with Grievous’s lackluster performance in Revenge of the Sith.

The Clone Wars (2008)

The Clone Wars had one job when it debuted on Cartoon Network: fix the prequels, and it did just that. Throughout seven seasons, spread out over 12 years, The Clone Wars single-handedly redeemed Episodes I-III in the eyes of older fans. The animated series fleshed out and fixed many of the more controversial aspects of the prequels. The show also marked the debut of Dave Filoni and his most famous creation, Ahsoka Tano. Both would go on to revolutionize the franchise in different ways and define Star Wars for a whole generation.

Rebels (2014)

Disney’s first Star Wars project since purchasing the franchise in 2012, Rebels, was an instant success and helped to pave the way for all of the Star Wars TV shows that came after. Rather than attempt to reinvent the wheel, Disney wisely tasked Dave Filoni with creating a new animated series similar to The Clone Wars, and it paid off. Rebels perfectly encapsulates what makes a successful Disney-era Star Wars show: new characters in familiar roles, lore that’s not afraid to draw from Legends, and a diverse cast representing fans of all shapes and sizes.

Blips (2017)

Blips was a series of animated shorts created to promote the 2017 film Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Each episode was under a minute and featured no dialogue unless you count bleeps, bloops, and Wookie roars. That’s because Blips almost exclusively featured droids, with the occasional cameo from Chewbacca. Comical in nature, Blips played out like a slightly less violent version of Tom and Jerry, with BB-8 taking the place of Jerry and everything from rival BB unit BB-9E to a random lightsaber filling in for the antagonistic Tom.

Forces of Destiny (2017)

One of Disney’s goals with its Star Wars content is to introduce more girls to a franchise that—until recently—has been predominantly full of boys. Forces of Destiny was Lucasfilm’s first attempt at a female-centric Star Wars show focusing on women from all across the franchise. The series featured popular characters like Princess Leia and Ahsoka Tano alongside lesser-knowns like Solo’s Qi’ra and Maz Kanata as they set off on a series of animated three-minute adventures. Utilizing a new 2D art style reminiscent of the illustrations in a children’s book, Forces of Destiny proved that the Force was indeed female.

Resistance (2018)

Resistance is set before Star Wars: The Force Awakens and focuses on a group of rag-tag pilots training to take on the growing might of the First Order. Out of all the animated Star Wars TV shows, Resistance might be the most beautiful. Its smooth animation and vibrant colors make some rougher-looking shows, like Rebels, look practically unfinished. Unfortunately, while it might look nice, that’s all Resistance has going for it.  Plagued by weak writing and forgettable characters, Resistance is a case of style over substance.

Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures (2018)

Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures is the closest thing to a sure bet in the world of Star Wars TV shows. Someone at Disney had the brilliant idea to use the lush children’s book animation of Forces of Destiny to retell popular stories from all three Star Wars trilogies. Familiar scenes like Luke Skywalker’s escape from Jabba the Hutt’s Sail Barge are rendered in eye-popping color giving them a whole new look. Fans of the prequels might be disappointed in Galaxy of Adventures’ focus on Episodes IV-IX, but the series is practically perfect in every other way.

Star Wars: Roll Out (2019)

“What if all my favorite Star Wars characters looked like BB-8?” is a question no Star Wars fan has ever asked. And yet, the animated Star Wars: Roll Out has an answer: mildly unsettling. BB-8’s design is perfect for a cute little droid, but organic, flesh-and-blood characters? Not so much.

Roll Out is the first Star Wars TV show geared toward toddlers, with a cutesy art style to match. Unfortunately, no matter how adorable the art is, Rey’s body rolling around under her head is offputting. The same goes for any other Star Wars character without a number in their name.

The Mandalorian (2019)

The Mandalorian was Lucasfilm’s first foray into live-action Star Wars TV shows. For three seasons, the series has been a runaway hit thanks to two words: Baby Yoda. Disney has tried to get people to refer to the little green puppet as either The Child or his official name, Grogu, but to no avail. For most Star Wars fans, he will forever be Baby Yoda. The rest of The Mandalorian is pretty good, too, but even if it weren’t, fans would still tune in just to see that adorable baby.

The Bad Batch (2021)

The Bad Batch is three shows in one. It’s an animated sequel to The Clone Wars, a prequel to Rebels, and Lucasfilm’s attempt to explain Palaptine’s return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Picking up where The Clone Wars left off, The Bad Batch details the Empire’s rise from the point of view of a group of heavily modified Clones. Somehow, despite the heavy amount of worldbuilding the show is saddled with, The Bad Batch manages to be entertaining without ever turning into Exposition: The Series.

The Book of Boba Fett (2021)

The Book of Boba Fett was Lucasfilm’s attempt to duplicate the success of The Mandalorian with a classic Star Wars character. Boba Fett has had a cult following ever since he first showed up in The Empire Strikes Back and started talking back to Darth Vader. The problem was that by 2021, the other armored bounty hunter with a heart of gold had replaced Boba Fett in most fans’ hearts. As a result, halfway through the series, Fett is suddenly swapped out for Din Djarin and Grogu, essentially turning The Book of Boba Fett into The Mandalorian Season 2 ½.

Star Wars: Visions (2021)

Star Wars: Visions was the first non-canon Star Wars TV show produced by Disney. Each of the animated shorts that make up Visions has its own continuity and takes place in its own version of the Star Wars galaxy. As a result, the series features a diverse array of styles and themes, some of which had never been explored in Star Wars before Visions.

Star Wars fans interested in seeing what the galaxy would look like rendered in Aardman-style stop motion or an actual samurai wielding a lightsaber should seek out Visions and its unique approach to Star Wars.

Star Wars: Galaxy of Creatures (2021)

Star Wars: Galaxy of Creatures is the Star Wars equivalent of National Geographic. In these animated shorts, a droid named SF-R3 (safari, get it?) travels around the galaxy, filming various creatures in the Star Wars universe. Like a good nature host, SF-R3 offers “facts” about the animals, such as diet, social behavior, etc. The series’ weak spot is the animation. SF-R3 and the creatures he finds are rendered in a sharp pointy style, like they were cut out of construction paper. It’s a sharp contrast—no pun intended—to the other Star Wars TV shows geared towards kids, which employed a much softer, rounder aesthetic.

Star Wars: Galactic Pals (2022)

Star Wars: Galactic Pals is just Galaxy of Creatures but with National Geographic swapped out for Muppet Babies. It’s another short-form animated Star Wars show for children that also happens to star children. Nanny-bot M1-RE, or Miree, is tasked with babysitting a group of younglings, each a different species. Much like Galaxy of Creatures, Miree spouts a few facts about each species as she runs around trying to maintain order in the nursery.

If Galactic Pals has one thing over Galaxy of Creatures, it’s the switch back to a cuter, more rounded animation style.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

Obi-Wan Kenobi was Ewan McGregor’s return to the Star Wars universe after a nearly 20-year hiatus. The live-action series is one of several Star Wars TV shows intended initially to be a movie, and it’s noticeable. The first five episodes feel like one long build-up to the big Obi-Wan vs Darth Vader fight in Episode 6. 

The climactic rematch between Kenobi and Vader is worth it, though. An epic duel rivaling the one at the end of Revenge of the Sith, the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale is one for the ages.

Andor (2022)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the first Star Wars movie to get a television spinoff. Andor serves as both a prequel to the events of Rogue One and an intimate look at how the rebellion against the Empire started. Loved by fans and critics, the live-action series is considered by many to be the high point of Lucasfilm’s television offerings.

Andor replicates the look and feel of A New Hope so well that it could pass for a production from the ‘70s. The only thing that gives away Andor’s modern production is its diverse cast, something the original Star Wars films lacked.

Tales of the Jedi (2022)

Tales of the Jedi is one of the few Star Wars TV shows created after The Clone Wars to focus on the Jedi of the prequel era. The series forgoes grand, large-scale battles for intimate tales focusing on the Jedi Order right before its fall. The episodes tackle subjects like Jedi Master Yaddle’s disappearance before Attack of the Clones and how the Order dealt with the news of Qui-Gon Jinn’s death, sometimes in heartbreaking ways. Tales of the Jedi might not be the saddest show on television, but it’s a far cry from the comical nature of something like Blips.

Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies (2022)

This one-off animated short is the first collaboration between Lucasfilm and Studio Ghibli. Often considered the Japanese equivalent of Disney, Studio Ghibli is responsible for some of the most magical, whimsical animated movies ever produced. The iconic animation studio tackling Star Wars should have been a slamdunk. Sadly, it wasn’t.

Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies is three minutes of Grogu attempting to meditate while the soot sprites from Spirited Away give him a hard time. It’s animated beautifully, but at the end of the day, fluff drawn well is still fluff.

Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (2023)

Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures offered a glimpse into the Jedi Order from an angle never before seen in a Star Wars show: the Younglings. The animated series follows a group of kids on their journey to becoming full-fledged Jedi. The series’ breakout star is Nubs, a blue teddy bear that looks like an Ewok but is actually a Pooba, a race created specifically for the show. The adorable little furball might only speak in grunts and squeaks, but he’s already become the series’ version of Baby Yoda.

Ahsoka (2023)

After making her live-action debut on The Mandalorian, Disney finally gave Ahsoka Tano her own show, although she had to share it. The former Jedi shares the spotlight with the cast of Rebels, most of whom had never appeared in live-action before Ahsoka. As with several of the Star Wars TV shows, Ahsoka should have been called something else. In this case, Rebels Season 5 would have been a more appropriate title.

Of course, there’s more to a successful series than a title, and Ahsoka is a rollicking good time, no matter what you call it.

Tales of the Empire (2024)

Disney recently released a trailer for Tales of the Empire, coming May 4, 2024. The animated anthology looks like it’s going to be a twisted mirror version of Tales of the Jedi, this time focussing on the bad guys. Of all the storylines teased in the trailer, the most anticipated—at least as far as fans are concerned—is a meeting between fallen Jedi Bariss Offee and Darth Vader. The two last saw each other during the Clone Wars when Anakin Skywalker arrested her for framing Ahsoka Tano. Most fans are expecting a less-than-happy reunion when the two former opponents meet again.

Star Wars: The Acolyte (2024)

Star Wars: The Acolyte is an upcoming live-action Star Wars show set in the High Republic era. Someone is killing Jedi, and it’s up to Jedi Master Sol to investigate. The series brings a unique perspective to Star Wars. For the first time ever, it’s the bad guys who are hopelessly outnumbered when The Acolyte starts. Judging by the trailer, The Acolyte will feature more hand-to-hand martial arts than most Star Wars shows. The action-packed mystery at the heart of The Acolyte should be a breath of fresh air for fans who may find the usual Star Wars formula wearing a bit thin.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (2024)

The upcoming Star Wars: Skeleton Crew will focus on four kids who embark on an adventure across the galaxy after making a mysterious discovery on their home planet. The series is an homage to coming-of-age movies like Stand By Me and E.T. and is set around the same time as The Mandalorian. After the relative darkness of Andor and Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew feels like an attempt by Disney to help younger Star Wars fans make the leap from animation to live-action.