The main Star Wars saga, comprised of a trio of film trilogies, includes some of cinema’s most iconic and revolutionary movies, making ranking the Star Wars trilogies no easy task. Cinema was forever changed in 1977 with the release of Star Wars (now known as A New Hope), a passion project for George Lucas that combined his favorite fiction genres in a refreshingly earnest science-fantasy epic, whose characters, themes, and immersive universe were explored even deeper in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Lucas brought his game-changing franchise, which soon grew to encompass far more mediums than just film, back to cinemas via the prequel trilogy, which provided the tragic backstory of many of the original trilogy’s heroes and villains. Following Lucas’ sale of Lucasfilm – and thus the Star Wars intellectual property – to Disney, a third trilogy was made, turning the Skywalker Saga into a nine-part story.

Today, the Star Wars franchise can be found across all mediums, with two continuities (canon and Legends) introducing a plethora of exciting characters and storylines to Lucas’ universe. Live-action TV shows like The Mandalorian have become the new face of Star Wars and spinoff films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story have explored the saga in fascinating new ways, but it is ultimately the Skywalker Saga that defines Star Wars. At its core, Star Wars is the antithesis of cynicism, and while many of the Skywalker Saga films venture into dark territory, the franchise as a whole is about family, redemption, fighting against oppression, and becoming the best version of oneself. The three Star Wars trilogies can be judged by how closely they adhere to these elements, along with how well they develop their characters, and narratives. Here are all three Star Wars trilogies, ranked from worst to best.

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3. Sequel Trilogy

Force Awakens, Last Jedi, and Rise of Skywalker Sequel Trilogy Poster

For many viewers, the Star Wars saga told a complete story with only the original and prequel trilogies, so the announcement of a new Star Wars trilogy alongside Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm was met with as much caution as it was enthusiasm. For others, there was a degree of worry over the new trilogy’s quality, given the prequel trilogy’s poorer reception than the original trilogy. In the lead-up to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars marketed its return to theaters by focusing on the original trilogy almost as much as it did the upcoming seventh saga film. This was a fitting move, as The Force Awakens, for better or worse, borrows heavily from A New Hope, and while the film is clearly well-intentioned, its glaring similarity to the 1977 film is one of its biggest criticisms.

To make matters worse, The Force Awakens is overall far too concerned with setting up future plotlines than telling a complete story, making it one of the saga’s more episodic installments. Its sequel, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, sought to be the opposite, but ultimately reused elements of the original trilogy in a far more heavy-handed manner. Entire sequences from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are remade shot-for-shot, and Luke Skywalker’s divisive characterization is, fundamentally, a repeat of his Episode VI arc, sans complexity and consistency with his previous appearances (and earning the disapproval of Mark Hamill himself). The Force Awakens tries perhaps a bit too hard to replicate the magic of the original trilogy while The Last Jedi, in its pursuit of appearing more original, simply erases as much meaning from the Star Wars saga as it can, dividing Star Wars viewership.

This put Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in an unenviable position. Not only did the film seek to bring the divided Star Wars fandom back together but it also needed to satisfyingly conclude both the sequel trilogy and the Star Wars saga as a whole after its predecessors wasted time teasing future installments or trying to invalidate past installments, respectively. The unfortunate result was a film that aimed to please everyone but ultimately left viewers underwhelmed. With so little left of the original trilogy to replicate, The Rise of Skywalker instead repurposes elements of the Dark Empire comic series from Legends (which was previously the official Star Wars timeline), bringing back Palpatine and retroactively making him the true villain of the sequel trilogy all along.

When all is said and done, the Star Wars sequel trilogy, however well-intentioned its installments might have been, is far too concerned with metanarratives. Whether revering the previous films or haphazardly attempting to deconstruct them, the sequel trilogy realized far too late that it needed to simply tell a quality story that tastefully continues the character arcs of the original trilogy heroes while introducing new protagonists. The sequels often left their new characters underdeveloped and the returning heroes mischaracterized and thus do not measure up to the quality of the previous two trilogies.

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2. Prequel Trilogy

Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Feature

The quality of the Star Wars prequel trilogy is somewhat inconsistent. Rather than giving the classic hero’s journey a science fantasy twist, the prequels are a tragedy, detailing the fall from grace of Anakin Skywalker and his rebirth as the Sith Lord Darth Vader. While the prequel films went into uncharted territory for the Star Wars saga, they never strayed too far from the original trilogy’s lore, resulting in movies that are clearly set in the same universe as the original trilogy, even on worlds like Kamino, which defy the franchise’s “worn universe” stylings. The prequel trilogy films are often criticized for their overreliance on CGI effects, awkward dialogue, and too strong of a focus on galactic politics, and while these complaints are not unwarranted, the trilogy’s merits far overshadow its shortcomings.

The trilogy’s first installment, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, highlights the corruption of both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic they serve in the background of Anakin Skywalker, Palpatine, and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s origins. While the film is often mocked for its more family-friendly nature and often goofy humor, it serves as the beginning of the end for the Republic’s millennium of peace and presents fascinating new details regarding the history of the Jedi and Sith. Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side and Palpatine’s sinister machinations are promised in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, which is arguably the only true “downer” in the saga. The film is, unfortunately, infamous for its poor writing during Anakin and Padmé’s romance, but it sets the stage for the former’s fall from grace and the Republic’s fascist coup while introducing the fascinatingly complex villain Count Dooku.

The dark promises made by Attack of the Clones are fulfilled in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which is considered by many to be the best of the prequel films. The action-packed finale ties up every loose end and shows, tragically, that the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the birth of Darth Vader can be attributed as much to the Jedi Order’s failings as it can Palpatine’s manipulations. Anakin’s Faustian bargain runs parallel to Palpatine putrefying the Republic into the Galactic Empire and while the movie occasionally runs into similar issues with dialogue to Attack of the Clones (and a lack of exposition for General Grievous, could potentially confuse viewers unfamiliar with Legends-era material), its sheer emotional depth and gravitas more than makes up for it.

The Star Wars prequel trilogy tells a fantastically complex and tragic story of political intrigue, corporate and religious corruption, and a would-be hero who flew too close to the sun. Despite its faults, the prequels tell a fundamentally different story than the original trilogy, explore deeper concepts, and enrich the Star Wars galaxy’s history. For this, the Star Wars prequel trilogy is a close second.

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1. Original Trilogy

Star Wars Original Trilogy Painted Mural

The Star Wars original trilogy remains the cream of the crop of the franchise’s movies, with its timeless narrative, likable characters, and emotional sincerity allowing it to maintain relevance decades after its completion. The trilogy’s narrative is, by design, simple, but its characters are complex and their respective characterizations across the films are easily the most compelling elements of the Skywalker Saga. For better or worse, the quality of new Star Wars properties will always be compared to the original trilogy.

A New Hope (initially known only as Star Wars) has a straightforward narrative and is perhaps the only installment in the Skywalker Saga that can stand entirely on its own. Using classic mythological archetypes and a story that is all at once a fantasy epic and war film, A New Hope creates an immersive universe and characters who are surprisingly human for their setting, all while leaving room for future installments. This, of course, allowed The Empire Strikes Back to enrich the saga even further.

Popularly seen as the best Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back takes the characters and universe of its predecessor and moves them all into deeper and more complicated territory. Luke Skywalker in particular has his entire worldview challenged, if not obliterated, by his grueling Jedi training and the startling revelation of his father’s fate. The philosophies of the Jedi and Sith (and their respective uses of the Force itself) are delved into and the cast gains a new hero in Lando Calrissian. While a more episodic entry in the Skywalker Saga, The Empire Strikes Back positions its heroes for their ultimate endgame and allows the franchise to avoid simply repeating A New Hope.

Return of the Jedi, while unfortunately considered by many to be the weakest entry in the original trilogy, provides some best character writing in the saga, particularly for Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Vader is no longer a simple sorcerer and military leader but is now a broken man resigned to his villainy. Luke Skywalker, still struggling in the aftermath of The Empire Strikes Back, faces a seemingly impossible choice between patricide or becoming The Emperor’s next Sith apprentice. Luke’s choice of a third option embodies the idealism of the Star Wars franchise itself and corrects the mistakes of the older generations of Jedi. Return of the Jedi is, however, often criticized both for its act 1 rescue of Han Solo lasting perhaps a bit too long and Endor’s notoriously kitschy Ewoks. Whatever shortcomings the film may have, however, are more than made up for its characterizations.

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The original Star Wars trilogy ultimately contains the franchise’s best writing, acting, and filmmaking. The films, while not perfect, helped create the modern blockbuster yet stand the test of time as they continue to inspire storytellers. While the Star Wars franchise and its two continuities are comprised of far more than films, its heart is the Skywalker Saga, and its greatest trilogy is the one that started it all.

Next: ROTJ's Luke Skywalker Proved The Prequel Jedi's Ways Were Wrong