What is the best Star Wars series? Here’s our complete ranking of the many TV series based in George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away.
As a franchise, Star Wars might be known for making some of the best science fiction movies, but in the new Disney Plus era, the timeline is increasingly dominated by some of the best TV series around. With plenty of returning Star Wars characters (and even some new ones), these shows are becoming just as important to the entire franchise as the Star Wars movies that kicked it all off.
Figuring out the best Star Wars series, then, isn’t an easy task. Should great performances take precedence? The impact on the established Skywalker family tree set up throughout the Star Wars movies in order shouldn’t be taken for granted, either. So, we’ve taken it all into account for our ranking to tell you which Star Wars shows are at the top of the space crop.
All 12 Star Wars series ranked from worst to best:
- The Book of Boba Fett
- Droids
- Ewoks
- Resistance
- The Bad Batch
- The Mandalorian
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Ahsoka
- Rebels
- Visions
- The Clone Wars
- Andor
12. The Book of Boba Fett (2021)
Just like the namesake Star Wars bounty hunter, The Book of Boba Fett is all looks, no substance. The Disney Plus series attempts a redemption story but struggles to find any sort of clear target, becoming increasingly tedious once Boba claws his way out of the Sarlacc Pit.
What could’ve been John Wick in space is instead a convoluted way of making a silent killer, who took high-level hits from Darth Vader at the height of the Galactic Empire, into an anti-hero. Some Star Wars villains need to just be villains. Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen deserve better, though a Book of Boba Fett season 2 looks to be completely off the cards.
11. Droids (1985)
Even if you aren’t old enough to harbor nostalgia for them, the Star Wars ’80s animated series holds some charm. They were the first time a galaxy far, far away moved to the small screen, and the pulpy worldbuilding meshes well with the campiness of the era.
Droids itself is essentially a sitcom whereby the Star Wars droids R2-D2 and C-3PO move from master to master, trying to stay alive amid constant evil. You’d be hard-pushed to make it fit cohesively with the franchise today, but it’s not the worst thing that bears the branding.
10. Ewoks (1985–1987)
A sibling series to Droids, Ewoks edges in quality simply due to how weird it is. Wicket, the lovable hero from Return of the Jedi, is our guide through the world of Endor, where Ewoks are under threat from Morag, the Tulgah Witch, and the Duloks, a swamp-based species of furry goblins.
The Smurfs but fluffy. The drama is contained on Endor until the final episode when we almost get an appearance by the Empire himself. Crossovers weren’t so easy in those days, but you can imagine when this made Saturday mornings.
9. Resistance (2018–2020)
Generally, anything created by Dave Filoni a long, long time ago is worth some attention, though Resistance is the least essential of his projects. Kazudo Ziono is a resistance spy in the espionage thriller, collecting information leading up to The Force Awakens.
Resistance isn’t bad, just bland. The CG animation is tepid, lacking any real style or vibrancy, and the range of Star Wars cast members who reprise their roles comes across as a cheap novelty. Not even Gwendoline Christie and Oscar Isaac can make this totally worthwhile.
8. The Bad Batch (2021–present)
Another dull CG aesthetic is redeemed by a captivating angle on the time between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. When all other Clone troopers obey Order 66 without question, a small group has the power to resist the command, making them fugitives within the galaxy at large.
Clone Force 99, all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, makes for a dynamic perspective, struck trying to redefine their own existence in the face of genocide. The first season suffers pacing issues, and the second season has some of the same problems but is a slight improvement overall. Only time will tell if The Bad Batch season 3 manages to improve this show’s ranking on our list.
7. The Mandalorian (2019–present)
The Mandalorian, this low down? Well, sadly, yes. The first season of the show was up there with the very best of Star Wars, taking a simple idea and executing it perfectly. It’s been all downhill from there, however, for Din Djarin and Baby Yoda.
Season 2 was still lots of fun (albeit too focused on shoehorning in Star Wars cameos), but season 3 truly descended into a directionless mess. Din Djarin and Grogu became completely unimportant within their own story, and the episodic adventures fell flat. Here’s hoping The Mandalorian season 4 can pick things back up when it returns.
6. Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022–present)
Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen are back in Star Wars! I was starting to doubt we’d ever see the day. Obi-Wan Kenobi reunites Master and Padawan for an epilogue to Revenge of the Sith that sets the stage for the Original Trilogy and the Obi-Wan/Vader dynamic.
Living in exile, Obi-Wan is pushed out of hiding by the Inquisitors and Darth Vader’s hunt for the missing Skywalker children. A kidnapping plot with young Princess Leia isn’t exactly riveting, but Inquisitor Reva’s a fine addition to the Star Wars rogues gallery. All in service of McGregor and Christensen coming face-to-face again, as heartbreaking as you’d imagine.
5. Ahsoka (2023–present)
After being a key part of both Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars – more on those later – Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice Ahsoka Tano got her own Disney Plus series in 2023. The show followed Ahsoka’s attempts to track down the missing Grand Admiral Thrawn and prevent him from returning to his maximum power.
While creator Dave Filoni got a little bogged down in nods to some of his animated series, Ahsoka more than delivered in terms of enormous sci-fi spectacle. It also delved into the very nature of The Force and gave some thought to what it means to be a traditional Jedi or a Bokken Jedi. We’re fascinated to see if there’s more of this in a possible Ahsoka season 2.
4. Rebels (2014–2018)
One of the key pleasures of Star Wars is watching an underdog group stick it to some space fascists. It worked for A New Hope, it worked for The Force Awakens, and it works for Rebels. The Disney Plus show could’ve just been Ezra leading the Ghost’s crew on missions, and it would’ve been grand. However, the way it ties into the Skywalker Saga makes it incredibly satisfying.
Much of the four seasons is just the shipmates of the Ghost being a serious irritation for Imperial forces and Admiral Thrawn, blowing stuff up, interfering in crucial operations, and such. You can sense something larger at work, and eventually, it culminates in an encounter with Darth Vader that challenges time and space as we understand them in Star Wars. A chapter that’s becoming more and more crucial.
3. Visions (2021)
There are episodes of Visions that are among the most striking and creatively charged moments in Star Wars history. In the first Volume, the show was entirely driven by anime, and in Volume 2, each episode was helmed by a different animation studio from across the globe.
Telling self-contained stories, Visions is a Star Wars series that embraces the scope and scale of what the franchise can be, never confining itself to the battle between the Empire and the Rebellion with characters we’ve seen before. It’s a breath of fresh air, and it’s perfect. If you need more convincing, check out our Star Wars Visions Volume 2 review.
2. The Clone Wars (2008–2020)
What starts as a light anthology gradually becomes a sweeping, character-driven examination of war. Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker are at the core, fighting for the Galactic Republic side-by-side. Yoda and Mace Windu are around too, leading the Jedi in what we know is a futile effort against the Sith.
Star Wars may be largely defined by the cinema, but The Clone Wars is where the franchise truly breathes. The long, piecemeal arcs allow for grey areas among conflicts of the Force, questioning the constructs of the Jedi and Sith. Every pew-pew comes with the excited energy of a Saturday morning cartoon. If ever you’re disconcerted about the franchise, this is what to watch.
1. Andor (2022–present)
When it comes to Star Wars series, none have done it better than Tony Gilroy’s grounded, nuanced exploration of the burgeoning fight between the Rebellion and the Galactic Empire. There’s an array of brilliant Star Wars characters here, new and old, with the entire Andor cast doing exceptional work in bringing them to life.
Andor has great writing, incredible visuals, and spectacular production design. What is most impressive, though, is the lack of nostalgia bait and reliance on the franchise as a whole. This thriller series stands on its own two feet, without the need for lightsabers or the magic of the Force. We can’t wait for the Andor season 2 release date, and if it’s anything like the genius of Andor season 1, we’ll be in for a real treat.
That’s all the Star Wars series ranked for now. For more on Star Wars, check out our guide on how to watch all of Star Wars in order, and everything we know about the new Star Wars movies, or dive into our guide on The Acolyte release date.
Or, find out more about where the Ahsoka series fits in to the Star Wars timeline for the most recent story from the galaxy far, far away. And finally, if you are after non-franchise picks, here are all the new movies heading our way this year and everything new on Disney Plus.