Not that long ago, comparatively speaking, Star Wars was the little franchise that could. It was a mere trilogy for decades, but then it exploded. The prequels, panned though they were, became massive hits that reshaped cinema, and the sequel trilogy proved Star Wars still had room to grow with new audiences.
But that sequel trilogy, facilitated by Disney’s surprising purchase of Lucasfilm, also opened the door for new expansions. The result is something loosely considered the Star Wars anthology. These stories aren’t part of the main numbered franchise, and instead expand the universe beyond the Skywalkers and the Jedi. While there are a handful of duds, most of these are considered modern classics, which is why we’ve taken the opportunity to rank every Star Wars anthology movie and TV show.
Andor (2022)
It should come as no surprise that Andor: A Star Wars Story stands tall as the highest-rated Star Wars anthology series. For many, it even surpasses the original trilogy as the best example of Star Wars storytelling. Gritty, human, and at times horrifying, the series follows Cassian Andor as he grows from a scoundrel to a legendary Rebel soldier. The second season, currently airing at the time of this writing, has managed to push the boundaries even further, proving that Star Wars really is at its best when it’s focusing on the wars and their ramifications rather than Jedi and their drama.
Skeleton Crew (2024)
The success of Andor may not be a surprise, but Skeleton Crew being a surprise hit might be. Set in the increasingly crowded time frame of the decade following Return of the Jedi and the rise of the new Republic, Skeleton Crew follows a band of children who find themselves lost across the galaxy. Aided by a Force-sensitive pirate captain, the children must find their way home. The series was lauded for the tone, with many comparing it favorably to classic children’s adventure films of the ‘80s, like The Goonies, in how it blended all-ages adventure with darker moments and action in the Star Wars tradition.
The Mandalorian (2019)
It really can’t be stressed enough just how important The Mandalorian has been to the greater efforts of the Star Wars universe. The first effort at a Star Wars series when Disney+ was in its infancy, the series follows a Mandalorian bounty hunter who finds himself thrust into fatherhood when he finds Grogu, a child-like Force-user being hunted by Imperial remnants. While the series has been criticized for having a diminishing story quality over the years, it remains an important facet of Disney+, leading to it being the cornerstone of Star Wars’ return to the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Ahsoka (2023)
While The Mandalorian is important for how it started Star Wars on Disney+, Ahsoka represents the potential for expanding not just the new universes, but those that came before. Bringing Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano back from The Mandalorian, Ahsoka serves as a sequel to both the classic animated series Rebels and Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. The series was praised for its expansion of beloved characters and for finally introducing popular elements like Grand Admiral Thrawn to live-action. Ahsoka also notably features the final performance of actor Ray Stevenson as one of the franchise’s most interesting new characters, the mercenary Jedi Baylan Skoll.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
With the Disney purchase of Star Wars, fans were obviously excited for the potential of new films that served as sequels to the original trilogy. However, plans quickly expanded to also kick off the titular Anthology line, stories which expanded the world beyond the Skywalkers and the Jedi. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the first of these, exploring for the first time in canon how the plans for the Death Star were stolen by the Rebel Alliance prior to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Rogue One was praised for its cinematography and action at release and has become a modern classic over the years, thanks largely to the success of Andor.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Even before Disney came into the picture, fans were clamoring to see Ewan McGregor return to the iconic role of Obi-Wan Kenobi following Revenge of the Sith. The resulting Obi-Wan Kenobi series was a long-gestating project, bouncing around for years as a movie before finally being realized as a Disney+ series. The story, which sees Obi-Wan forced out of his exile on Tatooine to save a kidnapped Leia Organa, was criticized at times for pacing issues, likely the result of the original film’s script being stretched out, but praised for the performances of both McGregor and a returning Hayden Christensen, especially in the series’ final showdown between Kenobi and Vader.
The Acolyte (2024)
The Acolyte promised a lot ahead of its release, and in many cases, it delivered. The first live-action property to be set in the High Republic era and the earliest Star Wars show on the timeline to date, The Acolyte promised to be a Star Wars murder-mystery, revolving around a mysterious assassin and the shocking deaths of multiple Jedi. Where The Acolyte wound up really shining was its action, with a more martial arts-inspired take on the traditionally flashy lightsaber combat. The series expanded Star Wars lore in exciting ways, including the first live-action appearance of Darth Plagueis, but its slow-burning story and predictable twists hurt this series in the long run.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
How do you build a franchise around some of the most iconic characters ever committed to film when the actors who played them are in their 70s? The answer is a recast and a prequel, which is exactly what we got in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. Unfortunately, the film seemed to be snakebit from the outset. Production was notoriously troubled, with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller fired four months into filming and Ron Howard taking over the helm. While few have called Solo outright awful, it's not gotten a lot of praise, and its teased twist ending of Qi’ra leading the Crimson Dawn was relegated to a comic book arc.
The Book of Boba Fett (2021)
While The Mandalorian may be the best thing to happen to Star Wars, it may be the worst thing to happen to Boba Fett. The legendary bounty hunter, most well-known for dying in a Sarlacc Pit in Return of the Jedi, returned in the second season to help save Grogu from the Empire. But the popularity of Boba meant he was never going to just be a guest star. The Book of Boba Fett is a Mandalorian spin-off that sees Boba take over as Tatooine’s top crime lord, but not even a tie-in to Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ narrative saved this one. The plot was so middling that it turned into The Mandalorian Season 2.5 halfway through, devoting more time to resolving a major arc from that series than Boba’s own story.
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