Prior to the launch ofDisney+in 2019, there were noStar Warslive-action shows, and only a handful of animated series. The earliest Star Wars cartoons from the ’80s,DroidsandEwoks, barely resembled anything from the movies. Decades later,Star Wars: The Clone Warsprovided the blueprint for the franchise’s animation resurgence, which in turn helped pave the way forThe Mandalorianand the rest of the live-action shows.
To celebrate the release ofThe Acolyte, we’re taking a look back at the 10 best Star Wars shows ever. But we reserve the right to revise our listings as more Star Wars series arrive on Disney+ in the future.
10. The Book of Boba Fett
After Boba Fett’s amazing comeback inThe Mandalorianseason 2, fans were hyped forThe Book of Boba Fettto deliver on the promise that was shown when Boba (Temuera Morrison) and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) forcefully took over Jabba’s palace inThe Mandalorianseason 2’s post-credits scene. Instead, Robert Rodriguez delivered the Star Wars equivalent ofSpy Kids.
Morrison and Wen are both great performers, but the key problem with this series is that their characters seemed watered down compared to their appearances onThe Mandalorian. This show briefly comes to life in episodes 5 and 6, when Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian essentially takes the spotlight away from Boba. If the entire series had been as good as those two episodes,The Book of Boba Fettwouldn’t be at the bottom of this list.
WatchThe Book of Boba FettonDisney+.
9. Star Wars Resistance
Star Wars Resistanceattempted to do for the sequel films whatStar Wars: The Clone Warsdid for the prequels. Oscar Isaac even stopped by for a few episodes as Poe Dameron. But instead of focusing on characters from the films, this animated series followed Kazuda “Kaz” Xiono (Christopher Sean), a talented New Republic pilot who was a klutzy spy for the Resistance.
Kaz occasionally has his moments, but he’s one of the most inept heroes in all of Star Wars. And because of the compressed timeline of the sequels, this show’s interactions with the films were kept to a minimum. Some ofResistance‘s best episodes dealt with Kaz’s response to his home world’s destruction inThe Force Awakens, or the sense of betrayal his friend, Tam Ryvora (Suzie McGrath), felt when she learned he was a spy. ButResistancejust didn’t have the narrative momentum for a long run, and it came to an end after only two seasons.
WatchStar Wars ResistanceonDisney+.
8. Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobifeels like a two-hour movie that was stretched out to six hours. Parts of it are even great, especially when Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) is so beaten down and despondent on Tatooine that he refuses to help another Jedi on the run. The icing on the cake was the return of other prequel-era characters, including Owen Lars (Joel Edgerton) and Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen).
Where the series starts to go off the rails is with the secondary antagonist, Reva Sevander (Moses Ingram). The scripts didn’t do Ingram any favors by limiting Reva to largely one note: rage. Vivien Lyra Blair had a good turn as the young Leia Organa, and her kidnapping was the only reason why Obi-Wan would come out of exile. It takes some real mental gymnastics to make Obi-Wan’s showdown with Vader line up with what we saw inStar Wars. But that was also one of our favorite parts of the show.
WatchObi-Wan KenobionDisney+.
Dave Filoni has proven to be a godsend for the entire Star Wars franchise, and he understands its lore like few others. But there is something about Filoni’s writing and directing that doesn’t carry the same impact in live-action that they do in animation. Character moments that would have killed in animation fall flat inAhsoka, especially during the early conflicts between Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) and her former apprentice, Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo).
The best thing thatAhsokahas going for it is a terrific performance by the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, a former Jedi who has rejected both his former order and the Sith. Baylan is more of an anti-villain than a traditional Star Wars bad guy, which made him incredibly intriguing. Ahsoka herself also gets some of the show’s most memorable scenes when she’s reunited with Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker and forced to relive part of the Clone Wars. WhenAhsokahit upon those special moments, it elevated the entire series.
WatchAhsokaonDisney+.
6. Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi
The only thing holdingStar Wars: Tales of the Jediback from a higher position on this list is the length of the series. With only six episodes comprised of roughly 10-minutes each, it’s just not enough to be considered a full series. But through these six stories, we see the rise of Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) from an infant to a warrior and then a rebel. And on the other side of the story, we witness the slow fall from grace of Count Dooku (Corey Burton) as he turns away from the Jedi and joins the Sith.
Tales of the Jedi‘s animation was also on par with the best ofThe Clone WarsandRebels. These were only short chapters in the overall saga of the franchise, and yet also essential viewing for anyone who loves Star Wars.
WatchStar Wars: Tales of the JedionDisney+.
5. Star Wars: The Bad Batch
For a show that initially seemed like an afterthought toThe Clone Wars,Star Wars: The Bad Batchreally came together in its three-season run to tell a long-form story about the fate of the clones. Dee Bradley Baker voiced every male clone on this series, including the members of Clone Force 99 who took in their young clone sister, Omega (Michelle Ang).
The series proved to be a worthy successor toThe Clone Wars, with some terrific characterization. Crosshair’s journey from traitor to disillusioned member of the Empire and his subsequent redemption was one of the most powerful character arcs in the entire franchise. This show felt like it could have gone longer than three seasons, but it went out on top.
WatchStar Wars: The Bad BatchonDisney+.
4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars: The Clone Warspulled off the monumental feat of making the prequel films better and more interesting by expanding the lore and the supporting cast without losing the focus on the characters from the films like Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme. Ahsoka Tano also turned out to be this show’s greatest contribution to the Star Wars universe, as she became a fan-favorite over the course of the series.
There were some occasional stumbles on this show. But the overall strength of the series is truly impressive. After an abrupt ending when Disney took over the franchise,The Clone Warsgot a chance to wrap up its storyline with a seventh season on Disney+. That led to an amazing ending for the series, and the finale was one of the best Star Wars stories that we’ve ever seen.
WatchStar Wars: The Clone WarsonDisney+.
3. Star Wars Rebels
Hardcore fans ofStar Wars: The Clone Warsmight object to placingStar Wars Rebelsabove it on this list. But the reason why this show is at No. 3 is that no other animated series has recaptured the feeling of the original Star Wars trilogy as well as this show. Keeping the focus on a core group of characters was also a smart choice, as it gave the crew of the Ghost — Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus, Sabine Wren, Chopper, and Zeb — the time to develop as individuals and bond as a makeshift family.
Star Wars Rebelsalso gave the franchise some of its most epic moments to date, including Ahsoka’s confrontation with Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s final battle with Maul. That alone makes this show one of the all-time great Star Wars series.
WatchStar Wars RebelsonDisney+.
2. The Mandalorian
Jon Favreau’sThe Mandalorianmay have lost a few steps in season 3, but the first two seasons are absolutely incredible. Favreau successfully convinced Disney and Lucasfilm to hide the existence of Grogu (back when he was only known to fans as Baby Yoda) before the reveal at the end of the pilot episode. That same commitment was key to protecting the surprise of the return of one of Star Wars’ iconic heroes in the second season finale, which is a moment that remains unmatched.
As much fun as it is to watch the Mandalorian kick butt across the galaxy, it’s his bond with Grogu that makes this show special. The title character really loves Grogu like a son, and their farewell scene in season 2 is so emotional that it’s easy to forget that Grogu is just a puppet. There’s a reason why the next Star Wars movie is going to beThe Mandalorian and Grogu. These are the most popular new characters of Lucasfilm’s Disney era.
WatchThe MandalorianonDisney+.
There are actually some Star Wars fans who dislikeAndorand dismiss it as slow and boring. They couldn’t be more wrong.Andoris more overtly political than any of the previous shows or movies, but it needed to be in order to show a different side of the Empire. Under the creative direction of series creator Tony Gilroy, the Empire isn’t just a bunch of evil space fascists. Instead, they’re a truly oppressive regime with a cruel streak towards anyone who gets in the way of their power.
Diego Luna has a compelling turn as the lead character, Cassian Andor, as he slowly becomes radicalized against the Empire. However, Luna is blown out of the water by the performances of Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael and Andy Serkis in a guest role as Kino Loy. The monologues given to Skarsgård and Serkis inAndor‘s 10th episode may be some of the best writing that Star Wars has ever had. That was followed two episodes later by another rousing speech by the late Maarva Andor (Fiona Shaw), who delivered a call to action against the Empire with her final message. She was the first brick in the rebellion.
Andorseason 2 is currently in production for a 2025 premiere on Disney+. And if this show can stick the landing with its two-season run, it will cement its place on this list for years to come.
