Star Wars is largely known as one of the most successful film franchises of all time. Yet for the past six years, Star Wars has largely been associated with television, as the feature-film side of Lucasfilm has struggled to determine where to take the franchise on the big screen following The Rise of Skywalker. Kicking off in November 2019 with the premiere of The Mandalorian, in many ways,the second era of Disney’s Star Wars could be seen as the streaming age, to varying degrees of success.
The Star Wars Disney+ series range from animation to live-action, with pre-school-aimed television series like Young Jedi Adventures to adult-oriented programs like Andor. They span the franchise’s rich history, with some series set during the High Republic, others between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, and plenty of shows set following the events of Return of the Jedi to fill out the timeline before the events of The Force Awakens.
12
‘Ashoka’ (2023)
Of all the Star Wars series, Ahsoka might be the most disappointing. The series is essentially Star Wars Rebels Season 5, making it largely for hardcore fans, and it doesn’t do a good enough job making it accessible to fans who have no familiarity with the animated series. This is most clear in the depiction of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who, within the context of the series, does nothing impressive to cement himself as what is supposed to be the franchise’s new big bad.
While Ahsoka starts off with an interesting hook, it seemingly comes to a halt with one of the most disappointing finales that doesn’t so much conclude its own story but is a giant set-up for its own second season and also a larger Star Wars story that Dave Filoni seems to have planned. Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano is nothing like the character fans know and love. However, her wooden line-delivery and stoic mannerisms seem to be from Dave Filoni’s direction as the veteran animator struggles to make the leap into live-action storytelling. The acting, cinematography, and writing of Ahsoka were the closest the Disney era of Star Wars has come to the prequels, and not in a good way.
11
‘The Book of Boba Fett (2021 – 2022)
The Book of Boba Fett was the first major disappointment of the Disney+ Star Wars era, and though its gonzo, all-out season finale and Robert Rodriguez’s flair help it edge out Ahsoka. The biggest issue with the series (of which there are many) was the handling of Boba Fett. Comedian Chris Gethard put it best in his appearance on the Blank Check with Griffin and David episode for Spider-Man 2, pointing out that it’s baffling Disney took one of the franchise’s most iconic villains and “turned him into someone seeking out what was county-level bureaucratic position.”
The idea of Boba Fett evolving from bounty hunter to crime lord could have been interesting, yet the series felt so small-scale as it was confined to Tatooine, which never felt like anything more than the volume set. The series clearly didn’t know what to do with Boba Fett, as for two episodes of the seven-episode series, it completely ignores Boba Fett entirely and pivots to The Mandalorian. The Book of Boba Fett took what was essentially a blank-slate character and did the worst possible version of him that pleased nobody.
10
‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ (2022)
Obi-Wan Kenobi is the best case of the issue with the streaming age. Obi-Wan Kenobi was initially intended to be a feature film but was converted into a streaming series following the box-office disappointment of Solo: A Star Wars Story. However, there is not enough narrative to support a series, and the finished product feels overly long yet thinly drawn. Being a streaming series also makes it look far cheaper than a feature film, where the first fight between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader looks like a glorified Star Wars fan film filmed in an abandoned construction site.
While there certainly are good things about Obi-Wan Kenobi, from Ewan McGregor still being incredible in the role and Vivien Lyra Blair being an exceptional young Leia. While Moses Ingram was sadly the victim of some truly heinous online harassment, her character Reva was interesting, and hopefully the franchise finds a way to continue her story. It is unclear if Obi-Wan Kenobi being a movie would have made it better, but it likely would have been more memorable.
9
‘Tales’ (2022 – Present)
The Tales series has been an interesting, if overall mixed bag, experiment. The three series (Jedi, Empire, Underworld) are each six episodes long, each comprising two story arcs that span three episodes. The story examines a particular character related to the overall theme, so Tales of the Jedi focuses on two former Jedi who left the order: Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku. Tales of the Empire focuses on former Jedi apprentice Bariss Offee and Morgan Elsbeth and how they respond to the Empire’s rise to power, while Tales of the Underworld explores Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane, two of the franchise’s most popular bounty hunters.
Each season has one captivating set of episodes (Count Dooku, Bariss Offee, and Asajj Ventress) while each season also consists of a relatively weak batch of episodes (Ahsoka Tano, Morgan Elsbeth, Cad Bane). Seasons 2 and 3 both debuted on May the Fourth of 2024, and 2025, respectively, so it seems a new set of episodes will debut for the holiday in May 2026 as well. While not essential viewing, Tales might be the most delving on the promise of the cantina sequence from Star Wars, that this galaxy is filled with characters with plenty of their own adventures.
8
‘Young Jedi Adventures’ (2023 – 2025)
Young Jedi Adventures airs on both Disney+ and Disney Junior. Young Jedi Adventures is aimed at a much younger crowd, but the preschool series is a great bonding experience for parents who want to share Star Wars with their young kids and serves as an excellent introduction to the wider franchise. The series is set in the High Republic era of the franchise and features a colorful cast of characters, including one of the series’ most adorable new characters, a blue teddy-bear-like Jedi named Nubs.
Young Jedi Adventures might not be the most sophisticated Star Wars storytelling, but it is effective and shows the franchise’s ability to translate into a pre-K-type adventure series that both delivers a thrilling experience and teaches kids important lessons. The animation style might be on the conventional side for young children’s animation, but it is always pleasant to watch. It also says something that, at times, Young Jedi Adventures characters feel more fleshed out than those in live-action series like Ahsoka or The Book of Boba Fett.
7
‘The Acolyte’ (2024)
The Acolyte is a series where it feels like the controversy (some rather ludicrous) has overshadowed the actual series. Set 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace in the final years of the High Republic, Leslye Headland explored a new era in the Star Wars galaxy. Despite a loud portion of the Star Wars fandom hating the series before they saw a single frame of footage, Leslye Headland might have been one of the biggest fans to actually do a live-action Star Wars series, as The Acolyte, for better or worse, is deeply engaged in elements that fans loved from the original Expanded Universe.
Not everything about The Acolyte worked, particularly the series structure, which likely would have benefited from a longer season order and a more traditional television series structure. However, the series’ strengths outweigh the negatives, as it introduced an interesting cast of characters, explored the sensual allure of the dark side both literally and figuratively, and also examined the Jedi’s hubris in a way that George Lucas only hinted at in the prequels. The Acolyte had plenty of room to grow and,had it gone on, could have been one of the most interesting corners of the Star Wars franchise, which, sadly, was canceled rather publicly.
6
‘The Mandalorian’ (2019 – 2023)
The Mandalorian is the season that kicked off the Disney+ Star Wars streaming era and, fittingly, might bring its current incarnation to a close, as the series has seemingly been put to rest in favor of a live-action feature film, The Mandalorian & Grogu. The Mandalorian Season 1 was the big-budget Star Wars series fans had always dreamed of, providing an adventure-of-the-week type storyline with two exciting new characters that essentially acted as the coolest Star Wars toys ever. Season 2 brought in more legacy characters from across the Star Wars franchise and felt like an event series that was airing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Mandalorian Season 3 certainly hurt the series’ reputation, putting so much emphasis on lore and the Mandalorian history and repeating past story beats, but there is no denying how great those first two seasons were or separating them from how it felt to watch them. There is no denying that Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin and the lovable Grogu, colloquially known as Baby Yoda, are two of Star Wars‘ most popular characters and, for an entire generation, are the faces of the franchise.
5
‘Visions’ (2021 – Present)
Star Wars: Visions shows the strength of not needing every piece of Star Wars media to be canon. The series is an anthology series that allows different animation studios from around the world to put their own unique spin on Star Wars in self-contained stories featuring both original characters and established ones. The first and third seasons are done by Japanese anime studios, bringing Star Wars closer in spirit to the Japanese influence that inspired the original series. Season two of the series featured beloved animation studios from around the world, such as the creators of Wallace and Gromit, Aardman, and Wolfwalker‘s Studio Saloon.
While not every episode is excellent, the anthology has more hits than misses. Some, like the critically acclaimed “Ninth Jedi” episode by Ghost in the Shell animators Production A.G., is one of the best Star Wars stories ever, so much so that it got a sequel episode and will receive a stand-alone spin-off series. Allowing visionary artists to put their own unique spin on Star Wars without the burden of tying together not only allows for great experimentation but also allows Star Wars to embrace its mythic roots as a story passed down through generations across different cultures and art styles. Star Wars can look, sound, and be whatever it wants.
4
‘The Clone Wars’ Season 7 (2020)
The final season of The Clone Wars, Season 7, debuted on Disney+ and coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving many stuck at home. The long-awaited conclusion to the epic Star Wars series that began in 2008, as well as the first follow-up to both the high of The Mandalorian Season 1 and the disappointment of The Rise of Skywalker, had a lot on its shoulders. While the first eight episodes might have frustrated viewers, the final four episodes are among the best Star Wars stories in the entire franchise.
Focusing on characters central to The Clone Wars series, like Ahsoka Tano, Captain Rex, and Darth Maul,in events that align with Revenge of the Sith gave the final four episodes an epic scale and an inevitable sense of dread. Even though viewers knew everyone would survive due to series like Rebels confirming their fate in the timeline, the final four episodes are a gripping watch as the characters are helpless to stop the rise of the Empire and are left scrambling in the aftermath of Order 66. The “Siege of Mandalorian” episodes are beautifully animated and play like a Star Wars animated movie, which fittingly is how Star Wars: The Clone Wars began. It was a finale a decade in the making, and delivered on every level.
3
‘Skeleton Crew’ (2024 – TBD)
Skeleton Crew might be the biggest surprise of the Star Wars Disney+ era. Announced in 2022 by MCU Spider-Man director Jon Watts and his frequent collaborator Christopher Ford, Skeleton Crew is technically part of the larger overarching storyline in The Mandalorian era of Star Wars, but works as a standalone story. Heavily inspired by the 1980s Amblin films by Steven Spielberg, Skeleton Crew‘s concept of having a group of kids from a far-off planet transported into the Star Wars galaxy with no idea how to get home is the closest that the franchise will get to “person from the real world lands in Star Wars universe.”
Skeleton Crew features a great cast of young heroes who are instantly enduring, all playing off Jude Law’s devilishly fun Jod Na Nawood, a space pirate with a connection to the Jedi. Where much of Star Wars draws heavily from samurai and western films, Skeleton Crew goes full-on pirate fiction with inspiration ranging from Peter Pan, Treasure Island, and even Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. With a talented pool of directors ranging from David Lowery (The Green Knight), The Daniels (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Jake Scrierer (Thunderbolts*), Lee Isaac Chung (Twisters), and Star Wars veteran Bryce Dallas Howard, Skeleton Crew captured the excitement that Star Wars made audiences feel when they were a kid simply by letting the story unfold through the eyes of children.
