Published May 21, 2026, 11:50 AM EDT
Kevin Pantoja is a writer and editor at Screen Rant based in New York City, where he brings deep expertise in blockbuster franchises ranging from Harry Potter and Spider‑Man to Succession and the MCU. A passionate storyteller with a creative writing degree (Valedictorian, Full Sail University), Kevin blends entertainment news, feature essays, and pop‑culture commentary into engaging, audience-first content
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A lot has been made about Disney's handling of the Star Wars franchise since they took over in 2012. They got off to a hot start with some billion-dollar hits and some quality TV shows, yet things started to fall apart when the divisive The Last Jedi came out in 2017. Critics loved it, but many longtime fans hated it and still post about their disdain for the film today. What followed was a seemingly constant stream of inconsistency for the studio.
The Rise of Skywalker tried to overcorrect issues that fans had with The Last Jedi and the end result was messy, giving us a trilogy that doesn't really work as a cohesive story across three films. The TV shows have been a mixed bag, with some being among the best series in modern history and others getting viewed as huge disappointments. It seems like Star Wars can't gain any traction or momentum these days.
While consistency has been an issue, there are some major highs in the Disney Star Wars era. There's plenty of acclaim to go around for their best projects, whether they come from the animated side of things or live-action, and they've even branched out to try some new and intriguing things.
10 Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Even fans who don't like this new Disney era of Star Wars were excited about Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ewan McGregor was a favorite of the prequel trilogy and seeing him return to the role was intriguing, while the news that Hayden Christensen would also be returning added to it. After all, Christensen had only played Anakin Skywalker and not Darth Vader to this point.
Set a decade after the events of Revenge of the Sith, the series surprisingly included a lot of a young Leia Organa and included some side plots that some found to be filler. However, everything between Obi-Wan and Vader was well done, with the highlight being their ultimate showdown that's among Star Wars' best.
9 Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
This is the film that changed things for the franchise as so many fans hated it. Rian Johnson's decisions, like killing Snoke earlier than many expected and having Luke turn his back on the Force, upset a lot of people to the point where they're still ranting about it nearly a decade later.
However, there's a reason critics adored The Last Jedi. For starters, it's the best looking entry in the franchise with some stunning visuals. The relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren is well developed, and there's great action. For all its merits, the film is too divisive to rank any higher.
8 Star Wars: Ahsoka (2023-)
A valid argument could be made that Ahsoka should've been an animated series. The titular character is iconic in that format and while Rosario Dawson is solid as this take on the character, Ashley Eckstein is so closely associated to her that it felt odd to the series without her in the role.
Regardless, what we got from Ahsoka was strong. The series acts as a follow-up to Star Wars Rebels and features strong takes on the likes of Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo is a standout) and Hera Syndulla. It also gave us our first live-action look at Grand Admiral Thrawn and features a masterfully told flashback involving Hayden Christensen's Anakin/Darth Vader. A season 2 is on the way.
7 Star Wars: Visions (2021-)
One complaint often lobbied at Star Wars is that too many movies and shows feel too similar and focus on a small group of characters, making the universe feel small. Star Wars: Visions was a brilliant attempt to bring something unique to the table and it worked wonders.
Star Wars: Visions is an anthology show where each episode tells a standalone story. The catch is that each is also crafted by different anime studios, allowing them to look and feel like nothing else in the franchise. Even if not every episode is great, they're all worth watching to see something that's unlike anything else.
6 The Mandalorian (2019-2023)
The launch of Disney+ came with some big premieres and none topped The Mandalorian. The first live-action series in franchise history centered on a bounty hunter and looked like it would give us fun adventures that harkened back to when audiences wanted to see more of Boba Fett after his debut.
The end of the premiere threw a twist as protagonist Din Djarin met Grogu (then dubbed by fans as Baby Yoda) and the show took off. It became immensely popular and the two became beloved characters. Season 1 is a blast of a western, while season 2 expanded the lore and included the likes of Bo-Katan and the emotional return to Luke Skywalker. Season 3 was lackluster but the overall show is pretty great.
5 Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
The big screen era for Disney Star Wars started with a bang. The Force Awakens was a phenomenon that grossed over $2 billion and showed that there was still a massive audience who wanted more Star Wars. The negative side of the fandom has looked back on the film poorly but it did everything it needed to.
It hits familiar beats from A New Hope and that was kind of the point. The film manages to introduce Rey, Finn, and Poe as our new heroes while giving us enough nostalgia with the characters we grew up with. The Force Awakens set the stage for a stellar trilogy that ultimately fell apart.
4 Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018)
Rebels and The Clone Wars are both excellent series that far too many fans have overlooked simply because they're animated and they have some filler episodes that are aimed at children. While most of The Clone Wars came before the Disney era, Rebels is completely from the Disney era.
Rebels features some of the best moments in Star Wars history. Whether it's Ahsoka's emotional showdown with Darth Vader, a new Obi-Wan and Maul face-off, or Kanan Jarrus' ultimate sacrifice, the show is as good as it gets.
3 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
A film about how the rebels learned that there was a weakness in the Death Star didn't seem like it was needed. It felt like Disney trying to cash in by making as many Star Wars movies as possible. Indeed, it grossed over $1 billion, yet Rogue One also stunned people with just how good it was.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story introduced the world to Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, K-2SO, and other great characters who we all knew would ultimately die. Still, we were captivated by them, the visuals are fantastic, and there's a lot of heart in this film. The epic Darth Vader scene was the cherry on top.
2 Maul - Shadow Lord (2026-)
Maul is a character who Star Wars has gotten way more out of than expected. For the longest time, he was just the cool-looking Sith character who had an epic fight in The Phantom Menace. Then, shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels expanded on his history, making him one of the franchise's best characters.
He got his own series, Maul - Shadow Lord, which gave us even more of him and it was met with widespread acclaim. The voice acting is tremendous, the visual style is incredible, and some of the action sequences are among the best in franchise history. A second season is on the way.
1 Andor (2022-2025)
Rogue One was a surprise success on its own, but then it spawned a prequel series that ended up being even better. Focusing on its titular anti-hero, Andor showed us what Diego Luna's character before the events of the 2016 film, as we saw the part he played for the Rebel Alliance.
The show spends plenty of time showing the horrendous aspects of the Empire's fascist regime and establishing why Andor becomes radicalized against them. Some have called Andor the best piece of Star Wars entertainment in history and the series was nominated for 22 Emmys, while also winning a prestigious Peabody Award.
Created by George Lucas
First Film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Cast Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
TV Show(s) The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
Movie(s) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Character(s) Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
English (US) ·