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How to watch Star Wars online

There are casual fans of the Star Wars movies, and then there are those for which Star Wars is more than a film franchise — it’s a way of life. Whether you fall into one camp or the other, chances are pretty good that you want to watch them all more than once.

If you own the films on Blu-ray or UHD Blu-ray, this isn’t a problem, but what if you prefer that your movies don’t take up any space in your living room? There was a time when it was difficult to watch anything with Star Wars in its name online, but things have changed, and now it’s possible to watch all the Star Wars you could want using a TV and your internet connection. Let’s run through your options.

Note: These recommendations are for U.S. residents. International availability varies by region.

More Star Wars

Streaming via subscription

Disney+

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Disney has its own streaming service, Disney+, that launched in November 2019 and has already become the streaming destination for all things Star Wars.

All of the existing Star Wars trilogy movies (including the original trilogy, prequel trilogy, and sequel trilogy) can be found on Disney’s streaming hub, along with spinoff films Rogue One and Solo, plus multiple Star Wars specials and documentaries. Basically, it’s one-stop shopping for Star Wars fans.

The library of Star Wars titles on Disney+ is just as comprehensive on the TV side, too. Popular animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Rebels, and Star Wars: Resistance are all available in their entirety on the service, as well as some lesser-known shows. Disney+ is also the home of the new series Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and the service also has several new, live-action series available or in development for Disney+, including The Mandalorian and upcoming shows based on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Rebel spy Cassian Andor from Rogue One, among other popular characters and franchise elements.

Disney XD

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If you’re a cable or satellite customer, there’s another option for watching the animated series Star Wars Resistance and Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures. Head over to Disney’s XD page, sign in with your cable or satellite provider (assuming you pay for a package that gets the XD channel), and you’ll be able to watch some (but not all) episodes of both shows.

Purchasing digitally

Now that we’ve covered all of the (limited) options for streaming Star Wars content, let’s move on to the most feasible method: Just buying it. If you’re a big fan, purchasing the films digitally isn’t such a bad idea — if you’re going to watch them every year or so, the investment will eventually pay off. Some of the films and TV series are available to rent, but not all of them.

That said, the Movies Anywhere initiative allows users to watch any Disney films purchased digitally from one platform, regardless of where you buy them. It’s a cool program for library consolidation purposes, though we expect that if you’re buying one movie from Amazon, you probably buy most movies from Amazon. Still, with Microsoft joining Movies Anywhere, it means you can buy from any of the sites below, with the exception of YouTube, and watch wherever you want.

Amazon

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Amazon is the first place most people go to buy stuff online, and it’s a fine choice for Star Wars fans, too.

Each of the nine feature-length films is available for digital purchase; pricing for HD purchases ranges from $15 to $20, depending which movie you want and which version you want (bonus content, etc.). Full seasons and individual episodes of Clone Wars, Rebels, and Resistance are also available to purchase.

YouTube

YouTube’s Movies section also offers all the official Star Wars content for purchase. You can also rent some Star Wars films from YouTube — unfortunately, that only includes Episode VII, Episode VIII, Rogue One, and Solo for between $4 and $6. Otherwise, you’ll have to take the plunge and buy. As with Amazon, pricing varies between $15 and $20.

If you want to watch Rebels, YouTube is a good place to get it — the whole series is available for purchase, either by season or by episode. High-definition is a bit more expensive, as you might expect. Clone Wars is also here, as is the first season of Resistance.

Google Play

Rogue One Oscar Effects
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Like Amazon and YouTube, Google has all the movies for you to buy. You can purchase individual movies for $3.99 each, or get the sequel trilogy for $39.99. Fans will probably prefer the $99.99 nine-movie collection with the entire Skywalker Saga.

Google Play allows users to watch Resistance for the low price of $1.99 per episode or $29.99 per season. Clone Wars and Rebels are on Google Play, too, and at an even lower per-season cost.

iTunes

If you’re an Apple user, simply rent or buy movies directly through the iTunes stores. In that catalog of films and shows, you’ll find titles like Clone Wars, Rebels, and Resistance, as well as the entire nine-movie Skywalker Saga. If you enjoy higher-resolution movie-watching experiences, then we want to note that not all content is available in standard definition. You may need to consider other platforms for 4K viewing options. .

Microsoft

Microsoft has similar tools to rent or buy movies and TV shows for Windows and Xbox One users. Star Wars fans can utilize the Microsoft Store to find titles, although it does offer fewer options than competitors. It doesn’t have any of the animated series, which could disappoint some hopeful viewers. The feature films are fortunately priced comparably to other competitor platforms. You have the option to buy the movie alone through Microsoft or spend a few extra dollars to unlock hours of bonus content. Microsoft also offers a sequel trilogy bundle— which means you can access three films for $39.99, or you can select the entire nine-movie Skywalker Saga movie bundle.

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Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
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