The best Star Wars movies on Disney+

Given how ubiquitous Star Wars has become, it’s easy to forget just how groundbreaking A New Hope was when it was first released. A New Hope is one of the earliest examples of the modern Hollywood blockbuster, but its first hour is paced more like an art film — and there’s seemingly no end to the concepts and lore it throws at you. We know all about the Clone Wars, Kessel Run, and Jabba the Hutt now, but imagine a time when they were all unknowns, and all you had was your imagination to figure out how they all connect. A New Hope is fun, exciting, mysterious, and just a little dangerous. And it’s no surprise it launched one of the biggest franchises of all time. What also sets A New Hope apart from other Star Wars movies is that it’s the only one completely unburdened by a larger mythology — so it tells a complete, self-contained story. Unlike everything that came after it, it’s satisfying all on its own.

It might not be the most beloved Star Wars movie, but Episode IX is the final chapter in the Skywalker saga — so if you’ve come this far, you owe it to yourself to see it through to the end. Polarizing and controversial, The Rise of Skywalker brought J.J. Abrams back to wrap things up in spectacular fashion, and he somehow managed to walk a line between bringing everything full circle and laying the groundwork for future sagas set in the Star Wars universe. Sure, it’s overstuffed and chaotic, and even a little clumsy at times, but Episode IX repeatedly found ways to call back to characters, moments, and concepts throughout the franchise’s far-reaching timeline as it brought to a close one of Hollywood’s most ambitious cinematic sagas.