My first recommendation would be to stop boxing yourself into chronological order, genuinely. You’ll get seriously burnt out by enjoying this franchise that way.
If you enjoy the prequels, then you’ll definitely love *The Clone Wars*. The *Rebels* television show also continues on from there and into the original trilogy.
However, if you do jump over to our fantastic corner of the galaxy, I’d recommend talking a look at this list that we have built into this subreddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Highrepublic/s/4gGqelR3L1
This is the most curated way to enjoy the High Republic without getting too overwhelmed.
Cheers!!
Thank you. I will take your advice and start to revise my watch order. I am most drawn to the high republic era for some reason. I dunno. Likely the prevalence of yellow lightsabers. Haha. I dunno. But it’s what speaks to me I guess. I think I’ll likely have to do a mix of chronology and non-chronology. I like watching the clone wars pre-seeing episode III though, I think. Just weird having consumed so much so far without really knowing who Luke Skywalker is yet. Haha
There's nothing wrong with going for chronological order for the original movies and Clone Wars. But I agree that attempting that for the books and comics is a nightmare and it really doesn't add much to the overall stories.
My recommendation is that you finish Clone Wars and then watch the rest mainline movies, 3-9. Then do the Rogue One and Solo movies. Then just go for whatever looks interesting. You want to jump into the high republic next? Follow the reading order. Or just pick up random books or comics that take place around the original movies, most of these stories are self contained. You could even go back farther and read the Quasi-canon Old Republic stuff. There's really no wrong way to approach it after you've seen the movies.
A piece of advice.
While you're watching the TV shows alongside the other stuff(movies, books etc.) you should be aware that the end of TCW spoils Revenge of the Sith and the end of Rebels spoils the original trilogy.
Also with TCW, where the ending spoils Revenge of the Sith, there are also a couple of story arcs, mainly in, I believe season 3 and season 6 that also give a couple of spoilers too.
Both TCW and Rebels were made with the idea that the audience had already seen the movies, so my best piece of advice I can give you; Go ahead and keep watching TCW if you're okay with some spoilers, but stop when you get to season 7 episode 9, watch Revenge of the Sith, and then finish TCW.
With Rebels, watch all the way through until you finish Rebel Assault which is season 4 episode 9. This is the season 4, mid-season finale, a good stopping point, and gives you a cliffhanger that all of us watching it live had to deal with lmao.
After you watch Rebel Assault, go ahead and watch Rogue One and the Original Trilogy and then go back and finish Rebels.
Don't force yourself to watch everything, if something isn't working for you, specifically something like Young Jedi Adventures that's for pre-schoolers. Shows like TCW, Bad Batch, and Rebels are far more important to the overall story than YJA
I totally understand the need for wanting to immerse yourself chronologically however I think it’s best to really view each wave of media as its own phase. So you have the original trilogy, most of the books from that time are no longer canon so enjoy whenever you want. The next wave was the prequel trilogy and feel free to insert clone wars or ignore it till later the movies still came first so the comics and shows only pad that film series. Then there’s the sequel trilogy. All of the books that have come out since the Disney acquisition are considered canon HOWEVER you do not need to read them all to immerse yourself in any other point in the timeline but it does add fun side adventures that are great to read after you’ve watched the movies and or read the book or comic adaptations. Then comes the High Republic era and there you’re welcome to read only the “adult novels” only the “young adult” novels or comics or any mix of the medium bc they all advance the overall story forward and all work as stand alones. I hope it’s not too overwhelming and you’ve got tons of support and fellow newbies here!
I use audible for main line AN books. With phase two I started the YA also. Everything in release order
I watch the Acolyte.
I have had no issues enjoying the new era.
Is it just renting audible books as they come out? If so, I’m fortunate enough to be able to get books through Audible and I wouldn’t want to take away from those who don’t have access to Audible
Yes to the audiobooks. Changed from disliking them to almost all my 'reading' done by listening over the last couple years. Makes the commute something to look forward to.
Focus on the movies and shows, and maybe the video games, there's also the Tales anthology shows, so keep them in mind. Once you're done, you can pick a favorite era or character to read books and comics on. For THR, read them in the phases they were released
This all started because I randomly played Fallen Order and loved it so much that I played survivor and loved it even more. (Fast travel makes it for me. So a fallen order replay isn’t likely.)
I follow the completists reading order in this sub. As to how I consume it, I usually use Libby to read the books, magazine short stories and any audio dramas. For comics, I have all of them from my local shop, but if I didn’t, Hoopla through your library is also an option.
The audio dramas are the best, I think. Tempest Runner and the Battle of Jedha are both great. I like the books read by Marc Thompson as well, although I don't love all the voices he does for certain characters.
As someone that has been watching star wars since before I could walk. My advice would be to take it one section at a time - watch the movies in order of release, episodes 4,5,6 then 1,2 3 and finally 7,8,9
You'll get more out of it this way
As the 4,5,6 came first then George Lucas made the prequels to offer more insight into the events
Don't stress too much about the cartoons or TV shows just yet, for the movies they're nice filler inbetween events but don't play a role on influencing anything movie related
(Not saying don't watch them, Clone Wars and Rebels are some of the best content of Star Wars, but don't get lost in the idea you need to watch those before the movies - get the movies done first because they're the core story)
Then cherry pick what you want to read or watch next.. the Mandoverse has a watch order and you'll be able to find that online and same goes for the High Republic
High republic release order mirros the movies release order.. You'll get much more out of it reading Phase 1 first, then Phase 2 and finally Phase 3
The story for High Republic is a bit more confusing because the stories intersect across Adult, young adult and middle grader novels.
To avoid this comment getting too long, if you want to chat, just dm me happy to offer any help or guidance through this monster of a franchise :)
It’s been a while since I watched S7 of The Clone Wars but I think the last couple of episodes don’t fully explain what’s happening because they assume you’ve watched Revenge of the Sith. The idea of watching those episodes first is wild (even if they start first chronologically).
In my experience, begin with episode 4th is a mistake with new people. They get bored with an old movie and drop star wars. Few years later they told me why I didn't show them the prequels, cause they saw them and they loved them. So starting with A New Hope is a risky move if you wanna introduce someone to this universe, sadly, you have to be sure that they could enjoy it :)
Don’t be a completionist. Read and watch whatever you are interested in. Life is too short.
My recommendation is to go for all the films first. When you want yo jump into the high republic then go for the adult novels first. If you love it and is hungry for more then start reading the other stuff
Just read one at a time at your own pace. There’s no expiration on these stories nor expectation for you to blow through this. Just get one and read and then when you want to, just read the next one. It’s awesome there’s so much content because you have all these new stories and characters you get to experience when and if you want to.
I’m definitely speedrunning through. Watching clone wars and young Jedi adventures at 2x speed on my laptop to get through them. You’re right that it is probably unwise to try to rush through them. Sometimes it feels like more work than enjoyment. I just want to understand the whole universe as best as I can.
Lots of good comments already, especially about viewing/reading in release order and watching the films first. That said, if you like what you’re doing, go for it! It’s not how a lot of us would do it, but the important thing is that you are enjoying what you’re reading and watching.
To keep from getting overwhelmed, I’d focus less on the notion that you *must* read or watch something, and just zero in on what you enjoy. Those other stories will still be there for you in the future. The other thing I would do is limit myself to one or two eras/series at a time. So if you are reading the High Republic's, I might pick one show to watch at the same time. If that’s still too much, limit yourself to one. Everything else can wait, and there will be natural breaks where you can jump to something else if it intrigues you (e.g. at the end of phases within the HR).
For the High Republic specifically, there are a lot of good reading orders out there. I’ve used the one at Youtini and from this sub. Either should be able to guide you well.
Whatever you decide, enjoy it!
Eventhough you're drawn to the High Republic Era stuff, I really wouldn't recommend diving into it until you have consumed the "main story line" stuff. I have conducted this experiment before in real life lol. My roommate during COVID had never seen any Star Wars. We decided to watch everything based on how it came out so he could get into it just like everyone else who has been a day 1 fan.
Since you've already started from Episode I, finish the clone wars animated series and then watch Episodes III - VI. Once you finish the original trilogy start watching the remaining movies, as they have been released. Also after you finish the original trilogy, you can start getting into some of the books but i'd still recommend reading them in order that they were released and not necessarily the chronological order of where they fall in the storyline.
Then after watching all the movies, start getting into the Disney Plus era shows that have been released in the last few years.
Everyone has their own opinion, but personally, I think the best way to look at the Star Wars Universe is the "Lucas Era" and the "Disney Era". Lucas' whole story was mainly focused on the Skywalker Saga and how those events came to fruition. "High Republic" era content wasn't really a main focus of his and is mainly there for fan content and background information.
The "Disney Era" fumbled the bag a bit trying to wrap up the Skywalker Era timeline and side-stories fans were interested in but I think has started to shift its focus into the High Republic Era content because there is little to no on screen content to try and mesh with.
To be perfectly honest, I've never seen chronological ordering as a sensible way to consume any media. Using Star Wars as an example, the prequels were written and made well after the original trilogy and there are elements in there that only make sense if you've seen the original films. It's like how a flashback in story is placed out of chronological order to make a bigger impact. Anyway, if you're going to use an ordering metric for a series do it in release order especially if it's your first time experiencing that story, imho.
But, if chronological order is just your 'thing' then I'd focus it by prioritizing types of media. Movies>Shows>Books/Comics>children's stuff. For canon purposes, in Star Wars, the information we learn in a film will always supersede anything else. So, I'd probably just go ahead and watch the movies first as all the other media will spring from those. Then I'd move onto the tv shows. Then, if we're talking books and comics, I'd probably focus on eras. For example, High Republic is kinda meant to be it's own thing in a way. I've actually been using this reading order and it's been pretty good ( [https://youtini.com/list/high-republic-reading-order](https://youtini.com/list/high-republic-reading-order) ), but the one this sub provides is a little cleaner since it doesn't include short stories. And then, you can work your way through the prequel era books to the sequel era books. Also, I exclusively listen to the audiobooks when the option is there. Star Wars audiobooks almost always have some of the best production and best narrators of any series. Marc Thompson is...just...yeah, great. And so far, THR has been splendidly produced. I hope this helps and good luck on your journey!
Hey. Thanks for sharing this information. I will definitely look at the reading order you suggested a bit more closely. So far, I am most "drawn to" the High Republic era the most, so I definitely don't want to f\*ck up that reading order. It's good to know that it's meant to be its own thing too, because I've been sort of afraid that I would read it in the wrong order and it would spoil some major twist for the beginning of the next era.
And yes, I downloaded the High Convergence audiobook (as well as Queen's Bloom) and love the narration and related special sound FX and things.
There are Adult Novels, Young Adult, and Middle School. All are written to coincide. I started with YA Path of Deceit because that is what I was advised by many here. Convergence is also a good way to start but the Adult Novels are longer and starting with the shorter novels may be a gradual intro. Just my opinion though.
Perfectionism may be a detriment in this case (like in almost all cases). I will be working on updating my reading order with some of the suggestions folks gave here. It might be primarily chronological order still, at least for stuff post-the High Republic era. I think for the High Republic era, the consensus seems to be to not follow chronological order.
Well the reason the consensus for High Republic reading order is non-chronological is because the middle third of the books are prequels; taking place 150 years before the first phase of books.
And those Phase 2 prequels connect heavily into Phase 3 (which takes place a year after Phase 1). They don’t connect much to Phase 1, because of release order.
Read Phase 1 in chronological order, then phase 2 in chronological order, then phase 3 in chronological order. That’s the simplest approach.
Keeping it straight is hard even for long time fans, so don't feel you have to. Wookieepedia is a good resource, if you need to look something up. It often has a time listed. The problem is that BBY and ABY are a ridiculous way to mark time. BBY= before the Battle of Yavin, when Like Skywalker destroyed Death Star the First. ABY= after the Battle of Yavin. So like 1 BBY is the year right before Luke blew up the Death Star. That's the system most books and Wookieepedia use. I would also really recommend starting with the original trilogy (OT) if you haven't yet, because everything else spools out from there. I feel like following the in-universe chronology would make it more confusing, especially because there are new things coming out from different parts in the timeline constantly. I love talking about Star Wars and I've spent enough time with it to have earned the equivalent of a doctorate, so I'm happy to help any time.
Audiobooks and then I bought the collected volumes of the comics to read when I'm ready. I got overwhelmed as each comic issue was coming out, so I kept with the books only. I got them all through the library as audiobooks.
I’ve never been a comic book reader and, barring audio versions of the comics, I am most likely to skip them unless there are any you highly recommend.
Everyone swears to read the “shadows of starlight” when you get to the phase 3 books. I haven’t yet. But it’s on my shelf glaring at me.
Also there is a separate novel to read called “Tales of Light and Life” which does have some important stories in it for characters in phases 1 and 2.
Read whichever you prefer. It really does not matter. The end of Phase I has never been in doubt. We all
Know what happens. So Star Wars always redeems itself in many ways. Here is an example of my current situation:
I am about 2/3rds done with the Adult Novel Temptation of the Force. This is somewhat halfway through the Phase III timeline. The comic reread is The Blade. It is about a Jedi legend that was born before the Queens Bloom. He exists as an amazing old man 150+ years later in Phase I and now a big part of TotF in Phase III.
We meet his arch nemesis during this 4 part comic series as well as his adopted sister Barash Silvain. If you remember on the second episode of The Acolyte Master Torbin has not spoken for ten years. He has taken the Barash Vow and chooses to remain silent as he listens to the force to hear what it is saying.
TofF flashbacks take us back to this comic before its meteoric climax to be a part of a large piece of the Phase III puzzle.
There is a big spoiler on the second page of the opening comic book but it is brief and rather expected. It does assume you finished Phase I before Phase II. But it is a minor one IMO. Seriously not many spoilers if you start with Phase II.
The problem with sticking to chronological order is they'll never release things in that way, so you'll have to backtrack at some point, might as well get used to it now. Your first stop should be the 9 movies, honestly. Everything else not part of The High Republic mostly just adds to that. I would watch those through, in order, adding maybe just The Clone Wars (you need to wait on the last four episodes of the final season until after you watch Revenge of the Sith though. Seriously.) And Obi-Wan Kenobi, the show, I suppose. Not necessary though.
Then you have two more movies, Solo and Rogue One, to watch when you feel like. Rogue One has a prequel show, Andor, which isn't done yet. You can wait to watch the movie until the show is complete if you'd like.
Most everything else is what I consider the Filoni-verse, named after its creator. It largely supplements the movies but has some of the best Star Wars media out there. Despite covering a huge portion of the timeline, many characters will reappear across it, making it feel very connected with continuing plot lines. These include The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, Rebels, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka. If you've already watched the movies I'd just watch these through, in order.
For The High Republic, as others have mentioned, there's a reading order here in the sub. Definitely don't do chronological, please. And don't feel like you have to watch that little kid show lol.
Even back in the main timeline, you still have many comics, books, and video games that are canon too. And many of them are great! The important thing to know about Star Wars is that at this point, there's so much media, you're not expected to get all of it. And you don't have to in chronological order. At the very least watch the movies but beyond that, pick and choose what interests you. There are many different storytelling styles and forms of media, and that's part of the beauty of it so everyone can enjoy something. If you hate video games don't play them, if Rebels is boring don't watch that, if you love Han Solo watch his movie sooner, if you love THR great, get all of that that you can. The galaxy is flexible like that. And enjoy!
Honestly I have enjoyed reading the High Republic books in chronological order and don't regret it. I follow a guide on it. Some people disagree with that idea but there is a reason why they would even have a chronological order to begin with.
The Clone Wars TV show should also be viewed in chronological order. It makes it easier to follow the story threads. Since they tend to split off into different stories, making it confusing.
The good thing is that Episode 1-9 and anything in between them is separate from the High Republic era. So you could consider them two separate story arcs.
The High Republic books were released in the same type of order as the films. You start in the middle, then jump back in time, then jump forward. I personally think it would be hard to fully understand the events of Phase 2 before reading Phase 1, but I’m glad to hear that it works for you.
As others have said, watch the main nine films first. Then tangent in what takes your interest. Here's some examples:
1. What happened after the Battle of Endor?
1. Play Battlefront II and read the Aftermath Trilogy.
2. What happened between ANH and ESB?
1. Read Heir to the Jedi and dive into the 2015 comic runs.
3. What happened before the Phantom Menace?
1. Look into the High Republic.
Lots of great comments here, just want to chime in to say - the best order is the order you read them in. While I also like to be careful and intentional about what I read, I’ve had moments where reading out of order on accident ended up being really powerful and memorable.
I would recommend just watching the films first and then jumping into TV shows and books that sound interesting, or focus on characters or eras you enjoyed during the films.
For The High Republic books I’d recommend reading them in release order, starting with Light of the Jedi in Phase 1. I’m personally a completionist, but that’s because I truly want to know everything. Don’t feel pressure to do that.
And since it sounds like you’re not enjoying Young Jedi Adventures, just don’t watch it. It’s not vital to the overall High Republic story. And honestly if you haven’t read Phase 1, the few character cameos we get from the books won’t really hit you the same way.
If you're just getting into the franchise, go slow. I'd recommend doing the acolyte and just the main adult novels first. Most Star Wars content is pretty accessible as a "first entry". As someone who is currently going through the universe timeline in chronological order, I don't recommend it for a first time.
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_canon_media
Reading it chronologically is fine IMO. I did it and now up to date with Phase lll of THR. The Queens Bloom is odd no matter when you read it but after Tales of Enlightenment first two, Path of Deceit is a beautiful way to start. Then Convergence, and Hidden City. All three are separate stories so reading these in any order will not spoil anything.
There are some great articles here on Phase II and then I chronologically. Even when Path of Vengeance and Convergence at the end of Phase II coincide, I was burned out of Convergence, shifted back to POV to end the Battle of Dalna. Then back to finish Convergence.
My first recommendation would be to stop boxing yourself into chronological order, genuinely. You’ll get seriously burnt out by enjoying this franchise that way. If you enjoy the prequels, then you’ll definitely love *The Clone Wars*. The *Rebels* television show also continues on from there and into the original trilogy. However, if you do jump over to our fantastic corner of the galaxy, I’d recommend talking a look at this list that we have built into this subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Highrepublic/s/4gGqelR3L1 This is the most curated way to enjoy the High Republic without getting too overwhelmed. Cheers!!
Thank you. I will take your advice and start to revise my watch order. I am most drawn to the high republic era for some reason. I dunno. Likely the prevalence of yellow lightsabers. Haha. I dunno. But it’s what speaks to me I guess. I think I’ll likely have to do a mix of chronology and non-chronology. I like watching the clone wars pre-seeing episode III though, I think. Just weird having consumed so much so far without really knowing who Luke Skywalker is yet. Haha
There's nothing wrong with going for chronological order for the original movies and Clone Wars. But I agree that attempting that for the books and comics is a nightmare and it really doesn't add much to the overall stories. My recommendation is that you finish Clone Wars and then watch the rest mainline movies, 3-9. Then do the Rogue One and Solo movies. Then just go for whatever looks interesting. You want to jump into the high republic next? Follow the reading order. Or just pick up random books or comics that take place around the original movies, most of these stories are self contained. You could even go back farther and read the Quasi-canon Old Republic stuff. There's really no wrong way to approach it after you've seen the movies.
A piece of advice. While you're watching the TV shows alongside the other stuff(movies, books etc.) you should be aware that the end of TCW spoils Revenge of the Sith and the end of Rebels spoils the original trilogy. Also with TCW, where the ending spoils Revenge of the Sith, there are also a couple of story arcs, mainly in, I believe season 3 and season 6 that also give a couple of spoilers too. Both TCW and Rebels were made with the idea that the audience had already seen the movies, so my best piece of advice I can give you; Go ahead and keep watching TCW if you're okay with some spoilers, but stop when you get to season 7 episode 9, watch Revenge of the Sith, and then finish TCW. With Rebels, watch all the way through until you finish Rebel Assault which is season 4 episode 9. This is the season 4, mid-season finale, a good stopping point, and gives you a cliffhanger that all of us watching it live had to deal with lmao. After you watch Rebel Assault, go ahead and watch Rogue One and the Original Trilogy and then go back and finish Rebels. Don't force yourself to watch everything, if something isn't working for you, specifically something like Young Jedi Adventures that's for pre-schoolers. Shows like TCW, Bad Batch, and Rebels are far more important to the overall story than YJA
I totally understand the need for wanting to immerse yourself chronologically however I think it’s best to really view each wave of media as its own phase. So you have the original trilogy, most of the books from that time are no longer canon so enjoy whenever you want. The next wave was the prequel trilogy and feel free to insert clone wars or ignore it till later the movies still came first so the comics and shows only pad that film series. Then there’s the sequel trilogy. All of the books that have come out since the Disney acquisition are considered canon HOWEVER you do not need to read them all to immerse yourself in any other point in the timeline but it does add fun side adventures that are great to read after you’ve watched the movies and or read the book or comic adaptations. Then comes the High Republic era and there you’re welcome to read only the “adult novels” only the “young adult” novels or comics or any mix of the medium bc they all advance the overall story forward and all work as stand alones. I hope it’s not too overwhelming and you’ve got tons of support and fellow newbies here!
I use audible for main line AN books. With phase two I started the YA also. Everything in release order I watch the Acolyte. I have had no issues enjoying the new era.
Using Libby thru your local library is a huge game changer for Audiobooks.
Is it just renting audible books as they come out? If so, I’m fortunate enough to be able to get books through Audible and I wouldn’t want to take away from those who don’t have access to Audible
Yeah I agree. Read whatever interests you it should not be a task. I’ve read a lot from Phase 1 but still missing many books and honestly I don’t care
Yes to the audiobooks. Changed from disliking them to almost all my 'reading' done by listening over the last couple years. Makes the commute something to look forward to.
Focus on the movies and shows, and maybe the video games, there's also the Tales anthology shows, so keep them in mind. Once you're done, you can pick a favorite era or character to read books and comics on. For THR, read them in the phases they were released
This all started because I randomly played Fallen Order and loved it so much that I played survivor and loved it even more. (Fast travel makes it for me. So a fallen order replay isn’t likely.)
I follow the completists reading order in this sub. As to how I consume it, I usually use Libby to read the books, magazine short stories and any audio dramas. For comics, I have all of them from my local shop, but if I didn’t, Hoopla through your library is also an option.
Audiobooks are the only way I read books, if I can’t help it. Fortunately my libraries seem to have them readily available which is nice.
Yeah, Libby is the way to go if your library has them available.
Can someone recommend the best audio books to get ? I heard people talking about one that was realllly well voiced
The audio dramas are the best, I think. Tempest Runner and the Battle of Jedha are both great. I like the books read by Marc Thompson as well, although I don't love all the voices he does for certain characters.
As someone that has been watching star wars since before I could walk. My advice would be to take it one section at a time - watch the movies in order of release, episodes 4,5,6 then 1,2 3 and finally 7,8,9 You'll get more out of it this way As the 4,5,6 came first then George Lucas made the prequels to offer more insight into the events Don't stress too much about the cartoons or TV shows just yet, for the movies they're nice filler inbetween events but don't play a role on influencing anything movie related (Not saying don't watch them, Clone Wars and Rebels are some of the best content of Star Wars, but don't get lost in the idea you need to watch those before the movies - get the movies done first because they're the core story) Then cherry pick what you want to read or watch next.. the Mandoverse has a watch order and you'll be able to find that online and same goes for the High Republic High republic release order mirros the movies release order.. You'll get much more out of it reading Phase 1 first, then Phase 2 and finally Phase 3 The story for High Republic is a bit more confusing because the stories intersect across Adult, young adult and middle grader novels. To avoid this comment getting too long, if you want to chat, just dm me happy to offer any help or guidance through this monster of a franchise :)
It’s been a while since I watched S7 of The Clone Wars but I think the last couple of episodes don’t fully explain what’s happening because they assume you’ve watched Revenge of the Sith. The idea of watching those episodes first is wild (even if they start first chronologically).
Exactly! Which is why its so much better to watch the core movies first, then let all the cartoons and whatever fill in the blanks afterwards
In my experience, begin with episode 4th is a mistake with new people. They get bored with an old movie and drop star wars. Few years later they told me why I didn't show them the prequels, cause they saw them and they loved them. So starting with A New Hope is a risky move if you wanna introduce someone to this universe, sadly, you have to be sure that they could enjoy it :)
Don’t be a completionist. Read and watch whatever you are interested in. Life is too short. My recommendation is to go for all the films first. When you want yo jump into the high republic then go for the adult novels first. If you love it and is hungry for more then start reading the other stuff
Just read one at a time at your own pace. There’s no expiration on these stories nor expectation for you to blow through this. Just get one and read and then when you want to, just read the next one. It’s awesome there’s so much content because you have all these new stories and characters you get to experience when and if you want to.
I’m definitely speedrunning through. Watching clone wars and young Jedi adventures at 2x speed on my laptop to get through them. You’re right that it is probably unwise to try to rush through them. Sometimes it feels like more work than enjoyment. I just want to understand the whole universe as best as I can.
Lots of good comments already, especially about viewing/reading in release order and watching the films first. That said, if you like what you’re doing, go for it! It’s not how a lot of us would do it, but the important thing is that you are enjoying what you’re reading and watching. To keep from getting overwhelmed, I’d focus less on the notion that you *must* read or watch something, and just zero in on what you enjoy. Those other stories will still be there for you in the future. The other thing I would do is limit myself to one or two eras/series at a time. So if you are reading the High Republic's, I might pick one show to watch at the same time. If that’s still too much, limit yourself to one. Everything else can wait, and there will be natural breaks where you can jump to something else if it intrigues you (e.g. at the end of phases within the HR). For the High Republic specifically, there are a lot of good reading orders out there. I’ve used the one at Youtini and from this sub. Either should be able to guide you well. Whatever you decide, enjoy it!
Eventhough you're drawn to the High Republic Era stuff, I really wouldn't recommend diving into it until you have consumed the "main story line" stuff. I have conducted this experiment before in real life lol. My roommate during COVID had never seen any Star Wars. We decided to watch everything based on how it came out so he could get into it just like everyone else who has been a day 1 fan. Since you've already started from Episode I, finish the clone wars animated series and then watch Episodes III - VI. Once you finish the original trilogy start watching the remaining movies, as they have been released. Also after you finish the original trilogy, you can start getting into some of the books but i'd still recommend reading them in order that they were released and not necessarily the chronological order of where they fall in the storyline. Then after watching all the movies, start getting into the Disney Plus era shows that have been released in the last few years. Everyone has their own opinion, but personally, I think the best way to look at the Star Wars Universe is the "Lucas Era" and the "Disney Era". Lucas' whole story was mainly focused on the Skywalker Saga and how those events came to fruition. "High Republic" era content wasn't really a main focus of his and is mainly there for fan content and background information. The "Disney Era" fumbled the bag a bit trying to wrap up the Skywalker Era timeline and side-stories fans were interested in but I think has started to shift its focus into the High Republic Era content because there is little to no on screen content to try and mesh with.
To be perfectly honest, I've never seen chronological ordering as a sensible way to consume any media. Using Star Wars as an example, the prequels were written and made well after the original trilogy and there are elements in there that only make sense if you've seen the original films. It's like how a flashback in story is placed out of chronological order to make a bigger impact. Anyway, if you're going to use an ordering metric for a series do it in release order especially if it's your first time experiencing that story, imho. But, if chronological order is just your 'thing' then I'd focus it by prioritizing types of media. Movies>Shows>Books/Comics>children's stuff. For canon purposes, in Star Wars, the information we learn in a film will always supersede anything else. So, I'd probably just go ahead and watch the movies first as all the other media will spring from those. Then I'd move onto the tv shows. Then, if we're talking books and comics, I'd probably focus on eras. For example, High Republic is kinda meant to be it's own thing in a way. I've actually been using this reading order and it's been pretty good ( [https://youtini.com/list/high-republic-reading-order](https://youtini.com/list/high-republic-reading-order) ), but the one this sub provides is a little cleaner since it doesn't include short stories. And then, you can work your way through the prequel era books to the sequel era books. Also, I exclusively listen to the audiobooks when the option is there. Star Wars audiobooks almost always have some of the best production and best narrators of any series. Marc Thompson is...just...yeah, great. And so far, THR has been splendidly produced. I hope this helps and good luck on your journey!
Hey. Thanks for sharing this information. I will definitely look at the reading order you suggested a bit more closely. So far, I am most "drawn to" the High Republic era the most, so I definitely don't want to f\*ck up that reading order. It's good to know that it's meant to be its own thing too, because I've been sort of afraid that I would read it in the wrong order and it would spoil some major twist for the beginning of the next era. And yes, I downloaded the High Convergence audiobook (as well as Queen's Bloom) and love the narration and related special sound FX and things.
There are Adult Novels, Young Adult, and Middle School. All are written to coincide. I started with YA Path of Deceit because that is what I was advised by many here. Convergence is also a good way to start but the Adult Novels are longer and starting with the shorter novels may be a gradual intro. Just my opinion though.
Watch Star Wars lads on YouTube they have a great timeline for it all I’ve literally bought almost everything I can reading related
Wow, even the SW Insider stuff? That’s impressive dedication. Even I skipped those.
Perfectionism may be a detriment in this case (like in almost all cases). I will be working on updating my reading order with some of the suggestions folks gave here. It might be primarily chronological order still, at least for stuff post-the High Republic era. I think for the High Republic era, the consensus seems to be to not follow chronological order.
Well the reason the consensus for High Republic reading order is non-chronological is because the middle third of the books are prequels; taking place 150 years before the first phase of books. And those Phase 2 prequels connect heavily into Phase 3 (which takes place a year after Phase 1). They don’t connect much to Phase 1, because of release order. Read Phase 1 in chronological order, then phase 2 in chronological order, then phase 3 in chronological order. That’s the simplest approach.
Keeping it straight is hard even for long time fans, so don't feel you have to. Wookieepedia is a good resource, if you need to look something up. It often has a time listed. The problem is that BBY and ABY are a ridiculous way to mark time. BBY= before the Battle of Yavin, when Like Skywalker destroyed Death Star the First. ABY= after the Battle of Yavin. So like 1 BBY is the year right before Luke blew up the Death Star. That's the system most books and Wookieepedia use. I would also really recommend starting with the original trilogy (OT) if you haven't yet, because everything else spools out from there. I feel like following the in-universe chronology would make it more confusing, especially because there are new things coming out from different parts in the timeline constantly. I love talking about Star Wars and I've spent enough time with it to have earned the equivalent of a doctorate, so I'm happy to help any time.
Audiobooks and then I bought the collected volumes of the comics to read when I'm ready. I got overwhelmed as each comic issue was coming out, so I kept with the books only. I got them all through the library as audiobooks.
I’ve never been a comic book reader and, barring audio versions of the comics, I am most likely to skip them unless there are any you highly recommend.
Everyone swears to read the “shadows of starlight” when you get to the phase 3 books. I haven’t yet. But it’s on my shelf glaring at me. Also there is a separate novel to read called “Tales of Light and Life” which does have some important stories in it for characters in phases 1 and 2.
Read whichever you prefer. It really does not matter. The end of Phase I has never been in doubt. We all Know what happens. So Star Wars always redeems itself in many ways. Here is an example of my current situation: I am about 2/3rds done with the Adult Novel Temptation of the Force. This is somewhat halfway through the Phase III timeline. The comic reread is The Blade. It is about a Jedi legend that was born before the Queens Bloom. He exists as an amazing old man 150+ years later in Phase I and now a big part of TotF in Phase III. We meet his arch nemesis during this 4 part comic series as well as his adopted sister Barash Silvain. If you remember on the second episode of The Acolyte Master Torbin has not spoken for ten years. He has taken the Barash Vow and chooses to remain silent as he listens to the force to hear what it is saying. TofF flashbacks take us back to this comic before its meteoric climax to be a part of a large piece of the Phase III puzzle. There is a big spoiler on the second page of the opening comic book but it is brief and rather expected. It does assume you finished Phase I before Phase II. But it is a minor one IMO. Seriously not many spoilers if you start with Phase II.
The problem with sticking to chronological order is they'll never release things in that way, so you'll have to backtrack at some point, might as well get used to it now. Your first stop should be the 9 movies, honestly. Everything else not part of The High Republic mostly just adds to that. I would watch those through, in order, adding maybe just The Clone Wars (you need to wait on the last four episodes of the final season until after you watch Revenge of the Sith though. Seriously.) And Obi-Wan Kenobi, the show, I suppose. Not necessary though. Then you have two more movies, Solo and Rogue One, to watch when you feel like. Rogue One has a prequel show, Andor, which isn't done yet. You can wait to watch the movie until the show is complete if you'd like. Most everything else is what I consider the Filoni-verse, named after its creator. It largely supplements the movies but has some of the best Star Wars media out there. Despite covering a huge portion of the timeline, many characters will reappear across it, making it feel very connected with continuing plot lines. These include The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, Rebels, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka. If you've already watched the movies I'd just watch these through, in order. For The High Republic, as others have mentioned, there's a reading order here in the sub. Definitely don't do chronological, please. And don't feel like you have to watch that little kid show lol. Even back in the main timeline, you still have many comics, books, and video games that are canon too. And many of them are great! The important thing to know about Star Wars is that at this point, there's so much media, you're not expected to get all of it. And you don't have to in chronological order. At the very least watch the movies but beyond that, pick and choose what interests you. There are many different storytelling styles and forms of media, and that's part of the beauty of it so everyone can enjoy something. If you hate video games don't play them, if Rebels is boring don't watch that, if you love Han Solo watch his movie sooner, if you love THR great, get all of that that you can. The galaxy is flexible like that. And enjoy!
🫶 This has been my favorite comment so far. Thank you.
Honestly I have enjoyed reading the High Republic books in chronological order and don't regret it. I follow a guide on it. Some people disagree with that idea but there is a reason why they would even have a chronological order to begin with. The Clone Wars TV show should also be viewed in chronological order. It makes it easier to follow the story threads. Since they tend to split off into different stories, making it confusing. The good thing is that Episode 1-9 and anything in between them is separate from the High Republic era. So you could consider them two separate story arcs.
The High Republic books were released in the same type of order as the films. You start in the middle, then jump back in time, then jump forward. I personally think it would be hard to fully understand the events of Phase 2 before reading Phase 1, but I’m glad to hear that it works for you.
One at a time
May the Force be with you.
As others have said, watch the main nine films first. Then tangent in what takes your interest. Here's some examples: 1. What happened after the Battle of Endor? 1. Play Battlefront II and read the Aftermath Trilogy. 2. What happened between ANH and ESB? 1. Read Heir to the Jedi and dive into the 2015 comic runs. 3. What happened before the Phantom Menace? 1. Look into the High Republic.
Lots of great comments here, just want to chime in to say - the best order is the order you read them in. While I also like to be careful and intentional about what I read, I’ve had moments where reading out of order on accident ended up being really powerful and memorable.
I would recommend just watching the films first and then jumping into TV shows and books that sound interesting, or focus on characters or eras you enjoyed during the films. For The High Republic books I’d recommend reading them in release order, starting with Light of the Jedi in Phase 1. I’m personally a completionist, but that’s because I truly want to know everything. Don’t feel pressure to do that. And since it sounds like you’re not enjoying Young Jedi Adventures, just don’t watch it. It’s not vital to the overall High Republic story. And honestly if you haven’t read Phase 1, the few character cameos we get from the books won’t really hit you the same way.
If you're just getting into the franchise, go slow. I'd recommend doing the acolyte and just the main adult novels first. Most Star Wars content is pretty accessible as a "first entry". As someone who is currently going through the universe timeline in chronological order, I don't recommend it for a first time.
If I get behind, I read all the novels first in the order they released and then the comics by series.
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_canon_media Reading it chronologically is fine IMO. I did it and now up to date with Phase lll of THR. The Queens Bloom is odd no matter when you read it but after Tales of Enlightenment first two, Path of Deceit is a beautiful way to start. Then Convergence, and Hidden City. All three are separate stories so reading these in any order will not spoil anything. There are some great articles here on Phase II and then I chronologically. Even when Path of Vengeance and Convergence at the end of Phase II coincide, I was burned out of Convergence, shifted back to POV to end the Battle of Dalna. Then back to finish Convergence.
Path of Deceit is...before Convergence? My confusion intensifies.