Star Wars Movie Tier List: Ranking All Movies [2023]

This Tier List ranks all the Star War movies till date and takes you on a journey to the Galaxy Far Away.

This article is brought to you from a galaxy far, far away about stories that took place millions of kilometers away from you, a long time ago. So, wear your spacesuits and fasten your seatbelts because you are going to be taken at the speed of light to the past into the star wars movie tier list. 

The movie series is divided into four parts, trilogy series, prequel series, sequel series, and anthology series. The whole series comprises 12 movies. In this article, we will be ranking star wars movies. It is to be noted that this tier list is based on our own thoughts and previewing. It is based on how we absorbed every part of the star wars movie franchise and is not official or written in stone. People may have different rankings.


Key Points

  • This Tier List has ranked a total of 12 Star Wars movies.
  • They have been ranked based on their quality, storyline, and overall contribution to the franchise.
  • In the highest ranks, you will see Star Wars: Episode V- Empire Strikes Back, Rogue One: A star wars story, etc.
  • Among the bottom ranks, you will see Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, etc.

Summary

Here is a table ranking all Star Wars movies in order: 

S RankA RankB RankC RankD Rank
Star Wars: Episode V- Empire Strikes BackStar Wars: Episode VI – The Return of the JediSolo: A star wars storyStar Wars: The clone warsStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Rogue One: A star wars storyStar Wars: Episode VII – The Force AwakensStar Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of SkywalkerStar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the SithStar Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New HopeStar Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

S Tier

Star Wars Movie Tier List
The Best Tier

S tier contains the best movies in the list of star wars movies. The movies included in this Tier have the best storyline, cinematography, and actor choices. These movies gained great fame for the star wars franchise.

Star Wars: Episode V- Empire Strikes Back

star wars movie tier list
Star Wars: Episode V- Empire Strikes Back

This masterpiece of the star wars movie franchise is one of the best movies in the movie ranking of star wars. It was the second movie that was released in the ‘Skywalker Saga trilogy series. It gained quite a lot of popularity. The newly born fans of the franchise loved it even more than the original star wars, which welcomed them into the fandom. It is set three years after the events that took place in Episode IV.

It narrates the story of a battle between the Galactic Empire which was led by the Emperor and the Rebel Alliance, whose leader was Princess Leia. The main character, Luke Skywalker practices the art of The Force so he can use it against Darth Vader, a powerful Sith lord.

The battle scenes of this film especially the battle on Both and the biggest plot twist in the history of cinema, of Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker’s father, make this movie one of the best movies in the star wars movie franchise.

Release Year 1980
IMDB Rating 8.7
Director Irvin Kershner

Rogue One: A star wars story

star wars movie tier list
Rogue One

Rogue one is a part of the Anthology series of star wars movies. It is an immediate prequel to the first movie, ‘Episode IV. The storyline of this film is that a group of rebels assemble together and form a group. The main mission of this unity was to steal the plan of the Death Star. The Death Star is a mobile space station and a galactic superweapon. This movie also points out the first victory of the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire.

This was recalled in the New Hope during the opening crawl. This workmanship of the Star Wars franchise is different from the traditional style of star wars movie production. It doesn’t contain the opening crawl scene and the transitional screen wipes, which are seen in every single one of the star wars movies.

This movie is considered to be the most expensive movie ever made. Out of the two anthology series movies, Rogue one is the better one. Its actors played the role in a very different and un-star wars way. Which made it different from all the star wars movies. The onscreen chemistry between the main characters, Felicity Jones and Diego Luna, created a sentimental bond with the audience which made it a great experience in star wars movies.

Release Year 2016
IMDB Rating 7.8
Director Gareth Edwards

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

star wars movie tier list
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

This is the first-star wars movie. It was a new beginning for the franchise. It united people from all over the world on the platform of star Wars fandom. Even though the franchise was new to this thing, still, they were able to make this a great experience for everybody. Star Wars fans still thank the franchise for creating such a masterpiece.

The movie is mesmerizing because of its simplicity. It is a story of an ordinary boy, Luke Skywalker, who wanted to achieve huge things in life. This movie gained popularity because the main reason is that every person in the world wants to be something. What is this life without meaning? In search of something big, Luke Skywalker joins the gang of a scoundrel to rescue a princess. He thought that this way he might be able to put meaning into his dull and drab life.

The New Hope has everything a movie fanatic searches for in a movie. It has action, drama, romance, thrill, and a great storyline. And to add to it all it is set in space. It is a whole package that was a done deal from the start. It’s no wonder that it gained huge fame.

Release Year 1977
IMDB Rating 8.6
Director George Lucas

A Tier

Star Wars Movie Tier List
Just falling short of perfection.

Now that we have discussed the movies of s tier. Let us move on to the next tier of the movies star wars ranked. The movies of this tier are really good but not as good as those in the S tier. Star Wars franchise fans love these movies just as much as they love those in the S Tier. They watch these with the same enthusiasm.

Star Wars: Episode VI – The Return of the Jedi

star wars movie tier list
Star Wars: Episode VI – The Return of the Jedi

This episode is the last part of the Skywalker saga, trilogy series. It is a great movie but it is not as great as the first two parts of the trilogy. Some people even say that it is the worst one out of the trilogy series. This movie was unable to compete with the first two movies which shook the man to his very soul. This movie contains one of the best opening scenes in the Star Wars franchise.

It has the best emotional and sentimental scene in which Darth Vader was given redemption by his son Luke Skywalker. These things make this movie a really nice cinema picture that melted people’s hearts and made them shed some tears the last Jedi it’s a masterpiece among the Star Wars series but fails to compete alongside the other two movies of the trilogy series.

The trilogy has the best trio of Luke, Leia, and Han. They fought together in unity. Their camaraderie when seen on the big screen warms one’s heart. It is also the highlight of the movie that concludes the trilogy series. This is the most enjoyable movie on our star wars movie tier list.

Release Year 1983
IMDB Rating 8.3
Director Richard Marquand

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

star wars movie tier list
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

This movie begins another one of the series of Star Wars franchise even though it is the sequel to the main trilogy series, the Skywalker saga is still a separate series. The sequel has an amazing storyline that continues after the last Jedi. The Force Awakens welcomed the new generation to the fandom, as well as gave a treat to the old fanbase.

It made fans jubilant the same way the prequel series did. This movie reintroduces the old trio of Luke, Leia, and Han. It also welcomes a whole new set of badass characters. Then there was Kylo Ren, a masked villain who had a human side that made him more terrifying.

This storyline seems kind of familiar to star wars fans. An ordinary boy aiming high in life joins a rebellion group to do huge things, it was a retelling of the first movies in most ways. This movie reminded the fandom why they fell in love with the Star Wars universe in the first place. It took them back in time to the place where they looked up to Luke Skywalker and his noticeable charm which gives it a very credible ranking.

Release Year 2015
IMDB Rating 7.8
Director J.J. Abrams

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

star wars movie tier list
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

Talk about the controversy, this movie speaks controversy through every word. It shook the very core of every single person. Every single person who watched it was stunned. This second part of the sequel series ruined the whole history of Star Wars.

It claimed that Rey’s parents were nobodies and they extruded the power out of The Force. And to add to all of the melancholic and surprising events, they killed off Luke Skywalker. The main hero around which the whole Star Wars franchise was built was killed. All these events caused the fandom to have broken hearts.

This movie brought innovation to the Star Wars franchise. It allowed the fandom to enjoy something new in the film. It had its flaws like lifting out Finn and Rose without any consequences was a bummer. Still, this movie excited many and left people wanting more.

Release Year 2017
IMDB Rating 6.9
Director Rian Johnson

B Tier

B Tier
Just Below Greatness

The B tier has one-of-a-kind movies. With an exciting storyline and cinematography, the movies in this tier have more than a few flaws, that didn’t allow them to stay in the top Tiers.

Solo: A star wars story

Solo: A star wars story
Solo: A star wars story

This movie is sort of a backstory to the old baddie in the original movie. it is a prequel to Hans Solo, where he was ruggedly handsome and not an actual scoundrel or a rebel. This movie is set 10 years prior to the events that took place in the original Star Wars.

It takes us through the adventures of Hans Solo and Chewbacca, where they join a heist in the underworld. This movie was made by Disney after Lucasfilm was sold to it.

Backstories of all the baddies are rarely uplifting storylines. They usually take up the things you love about a character and ruin them with their new storylines. This is what was done in this film. It would have been difficult to tell the story about a badass who changed after meeting Luke Skywalker. This movie is good only for true fans, otherwise, it doesn’t stand a chance with other Star Wars movies.

Release Year 2018
IMDB Rating 6.9
Director Ron Howard

Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars: Episode IX
Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker

This is another controversial movie, but due to its epic storyline and cinematography could be in the upper tiers, but unfortunately, the last part of the Skywalker saga couldn’t let it get higher up. It eradicated all the controversies, and the story seemed a bit too weak and tired.

As it fell back to the original storyline. It narrates the story of Finn, Rey, and Poe as they decide to lead the Resistance’s final and last stand against Kylo Ren and the First Order. The First Order was helped out by the deceased Galactic Empire.

This movie had a few epic moments, that were somewhat predictable yet really made the movie a great cinematic experience. It suffered a great loss due to the death of Carrie Fisher. The comeback of Palpatine was ridiculously off, as his being alive seemed quite desperate.

Release Year 2019
IMDB Rating 6.5
Director J.J. Abrams

C Tier

Star Wars Movie Tier List C Tier
Yeah well you can watch them

In the star wars tier list, C Tier has movies that are somewhat good but still have a lot of flaws in them. These movies are not people’s favorites but still have a good plot.

Star Wars: The clone wars

Star Wars: The clone wars
Star wars: The clone wars

This animated movie of the star wars franchise recalls the time after ‘ The Attack of the clones’. So, technically, it is a prequel to the Skywalker saga series. It tries its best to make out a chain of events after Obi-wan discovers the clone army. But it ends before Anakin turns dark and betrays Obi-wan. It tried to distract its focus from the talkative and wordy scenes like in the prequel series. But this only makes the movie a series of unwanted lightsaber duels. Every star wars fan loves a lightsaber duel. The neon-bright swords are just being held at the necks if the enemies keep the spark alive.

This movie has quite a lot of repetition that dragged it down to this tier. The movie is also far from a good development of a storyline. The good aspect of this movie is that it introduced us to the most beloved character of the franchise, Ashoka Tano. This led to the production of a series with the same name. Which also gained a lot of popularity.

Release Year 2008
IMDB Rating 5.9
Director Dave Filoni

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars: Episode III
Star wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

This movie is the last part of the prequel series. It is set three years after the events that took place during the Clone war. This movie narrates the story of Darth Vader and how Anakin became Darth Vader. It shows all the events that led up to him turning towards the dark side and giving you the little bit of humanity he had left. When the Jedi are spread throughout the galaxy.

This led to the death of Count Dooku. Anakin gets a premonition of the death of his wife, which causes him to join the Galactic Empire, Palpatine. He becomes his second-in-hand and sidekick, Darth Vader. Although the events that led up to him becoming Darth Vader are questionable and somewhat stupid, people awaited its release. Because everyone wanted to find out how the notorious villain became the way he was.

The events ruined the backstory to pieces. One of the worst relationship advice and abysmal decision-making skills totally turned the storyline into crap. This movie contained A lot of CGI than was required. It had more wordy and talkative scenes than a good storyline. The writers focused more on the words than on how the story was turning out.

Release Year 2005
IMDB Rating 7.6
Director George Lucas

D Tier

D Tier
Better Avoid Them!

The movies in this Tier are the worst ones of the whole Star Wars series. They have the most ridiculously stupid storylines and completely boring scenes. You might catch yourself yawning during the movie due to the repetition and dragging of the series, making it the worst movie on our star wars movie tier list.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

Star Wars: Episode I
Star wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

The first movie of the prequel series has quite a lot of drawbacks. They are very similar to ‘Attack of the Clones. Especially in the CGI department, both parts of the prequel lack the quality of CGI. This movie is set 32 years prior to the original series.

The storyline follows the Jedi and his apprentice as they try to protect the Queen in hopes of gaining a safe and sound end to the trade dispute. They are joined by Anakin Skywalker, a young boy who has epic powers of The Force.

When the movie first came out, it gained quite a lot of hype. At that time the fandom failed to notice that the story of a 10-year-old Darth Vader is not really an intriguing storyline. Even though fans wanted to find out his backstory, his 10-year-old life was uneventful.

Release Year 1999
IMDB Rating 6.5
Director George Lucas

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

Star Wars: Episode II
Star wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

The second part of the prequel series is one of the worst movies the Star Wars franchise ever made. No movie can do worse than this. After the formation of the Galactic Republic led by Jedi Master Count Dooku.

Obi-wan tries to investigate the murder of senator Padame and discovers a clone army in service of the Republic. Anakin develops a relationship with Amidala while he was trying to protect her. The movie concludes with a new threat that was the Clone Wars.

This movie has so much wrong with it. The CGI, the forced romantic dialogues, various senate scenes, and many more took the charm from the movie itself making it the worst movie on our star wars movie tier list.

Release Year 2002
IMDB Rating 6.6
Director George Lucas

Comparison Table

MoviesTierRelease YearIMDB RatingDirector
Star Wars: Episode V- Empire Strikes BackS19808.7Irvin Kershner
Rogue One: A star wars storyS20167.8Gareth Edwards
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New HopeS19778.6George Lucas
Star Wars: Episode VI – The Return of the JediA19838.3Richard Marquand
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force AwakensA20157.8J.J. Abrams
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last JediA20176.9Rian Johnson
Solo: A star wars storyB20186.9Ron Howard
Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of SkywalkerB20196.5J.J. Abrams
Star Wars: The clone warsC20085.9Dave Filoni
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the SithC20057.6George Lucas
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom MenaceD19996.5George Lucas
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the ClonesD20026.6George Lucas

Summary

Apart from ranking star wars movies, you should know that the S Tier has the best ones of movies, including The New One and Rogue One. The tiers moved on in the best to worst form. The D tier has the worst ones of the movies. It includes Attack of Clones and the phantom menace. All the movies were a treat for the star wars fandom but when ranked they can easily be categorized.