Star Wars Eras Ranked by Storytelling Potential and Untapped Narratives

The Star Wars story takes place over thousands of years and includes many different time periods. But not all of these periods have been explored equally in the movies and other stories.

The world of Star Wars is always growing with new films, series, games, books, and comics. But not every part of its history has been explored equally. Here’s our ranking of the nine Star Wars eras, based on how much potential they have for new stories and how much room there is to expand on what we already know.

9. Age of Rebellion

It’s not surprising that the original Star Wars era had so many stories to tell. The period of the Rebellion, famously depicted in the first three films released between 1977 and 1983, gave us some of the most memorable adventures.

The Star Wars universe has been extensively expanded through stories told outside of the main films and shows – tales that take place before, during, and after the core events. While things like comics have enriched aspects of the saga, such as Luke Skywalker’s Jedi training and the Rebellion’s struggles, the overall creative possibilities within this specific time period now feel somewhat limited.

8. The Fall of the Jedi

The period known as the Fall of the Jedi is a rich and detailed part of the Star Wars saga. It’s been explored through the prequel films and the Clone Wars animated series, giving us many compelling stories.

Although new stories are still being created, the broad outline of the Clone Wars and how it resulted in the fall of the Jedi, as shown in Revenge of the Sith, is already well-known. While there’s potential for stories focusing on individual characters, it feels like there aren’t many major plot twists left to uncover in this period.

7. Rise of the First Order

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The Rise of the First Order details the events of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which unfolded in films released between 2015 and 2019. Though mainly shown in the movies, this period has also been expanded upon through related books, comics, and the television show, Star Wars: Resistance.

Each of these stories has contributed to a better understanding of key events, such as the rise of the First Order, the secret of Palpatine’s return on Exegol, and how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren.

However, there’s still potential for new stories, as evidenced by the current comic series, Legacy of Vader, which explores Ben Solo’s experiences between The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker.

6. The High Republic

The High Republic launched as a big project introducing a fresh era in Star Wars. It explores a time hundreds of years before the prequel movies, a golden age of the Jedi, and introduces new characters, dangers like the Nihil, and complex galactic politics.

While The High Republic has expanded through many novels and comics since 2021, it’s become particularly popular thanks to the Disney+ series The Acolyte and the Disney Junior animated show Young Jedi Adventures. Fans are also eagerly awaiting the release of the video game Star Wars: Eclipse, which has been in the works since 2021.

While the recent third phase of the books and comics appears to have ended, and was likely the final one as originally intended, there’s a feeling that this new period offers more potential than the previous three.

5. Reign of the Empire

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The 19-year period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope is known as the Reign of the Empire. It’s a particularly compelling and detailed time in the Star Wars universe, explored through stories like Star Wars Rebels, Kenobi, The Bad Batch, Rogue One, and the highly praised series Andor.

We’re now able to tell powerful stories about life under the Empire – the struggles against it, the growing resistance, and how the Empire itself was changing as it reached its strongest point, all while Palpatine strengthened his control.

Stories about the beginnings of Darth Vader’s turn to the dark side, along with tales of growing Rebel groups, remaining Jedi, and political corruption, have a lot of potential for compelling narratives.

As a huge Star Wars fan, I think this period is really exciting because it connects the original and prequel trilogies so well. It feels richer now with all the new shows and stories we’ve gotten lately, but honestly, I still think there’s a lot more storytelling potential left to explore. It’s a sweet spot with tons of possibilities!

4. The New Republic

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We’ve seen glimpses of the time after the fall of the Empire in shows like The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and Skeleton Crew.

I’m so excited about this era between the original Star Wars movies and the sequels! It feels like a really important time for the galaxy, a chance to rebuild after the Empire fell. We know where things eventually lead with The Force Awakens, but there’s still a full thirty years of story to explore between that film and Return of the Jedi, and I can’t wait to see what happened during those years.

Lucasfilm sees a lot of potential in the New Republic era of Star Wars, and they’re planning exciting new content to explore it, including the continuation of The Mandalorian and Grogu’s story, a second season of Ahsoka, and a new movie from Dave Filoni.

3. The New Jedi Order

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The New Jedi Order represents the next chapter in the Star Wars saga, following the events of the sequel trilogy. It’s a particularly thrilling period because it’s largely unexplored, and takes place furthest into the future of the Star Wars universe.

Currently, a new Star Wars movie directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is in the works, focusing on Rey Skywalker’s efforts to restore the Jedi Order. This offers a chance to reimagine the Jedi for a modern era and explore what they could become in a new generation of Star Wars stories.

A new Star Wars movie, Starfighter, is currently being made and is scheduled for release in 2027. Directed by Shawn Levy and featuring Ryan Gosling, Matt Smith, and Mia Goth, the film will explore the galaxy after the final defeat of Palpatine and the fall of the First Order.

As such, The New Jedi Order is quite the blank slate (which is super exciting).

2. Dawn of the Jedi

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Moving back to the very beginning of the Star Wars timeline – around 25,000 years before the prequel movies – the ‘Dawn of the Jedi’ series will delve into how the Force and the first Jedi actually came to be.

Because there’s very little established Star Wars history from that era, director James Mangold has a lot of creative freedom to develop the cultures and conflicts in his upcoming “Dawn of the Jedi” movie without contradicting existing storylines.

The beginnings of the light and dark sides of the Force have rich potential for storytelling, making the Dawn of the Jedi a particularly promising era for future Star Wars adventures.

1. The Old Republic

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The Old Republic era offers the richest storytelling possibilities in all of Star Wars. Spanning thousands of years, it features countless Jedi and Sith, large-scale conflicts, and memorable characters. This period provides a vast and largely untapped narrative space, allowing creators to draw from previously established stories now considered ‘Legends’—material created before Disney’s acquisition—and incorporate them into the official canon.

It’s surprising how much of the Star Wars: The Old Republic era has stayed the same since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012. Even though most of this content isn’t considered official canon, it’s still incredibly popular, whether Lucasfilm is revisiting old stories or creating new ones.

As a longtime Star Wars fan, I’ve been craving a return to the Old Republic for ages, and let me tell you, the potential is huge. We’re talking about a time when the Jedi are strong, but the Sith are still a real threat – a full-blown war is brewing. And the galaxy itself? Wide open, full of uncharted territory. This era isn’t just a nostalgic trip; it’s a storytelling goldmine that could keep Star Wars fresh and exciting for a long, long time. It feels like the possibilities are genuinely endless.

2025-11-19 06:31