Ranking Star Wars TV Shows

I don’t know how many times I’ve typed this sentence out for an article, but it’s no secret that I’m a nerd. I devour manga, watch anime, read fantasy and sci-fi books, and play video games like my life depends on it. WB Kids, Toonami, and Star Wars are huge factors that led me down my nerd life. But I’m not here to talk about the first two. Star Wars was the first sci-fi blockbuster that I loved as a kid. In the opening scene of Episode 3, where you see a full space battle fought in the stars, which zooms in on Anakin and Obi-Wan in their fighters, wrecking carnage was chef’s kiss. What more could a little kid with a rampant imagination want? I love Star Wars. It’s a foundational pillar in my nerd life, so here I am ranking Star Wars Tv shows.  

Ranking Star Wars TV Shows

Did Not Watch or Finish

Bad Batch

I haven’t finished Bad Batch yet. My friend kept telling me to finish it, but I could not buy into the story. I don’t know what it is about the story, but I just couldn’t. I know. I was just bragging about how much I love Star Wars and then started this ranking off with the things I haven’t watched. I’m not saying Bad Batch is a bad show, but it didn’t feel as good as other recent Star Wars stories. I’ll probably finish it as I patiently wait for the Ahsoka show to come out. 

Star Wars Resistance

Yeah, I haven’t watched this show. I probably won’t even try to cause the animation style gives me a headache, but maybe if I get desperate enough for Star Wars content, I’ll flirt with the idea.

The Actual Rankings

6. Star Wars Visions

Coming in dead last is Star Wars Visions. I want to make one thing very clear. Visions is only last because everything else is really good. I loved these short stories. My biggest pet peeve with Star Wars is that everything revolves around the Skywalkers. So it’s always a nice little breath of fresh air to get little side stories that explore how crazy the Star Wars universe is, whether it’s canon or not. The idea of a samurai with a lightsaber tickled the anime part of my brain. I want to know more about that first episode which, by the way, has some of the prettiest animations. And that was only the first episode of visions. Granted, it was the best one, but the others were good.   

5. The Book of Boba Fett

Boba Fett fell flat. Was it enjoyable? Absolutely, but they made one of the coolest Star Wars characters look like a useless dork. And don’t get me started on the series humanizing the Tusken Raiders. Do you think I’ll forgive them for what they did to Anakin’s mom? Fat chance! And the whole new origin story for Boba Fett post-Sarlacc Pit feels derivative of Dune and Paul Atreides. However, I do need to give credit where credit is due. For example, Patton Oswalt’s improvised speech in Parks and Rec was amazingly accurate, considering the speech came out in 2013. 

The other reason The Book of Boba Fett is so low on my list is that he wasn’t even the best armor-clad mercenary in his show. Might as well have just dubbed this season as Mandalorian season 2.5. How will you let the new fan favorite come into your story and show you like that? I wouldn’t take that kind of disrespect. It would be on sight.   

4. Obi-Wan Kenobi

I love Obi-Wan. He is, without a doubt, a top 3 Star Wars character of all time. If you disagree, you are wrong. I know a lot of people did not like this show. They did not like little kid Leia, but I loved it. Kenobi does the two things he set out to do well. The first thing was connecting the two eras. There is so much that happens in the Star Wars universe after Order 66 and before A New Hope, and with this show, we get a glimpse into what that transition looked like, if only for a bit. We see the consequences of the Jedi dying on a grand scale with the absolute power and tyranny that the Empire holds. But we also see the emotional turmoil that Obi-Wan has gone through after losing everything. 

The second thing the Kenobi show set out to do was explore the relationship between Vader and Obi-Wan. I could write a whole dissertation about Vader and Obi-Wan’s interaction from their fight on Mustafar till Obi-Wan becomes a Force Ghost. But this show showed the internal struggle of Vader and Anakin as Obi-Wan came to accept that his friend was truly lost. The blue and red lighting alone in the climactic final fight was beautifully done. So you can complain about his show and how much you hate kid Leia or sad Obi-Wan, but I loved this show more than I thought. 

3. Rebels

Rebels is a perfect Star Wars story in the same way that Rogue One is. The whole universe does not revolve around the Skywalker bloodline so getting a story based around a rebel cell on a planet we have never seen before is peak Star Wars. But what makes Rebels so great is Kanan’s story. Finally, we got the story of a Jedi who survived Order 66. Or should I say a padawan who survived? Kanan’s journey overcoming survivor’s guilt while taking on an apprentice himself. Kanan feels like a fraud, but his journey with the force and Ezra gave me everything I ever wanted.

Also, the side stories in Rebels are unparalleled. First, we get the conclusion of Maul and Obi-Wan. Seeing adult Ahsoka with her white sabers fighting against Vader gave me chills. Truly, Rebels puts a nice bow on some great side stories that leave you satisfied. And it sets up a great new saga for the Ahsoka show. I can’t wait to watch Ahsoka and Sabine search for Ezra after his sacrifice to get rid of Thrawn. Although, I don’t think Thrawn is dead, he will be a great villain for the show.   

2. The Mandalorian

The Mandalorian might be the greatest thing that has happened to live-action Star Wars in a long time. I’m not going to trash-talk the new trilogy. The scripts weren’t the best, but the actors received unwarranted hate. But The Mandalorian expanded the Star Wars universe treating it like it was just that, a universe. Also, how the old west vibe hadn’t already been used for Star Wars is beyond me.

The story of a mercenary with some of the most iconic music turning soft to save a small little green thing is perfect. Grogu is adorable, and he broke the internet when he was first revealed. I can’t wait for the new season. So many cool Star Wars factors are in play with the DarkSaber, Grogu’s limited training with Luke, and every other crazy thing that is happening in the universe sets up The Mandalorian for some of the best Star Wars storytelling we’ve ever seen.   

1. Star Wars The Clone Wars

Without a doubt, The Clone Wars animated series is the best Star Wars has ever given us as an audience. We see how truly powerful the Jedi are. We see full-scale battles as the war unfolds and envelopes the universe. This series is like watching the opening scene of Episode 3, but on steroids.

The Clone Wars where we met the once most hated character, Ahsoka, who later turned into everyone’s favorite. And where most shows with more than five seasons seem to get worse with time, The Clones Wars only gets better. Yes, it centers around Anakin but ventures into the whole war. We get a whole story arc on how clones train. (Rest in peace, 99.) And arguably, the best story arc of the whole show is the last four episodes, The Siege of Mandalore. It solidifies how amazing Ahsoka is as a force user, as a fighter, and as a character in the show.  

Thank you Dave Filoni for giving us Star Wars fans the absolute best memories and stories. You truly are the GOAT.