All 12 Star Wars Animated Shows, Ranked: A Deep Dive into the Galaxy's Best Animated Adventures
The Star Wars franchise has a rich history of animated adventures, and this ranking takes a deep dive into the best of the best. From the dark ages of the 1980s to the present, animation has kept the galaxy alive and well. Here's a breakdown of the top-rated shows, with commentary and analysis from an expert perspective.
- The Clone Wars
This show is a masterpiece, and it's no wonder it's ranked as the best. It's a testament to the power of passionate creative leadership. The Clone Wars explores the violent, military drama of the Clone Wars, and it's a serious TV series that invites fans of all ages to experience the galaxy far, far away. It's a contemporary, post-9/11 American point of view, and it seriously considers themes of moral injury, the justification of state violence, political corruption, and American imperialism.
- Rebels
Rebels is a great successor to The Clone Wars, exploring how fractured the rise of the Empire left the galaxy. Key characters like Ahsoka, Maul, and Darth Vader return broken. The series finale was quietly divisive, but the show as a whole is a great vehicle for some of the best Star Wars stories ever told.
- Visions
Visions is a refreshing and gorgeous spin on a galaxy far, far away. It's an episodic anthology that frees itself from the canon, searching for essential elements of a Star Wars story. It's a testament to the franchise's willingness to experiment and take risks.
- Maul - Shadow Lord
This show is a compelling exploration of Maul's character, and it rightfully leans on his status as an outsider within the new Galactic Empire. It's a powerful show that keeps sight of its character's righteous anger and tragic inability to grow beyond it.
- Tales of the Jedi
Tales of the Jedi is a gold standard of the Tales anthology series. It's a rarity in the Disney era of Star Wars, and its backward-facing narrative adds something revelatory to the story. The focus on senatorial corruption is effective, justifying Dooku's disillusionment.
- The Bad Batch
The Bad Batch is a mature and textured animated series with cinematic visuals. It's a great premise undercut by a story scared of putting its characters in too much danger. But it steadily matured over the course of its first two seasons into a version of the war stories Filoni only got to tell in small arcs on Clone Wars.
- Tales of the Underworld
Tales of the Underworld is a well-structured and engaging story that raises the project above the other seasons of Tales. The resurrection and redemption of Asajj Ventress is a genuinely consequential arc in the Star Wars canon.
- Tales of the Empire
Tales of the Empire is a solid entry in the Tales anthology series, with a level of narrative and artistic execution that a casual Star Wars viewer would find engaging. The story of Morgan Elsbeth is emotionally legible, but it's not surprising enough to cut above solid retroactive character work.
- Resistance
Resistance is a decent setup, but it struggles with the tension between young audience appeal and adult storytelling. The characters and storyline feel flat and inconsequential, even when they manage to pull in someone like Gwendoline Christie or Oscar Isaac to reprise their roles from the films.
- Droids
Droids is a nostalgic and entertaining series that feels much closer to an actual Star Wars movie than some of the other entries. It has the same nostalgic charms as Ewoks, but it offers a more sophisticated story and atmosphere.
- Ewoks
Ewoks is a traditional, hand-drawn series with a strong focus on its animation. It's a children's series that has little to offer a modern Star Wars fan, but it's a pop culture museum piece with some fantasy elements.
- Young Jedi Adventures
Young Jedi Adventures is a competent series made for preschoolers. It's a godsend for adult Star Wars fans, but it's fundamentally empty of stakes, drama, and impact. It's not for anyone above the age of five.
- Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures
This is the first Star Wars series made for preschoolers, and it's a unique setting for a Star Wars series. It follows Kai Brightstar, a youngling training under Master Yoda during the High Republic era. It's a show that has little to offer a modern Star Wars fan, but it's a pop culture museum piece with some fantasy elements.
