A new Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi is winding back the clock on the Star Wars story, so it’s time to re-watch the prequel films. And yes, it’s okay if you fast-forward through all the boring senatorial bits.
Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in Episodes I, II, and III, will reprise his role as the legendary Jedi who struggled to keep Anakin Skywalker from turning to the Dark Side but strove in his twilight years to protect Anakin’s son, Luke Skywalker from a similar fate. Hayden Christensen, who played a surly teenage Anakin and (briefly) a wailing Darth Vader, is also set to return for the show.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is set between the events of Episode III and IV when Obi-Wan, one of the few Jedi to survive the conspiracy to wipe out all of the warrior-monks, is on the lam from the Empire. He’s still smarting from his final, fire-filled showdown with Anakin and determined to look after a young Luke—though Luke’s Uncle Owen (Joel Edgerton) may have other plans.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is reportedly a bit dark. But that shouldn’t be a surprise given that important and oft-repeated Star Wars motifs include parents dying in their children’s arms, loss of limbs, and the mass murder of children training to be Jedi. For a story that emphasizes hope, it’s pretty bloody.
Here’s how Obi-Wan Kenobi fits into the Star Wars timeline—and the tidbits you need to remember from those prequel films to understand why Obi-Wan is so obsessed with safeguarding Luke from the Empire.
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
32 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin, i.e. when Luke blew up the first Death Star)
Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace"
Mary Evans—Lucasfilm/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection
Forget the insanity about midichlorian measurements and pod racing and Jar-Jar Binks. Here’s what’s important to remember: Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) becomes obsessed with the idea that a boy from Tatooine by the name of Anakin Skywalker is the prophesied “Chosen One” destined to restore balance to the Force. The Jedi Council tells Qui-Gon and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi that Anakin is too susceptible to the Dark Side of the Force to be trained (and they’re not wrong!) Qui-Gon completely ignores them. Meanwhile, little Anakin (Jake Lloyd) gets a crush on Queen Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) and asks her if she’s an angel in one of the more cringe-worthy scenes in cinematic history.
Darth Maul (Ray Park), who has a cool double bladed lightsaber and spikes coming out of his face, kills Qui-Gon in a fight scene that actually stands up to the test of time. Obi-Wan cuts Darth Maul in half. Qui-Gon’s dying wish is that Obi-Wan will train Anakin, and the Jedi Council assents because I suppose you can’t overrule a man’s dying wish—even if it’s a dumb wish that will doom the galaxy.
Read More: We Ranked the 40 Greatest Star Wars Moments
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
22 BBY
Ahsoka Tano in Clone Wars
Disney+
The movie and television series told the story of the war between the separatists and the republic. Much of the story centers on Ahsoka Tano, who trains to be a Jedi under Anakin Skywalker. She becomes a mentor to other Jedi before being kicked out of the Jedi Order because of a misunderstanding. The Jedi later offer her her place back in the order, but she has become disillusioned and walks away.
The series reveals that Darth Maul is still alive and building up his own crime syndicate, including taking over the planet Mandalore for a time. Bo Katan, who will later pop up in The Mandalorian, leads a rebellion against Darth Maul on Mandalore. But mostly the show exists to chronicle the slow descent of Anakin who, even before he officially turned to the Dark Side.
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
19 BBY
The animated series follows a group of genetically enhanced clones from The Clone Wars, Clone Force 99, known as the Bad Batch. In the aftermath of the Clone Wars they take on mercenary missions. This series is truly a deep cut and mostly caters to fans of the Clone Wars TV show.
Solo
Around 13-10 BBY
This image released by Lucasfilm shows Alden Ehrenreich and Joonas Suotamo in a scene from "Solo: A Star Wars Story."
Jonathan Olley—AP
A young Han (Alden Ehrenreich) and his love interest Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) try to escape a local gang, but Qi’ra is captured. Han joins the Imperial Navy, and they give him the name “Solo” because he’s standing there alone when he signs up—and origin story better left untold. Three years later, Han makes friends with a Wookiee named Chewbacca. Han, Chewbacca, and a robber named Beckett (Woody Harrelson) join forces but fall into debt to a gangster named Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany). When Han goes to meet Vos he discovers that Qi’ra works for the crime lord.
Han proposes paying back Vos by stealing coaxium (fuel for ships) from Kessel. Qi’ra introduces Han to Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), and the group steals the coaxium using Lando’s ship, the Millennium Falcon. Han escapes in a daring feat known as the Kessel Run that will be referenced ad nauseam in other Star Wars properties. Han becomes sympathetic to a rebel faction that needs the coaxium, and tries to trick Vos so he can help the rebels. But Beckett betrays Han and takes Chewbacca hostage. Qi’ra kills Vos and sends Han after Beckett. She then contacts Maul, now a crime lord himself, revealing that she’s actually somewhat villainous.
Han confronts Beckett, shoots him before Beckett can fire, saves Chewbacca, and proves he’s the kind of anti-hero who “shoots first.” Han then wins the Millennium Falcon from Lando, and the audience leaves the movie theater with relatively useless trivia, like how Han got his last name and made the Kessel Run.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Around 9 BBY
Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Giles Kyte—LucasFilm
The forthcoming Rogue One prequel series stars Diego Luna as the rebel spy Cassian Andor. The show is being billed as a spy thriller with Andor carrying out covert missions for the rebels to restore hope in a galaxy prior to the events of the original trilogy.
Rogue One
0 BBY
American actors Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images
Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) intercepts the ship of Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). Before he boards the ship, Leia hides the schematics to the Death Star inside the droid R2-D2, who then travels to the planet Tatooine alongside another droid, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). Jawa traders capture the droids and sell them to the family of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Luke discovers a recording of Leia asking for the help of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and falls instantly in love because he’s a teenager. Obi-Wan (Alec Guinness), whom Luke knows as “old Ben Kenobi,” reveals his true identity and explains the plot of all the Star Wars prequels to Luke. Obi-Wan leaves out one crucial detail about who Luke’s father is. Obi-Wan tells Luke that Luke’s dad was a Jedi who was killed by Vader (which is true in a metaphorical sense).
Imperial stormtroopers murder Luke’s aunt and uncle while searching for R2-D2, and Luke and Obi-Wan hire Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) to transport them to Leia’s home of Alderaan. Before the Millennium Falcon can reach the planet, Death Star commander Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) destroys the all of Alderaan as a tactic in his interrogation of Leia—proving that the Empire is very evil. Luke persuades Han to help him save Leia and the love triangle commences. Onboard the Death Star, Obi-Wan sacrifices himself in a lightsaber duel against Vader, allowing Luke, Han, and Leia to escape.
Han—always the rogue—abandons the Rebels after collecting his reward for retrieving Leia. Luke joins the rebel’s X-wing squadron in their mission to destroy the Death Star. Han and Chewbacca unexpectedly return to knock Vader’s ship off course before Vader can kill Luke, and Luke is able to channel the Force to destroy the Death Star. Leia awards Luke and Han medals for heroism, though not Chewbacca, which is just rude.
Read More: Billie Lourd on Becoming the Keeper of Princess Leia
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
3 ABY
Star Wars IV: Return of the Jedi
LucasFilms Ltd.—moviestillsdb.com
Leia tries to rescue Han but is taken captive by Jabba. Luke arrives at Jabba’s lair to bargain for their release but Chewbacca captures him too and sentences the trio to be eaten by a big, mean monster called a Sarlacc. Luke, who has hidden his lightsaber inside R2-D2, battles Jabba’s men, and Boba Fett accidentally falls into the Sarlacc pit. Leia strangles Jabba to death with her chains, which is no small feat because Jabba is basically a giant mud blob. Luke returns to Dagobah to find that Yoda is dying. Yoda reveals there’s another Skywalker before becoming one with the Force. Luke still doesn’t get it, so Obi-Wan’s Force Ghost shows up to explain that Leia is Luke’s twin sister. It’s unfortunate news because Luke and Leia briefly kissed in Empire, but as a society we’ve all agreed not to acknowledge the twin-cest.
The Empire is constructing a second Death Star. (Death Stars seem to be the only weapon the Empire knows how to build.) Han, Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca travel to the forest moon Endor to destroy the new Death Star and meet a bunch of cuddly bear-like creatures called the Ewoks; they will inspire generations of Star Wars characters designed to later be sold as stuffed animals. Luke surrenders to Imperial troops to reach Vader, and tries to convince his father to reject the Dark Side. Vader brings Luke to the Emperor. The Rebel forces, and specifically Admiral Ackbar, discover that the Empire has laid a trap for them. Meanwhile, the Emperor tries to turn Luke to the Dark Side, and Luke fights Vader, then the Emperor. The Emperor tortures Luke with Force Lightning, his evil power of choice. Vader redeems himself by throwing the Emperor down a reactor shaft to his death…or is it?!? (Generally speaking, never trust shaft-related deaths in Star Wars. Luke, Maul, and the Emperor all survive them.)
Vader—you guessed it—dies in his son’s arms. Lando and an X-Wing fighter named Wedge Antilles (Dennis Lawson) destroy the Death Star 2.0. Everyone parties.
The Mandalorian
Around 9-10 ABY
Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen in The Book of Boba Fett
Lucasfilm
Boba Fett was always a popular toy. He had the coolest suit and a jetpack to boot. But it turns out that cool toys don’t always make for the best television protagonists. Disney+’s less-loved Star Wars series recaps the story of Boba Fett (Temeura Morrison), from his unlikely escape from the Sarlacc pit to his eventual rescue of the bounty hunter Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). Most of the plot is taken up with Boba Fett trying to set himself up as a benevolent crime boss in Mos Espa on Tatooine.
The show actually spends a lot of time with Mando, who is banished from the Mandalorian sect for removing his helmet and proving that yes, in fact Pedro Pascal is under there. Mando checks on Grogu, and the Jedi Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson, who also appeared on The Mandalorian) warns Mando that his attachment to Grogu will be bad for the little kid’s Jedi training. Luke gives Grogu the choice of taking up Yoda’s lightsaber or returning to his adventures with Mando. It’s no surprise—considering we never saw Grogu in the Episode VII, VIII, or IX and The Mandalorian would be much more boring without the little guy—that Grogu chooses to be reunited with his adoptive dad, Mando. The two fly off together.
Ahsoka
Around 9-10 ABY
Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Thirty years after the defeat of the Empire, the equally fascistic First Order has risen in its place. General Leia Organa leads the Resistance but is also on the hunt for her brother, Luke Skywalker, who has gone missing. A cocky but charming pilot named Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) receives a map with Luke’s location and hides it in a droid called BB-8 before he’s captured by stormtroopers under the command of bad guy Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). An orphaned scavenger named Rey finds BB-8 and saves the droid. (If the whole map-hidden-in-a-droid gambit sounds awfully familiar, buckle up: director J.J. Abrams loves to rehash an old storyline.)
The First Order boasts a new superweapon: Starkiller Base, which is, for all intents purposes, a big Death Star. Disillusioned stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) frees Poe, and they escape on a plane. They crash land, and Finn assumes Poe is dead. He runs into Rey and together they escape an attack from the First Order on an old junky ship called…the Millennium Falcon. (What are the odds?) Han Solo and Chewbacca, track down their old ship, and explain to Finn and Rey that Luke attempted to rebuild the Jedi Order but exiled himself after one of his apprentices, Kylo Ren—the son of Han and Leia—turned to the Dark Side and slaughtered the other young Jedi. (See: child murdering on your Bingo board.)
Rey gets a bunch of hints she’s strong with the Force, including being called to the lightsaber once used by both Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker. When Kylo captures her, she escapes using a Jedi mind trick. Han confronts Kylo, and Kylo kills his father. Poe, who is still alive, is able to destroy whatever weak spot is again inexplicably built into the bad guy’s base. Kylo and Rey fight, and Rey gives Kylo an intense face scar in the duel. Rey follows the map to Luke’s location on the oceanic planet Ahch-To, where she presents him with his old lightsaber.
Read More: How J.J. Abrams Brought Back Star Wars
Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
34 ABY
John Boyega as Finn in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Jonathan Olley—Lucasfilm
Emperor Palpatine is back! Somehow…how exactly? Why did he create Snoke instead of just ruling the First Order himself? Unclear. Don’t think about it too much.
Anyway, Palpatine somehow has a secret armada of Star Destroyers (basically, thousands of Death Stars, because why not?). Kylo captures Chewie. In an attempt to save the Wookie, Rey accidentally destroys a First Order transport with Force lightning, which is not terrific because Force Lightening is a Sith thing. You see where this is going. Rey leads a mission to save Chewie on Kylo’s Star Destroyer and finds out from Kylo that she is Palpatine’s granddaughter. Dun dun dun (again). Kylo and Rey duel. Leia uses the Force to call to Kylo, and in that moment Rey is able to impale him. Rey senses that Leia, too, is dying and is overcome with guilt: She heals Kylo, which I guess is a power she has now.
Luke’s Force Ghost gives Rey Leia’s lightsaber. Meanwhile, Kylo chats with the ghost of Han Solo, throws his lightsaber into the sea, and takes back the name Ben Solo. Rey and Ben confront Palpatine while the Resistance fights Palpatine’s insanely large fleet. Palpatine tries to drain Rey and Ben of their powers so that he can rise again as supreme ruler. Rey hears the voices of past Jedi encouraging her and deflects Paplatine’s Force Lightning with Luke and Leia’s lightsabers. She kills Palpatine before dying herself. Ben uses the Force to revive Rey, and they kiss before he dies. In theory, Rey could use the Force to resurrect Ben and die again herself, but the whole death-and-resurrection cycle could go on for awhile. Instead Rey travels to Tatooine to bury Luke and Leia’s lightsabers and claim the name Skywalker for herself.
Read More: All the Questions We Still Have After Watching Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Write to Eliana Dockterman at eliana.dockterman@time.com.
