The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, and Obi-Wan Kenobi are three outstanding TV series in the Star Wars universe. There are many TV shows and movies closely interrelated in Star Wars. So much, that the plot of one show or movie could affect that of another.
Since The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, and Obi-Wan Kenobi have intersecting plotlines, you may wonder which series you need to watch first.
The Book of Boba Fett is one show to watch after the first two seasons of Mandalorian, but before its third season commences. Obi-Wan Kenobi could be considered part of the Skywalker Saga, so you can watch it before or after the other two and still enjoy and understand the series.
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One Aspect to Consider in Which Series to Watch
One of the coolest things about the Star Wars universe is that, in many cases, you can hop right into the franchise without watching most shows or movies in chronological order.
When Star Wars: A New Hope first hit theaters back in 1977, the Original Trilogy is what fans were first exposed to. In 1999, 22 years after the original movie, Lucasfilm released Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
The original fans of Star Wars watched the series outside of chronological order since The Phantom Menace took place 32 years before A New Hope.
So when you are asking whether you should watch The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, or Obi-Wan Kenobi first, one thing to ask is whether there is a chance you can watch all three in any order as stands alone, as you could with the Original Trilogy and the Prequel Trilogy.
This is an aspect to consider if each series within the franchise takes place in a different time period.
For example, if you want to go the old school route and start with the Original Trilogy, then you must start with A New Hope. Next, watch The Empire Strikes Back, and finally, Return of the Jedi. Watching them in any other order would be outright confusing.
This is the Case With Mandalorian and Boba Fett
The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett have this same conundrum because, not only is the timer period of the two shows similar, you will also discover similarities in their cast of characters.
Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place in 9 BBY, 18 years before the events of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. When you research Obi-Wan Kenobi, you will see that the series stands alone, and you could theoretically watch it before or after the other two.
The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett are closely related, just as A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back in the Skywalker Saga are. So in this cluster of shows, you will need to watch one before the other.
Let’s talk about why Obi-Wan Kenobi is an outlier.
Why Does Obi-Wan Kenobi Stand Alone?
Obi-Wan Kenobi fits best into the Skywalker Saga. Since Obi-Wan appears in all of the saga’s first six films and is a tertiary character in the Sequel Trilogy, you would ideally watch Obi-Wan Kenobi after you watch the Prequel Trilogy (Episodes I-III).
If you like to watch a prequel that fits into a series, but you don’t need to watch it to fully understand the series, you can even watch the Original Trilogy first, before you dive into Obi-Wan Kenobi.
If you like to watch everything chronologically, you can watch the Prequel Trilogy, Obi-Wan Kenobi, then the Original Trilogy. But you do not need to watch Obi-Wan Kenobi at all if you plan on watching The Book of Boba Fett or The Mandalorian.
Should I Watch Mandalorian or Book of Boba Fett First?
Ideally, you would watch some of The Mandalorian first before you shift gears to The Book of Boba Fett. This is identical to fans who ask about whether they should watch The Clone Wars or Episode III: Revenge of the Sith first.
The real answer is that you want to watch a certain number of episodes of The Mandalorian, then a certain number of The Book of Boba Fett, because the two series crossover.
The most straightforward way is to watch Season 1 and Season 2 of The Mandalorian, then switch over for Season 1 of The Book of Boba Fett. This is because you will find several familiar faces in The Book of Boba Fett that you saw in The Mandalorian.
Characters from The Mandalorian include Ahsoka Tano, Cobb Vanth, Peli Motto, and Fennec Shand. You will also find that in The Book of Boba Fett, Din Djarin’s, Grogu’s, and Luke Skywalker’s storylines continue in Episode 5: Return of the Mandalorian.
As a side note, if you are a fan of The Mandalorian and are not interested in watching The Book of Boba Fett’s other storylines play out, feel free to watch Episodes 5 through 7 only, before tuning in for Season 3 of The Mandalorian.
Conclusion
Obi-Wan Kenobi isn’t closely related to The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian. Since it depicts events that occurred a decade after Order 66 and nearly a decade before A New Hope, your best bet is to watch it if you are tuning into the Skywalker Saga.
You will want to watch Seasons 1 and 2 of The Mandalorian before The Book of Boba Fett, considering the crossovers between the two.
Even if you only want to watch The Mandalorian, Episodes 5 through 7 in The Book of Boba Fett will be worth your time, since they comprise storylines featuring Din Djarin and Grogu–storylines likely to continue in Season 3 of The Mandalorian.