30 Movies Similar to Star Wars (And Where to Watch Them)

Comparing Star Wars and Star Trek can, from the viewpoint of both fandoms, be a fairly controversial take. While they may look and sound similar on the surface, they have practically oppositional approaches to science fiction storytelling. Star Wars opts for spectacle and fantastical elements, while Trek has always been more centered around moralistic or philosophical stories.

So, why would a Star Trek (2009) earns its place on this list? In a divisive move, the Star Trek franchise was rebooted by J.J. Abrams in the late 2000s with a film that feels closer to a Star Wars movie than anything you’d find in Trek’s library before it. It centers on a young James T. Kirk who, despite his potential, has been living his adolescence without any sense of direction in Riverside, Iowa. Having lost his father at an early age (in this alternate Trek timeline), the similarities between Kirk’s upbringing and Luke Skywalker’s are pretty obvious, though he’s also written with Han Solo’s rebellious charisma in mind. After a drunken bar brawl, Kirk finds himself enlisting in Starfleet Academy, where he'll meet (and initially despise) a young version of Spock.

Just like how A New Hope’s success was partly due to the great on-screen chemistry between Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher, one of the greatest strengths of this reboot is the quippy, conflict-driven chemistry between Chris Pine (Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), and Zoe Saldaña (Uhura).

So Star Trek (2009) might be unpopular with a portion of the Trek fanbase due to its dramatic shift in tone and purpose, but it’s a fantastic streaming pick for Star Wars fans. And don’t worry—it’s light-years better than J.J. Abrams’ final Star Wars movie, The Rise of Skywalker.

Although it's already part of its own gigantic shared franchise (in the form of the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Guardians of the Galaxy works so well as a Star Wars-adjacent movie because it embraces the same space opera spirit. With a mix of epic space adventure, humor and cosmic world-building, it's basically the closest thing Marvel fans will ever get to having a Star Wars movie set within the MCU.

Just like Star Wars, Guardians is less interested in hard sci-fi rules and more focused on fun adventures, where the stakes can be high but there's always room for quips and gags. This was the MCU's introduction to the cosmic universe (if you exclude a few scenes in Thor), expanding what’s happening beyond the Marvel stories on Earth for the first time. The movie follows Peter Quill, a pop-culture-obsessed outlaw who feels like he could’ve easily been found enjoying the ambiance of the Mos Eisley cantina (or perhaps Jabba's Palace) . After some initial conflicts, he’s joined by a crew of misfits who reluctantly join forces. In comparison to more traditional superhero stories like Iron Man and Captain America: The First Avenger, Guardians of the Galaxy is chaotic in all the right ways, and the combination of chaotic characters plays into some beautifully choreographed space battle sequences too.

So if Star Wars is your benchmark for space fantasy—particularly if you're invested in the franchise's underdog stories—Guardians of the Galaxy is another must-see space opera. The major point of difference is the movie's soundtrack. With an iconic mixtape that includes hits from Blue Swede, David Bowie, the Jackson 5, and many other artists, it's a great vibe—but it's also worlds away from the dramatic orchestral music by John Williams in Star Wars.

Despite the many influences that ultimately shaped Star Wars, Dune by Frank Herbert is arguably the most significant. So if you're a Star Wars fan who hasn’t seen Dune: Part One yet, directed by the brilliant Denis Villeneuve, consider this your introduction to the defining space epic of the decade.

Although Herbert’s Dune predates Star Wars by several years, fans had to wait until 2021 for the faithful adaptation they had long envisioned. The result is an ambitious film that captures the story’s blend of space adventure, political intrigue, ideological conflict and Shakespearean tragedy, while remaining accessible to both longtime fans and newcomers.

The similarities between Star Wars and Dune are so apparent that, for Star Wars fans, it can occasionally be distracting. However, this shouldn’t overshadow the unique identity of each work; Villeneuve’s adaptation remains remarkably faithful to its source material and doesn't have the levity and humor you can always expect from the Star Wars franchise. Instead, Dune: Part One embraces a darker, mature tone—closer in spirit to Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, as well as Villeneuve’s other works such as Arrival and Blade Runner 2049.

One of the best things about Star Wars is how it brings to life a universe where countless species coexist, offering intriguing interactions and visually engaging moments at every step of the adventure. While many films have tried to replicate this sense of truly escapist world-building, The Fifth Element stands out as a rare success. Directed by Luc Besson and starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich, it captures the same bustling energy of an interplanetary society. This makes it an easy recommendation for Star Wars fans, while still offering a tone that feels fresh and distinct.

The Fifth Element leans into a different kind of vibrant, eccentric style that's perfect for anyone who’s spent a little too long tucked away in the Millennium Falcon’s secret compartment. One of the biggest points of difference is The Fifth Element's influences from 1990s French culture. Although the film is in English, it was produced by the French studio Gaumont and was, at the time, the most expensive European film ever made. This identity is reflected on screen in unexpected—and very welcome—ways. Besson was closely associated with the Cinéma du look movement, and its glossy visuals are key to the film’s aesthetic. Additionally, the film’s costumes were designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier, who adds to the film's visual flair with bold haute couture creations that feel worlds apart from anything in Luke Skywalker’s wardrobe.

If you've got more than a few hours, one of the best Star Wars-inspired franchises to get into is Firefly, the cult sci-fi TV show that has been beloved by fans ever since its release in 2002. Although the TV show was surprisingly cancelled after its first season, fans got some consolation with the release of a tie-in movie, Serenity.

Serenity continues the show's story, bringing back many key cast members such as Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, Alan Tudyk as Hoban Washburne, and Summer Glau as River Tam. The genre-bending space western follows the crew of the Serenity as they navigate the galaxy, trying to defeat the evil Reavers. It captures the essence of what made Firefly many sci-fi fans' go-to TV show long before the days of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka and Andor.

The original Star Wars trilogy turned Harrison Ford into a household name and one of the biggest A-listers in Hollywood, leading him to star in the Indiana Jones franchise and a slew of other amazing movies. He only rarely ventured back into the science fiction genre—including his role as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner and its sequel Blade Runner 2049, a disgruntled prospector in Jon Favreau's pulpy sci-fi western Cowboys & Aliens, and as Colonel Hyrum Graff in the 2013 adaptation of Orson Scott Card's novel, Ender's Game.

Aside from Ford's involvement, Ender's Game shares similarities with Star Wars as it follows a young man at the center of an intergalactic conflict. However, while Luke Skywalker's journey is more centered around wide-eyed wonder and a spiritual awakening, Ender finds himself under increasingly intense psychological pressure. Unlike Star Wars, Ender's Game wasn't a smash hit with critics—but if you're looking for a movie with dogfight space battles, it's worth checking out.