Star Wars Day is just around the corner, and Hulu is celebrating in a big way. As George Lucas’ iconic space opera franchise continues to grow with upcoming movies and shows like The Mandalorian & Grogu and Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi, Hulu is bringing four of the best Star Wars movies to its streaming platform in May.

Beginning May 1st, Hulu subscribers will be able to stream the original Star Wars trilogy and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Lucasfilm’s franchise-launching trilogy, comprised of Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi, follows farm boy Luke Skywalker as he joins a Rebel Alliance to battle the tyrannical Galactic Empire, learning the ways of the Force to redeem his father, Darth Vader, and bring peace to the galaxy. 2016’s Rogue One bridged the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, picking up just minutes before the 1977 original and turning the opening crawl into a feature film about how the Rebel Alliance acquired the Death Star plan.

The Original Star Wars Trilogy and Rogue One Are the Pinnacle of the Star Wars Franchise

If you could only watch four Star Wars movies, the original trilogy and Rogue One would be a pretty solid lineup. All four movies are some of the highest-rated in the franchise, with A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back taking the top two spots on Rotten Tomatoes, and they represent the most cohesive, tightly knit narrative block in the franchise to date. Watching the films back-to-back almost feels like you’re watching a seamless, high-stakes military epic that perfectly bridges gritty war-film realism with the epic space-fantasy beginning of A New Hope.

Despite hitting theaters nearly 40 years after the original movie, Rogue One really feels like an authentic extension of the original film. The movie filled in a crucial gap in the Star Wars lore and addressed and resolved a 40-year-old narrative question about how the rebels obtained the Death Star plans and highlighted the moral ambiguity of early Rebellion action. It also managed to capture the gritty feel of the original films with the same used-universe aesthetic of familiar technology, ships, and a gritty, weathered atmosphere. Together with the original trilogy, the four movies are incredibly well-crafted, high-stakes storytelling, all emphasizing the heavy toll of rebellion and the necessity of personal sacrifice.

What’s New on Hulu?

There are still a few days left before the four Star Wars movies hit Hulu, but with the dozens of titles that dropped in April, there are plenty of ways to pass the time. Hulu subscribers can now stream movies like The Day After Tomorrow, The Devil Wears Prada, and Primitive War. Upcoming May arrivals include The Last Duel and Sicario on May 1st, Alien: Romulus on May 21st, and Afraid on May 28th.

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