The first Star Wars movie released was "Star Wars" (later subtitled "Episode IV – A New Hope") in 1977. It was the first film in the original trilogy, followed by "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (1983). However, if you want to watch the movies in chronological order, the first movie in the timeline is "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" (1999).