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Star Wars The Black Series is Hasbro’s flagship Star Wars action figure line — a 6-inch scale collection that launched in 2013 and has grown into the most comprehensive Star Wars figure line ever produced. Where earlier scales compressed detail and limited articulation, the Black Series gave collectors the room to do the source material justice: accurate portraits, film-reference paint applications, deep articulation with double-jointed limbs and rocker ankles, and accessories that function at the scale they’re meant to be displayed at.

More than a decade after the first figure shipped, the Black Series spans hundreds of characters across every era of Star Wars — the Original Trilogy, the prequel trilogy, the sequel trilogy, The Clone Wars, The Mandalorian, Andor, Ahsoka, and beyond. This is the definitive collector guide to the line: how it’s organised, which collections exist, how to find the best version of any character, how to build displays, and how to collect it intelligently without spending more than you need to.

What Is the Black Series?

The Black Series launched in 2013 as Hasbro’s premium Star Wars line, positioned above the existing 3.75-inch scale that had been the standard since the original Kenner line in 1977. The 6-inch format allowed for a level of sculpt detail, articulation engineering, and accessory functionality that smaller scales simply couldn’t support. At 6 inches, a Stormtrooper has visible panel line depth. A Darth Vader has a cape that moves. A Boba Fett has a jetpack that actually pegs into his back, a blaster that fits his holster, and enough articulation to hold a two-handed fighting stance without toppling.

The line sits between mass market toys and high-end collectibles in both price and quality. It is more accessible than the Hot Toys sixth-scale line — which produces extraordinarily detailed figures at prices that put them out of reach for most collectors — and significantly more detailed and poseable than anything at 3.75 inches. For collectors who want film-accurate Star Wars figures that can be displayed, posed, and rearranged without treating them as fragile art objects, the Black Series occupies a unique position in the market.

The first wave — four figures in orange packaging — set the template: a collector-focused retail experience at a higher price point than mass market figures, with quality to justify it. Luke Skywalker in his X-Wing pilot gear was figure #01. Darth Maul was #02. The Sandtrooper with five accessories and authentic desert weathering was #03. R2-D2 with ten functional accessories including a hover stand for the Han Solo carbonite block — that was the SDCC 2013 exclusive that technically preceded the retail wave, and it remains the most historically significant exclusive in the line’s history as the very first Black Series 6-inch figure ever produced.

Photo Real: The Quality Dividing Line

The single most important development in the Black Series since its launch was the introduction of Photo Real face printing in 2019. Before Photo Real, human character portraits relied on traditional hand-sculpting and paint application — the results were variable, with some figures capturing their likenesses well and others falling noticeably short. Photo Real changed this by applying photographic reference data directly to figure portraits, producing a level of human likeness accuracy that transforms the experience of displaying the figures.

Every human character released from 2019 onwards benefits from Photo Real technology, and it represents the clearest quality dividing line in the line’s history. Figures produced before this technology exist in a different tier from everything that came after. For collectors deciding between an older and newer release of the same character, the presence or absence of Photo Real is the first question to ask.

How the Line Is Organised

Understanding the Black Series means understanding its phases — the structural eras that reflect how the line’s organisation and output evolved over time.

Phase 1 — Orange Wave (2013–2014) was the launch era. Fourteen mainline figures numbered #01 through #14 (with no #13 — Hasbro skipped that number entirely) introduced the 6-inch format to collectors. These are the historical originals. The Orange Wave figures are the ones that proved the scale worked, built the collector base, and set the standard that every subsequent wave would build on. Collecting the Orange Wave in full is a foundational collecting project for anyone serious about the line.

Phase 2 — Blue Wave (2014–2015) continued the numbered sequence from #01 through #16 across waves 5 through 9, expanding into more characters with improved tooling over the Orange Wave originals. The Blue Wave introduced more prequel trilogy representation and refined the articulation engineering that the Orange Wave had established.

Phase 3 — Red Line (2015–2020) is the longest single run in the line’s history — 112 numbered figures spanning The Force Awakens era through to Kit Fisto at #112 in 2020. The Red Line covers enormous character ground: the entire sequel trilogy, Rogue One, Solo, Star Wars Rebels, The Clone Wars, the original trilogy revisited with improved tooling, and characters from comics and expanded universe. It ends before Photo Real became standard, meaning the late Red Line figures (approximately #90 onwards) bridge the pre- and post-Photo Real eras, with Wave 22’s First Edition variants representing some of the first figures to receive the updated technology.

Phase 4 — Galaxy Collection (2020–present) reorganised the line by source material rather than sequential numbering. Each film and series gets its own collection with figures numbered within it — so The Mandalorian has its own sequence, A New Hope has its own sequence, and so on. The Galaxy Collection era introduced Photo Real as the standard for all human portraits and has produced the most technically accomplished figures in the line’s history. If you’re starting a Black Series collection today, the Galaxy Collection is where you start.

The Collections

Original Trilogy

The Original Trilogy collections are the backbone of the Black Series and have the deepest back catalogue across all phases. A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi have been revisited in every phase of the line, meaning many characters have multiple versions spanning pre-Photo Real originals through current Galaxy Collection releases.

The A New Hope Galaxy Collection covers the film’s full cast — Luke, Han, Leia, Obi-Wan, Darth Vader, R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewbacca, the Mos Eisley cantina crew, and the Imperial command structure. The 40th Anniversary line produced a dedicated run of ANH Kenner-style figures that sit alongside the standard releases. The Sandtrooper, Stormtrooper, and Death Star Trooper make the ANH collection one of the strongest for army builders.

The Empire Strikes Back is perhaps the most display-rich collection in the line. The Bespin duel, the Hoth battle sequences, the bounty hunter lineup, and the carbon freezing chamber all have strong figure representation. The 40th Anniversary ESB wave (2019–2020) produced some of the most celebrated releases in the line’s history — an ESB Boba Fett, a full Hoth roster, and the Dagobah Luke and Yoda that remained fan-requested until their release.

Return of the Jedi covers Jabba’s Palace, the Endor battle, and the throne room confrontation. The 40th Anniversary ROTJ line (2022–2023) produced seven waves covering the film comprehensively, including army builder opportunities in the Scout Trooper, Biker Scout, and Stormtrooper variants.

Prequel Trilogy and The Clone Wars

The prequel collections have expanded significantly in the Galaxy Collection era. Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith are actively growing collections with regular new releases, and The Clone Wars animated series has its own dedicated line that covers characters from the seven-season run.

The Clone Wars collection is particularly strong for army builders — Phase I and Phase II clone trooper variants, named commanders, ARC Troopers, and specialist units provide deep army building potential that the mainline prequel trilogy figures don’t cover alone. Separatist droid army figures including Battle Droids and Super Battle Droids make Geonosis arena displays achievable.

The Bad Batch has its own dedicated collection covering the five-member squad and supporting characters from the series. The Phantom Menace collection has grown in recent years following decades of relative underrepresentation in the line.

The Mandalorian and Disney+ Era

The Mandalorian is the largest individual Galaxy Collection series — Din Djarin across multiple armour configurations, Grogu in various expressions and accessories, the full supporting cast of Cara Dune, Greef Karga, Moff Gideon, Bo-Katan Kryze, Fennec Shand, and the Armorer, plus an army builder opportunity in the Dark Trooper. The Mandalorian and Grogu sub-line covers the pair’s appearances in subsequent series.

Andor has produced one of the most critically acclaimed collections in the Galaxy Collection era — a line that reflects the show’s grounded aesthetic with figures covering the Ferrix uprising, the ISB, the Aldhani heist, and the Narkina 5 sequences. Cassian Andor across multiple costume configurations, Luthen Rael, Dedra Meero, and the Syril Karn figure represent characters the line wouldn’t have produced in earlier eras.

Ahsoka, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte all have dedicated collections ranging from a handful of figures to over a dozen. The Obi-Wan Kenobi series in particular produced figures covering the Inquisitors, the young Leia, Reva, and multiple Obi-Wan costume variants across the series.

Specialty Sub-Lines

Gaming Greats is the Black Series’s video game sub-line, sold exclusively through GameStop. It covers characters from Jedi: Fallen Order, Jedi: Survivor, The Force Unleashed, Republic Commando, Knights of the Old Republic, Battlefront II, and Galaxy of Heroes. Cal Kestis has multiple Gaming Greats releases reflecting his appearances in Fallen Order and Survivor. Darth Revan, Darth Malak, Darth Malgus, Darth Nihilus, and Bastila Shan bring Knights of the Old Republic characters into the Black Series for the first time.

The 40th and 50th Anniversary collections honour the line’s Kenner and Power of the Force 2 heritage. The 40th Anniversary line produced Kenner-style cardback packaging for figures covering A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi milestones. The 50th Anniversary line covered the franchise’s broader history with Kenner and POTF2 callback releases, Clone Wars Tartakovsky-era figures, and a significant comic book and Legends character run including Doctor Aphra, Mara Jade, Black Krrsantan, and Carnor Jax.

Holiday Edition figures are seasonal releases that have grown into a collector sub-line of their own — Clone Troopers, Stormtroopers, Wookiees, Ewoks, and Mandalorian Warriors in holiday and Halloween configurations released annually since 2020.

Archive Collection figures are straight repacks of popular releases brought back into production — useful for collectors who missed original runs at retail prices, and often the most accessible route to figures that command secondary market premiums in their original packaging.

Characters

The Black Series has produced figures for more characters than any other Star Wars line at this scale. The roster spans heroes, villains, Jedi, Sith, bounty hunters, troopers, droids, aliens, and creatures across every era of the franchise — from prequel-era Qui-Gon Jinn and young Obi-Wan through the sequel trilogy’s new cast and into the Disney+ series’ expanded roster.

For the most-produced characters, navigating the release history is a genuine challenge. Luke Skywalker leads all characters in release count — X-Wing pilot, Bespin, Jedi Knight, Dagobah, Endor, Yavin Ceremony, Snowspeeder, Stormtrooper disguise, Jedi Master, Imperial Light Cruiser, and more. Boba Fett has the widest era spread of any character, appearing from the SDCC 2013 launch through The Book of Boba Fett. Han Solo covers A New Hope, Bespin, Endor, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and stormtrooper disguise configurations. Darth Vader appears across ANH, ESB, ROTJ, Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and Rogue One contexts.

From the Disney+ era, Din Djarin has accumulated a release count that rivals the classic cast. Ahsoka Tano is unique in spanning Clone Wars, Rebels, The Mandalorian, and her own series with distinct figures for each era. Kylo Ren and Rey from the sequel trilogy each have multiple releases reflecting their different appearances across the trilogy.

The character guides on this site cover every release of each major character — every version, every variant, which to buy for display, and what the line still hasn’t produced.

Trooper Types and Army Building

A dedicated category within Black Series collecting is the trooper types — figures designed to be purchased in multiples and displayed in formation. The Black Series has produced an extraordinary range of Imperial, Republic, First Order, and specialised trooper variants that reward army building at a level no other scale has matched.

Original Trilogy troopers — Stormtroopers, Sandtroopers, Death Star Troopers, Snowtroopers, Scout Troopers, AT-AT Drivers, TIE Fighter Pilots, and Emperor’s Royal Guards — have been produced across multiple phases and engineering generations. The question for OT army builders is always which generation of tooling is worth buying in multiples.

Clone Troopers from the prequel era have the most variant depth of any trooper type in the line. Phase I and Phase II base armour, the 212th Attack Battalion, the 501st Legion, the 187th Battalion, the 332nd Company, ARC Troopers, Clone Commanders, Clone Pilots, and Bad Batch variants provide an army building canvas that serious prequel collectors spend years populating.

First Order troopers from the sequel trilogy cover standard Stormtroopers, Snowtroopers, Flametroopers, TIE Pilots, Jet Troopers, and Sith Troopers. The Praetorian Guards from The Last Jedi are a display-specific army builder — the Supreme Leader’s throne room demands multiples.

The army building guides on this site cover which engineering generation of each trooper type is worth buying in multiples and how to build convincing formations across a mix of specialised types.

Exclusives

A significant portion of the Black Series is sold through exclusive retail arrangements rather than standard mainline distribution. Understanding the exclusive landscape is essential for avoiding overpaying on the secondary market and for knowing where to look when a figure isn’t available through standard channels.

Target is the most active Black Series exclusive retailer, carrying a consistent stream of exclusive single figures and occasional multi-packs. GameStop hosts the entire Gaming Greats sub-line as well as additional exclusive releases. Walmart carries exclusive figures including Clone Wars Tartakovsky-era releases and holiday variants. Amazon handles Amazon-exclusive 2-packs and specialty items. Hasbro Pulse is the direct-to-consumer channel for premium and Fan Channel exclusives — figures sold through Pulse tend to be higher-priced and lower-run than standard retail.

SDCC and fan convention exclusives are the most sought-after in the line. The SDCC 2013 Boba Fett with Han Solo in Carbonite is the most historically significant, but subsequent convention exclusives have included figures, 2-packs, and special packaging variants that command significant secondary market premiums.

Galaxy’s Edge exclusives are available only at the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World — figures like Dok-Ondar, Captain Cardinal, and the various Droid Depot sets are theme park exclusive and trade at premium prices online.

Collecting the Black Series

For new collectors approaching the line for the first time, a few principles help navigate its scope without overspending or making purchases you’ll regret.

Start with characters, not completism. The Black Series catalogue is too large to collect in full without serious financial commitment. Starting with the characters and scenes that matter most to you — and buying the best current version of each — produces a better collection than attempting to acquire every release. The character guides on this site identify the best version of each character for modern display so you can buy once and buy right.

Photo Real is the quality benchmark. For human characters, if a Photo Real version exists it is almost always the better display choice over earlier releases. The exceptions are figures where the pre-Photo Real version is the only release, or where the Orange Wave original carries historical significance that matters to you specifically as a collector.

Understand the secondary market. Many Black Series figures sell out at retail and trade at premiums on eBay and secondary platforms. Exclusive figures in particular can command prices two or three times their original retail. Knowing which figures are worth the premium — and which are available more cheaply through Archive Collection repacks — saves significant money over time.

The Galaxy Collection is where to focus for new releases. Every new character announcement and every significant re-release of an existing character happens in the Galaxy Collection format. Following the Hasbro Pulse pre-order calendar and the major retailer exclusive announcements covers the full release picture.

Use the FigureShelf checklist. Tracking a collection across hundreds of potential figures across a dozen sub-lines is genuinely difficult without a tool built for it. The FigureShelf collection tracker — available on this site and on Android — lets you mark figures as owned, wanted, or on order, filter by collection and character, and see at a glance what you have and what you’re missing.

Collections

Galaxy Collection

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Collector Guides

The Black Series By Numbers

671 Figures
288 Characters
42 Species
184 Exclusives
40 Collections
50 Display Scenes
2013–2026 Years Active