Star Wars Black Series Phases Explained — Complete Guide to All 4 Eras

The Star Wars Black Series is organised into four distinct phases — packaging eras that define which figures belong to which production period, what quality standard they were made to, and how they relate to each other. Understanding the phases is essential for navigating the Black Series as a collector, because the same character may have been produced in two or three different phases with significantly different quality levels, and knowing which phase a figure comes from tells you a great deal about what to expect from it before you buy.

This guide covers all four phases of the Star Wars Black Series — what they are, when they ran, how many figures each contains, what changed between them, and how the phase structure affects collecting decisions in 2025.

What Are the Black Series Phases?

The four Black Series phases correspond to Hasbro’s four major packaging redesigns of the 6-inch line since its 2013 launch. Each phase uses a different packaging design, production quality standard, and numbering approach. The phases are not officially named “Phase 1,” “Phase 2,” etc. by Hasbro — these are collector terms that describe the packaging eras. Hasbro refers to them by their packaging names: Orange Series (Phase 1), Blue Series (Phase 2), Red Series (Phase 3), and Galaxy Collection (Phase 4).

Phase 1 — Orange Wave (2013–2014)

14 figures. The Orange Wave launched the Black Series in August 2013 with orange packaging and a fresh-start numbering sequence at #01. Figures were numbered #01 through #14 (with #13 skipped as unlucky), plus the SDCC 2013 exclusive Boba Fett and Han Solo in Carbonite two-pack which is considered Phase 1 despite its exclusive status. The Orange Wave covers primarily A New Hope and The Phantom Menace characters — Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot), Han Solo, Darth Maul, Sandtrooper, Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and others.

Quality standard: Phase 1 figures use a pioneering articulation standard for the Black Series that would carry through Phase 2 and into early Phase 3 — double-jointed elbows and knees, ball-jointed torso and head. Face printing is hand-applied paint; Photo Real technology does not arrive until Phase 3. By current standards Phase 1 face printing looks noticeably dated on human characters.

Collector significance: The Orange Wave represents the birth of the line and contains some of the most historically significant Black Series figures. The SDCC 2013 Boba Fett and Han Solo in Carbonite exclusive is one of the most valuable standard-production Black Series releases. For completionists tracking all phases, Phase 1 is the rarest and smallest era.

Phase 2 — Blue Wave (2014–2015)

16 figures. The Blue Wave replaced orange packaging with blue and reset the numbering to #01–#16 across waves 5–9. It expanded the character selection beyond the ANH and TPM focus of the Orange Wave — Return of the Jedi, The Empire Strikes Back, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith all received first Black Series representations. The Blue Wave introduced Clone Commander Cody, IG-88, Bossk, Princess Leia (Boushh), Emperor Palpatine, and the two Stormtrooper disguise Han and Luke variants.

Quality standard: Comparable to Phase 1 — same articulation standard, same hand-applied face paint approach, similar sculpting quality. The improvements from Orange to Blue are incremental rather than transformative. Phase 2 figures share the pre-Photo Real face printing limitation with Phase 1.

Collector significance: Phase 2 contains several characters who have never received Galaxy Collection updates — Bossk, IG-88, Clone Commander Cody, and Princess Leia (Boushh) Archive reissue. For these characters, the Blue Wave is the best available version and will remain so until Hasbro produces Galaxy Collection updates.

Phase 3 — Red Line (2015–2020)

190 figures. The Red Line is the largest single packaging era in Black Series history — 190 figures across five years including the 112-figure numbered mainline (#01–#112), plus exclusives, Archive figures, Gaming Greats early releases, 40th Anniversary figures, and Carbonized variants. Phase 3 begins in late 2015 coinciding with The Force Awakens release and ends in 2020 when the Galaxy Collection transition completes.

Quality standard: Phase 3 spans a transformative quality shift. Figures from 2015 to 2018 use pre-Photo Real hand-applied face paint and show the same portrait limitations as Phases 1 and 2. From approximately 2019 onward (around waves 22–25 of the numbered line), Photo Real face printing becomes standard. This internal quality divide within Phase 3 is important — a Red Line figure from 2015 and a Red Line figure from 2020 may share packaging but have significantly different portrait quality.

Key milestone figures: Phase 3 introduces Darth Revan, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Ahsoka Tano, Clone Captain Rex, 4-LOM, Count Dooku, and Kit Fisto — many of whom have not been superseded by Galaxy Collection updates.

Phase 4 — Galaxy Collection (2020–Present)

451+ figures and growing. The Galaxy Collection launched in 2020 and represents the current production era — the most active, diverse, and quality-consistent phase in the line’s history. Phase 4 drops the sequential numbering entirely in favour of sub-line organisation by film and series, and makes Photo Real face printing the standard for all human characters. It currently contains over 450 figures across 37 sub-lines with new releases arriving continuously.

Quality standard: Photo Real face printing is the baseline for all human characters. Articulation continues to evolve incrementally — recent Phase 4 figures show slightly improved joint tightness and range of motion compared to early Phase 4 releases. The Galaxy Collection packaging uses full-illustration mural box art that is considered by most collectors to be the most visually impressive Black Series packaging yet produced.

Sub-line structure: Phase 4’s most significant structural innovation is the sub-line system — figures grouped by source property with their own sub-line numbering rather than a single linear sequence. This makes it possible to find all Mandalorian figures, all Clone Wars figures, or all A New Hope figures without cross-referencing the full line history.

How the Phases Affect Collecting Decisions

Buy Phase 4 for display. For any character who has a Galaxy Collection Phase 4 release, that version is the current recommendation for display purposes. Photo Real face printing, current articulation standards, and active production quality make Phase 4 figures the best-looking versions of most characters.

Buy Phase 3 late Red Line when Phase 4 doesn’t exist. Characters like Darth Revan, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Bossk, IG-88, and Clone Commander Cody have no Phase 4 Galaxy Collection update — their Red Line or Blue Wave releases are the best and only option.

Phase 1 and 2 for historical collecting or character-specific gaps. The Orange and Blue Wave figures are primarily of interest to completionists tracking all phases, or collectors who specifically want the characters only available in those eras.

Do the Phases Mix on a Shelf?

Visually, Phase 1 and 2 figures from 2013–2015 can look noticeably dated alongside Phase 4 figures on the same shelf — the face printing gap on human characters is visible. However, armoured figures, aliens, and droids age better across phases because they don’t depend on face printing quality. A Blue Wave Clone Commander Cody displays well next to a Phase 4 Clone Wars Ahsoka despite the six-year production gap, because both are primarily defined by armour sculpting rather than portrait accuracy.

The practical approach for most collectors is to display Phase 4 figures as the primary shelf and supplement with Phase 3 figures for characters without Phase 4 updates, accepting that pre-Photo Real human faces will be visible on some figures in the display.

Phase Summary

Phase 1 Orange (2013–2014): 14 figures, pre-Photo Real, ANH and TPM focus
Phase 2 Blue (2014–2015): 16 figures, pre-Photo Real, expanded saga coverage
Phase 3 Red (2015–2020): 190 figures, pre-Photo Real transitioning to Photo Real, 112 numbered + exclusives/specialist lines
Phase 4 Galaxy Collection (2020–present): 451+ figures, Photo Real standard, sub-line structure, active production

Total across all phases: 671 figures as of 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Phase 4 of the Black Series? Phase 4 is the current Galaxy Collection era — the packaging format with full-illustration mural box art, sub-line organisation by film and series, and Photo Real face printing as standard. It launched in 2020 and is the current production era.

How many Black Series figures are there in total? 671 figures across all four phases as of 2025, including mainline, exclusives, specialist lines, holiday editions, and anniversary sub-lines.

Which Black Series phase has the best quality figures? Phase 4 Galaxy Collection generally produces the best face printing quality given Photo Real technology as standard. Late Phase 3 figures from 2019–2020 are comparable. Early Phase 3 and all Phase 1–2 figures predate Photo Real and show dated portrait quality on human characters.

Do you need to collect figures in phase order? No — figures from different phases display together at the same 6-inch scale. Phase organisation is useful for understanding the line’s history and making informed purchasing decisions, not a requirement for display.

Phase Overlap — When Eras Coexist

The phase transitions are not sharp cutoffs — there is always a period where both the outgoing and incoming packaging eras coexist on shelves. The transition from Red Line to Galaxy Collection in 2020 is the best example: both Phase 3 Red Line figures and Phase 4 Galaxy Collection figures were in production simultaneously for over a year, with some characters appearing in both packaging formats. For collectors, this means that a figure released in 2020 could be either Red Line or Galaxy Collection depending on its specific sub-line origin.

When assessing a specific figure’s phase, the packaging era is more reliable than the release year for figures from transition periods. A figure in a mural box is Galaxy Collection Phase 4 regardless of its 2020 release date. A figure in red packaging numbered within the mainline sequence is Red Line Phase 3 regardless of its 2020 release date.

The Phase Structure and Resale Value

Phase matters for resale value in specific ways. Orange Wave figures in their original packaging command collector premiums given their historical status as the line’s launch series. Blue Wave figures in packaging are similarly valued given the small production run. Red Line figures are generally valued at or near original retail unless they are popular characters with limited production or Walgreens/SDCC exclusivity. Galaxy Collection figures are generally valued close to retail given active production — secondary market premiums on Phase 4 figures typically reflect exclusivity rather than packaging era.

For carded collectors — those who keep figures in their original packaging — the phase determines the packaging design, and each phase’s distinct box art makes the collection visually distinctive. The Orange Wave’s minimal black box, the Blue Wave’s character-focused blue card, the Red Line’s numbered mural box, and the Galaxy Collection’s full-illustration packaging create a clear visual timeline when displayed together as a carded collection.