If you sat down and tried to count the number of things that move online consumers like sports, you could probably do it with a single hand.  That’s how potent sports is when it comes to making people feel a part of something and lifting their spirits (at least when the team wins). 

On the other hand, it is also true that when sports fans are unable to watch live matches of their favorite sports teams, they can feel it in their souls.  For some, missing a single game of their favorite sports teams means they have betrayed the tribe.  Of course, that is not true.

A lot of online consumers are searching the web for answers on whether or not they can use a VPN provider in order to restore some live sports premium channels that they once had access to via their cable package (we’re assuming here that their cable provider is no longer offering them the channels that they want to watch).

More often than not, people are actually forced to using a VPN service for watching sports on their TV sets or monitors. 

How? 

Well, life finds a way to make them move from city to city and when they do their new cable service provider does not offer the station that they want to see.  In such a scenario, they have to use a VPN service and install it (if possible) on their VPN router that their new cable company may have given them.  Once they have done that, they hope, they get to stream the channel that they want via their Smart TV sets.  So the obvious question that arises from all this is:

Does it work? 

Do VPNs really work when you want them to unblock a sports channel for you?

Let’s talk about in the rest of this guide. 

VPN services are the masters of content-unblocking

While it is true that you may use VPN services to unblock any type of content.  VPNs are especially adept at unblocking popular streaming services provided you sign up for the right ones.  Online consumers who only wish access sports channels or otherwise which were previously online and available for streaming usually want to sign up for a premium VPN service.  But there is a big problem here.  If users only want to use a VPN service to access the channel that they had access to before, a VPN service may not come to the rescue. 

Why do we say that? 

We say that because our current understanding is that any cable box that your cable service provides you communicated pretty much directly with your new cable service provider.  Hence, it essentially takes the VPN service out of the equation.  The cable provider is the one who can enable or disable a given channel that may stream on your cable box. 

The main issue here is not that your cable service provider has put geo-restrictions on some channels and a VPN service is unable to circumvent those restrictions, the issue is that the cable provider has direct access to your cable box.  VPN services have no trouble it getting past geo-restrictions and getting people to the channels that they want to stream.  People focusing mostly on security and privacy know from their experience and reading that close to 30 percent of all VPN users make use of VPN services in order to access online content which is blocked. 

More specifically, they want to unblock streaming sites like, 

• Netflix
• Amazon Prime Video
• Hulu

Now, here is the rather interesting part. 

Even if a user has access to a streaming site like Netflix, he/she may still want to use a VPN service to access Netflix. 

Why?

Well, streaming services like Netflix have this policy of offering different countries different content based on the rights they have purchased.  So different people living in different countries get completely different Netflix experiences.  Of course, all of them have to pay money to watch Netflix.  The countries where users do not get access to the best shows feel ripped off.  And in order to compensate for that, they use a VPN service in order to change their location and access content that other countries have access to. 

For example, a person living in the US may want to access content that Netflix offers only to people living in the UK.  Of course, someone living in the UK may also want to see content that is only available in the US even though the streaming service is the same. 

Again, VPN services are great for people who want to access such content.  In the VPN community, such type of content is known as geo-blocked content.  This is the content that is available on the internet (which is supposed to be free and unrestricted) but is not accessible to all people or at least people in certain regions of the globe. 

But how are streaming services able to know where you live?  Well, streaming services have the ability to screen out users based on their location by taking note of the user’s IP address.  Whenever a user makes use of a VPN service, the VPN service routes the user data through different VPN locations.  That changes the public IP address of the user. 

If a VPN user connects to a VPN server that is located in the region where the content (that the VPN user wants to watch) is not blocked then the user can access that content.  More specifically, the streaming service would think that the VPN user is actually from the area which it approves viewing the specific content that the user wants to watch.  Theoretically speaking, the whole thing just works. 

However, our research shows that making use of a VPN service in order to access content that is blocked is slightly more tricky then people like to think.  The first thing that VPN users have to take care of is the VPN service itself. In other words, they have to sign up for a VPN service that actually works with the specific streaming service that they have subscribed to and want to access some content from. Picking a VPN service, in and of itself, is a process.  Selecting a VPN service that works with your streaming service is even trickier.  Of course, by using a process of elimination you can eventually sign up for the right VPN that works for you. 

Here is another problem.  Even if you manage to find the right VPN service that works perfectly well with your streaming service, it may not work out for you. 

Why do we say that? 

We say that because just as VPN services are striving all the time to unblock streaming services, streaming services are hard at work in blocking VPN services that unlock their content.  So even if you find a VPN service that works with your streaming service today, it may or may not work with your streaming service tomorrow.  That is something that you should keep in mind while you are thinking about signing up for that 3-year mega discount deal. 

Of course, on the other hand, if you have managed to find the online streaming service that streams your sports program which you are no longer able to access for one reason or another then a VPN service may provide assistance in that case.  You will find a lot of people narrating their experiences and how they managed to stream MLB baseball games for absolutely nothing.  Yes. 

Did you know that MLB allows users to stream premium baseball matches for free if it finds that the user lives outside the United States of America?  Some online consumers would also tell you that they had to use a VPN service in order to make themselves appear outside the US in order to circumvent MLB restrictions.  That is exactly what we have mentioned before.  You sign up for a VPN service and you make it appear as if you are present in a location that your streaming service likes in order to get access to free streams if they are available. 

We are not denying the fact that you may have to spend quite a bit of time looking at different streaming services for sports and VPN services that work with them at that given time.  What we are saying is that you yourself come to the realization that sports fans have an unusual number of caveats to keep in mind and come to terms with. 

Firstly, the services that you may be able to unblock as a result of using a VPN service would still have blackouts. 

What are blackouts? 

Well, without o getting too technical, blackouts represent another tool that cable providers and various other broadcasters make use of in order to restrict specific regions and/or local markets based on the distribution rights that they have.  For the end-user, that means the only kind of sports content which is available to each and every person in the US is the national sports content.  More specifically, national sports broadcasts. 

Now, based on what a given user may desire to watch and where that user is located in the US (similar for other countries as well), the best tool for him/her is to skip the thing with streaming altogether.  Instead of messing around with finding the right streams, the only step (a rather unfortunate step) that the user can take is to explore different packages that different cable providers are offering.

Is it morally bad that I use a VPN service to stream sports? 

The thing about streaming sports content by using a VPN service is that it is not illegal.  Again, if you use a VPN service in order to access streaming content that is blocked, in your region you are doing nothing illegal. 

However, sometimes you may violate the terms of service document of a given company.  With that out of the way, we feel that one must definitely think about whether or not one should use a VPN service to stream sports content.  It may be moral.  Or immoral. 

More or less, it will depend on which point of view you want to take.  We’re not trying to give you legal advice here. 

Hence, you should not take our point of view on this issue as legal advice. 

But, if you really think about how you have consumed the majority of your content throughout your life, you should come to some conclusions fairly quickly. 

What do we mean by that? 

What we mean is that if you live in a country or a place where streaming services have blocked content because they want to censor certain kinds of content, then we are of the opinion that there is nothing morally wrong with using a VPN service in order to watch that content.  Of course, based on your upbringing you could have a different point of view.  We believe that commentary about different issues should reach each and every person that wants it. 

Now, if the content that someone wants to watch is not available for streaming via normal routes (in other words, mainstream media, and channels), then it is perfectly okay to simply switch on your VPN service and start streaming content.  Almost every online consumer has one time or another used a VPN service to watch a lesser-known movie or a documentary that is really old and a non-US title.  Such a title is never available for streaming or sale if you live in the US.  In such cases, since you have tried your best to support the capitalist system that you live in and it has failed you, there is no fault on you for using a VPN to stream content. 

Now, if you are trying to watch some content which is definitely available via normal means but the content itself is not of good quality then that is another reason why someone would have his streaming experience wrecked.  In such a situation, we feel users have the right to obtain a good stream via different online tools such as VPNs. 

Let’s take an example to further our point. 

If you want to watch the Olympics, you have to come to terms with the fact that in the US, only one company is allowed to broadcast it.  Most of the time, the event is heavily edited.  People who want to watch Usain Bolt (now retired) breaking records cannot do so for the simple reason that the US broadcaster is covering the event poorly. 

Here too we don’t see anything wrong in using a VPN service to find a stream which is better and also not available to people in the US.  The discussion will definitely change if you want to access some content that is easily available and of high-quality. 

If the content is definitely easy to have access to and has enough quality to bring you joy then using a VPN for that content becomes a little less than ideal action.  Some people feel setting up a VPN is too much of a headache to access such streams from another country.

But with online privacy and security now priorities for everyone with an internet connection, plus stories of the government monitoring your traffic, and your ISP selling your browsing data to the highest bidder, VPNs are becoming essential for the everyday internet user.

Security is the name of the game when it comes to VPNs. They encrypt your data through a private ‘tunnel’ when using the internet, so your activity can’t be monitored by prying eyes.

There are several choices for encryption protocols and one of the most popular is OpenVPN.

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To learn more about OpenVPN

What is OpenVPN?

OpenVPN is a protocol which is over 15 years old, and has been in continuous development since its release back on 2001. It is used by most VPN services these days.

These are the main advantages of OpenVPN:

• It is open source. This means that its code is open to the public, so it has been inspected, vetted and tested by many different people and organisations.
• It features military-grade, 256-bit encryption and can use multiple different encryption techniques and algorithms.
• It’s extremely secure, and very flexible.
• It can be used on almost any platform, including Windows, Linux and macOS as well as Android and iOS.

While this makes it an adaptive and powerful too, it also suffers from a couple of drawbacks.

First, it isn't a standalone VPN service and requires third-party applications to function. This means, to some extent, that it is only as useful as the applications that it’s relying on – which isn’t a problem if they are legitimate and professionally developed and run.

Second, it requires technical knowledge to configure, but this is handled by whichever VPN service you choose, so isn't really a drawback at all.

The OpenVPN project has its own VPN service called Private Tunnel, but there is a cost involved. 

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If you want to to look at an expensive and popular solution, it might be worth looking at NordVPN.

OpenVPN for business

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British infosec specialist Kevin Beaumont says a severe hole in Pulse Secure's Zero Trust Remote Access VPN software is being used by miscreants as the entry point for inserting malware attacks.

The vulnerability in question, CVE-2019-11510, was among the bugs patched back in April by an out-of-band update. The flaw is present in Pulse Connect Secure, a VPN program pitched at enterprises for remote workers and bring-your-own-device workers. The bug can basically be abused to extract plain-text passwords, and other secrets, from networks without any authentication.

"That vulnerability is incredibly bad — it allows people without valid usernames and passwords to remotely connect to the corporate network the device is supposed to protect, turn off multi-factor authentication controls, remotely view logs and cached passwords in plain text (including Active Directory account passwords)," Beaumont explained.

Now, months after the fixes were posted, Beaumont has investigated multiple ransomware infections and has confirmed that the Pulse Secure vulnerabilities were the entry point into the network for the hackers spreading the file-scrambling Sodinokibi nasty.

"In both cases the organizations had unpatched Pulse Secure systems, and the footprint was the same," Beaumont explained, "access was gained to the network, domain admin was gained, VNC was used to move around the network (they actually installed VNC via psexec, as java.exe), and then endpoint security tools were disabled and Sodinokibi was pushed to all systems via psexec."

The Register pinged Pulse Secure for its side in all of this, and the company issued the following statement.

"Pulse Secure publicly provided a patch fix on April 24, 2019 that should be immediately applied to the Pulse Connect Secure (VPN). The CVE2019-1150 vulnerability is highly critical. Customers that have already applied this patch would not be vulnerable to this malware exploit. As we have communicated earlier, we urge all customers to apply the patch fix," the biz said.

"Beyond issuing the original public Security Advisory – SA44101, but commencing that day in April, we informed our customers and service providers of the availability and need for the patch via email, in product alerts, on our community site, within our partner portal, and our customer support web site.

"Since then, our customer success managers have also been directly contacting and working with customers. In addition, Pulse Secure support engineers have been available 24x7, including weekends and holidays, to help customers who need assistance to apply the patch fix. We also offered assistance to customers to patch for these vulnerabilities even if they were not under an active maintenance contract."

Part of the problem may be that organizations are unaware they are running Pulse Secure VPNs that are vulnerable. Earlier this week, for an update on his website, Bad Packets Report's Troy Mursch ran a vulnerability scan finding that 3,826 Pulse Secure VPN servers worldwide remain vulnerable.

As some admins have noted, keeping track of such boxes can be difficult within a large enterprise, let alone getting them patched in a timely manner.

In fact, Beaumont says that Travelex, the currency exchange service that has been knocked offline by a malware infection, had seven such unsecured Pulse Secure servers and was hit by the same Sodikinibi ransomware group involved in the other attacks he had observed. Mursch said he tried to warn Travelex of those exposed machines back in September. ®

The NSA's bulletin, issued earlier this week, says that state-sponsored hacking groups are now actively targeting the remote takeover and connection hijacking flaws in VPNs that were first publicized in April of this year.

"These vulnerabilities allow for remote arbitrary file downloads and remote code execution on Pulse Connect Secure and Pulse Policy Secure gateways. Other vulnerabilities in the series allow for interception or hijacking of encrypted traffic sessions," the NSA warned.

"Exploit code is freely available online via the Metasploit framework, as well as GitHub. Malicious cyber actors are actively using this exploit code."

The NSA's update comes on the heels of an earlier alert issued in the UK by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), warning of attacks that it had spotted against both private and government sector firms in the UK ranging from military and academic institutions to business and healthcare providers.

"An attacker can use these stolen credentials to connect to the VPN and change configuration settings, or connect to further internal infrastructure," the NCSC's warning reads.

"Unauthorised connection to a VPN could also provide the attacker with the privileges needed to run secondary exploits aimed at accessing a root shell." David Stubley, CEO of security firm 7 Elements, told The Register that his firm has already found tens of thousands of servers vulnerable one of the outlined bugs, and provided a video showing just how easy the process of exploiting the flaws and stealing VPN user data is.

"Trivial to extract user names and passwords, 60k passwords were identified," Stubley of one test run.

"Over 800 were based upon the dictionary word 'password', 4k based on this year as in 2019, we even saw passwords based on 2009 with the password of 'Sep-09'."

Admins who use VPNs for remote connections are being advised to test and install the patches as soon as possible.

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The NCSC, which is part of the UK’s GCHQ intelligence agency, issued an alert this week to warn organizations that they may be targeted if they use the affected products.

“This activity is ongoing, targeting both UK and international organisations. Affected sectors include government, military, academic, business and healthcare,” the NCSC said.

According to the organization, APTs have been targeting several vulnerabilities, including CVE-2019-11510 and CVE-2019-11539, which affect Pulse Secure products, CVE-2018-13379,

CVE-2018-13382 and CVE-2018-13383, which affect Fortinet products, and CVE-2019-1579, which impacts Palo Alto Networks products.

These and other vulnerabilities in Pulse Secure, Fortinet and Palo Alto Networks VPNs were disclosed this summer by Orange Tsai and Meh Chang of the research team at security consulting firm DEVCORE. Shortly after their disclosure, which included technical details, several proof-of-concept (PoC) exploits were made public.

The flaws can be exploited remotely to infiltrate corporate networks, eavesdrop on communications, and steal potentially sensitive information, the researchers warned.

A few weeks after disclosure, the first attack attempts targeting Fortinet and Pulse Secure systems were spotted.

Analysts from Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Center revealed in early September that a threat group tracked by the company as MANGANESE had been using the vulnerabilities in its attacks since mid-July, weeks before PoC exploits were made public.

MANGANESE, which FireEye tracks as APT5, has been active since at least 2007, mainly targeting telecommunications and technology companies in Asia.

The NCSC’s alert does not specify which APTs have been targeting the vulnerabilities, but it advises organizations previously targeted by APTs and organizations that have detected successful exploitation against their VPN to take measures.

Pulse Secure claimed in late August that a majority of its customers had already patched the vulnerabilities, but Bad Packets stated at the time that there had been over 14,000 vulnerable Pulse Secure endpoints hosted by over 2,500 organizations.

A recent update provided by Bad Packets, which has been working with government agencies in an effort to get organizations to deploy the patches, showed that there had still been over 6,500 vulnerable Pulse Secure endpoints as of September 30. A majority are located in the United States, Japan and the UK.

Instead you use your phone to ‘cast’ things (such as photos and videos) to the Chromecast which means it isn’t just a remote control, it’s a second screen that’s critical to its operation.

Although you can also control a Chromecast from a laptop and cast websites, that’s a horribly clunky way to use it, so for the most part you will use your Android phone or iPhone.

It’s also possible to control a Chromecast with your voice if you have a Google Home. Both the Chromecast and Google Home need to be configured using the Google Home app, so you’ll need a compatible smartphone in any case.

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And the reason we’re explaining all this is because it defines what you can watch on a Chromecast. The question "What can you watch on a Chromecast?" is the same as "Which apps support Chromecast?" Instead of installing apps on a Chromecast, you install them on your phone and cast from that.

If you’re reading this because you want to know what you can watch before buying one, then know that they cost £30 / $30 from Google. Occasionally they are discounted, but you’re more likely to find the 4K Chromecast Ultra discounted from its usual price of £69 / $69.

Here’s a list of the most popular apps and services which support casting:

• YouTube
• Netflix (account required)
• Google Play Movies & TV (buy / rent)
• Plex (see below)
• BBC iPlayer (UK only)
• Now TV (UK only)
• ITV Hub (UK only)
• All4 (UK only)
• My5 (UK only)
• HBO Now / Go (account required, US only)
• Rakuten TV (rent)
• Vudu (US only)
• Sling TV (US only)
• Eurosport Player
• DailyMotion
• AllCast
• Twitch
• Kodi (Android only)

You’ll find more apps – and games which support casting - listed on Google’s website, plus Wikipedia which clearly marks which apps support Android, iOS and PC.

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Video is one app that does not support casting, However, that's about to change thanks to a new deal between Amazon and Google which will see both companies supporting each other's streaming services. It means that you will soon be able to cast The Grand Tour, Vikings and other Amazon-exclusive shows to your Chromecast.

There's no exact date on which this will happen, but Amazon says that it will be "in the coming months".

If watching Amazon video is a priority in the meantime, you should consider buying a Fire TV Stick instead.

Plex

One of the limitations with a Chromecast is that it’s designed for streaming video from the internet, but it’s not easy to stream video you have stored locally. For example, if you have a library of videos, films or TV shows on a NAS, there’s no easy way to watch these on a Chromecast. And that’s where’s Plex comes in.

Plex is a bit like Netflix for your own videos, providing a slick interface for content that’s stored on your home network, even if it’s scattered across different devices.

Fairly recently, a big update brought a host of new features including the ability to cast video from your phone to your Chromecast – even if the video or audio format isn’t supported.

Stream audio on Chromecast

As well as video, you can cast from a lot of music apps. Spotify, Google Music, SoundCloud, Tidal, TuneIn Radio, iPlayer Radio and others will stream to a Chromecast.

Google sells an audio-only version of the Chromecast called, appropriately, Chromecast Audio.

But if you have good speakers on your TV or connected to your TV, then streaming audio to a normal Chromecast may still make sense for some people.

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Games on Chromecast

A little like the Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, you can play games on a Chromecast. However, you’ll struggle to find much that’s any good. A couple of decent options include Just Dance Now and Angry Birds Friends.

They use your phone as the controller and, in the case of Just Dance Now, the gyroscope and accelerometer to assess your movement.

Frankly, the Chromecast is not great for gaming so you’re better off using your phone’s screen, or opting for a proper games console if you want to play games on the big screen.

#google #BBC 

#entertainment

There are three traditional ways to revisit the saga. You can watch by theatrical release or in chronological order. There’s also a lesser-known "Machete Order", which takes a machete to The Phantom Menace by cutting it out of your rewatch.

There are pros and cons to all these orders. While the chronological order might be the obvious choice, some could argue it's not as enjoyable, simply because you start off with The Phantom Menace, which is probably our least favourite film of the bunch. Watching chronologically also spoils the biggest twist in the series by prematurely revealing the identity of Luke's father, an iconic Star Wars moment.

See Star Wars paraphernalia at Amazon UK

Watching the films by their theatrical release also has unsatisfying points. Sure, the “I am your father” surprise stays intact, but the storyline is jumbled. You'll hop between Episodes IV-VI (the original trilogy released between 1977 and 1983), then Episodes I-III (the prequel trilogy released between 1999 and 2005), and finally, Episodes VII-IX (the sequel trilogy released between 2015 and 2019).

And then there's the new Anthology films - Rogue One (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). These take place between the originals and prequels, but were released during the sequel trilogy. You can see how all this quickly becomes a mess, which is why we’re creating the perfect order that solves most of these problems. Here is Pocket-lint’s ultimate guide to watching the Star Wars trilogies.

The best Star Wars movie order

An at-a-glance, spoiler-free version of this guide is at the bottom, along with quick listings for the other orders - chronological, theatrical, and Machete - in case you want to explore those, too. If you have your own order, let us know.

NOTE: THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW.

A New Hope (1977)

While technically the sixth movie, chronologically, A New Hope is worth watching first purely because it's the start of everything. It’s also the only Star Wars film that treats viewers as if they’ve never watched the saga before. So, start with Luke meeting Obi-Wan, getting a lightsaber, and learning about the Force and Darth Vader before he heads off to save Princess Leia and destroy the Death Star.

Rogue One (2016)

The first of the new "Anthology" films, Rogue One is filled with A New Hope backstory. It follows the daughter of the Death Star's creator, Jyn Erso, as she is freed by the Rebel Alliance and tasked with finding the plans that lead to the ultimate weapon's destruction. Yes, it ends where A New Hope begins, but because it's so reliant on you knowing A New Hope already, we think it’s best to watch them in reverse. You'll learn who created the Death Star, why it's so easily destroyed, and you'll meet the many Bothans who died to steal the Death Star plans.

See Star Wars paraphernalia at Amazon UK

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Empire Strikes Back is widely regarded as one of the greatest sequels of all time. After the initial battle on the frozen planet Hoth, Luke heads to begin his Jedi training with Yoda, while Han Solo and Princess Leia head to Cloud City to meet with Han's old friend Lando Calrissian. But Han and Leia are betrayed and then used as bait by Vader to lure Luke. It all culminates in a showdown between Vader and Luke and ends with a twist.

Also see: Top Marvel gifts for fans of the Avengers and MCU

The Phantom Menace (1999) *optional*

And, just like that, we go from one of the most loved installments of all time to the most loathed. This film follows Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn as they attempt to protect the Queen of Naboo and stumble upon a young slave boy named Anakin Skywalker. You're also forced to sit through two hours of Jar-Jar Binks and sleep-inducing Galactic Senate negotiations. So, if you’ve seen this film before, just skip it on your next rewatch. Although it does provide some details important to another prequel film, and it has a great lightsaber duel.

Attack of the Clones (2002)

While the films up to this point have shown Darth Vader as the ultimate evil villain, Attack of the Clones begins to show us the road that led him to the Dark side, with the death of his mother at the hands of Tuskan Raiders. We also see his growing love affair with Queen Padme Amidala. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi stumbles upon a clone army being built for the Republic that will form the foundation of the Empire's Stormtroopers.

Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The final film of the prequel trilogy shows Anakin's heart turn to black. While initially excited upon hearing of his wife Padme's pregnancy, visions of her dying begin to poison Anakin's mind, which allows Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to lure him to the Dark side of the Force. This then leads to the destruction of the Republic and the murder of many Jedi, including all the young Padawans, at the hand of the newly named Darth Vader.

Solo (2018) *optional*

The origin story for the coolest guy in the Star Wars Universe provides a tonne of unnecessary backstory, which is why this movie is optional. Apparently, Han Solo just wanted to act like Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) and date Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) in his prime, which is understandable, but it's a little eye-rolling. Still, it’s an entertaining heist film that also gives us more information about the most important ship in the galaxy, the Millenium Falcon.

See Star Wars paraphernalia at Amazon UK

Also see: Top Marvel gifts for fans of the Avengers and MCU

Return of the Jedi (1983)

Now that we’ve learned Darth Vader/Anakin’s background, it’s time to watch him sort of redeem himself with all that knowledge in hand. Plus, after saving Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, we see Luke trying to defeat his father and the Emperor, all while Han and Leia work to demolish a nearly completed second Death Star. Also, there's teddy bears with stone age technology that help destroy the Empire, too.

The Force Awakens (2015)

The first Star Wars film made by Disney after it purchased the franchise is set 30 years after Return of the Jedi. We see that there's a new conflict emerging between the budding Republic, led by Leia Organa-Skywalker and The First Order, which rose from the ashes of the Empire. Caught between this all is a young girl named Rey who seems to be really strong with the Force.

The Last Jedi (2017)

After tracking down Luke Skywalker, Rey’s next challenge is convincing him to train her. Luke is unwilling due to his failures with Kylo Ren. Meanwhile, the remaining Republic forces are on the verge of total annihilation thanks to The First Order, leaving Rey and Luke as their only hope.

The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

It’s not out yet, but Episode IX is slated to hit theaters in December 2019. We don’t know much about the film at this point, though the new trailer that's now out - you can watch the trailer below - suggests it's the finale to this decades-old saga. So, let's assume you'll want to watch this film last.

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The best Star Wars movie order at a glance

OK, so here is the at-a-glance, spoiler-free version of the order above:

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
• Rogue One (2016)
• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) *optional*
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Solo (2018) *optional*
• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
• Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
• Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
• Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

See Star Wars paraphernalia at Amazon UK

The chronological order

If you want to watch films in order of the events that happen in the saga, and thus spoil the identity of Luke's father for first timers, here you go:

• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Solo (2018)
• Rogue One (2016)
• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi (1983)
• Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
• Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
• Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

The theatrical order

This is the order in which the movies were released in cinemas. While it keeps the twist of Luke’s father in tact, the storyline is jumbled. You start with the originals, then go to the prequels, and end with the sequels. That's confusing, especially for kids being introduced to Star Wars.

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
• Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi (1983)
• Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Episode VII:The Force Awakens (2015)
• Rogue One (2016)
• Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
• Solo (2018)
• Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

The Machete Order

The "Machete Order" basically cuts The Phantom Menace from your rewatch, because many people really don't enjoy that film, and it preserves the "I am your father" moment. But it was created in 2011, doesn't include the sequels, and therefore is no longer a complete viewing order.

• Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
• Episode V: Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Did you like this?

Then maybe you'll like our watch guide for Marvel films and TV show before you go see The Avengers: End Game in theatres:

• In what order should you watch every Marvel movie?

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You can watch the official full trailer above to whet your appetite further and we reveal other details on GoT season 8, including how and where to watch it.

When does Game of Thrones season 8 start?

Game of Thrones will return to HBO this weekend, with the eighth and final season kicking off at 9pm EDT on Sunday 14th April 2019 in the US.

It will be simulcast on Sky Atlantic in the UK from 2am BST Monday 15th April 2019.

As with previous years, the show will also take up the 9pm time slot on Sky Atlantic later that day too.

The rest of the episodes will be available in the same time slots each week, with Sky confirmed to simulcast each episode of the entire series at 2am each Monday morning like it did with season 7.

How many episodes are there in season 8?

Unlike previous series, there will only be six episodes in total for the final season.

And that's that (apart from the spin off prequel series that has been officially greenlit by HBO for some time in the future).

Where can you watch it?

Apart from the ever-diminishing pirate network, the show will be available to watch in the US and UK via the following:

HBO, HBO Go and HBO Now

As HBO makes the show, it screens it in the US. That means it is available on all of the channel's subscription services - the main HBO channel for TV viewers, through the HBO Go apps and platforms for existing HBO subscribers, or HBO Now for those who don't pay for the main channel. The first episode will screen at 9pm EDT on 14 April, as detailed above.

All of its on demand services will offer the show as catch-up content.

A HBO subscription is generally offered as a premium service through cable providers in the States, costing around $15 a month to add to an existing package. HBO Go is a free service for subscribers to the TV channel. HBO Now is for those who don't have cable TV but still want access to the channel.

HBO Now also costs around $15 a month. There are HBO Now apps for a wide array of devices, including iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV and Roku.

• The Top 4k HDR TVs

Sky+ and Sky Q

Sky exclusively screens HBO content in the UK, so has the rights to season 8, albeit with adverts. The US screening is ad-free.

It will appear on Sky Atlantic, simultaneously shown with each HBO screening. Fans will therefore be able to watch the premiere at 2am BST on 15 April.

All episodes will also be screened in an evening time slot of 9pm on the channel the day after the US airing. A repeat showing will also be on the channel at 11.40pm on the Monday, 10.10pm on the Tuesday and several other days if you don't manage to catch-up with it beforehand.

Sky+ and Sky Q subscribers will be able to watch them live, record them (with series link) or catch up with each episode on demand, as long as they have their set-top-box connected to the internet.

A Sky Q subscription, which includes Sky Atlantic, starts at £22 a month.

Sky has also made the entire run of seven seasons so far available on demand.

Now TV

With a £7.99 a month Now TV Entertainment Pass, you can watch Sky Atlantic live alongside a range of other channels, Sky, and otherwise. That means you can watch the episodes when they appear on Sky Atlantic as above. You can also watch it on demand on the service. And Now TV catch-up is devoid of adverts, save for a few dedicated stings, so you can jump into a mostly uninterrupted version.

Now TV can be viewed through a dedicated Now TV or Now TV Smart Box, Roku media streaming boxes or online through a browser. Apps are also available for iOS, Android, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, YouView and select LG Smart TVs. You can also use the Now TV app on a smartphone or tablet to play the show through a Google Chromecast.

An additional benefit to Now TV is, like with Sky Q and Sky+HD, you can catch up with any of the previous series of Game of Thrones before plunging into season 8.

• How to watch Sky Go outside of the UK using a VPN

Sky Go and Sky Q apps

Sky Go offers the show on catch-up or live, but you do need a Sky TV subscription to access the app for iOS, select Android devices, PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360. Or watch it online through a PC or Mac.

Where Sky Go becomes a great option though is if you have a parent or friend with a Sky subscription and they have no interest in registering their free Sky Go accounts on mobile devices. You could ask if they would let you use one of the device slots instead (you can register up to two devices on one account). They might even let you take up a device slot for the duration of season 8, and you can deregister it after.

Alternatively, if they subscribe to Sky Go Extra or you upgrade them to Sky Go Extra for £5 a month, you can take one of four device slots. One caveat with this method is that the iPhone and iPad app won't allow AirPlay mirroring or direct connection to get the pictures onto a TV. In this case, you really do get what you paid for. The Sky Q app cannot be subscribed to separately either. It is for Sky Q subscribers only.

• In what order should you watch all the Star Wars films?

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These days, VPN services are popular with consumers who want to access content that's otherwise blocked because of their location or by people who don't want their online activity to be visible or traceable.

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What is a VPN tunnel?

When you browse websites without a VPN, the data that's sent from your router via your ISP to the website is visible to anyone that can hack into the connection.

However, that's not to say all the data is readable. When you use a website with HTTPS, the information is encrypted so a hacker can't read it. This is important when you're using online banking or making a purchase: you don't want your address and financial details to fall into the wrong hands.

Of course, not every site uses HTTPS and not all information sent via HTTPS is encrypted. For example, it's still possible for someone to see that you've visited a particular website, even if your credit card details are encrypted.

This is where VPNs come in. Technically a VPN doesn't mean the data is encrypted, it means it is encapsulated.

This is why it's called a VPN tunnel: the connection between your computer and the VPN server is essentially a tunnel which protects the data being transmitted within it from being accessed by anyone else. It's a bit like a tunnel for cars: the concrete tunnel itself protects the cars driving through it from the water or earth above crashing down.

Most - if not all - VPN services also encrypt the data that's sent through the tunnel, offering a second layer of protection.

Currently, most VPN services favour the OpenVPN protocol which - as the name suggests - is open source. It means that the code is publicly available and can be checked for security flaws. However, this protocol isn't available on every device and typically can only be used if the VPN service offers an app for the operating system your device runs.

NordVPN  recently announced it would stop supporting the outdated L2TP/IPSec and PPTP protocols which are now considered insecure.

Does a VPN tunnel mean the data is always encrypted?

Once the data reaches the VPN server, which could be in a different country, it is decrypted and sent onto the intended recipient, which could be a website or an email server - or something else.

The reason the data can't remain encrypted for the whole journey is that the final recipient doesn't have the means to decrypt it. The VPN server acts as a middle man and obfuscates the origin of the data so that final recipient has no idea where (or who) it has come from.

However, this doesn't mean you can't have end-to-end encryption. You simply need to use a service which does this already. And if the data you're sending is already encrypted then the VPN adds a second layer of encryption which is removed when the data is forwarded on from the VPN server.

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