It depends on your preference. If you want a seamless story experience, chronological order can be a good choice.
You can start with the main series and then move on to the spin-offs. The chronological order might be a good way to go.
Well, first there's 'The Phantom Menace'. It's where we meet young Anakin. After that, 'Attack of the Clones' shows his growing up a bit more and getting involved in the Clone Wars. 'Revenge of the Sith' is where things really take a dark turn for him. Then, 'Solo' gives us Han Solo's backstory. The original movies are next in line. 'A New Hope' is the start of Luke's journey. 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Return of the Jedi' follow. And then the new trilogy starts with 'The Force Awakens' and continues with 'The Last Jedi' and 'The Rise of Skywalker'.
The chronological order of Star Wars novels is quite complex as there are many of them. Generally, it starts with the pre - era novels like 'Darth Bane: Path of Destruction' which sets the stage for the Sith's rise long before the events of the movies. Then come the novels closer to the events of the prequel trilogy, such as 'The Phantom Menace' - related novels that expand on the story of Qui - Gon Jinn and Obi - Wan Kenobi. As for the original trilogy era, there are novels that fill in gaps during Luke Skywalker's journey. For example, some novels explore what Han Solo was up to between 'A New Hope' and 'The Empire Strikes Back'.
The chronological order of the Star Wars story starts with 'The Phantom Menace'. Then comes 'Attack of the Clones', followed by 'Revenge of the Sith' which sets up the events leading to the original trilogy. The original trilogy begins with 'A New Hope', then 'The Empire Strikes Back', and ends with 'Return of the Jedi'. After that, there are the sequels starting with 'The Force Awakens', 'The Last Jedi', and 'The Rise of Skywalker'. There are also spin - off movies like 'Rogue One' which takes place just before 'A New Hope' and 'Solo' which is a prequel to the original trilogy.
One way is to start with the prequel-era novels. For example, 'Darth Plagueis' gives great backstory to the Sith. Then move on to the Clone Wars - related ones. Next, go for the original trilogy - era novels that expand on the events we saw in the movies. And finally, the sequel - era novels.
You don't strictly have to. However, if you want to fully grasp the character arcs and the overall narrative arc, reading in order can be beneficial. It can also give you a better sense of the author's intended progression.
The 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' comics are a great choice. They take you to a distant past of the Star Wars timeline and have exciting adventures and compelling plots.
For a classic Star Wars experience, go for 'Star Wars: A New Hope' comics. They retell the original movie in a comic format with added details and perspectives.
In the chronological order, 'The Phantom Menace' has the discovery of Anakin Skywalker. 'Attack of the Clones' shows Anakin's relationship with Padmé. 'Revenge of the Sith' has Anakin's fall to the Dark Side. 'A New Hope' has Luke's start of his Jedi journey. 'The Empire Strikes Back' has the Empire's victory at Hoth. 'Return of the Jedi' has Vader's redemption. In the sequel trilogy, 'The Force Awakens' has Rey's discovery of her powers, 'The Last Jedi' has her training and 'The Rise of Skywalker' has the final battle against the Sith.
You can start with the novels that are set during the prequel era, like 'Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter'. It gives great insights into the Sith and the events leading up to 'The Phantom Menace'. After that, you might want to jump to the novels set during the original trilogy time period, such as 'Splinter of the Mind's Eye'. This order helps you understand how the different eras of Star Wars are connected through the novels.