Star Wars, more than 40 years after first introduced us to a galaxy far, far away, remains one of the most popular and beloved franchises on the planet. What started as a trilogy of movies has expanded into a multi-media behemoth, now controlled by Disney, thanks to its purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012. That behemoth has extended far beyond the events covered in the original trilogy, spanning hundreds, if not thousands of years.
Recently, Disney and Lucasfilm provided an update to the officialStar Warstimeline to coincide with the release of the first wave ofThe High Republictitles. This massive publishing initiative is exploring an entirely new era, taking place roughly 200 years before the events ofThe Phantom Menacewhen the Jedi were still the defining force of law and order in the galaxy. It is a huge undertaking that Lucasfilm is treating quite seriously. It will see a number of novels, comics and even TV shows likeThe Acolytearriving over the next several years.
WithThe High Republiccomes new names for each of the official eras in theStar Warstimeline. We are here to break down each of these eras, explaining when they take place and what media is included. To do that, it helps to understand how the timeline is often broken down, usingBBYandABY. This means before the Battle of Yavin inA New Hope(BBY), and after the Battle of Yavin (ABY). So, essentially, this places events, in years, in relation to the events of the first movie. With that out of the way, let’s dive in.
7The High Republic
For now, this is the furthest point back in the officialStar Warstimeline. Lucasfilm’s latest, major project takes place approximately 200 years before the events of the prequels. That puts it roughly 230 BBY, give or take. This is the point when the Jedi were at the height of their power as the final word in law and order among the galaxy. Prior toThe High Republicpublishing event, which will span multiple titles and multiple mediums over the course of several years, little had been explored in this era. Aside from the books and comics on the way, the Disney+ seriesThe Acolyte, which is being developed by Leslye Headland, will take place at the end ofThe High Republic era. Our knowledge of this era will expand over the next couple of years as more of the content arrives.
The first wave of titles includesLight of the Jediby author Charles Soule, which kicks off the event. There is also a Marvel Comics series, as well as one from IDW. Other novels coming down the pipeline includeA Test of Courage,The Great Jedi RescueandInto the Dark. The event is broken down into three phases; Phase I: Light of the Jedi, Phase II: Quest of the Jedi and Phase III: Trials of the Jedi. Lucasfilm is putting a lot of eggs in this basket so expect to hear a lot about The High Republic in the years to come.
6Fall of the Jedi
Fall of the Jedi is the era formerly known asthe prequels. This is the time when Palpatine was beginning to rise to power and the Jedi were on the verge of falling apart. It contains George Lucas' second trilogy ofStar Warsmovies,The Phantom Menace,Attack of the ClonesandRevenge of the Sith, which chronicle Anakin Skywallker’s journey from a young boy on Tatooine to becoming Darth Vader.
Aside from the prequel trilogy, this era contains the entirety ofThe Clone Warsanimated series. For context,The Phantom Menacetakes place around 32 BBY. So this is far removed from The High Republic era, meaning that there is, at the very least, a hundred year gap between The High Republic and the Fall of the Jedi. For those looking to dive deeper, this era also includes novels such asDark Discipleand comics like theDarth Maulseries andObi-Wan and Anakin. While this era was once looked at in a negative light, thanks to the initial reception of the prequel trilogy, it has become fertile ground forStar Warsstorytelling.
5Reign of the Empire
For an era, Reign of the Empire is somewhat brief, per Disney and Lucasfilm’s official description of it. This takes place approximately from 19 by right up to theformation of the Rebellion, several years beforeA New Hope. So this is a little less than two decades when the Empire was at the absolute height of its powers. Whereas the Jedi were peacekeepers in the galaxy for a thousand generations, the Empire had its stranglehold on the galaxy, firmly, for less than 20 years.
As far as on-screen content goes, this only encompassesSolo: A Star Wars Storyand the animated seriesThe Bad Batch, which takes place in the aftermath ofThe Clone Wars. Several key novels take place in this era though, such asCatalyst, which is a prelude of sorts toRogue One,Lords of the Sith,TarkinandThrawn. Several comics fall into this timeline as well, such asKanan,Han Solo - Imperial CadetandLando: Double or Nothing. It is also worth noting that the video gameStar Wars: Jedi Fallen Ordertakes place in this period as well. So this is when Cal Kestis' journey largely happened.
4Age of Rebellion
This is where we start getting into what one might call “classic"Star Warsterritory. The Age of Rebellion takes place starting around5 BBY. It is when the Rebellion emerged and began to challenge the Empire across the galaxy. For several years, Palpatine’s rule went unchecked. But it was only a matter of time before the oppressed people in the galaxy decided to band together and make a stand. This was the struggle at the center of George Lucas' originalStar Warstale that would go on to define the franchise, making it what it is today. Even though it is, chronologically speaking, kind of in the middle of the official timeline, this is, in many ways, where it all began.
The era includesthe Rebels animated series, which largely focuses on the formation of the Rebel Alliance. It also includes the original trilogy ofA New Hope,The Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi, as well asRogue One. There are quite a few novels that take place in this time as well, such asThrawn: AlliancesandThrawn: Treason, as well asHeir to the Jedi, theBattlefrontbooks,Inferno SquadandTwilight Company, andA New Dawn, which ties intoRebels.This is also a rich era for comics, as much of the mainStar Warstitle takes place in this period. Plus, the acclaimedDarth Vaderseries by Kieron Gillen, which introduced us toDoctor Aphra, happens in this era.
3The New Republic
This is perhaps the “wild west” era of theStar Warstimeline right now. It takes place between the end of the original trilogy and the Disney sequel trilogy, encompassing roughly 30 years, from4 ABYto34 ABY, and has hardly been explored at all.The Mandalorian, which takes place approximately10 ABY, is set in this era. The show, which introduced us toBaby Yoda, has become a massive hit and shown us that this is a period of time filled with lawlessness and uncertainty in the galaxy. Just because the Death Star blew up (again) doesn’t mean the Empire just went away quietly. It left a power vacuum and a struggle emerged in an attempt to fill it.
What we know for sure is that this era will be explored a great deal in the years to come. Disney and Lucasfilm have a handful of live-action shows planned that will take place during The New Republic. Some of the ones that we know about includedAhsoka,Rangers of the New Republicand at least some ofThe Book of Boba Fett, in addition toThe Mandalorianseason 3. All of these are said to be building to a mysterious event series that will take place in this era as well. The New Republic remains an era that can be filled in a great deal, and it’s a time that offers rich storytelling opportunities.
2Rise of the First Order
Here we get into the last official era on the Disney timeline, the Rise of the First Order. This is where the sequel trilogy takes place. This is where Kylo Ren and Snoke begin to take up the mantle once held by the Empire. This is where the New Republic is crushed and new heroes such as Rey and Finn must stand up against the forces of evil alongside the Resistance. This era kicks off around34 ABY.
Rise of the First Order includes the sequel trilogy,The Force Awakens,The Last JediandThe Rise of Skywalker. It also includes the relatively short-lived animated series,Star Wars: Resistance. Several novels have been released that take place in this timeline includingCanto Bight,Resistance RebornandBlack Spire. Several comics occur at this time as well, including thePoe Dameronseries,Galaxy’s EdgeandCaptain Phasma.
1Bonus Round: The Old Republic
Though not officially part of the current Disney/Lucasfilm timeline, it feels like an inevitability that The Old Republic will be acknowledged at some point or another. Especially sinceStar Wars: The Old Republic, an online multiplayer role-playing game, has been active since 2011. This is an era that gained a lot of notoriety among fans thanks to theKnights of the Old Republicvideo game, which originally launched in 2003. This era takes place thousands of years BBY, nearly 4,000 years before any events on the current timeline.
This is a time when theSith and Jedi were at war with one another in an ancient (relatively speaking) version of a galaxy far, far away. Beloved characters such as Darth Malak and Revan existed in this time. While there are no official canon materials that take place during The Old Republic, this era is so distant from anything Lucasfilm has explored in the movies that much of what was beloved about the Legends tales could easily be brought into the new canon. There have been rampant rumors regarding projects taking place in The Old Republic but none of them have come to light as of yet. Though it may only be a matter of time.
