Forum:SH:Timeline of Star Wars Rebels Events

One of the few but persistent challenges in creating articles for Star Wars Rebels, particularly event articles, is knowing where they fall in the timeline in relation to the Battle of Yavin. When the show started, Lucasfilm said that it was set five years before A New Hope. Within a few episodes, however, we were told that it was the fifteenth anniversary of the Galactic Empire, which would mean the show had advanced to be around four years before A New Hope. Now, the Lucasfilm announcement for the episode "A Princess on Lothal" says that the episode is set three years before the Battle of Yavin.

That got me thinking, and I think I have an effective solution to the ambiguity around the Rebels dates. Just like the big TCW timeline before it, this thread will outline the timeline of Rebels episodes and other media with corresponding dates. It's not the typical dating system we use, but I think it's a good one to use for Rebels articles.

Considerations
First, some backstory:
 * We know from Season One press releases, news articles, and more that the show starts about five years before the Battle of Yavin. Here is a tweet from Leland Chee with the chronology as well. Episode I is Year 0, Rebels is Year 27, and Episode IV is Year 32. Therefore, with simple math, we can know that Rebels began in the fifth year before the Battle of Yavin.
 * The events of the episodes "Empire Day" and "Gathering Forces" take place on the fifteenth anniversary of the Galactic Empire. Ancillary work such as Ezra's Duel with Danger specifically call it the fifteenth anniversary. Using the same tweet from Leland Chee, we can deduce the year change. Episode III, when the Empire was founded, is Year 13. Fifteen years later means it becomes Year 28, or four years before the Battle of Yavin.
 * The announcement for "A Princess on Lothal" says that the episode takes place three years before the events of A Nnew Hope. That suggests we are now into Year 29.

Given that, we can assume the following: the events of Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion through the end of "Out of Darkness" take place in the fifth year before the Battle of Yavin. The events of "Empire Day" through "Legacy" take place in the fourth year before the Battle of Yavin. The events of "A Princess on Lothal" through the foreseeable future, at least the rest of Season Two, take place in the third year before the Battle of Yavin.

Now, note my phrasing there. I'm not saying "five years before the Battle of Yavin," "four years before the Battle of Yavin," or "three years before the Battle of Yavin." I am saying the fifth, fourth, and third years before the Battle of Yavin, so sometime within those years. Because we don't have a standard canon dating system yet, we shouldn't say "3 years before the Battle of Yavin" like that's a year. It's better to say "in the third year before the Battle of Yavin." It's more accurate and provides more wiggle room.

So knowing all of that, the following is the timeline of events pertaining to Star Wars Rebels.

In the fifth year before the Battle of Yavin

 * Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy
 * "The Machine in the Ghost"
 * Raid on an Imperial supply convoy
 * "Art Attack"
 * Attack on a Lothal airfield
 * "Entanglement"
 * Ezra's Gamble
 * "Property of Ezra Bridger"
 * Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
 * Heist in Capital City
 * Mission to free Wookiee prisoners
 * "Droids in Distress"
 * Mission to steal Imperial disruptors
 * "Fighter Flight"
 * Attack on Imperial Troop Transports
 * "Rise of the Old Masters"
 * Duel on Stygeon Prime
 * "Breaking Ranks"
 * Mission to destroy a kyber crystal
 * Servants of the Empire: Rebel in the Ranks
 * "Out of Darkness"
 * Attack on an Imperial convoy
 * The events on Fort Anaxes

In the fourth year before the Battle of Yavin

 * "Empire Day" and "Gathering Forces"
 * Bombing at the Empire Day parade
 * Rescue of Tseebo
 * "Path of the Jedi"
 * Ezra's trials in the Lothal Jedi Temple
 * "Idiot's Array"
 * Mission to Calrissian's farm
 * Servants of the Empire: Imperial Justice
 * Assault on the Gray Syndicate
 * "Vision of Hope"
 * Trap in the Old Republic Senate Building
 * "Call to Action"
 * Raid near Jalath
 * Capture of Kanan Jarrus
 * "Rebel Resolve"
 * "Fire Across the Galaxy"
 * Rescue of Kanan Jarrus
 * Servants of the Empire: The Secret Academy
 * Rescue of Dhara Leonis
 * Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
 * Mission to steal Imperial shield generators
 * Siege of Lothal
 * Mission to Lothal
 * Attack on the Phoenix fleet
 * "The Lost Commanders" and "Relics of the Old Republic"
 * Assault on Seelos
 * "Always Two There Are"
 * Skirmish aboard a Republic medical station
 * "Brothers of the Broken Horn"
 * Skirmish in Nixus Hub 218
 * "Wings of the Master"
 * Blockade of Ibaar
 * "Blood Sisters" *
 * Skirmish in the Garel City Spaceport
 * "Stealth Strike"
 * Rescue on the Imperial Interdictor
 * "The Future of the Force"
 * Duel in Hammertown
 * "Legacy"
 * Revolt in an Imperial prison
 * Battle on Garel

* It is possible that the events of Blood Sisters mark a change in year. It is exactly one year after the airing of "Empire Day," which also marked a year change. Until there is clarity, however, all Season Two episodes until "A Princess on Lothal" are treated as being part of the fourth year before the Battle of Yavin.

In the third year before the Battle of Yavin

 * "A Princess on Lothal"
 * Leia Organa's mission to Lothal

This list will continue to be updated as the series moves forward.

Episodes
For events taking place in the fifth year before the Battle of Yavin, use this citation:


 * In the fifth year before the Battle of Yavin

For events taking place in the fourth year before the Battle of Yavin, use this citation:


 * In the fourth year before the Battle of Yavin

For events taking place in the third year before the Battle of Yavin, use this citation:


 * In the third year before the Battle of Yavin

Feel free to tweak it as necessary depending on the context of the article, but that should suffice.

Discussion
Anyone have any thoughts, suggestions, or general feedback? Let me know what you think! I will also note that I have not included the Rebels comics from the Star Wars Rebels Magazine in this, as I have not yet been able to look at them to see when they may fit into the events of the series. - Brandon Rhea (talk) 00:58, January 12, 2016 (UTC)