'ABY-BBY' dating system

"Dates in this book are given using the 'ABY-BBY' dating system, which is centered around the Battle of Yavin, when the first Death Star was destroyed."

―Excerpt from Galactic Atlas^[1]

The 'ABY-BBY' dating system was a chronological framework used to differentiate years occurring before the Battle of Yavin (designated as BBY) from those following it (ABY). As one of multiple dating conventions employed throughout the galaxy, it provided a structured means of historical reference within various records and scholarly works.

Description[]

Exds — The destruction of the Death Star at Yavin became the year zero in the 'ABY-BBY' system.

The 'ABY-BBY' dating system^[1] established its "year zero" based on the destruction of the first Death Star during the Battle of Yavin, an event recognized by the Alliance to Restore the Republic as its first major victory against the Galactic Empire. The system utilized the abbreviations "BBY" (Before the Battle of Yavin) and "ABY" (After the Battle of Yavin) to distinguish historical periods.^[2] Year numbers could be positioned either before (e.g., "BBY 5")^[3] or after (e.g., "35 ABY") the respective abbreviation.^[4] The designation "0 BBY,"^[1] or simply "0," encompassed events occurring between the capture of the Tantive IV and the Alliance's formal commemoration of their triumph at Yavin. The year immediately preceding "0 BBY" was denoted as "1 BBY," while the subsequent year was marked as "0 ABY."^[5]

History[]

"Therefore, I have come to favor a dating system that highlights the years before the Battle of Yavin (BBY) and those that came after (ABY). I have no doubts that this will produce the sort of stringent debate from both my colleagues and other readers which often accompanies such decisions."

―Beaumont Kin, in The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire^[6]

The 'ABY-BBY' dating system was utilized during the Galactic Civil War, primarily within the ranks of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.^[2] At the time, multiple alternative dating conventions were also in use, including the Imperial calendar,^[7] the Coruscant reckoning calendar,^[8] the Lothal Calendar,^[9] the Naboo calendar,^[10] and a system based on the Domancion Accord.^[11]

In later years, historian Beaumont Kin adopted the system in his work The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, arguing that the destruction of the Death Star at Yavin represented a crucial turning point in Imperial history, effectively dividing events into pre- and post-Yavin periods. The selection of this reference point was recognized as a topic of scholarly debate, as alternative epochs—such as the birth of the Empire or the Battle of Endor—were also considered by historians.^[6]

Additionally, the system was incorporated into Galactic Atlas, a compilation of maps^[1] created^[12] by the Ithorian artist Gammit Chond. The chronology presented in this work spanned from the Invasion of Naboo in 32 BBY to the Battle of Starkiller Base in 34 ABY, with a particular focus on the historical influence and actions of the Skywalker family.^[1]