Star Wars: Timelines is a canon reference book written by Kristin Baver, Jason Fry, Cole Horton, Amy Richau, and Clayton Sandell. It was published by DK in the United States on April 25, 2023 and in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2023. However, the book received a special first to market release at Celebration Europe. The day following the book's US release, Jason Fry confirmed that the Star Wars Galaxy Map was not included in the book,[6] despite the initial announcement still stating that it did.[7]
In June 2023, Penguin Random House published an exclusive edition with additional bonus content at special retail locations. This edition has 8 additional pages and the previously released Star Wars Galaxy Map included, it has since gone out of print.[5]
Publisher's summary[]
Chart the history of Star Wars in this stunning guide, from the time before the High Republic to the First Order.
An indispensable companion for all Star Wars fans, this premium quality book displays visual timelines that chronologically map key events, characters, and developments, and mark their significance.
Track crucial conflicts across the years that affect the galaxy in profound ways. Follow the Skywalker lightsaber as it passes through the generations and witness the evolution of the iconic TIE fighter across different eras. Trace the movement of the Death Star plans over the years and uncover multiple branching timelines that break down important battles.
See essential events at a glance arranged by era and drill down into details to discover major and minor events, key dates, and fascinating insights all chronologically arranged. Pore over intricate timelines on nearly every page.
Media[]
Editions[]
- ISBN 9780744060874; April 25, 2023; DK; US hardcover[2]
- ISBN 9780241543832; April 27, 2023; DK; UK hardcover[3]
- ISBN 9780744090635;[8] June, 2023; Penguin Random House; US exclusive edition[5]
- ISBN 9780744089035; November 7, 2023; Penguin Random House; Spanish hardcover[9]
Cover gallery[]
Cover
Placeholder cover
Development[]
By including a mention of the Ghorman Massacre, author Amy Richau thought she was being "fancy" in her contribution to Timelines. However, she was later surprised by Star Wars: Andor[10] laying the groundwork for the incident.[11] According to previews on the book's Amazon listing, Timelines used to placed the events of Episode IV A New Hope in 1 BBY. Subsequent preview images, however, listed the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as taking place in 1 BBY and events during A New Hope as taking place in "0" without any BBY or ABY distinction.[12]
Jason Fry did not know about the expanded edition[13] released in June of 2023[5] until alerted to its existence by a fan.[13] After his wife purchased him a copy, he was happily surprised to learn the expanded edition contained the Star Wars Galaxy Map.[14]
Continuity[]
Old Republic Era[]
- Timelines dates the foundation of the Republic to c. 20,000 BBY. However, The Star Wars Book previously established the Galactic Republic's foundation to 25,000 BBY.[15] It also states that the Republic's formation was prompted due to the dawn of hyperspace travel, despite the fact that hyperspace travel was developed by at least 30,000 BBY.[16]
- Timelines dates the destruction of the Shrine in the Depths on Coruscant and the construction of the Jedi Temple to c. 1032 BBY. However, Tarkin previously established the Shrine's destruction and construction of the Jedi Temple to occur no later than close to five millennia before 14 BBY. The 2016 reference book Star Wars: Complete Locations previously established that the Jedi Temple had been merely reclaimed from the Sith some 1,000 years ago during the Liberation of Coruscant. Therefore, the Jedi Temple must have been already built before the end of the Jedi-Sith War.
High Republic Era[]
- Timelines dates the flashbacks of The High Republic Adventures: Quest of the Jedi to 382 BBY. However, it cannot take place any later than around 482 BBY.[17]
- Timelines places the events of The High Republic Adventures 1 to be concurrent to The High Republic: Light of the Jedi. However, author Daniel José Older had previously stated the comic is set after that novel.[18] Nevertheless, the placement given in Timelines matches the opening crawl of Adventures 1: the crawl establishes the issue is set before the dedication of the Starlight Beacon,[19] which is depicted at the end of Light of the Jedi.[20] Therefore, Adventures 1 must occur after the Nihil begin to track the Emergences in Light of the Jedi but before its ending, just as it is placed in Timelines.
- Timelines places the attack on Takodana after the Battle at Gravity's Heart. Due to the presence of Nan at a Nihil meeting at the start of The High Republic: The Edge of Balance, Vol. 2, in which the Takodana attack is mentioned,[21] the attack must take place before Nan leaves the Nihil to work for the Graf family. Since Nan was pressured to work for the Graf family after the Battle at Gravity's Heart, and she is stated to have spent months away from the Nihil afterwards,[22] the placement is impossible.
- Although a promotional video for The Vow of Silver Dawn places it around 82 BBY,[23] Star Wars: Timelines later placed it in 200 BBY. Being more recent than that video and not contradicting anything in the text, this article assumes Timelines is correct.
Late Republic Era[]
- Star Wars: Rogue One: Rebel Dossier dates the B'ankora homeworld cataclysm and the tenure of Supreme Chancellor Chasen Piian to 131 BBY,[24] but Timelines places the event in 1300 BBY. In the novel Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel, the B'ankora had lived in the B'ankor Refuge "for more than fifty generations" and had planted a copse of gargantuan trees "centuries earlier" by the time of the novel. Because 1300 BBY lines up with what is established in Catalyst, this article assumes Timelines is correct.
- Timelines dates Sheev Palpatine's birth to 84 BBY, overriding Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle![25] and Star Wars Jedi Master Magazine 1,[26] which both placed his birth in 82 BBY.
- Timelines places the construction of the Millennium Falcon to c. 56 BBY, but Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 22 and Star Wars 100 Objects placed its construction in 60 BBY.
- Timelines dates the Mandalorian Civil War and Obi-Wan Kenobi's first meeting with Satine Kryze to be around 42 BBY. In doing so, it dates those events to occur before the events of the novel Padawan, which it dates to 41 BBY. However, Padawan depicts Kenobi's first ever mission,[27] meaning his mission to Mandalore cannot occur before it. Padawan author Kiersten White also has outright said the events of Padawan occur before Kenobi met Kryze.[28]
Anakin Skywalker heads out on his first field mission in Age of Republic - Obi-Wan Kenobi 1, thereby placing that comic to be set before the Obi-Wan and Anakin miniseries.
- Timelines dates the events of Age of Republic - Obi-Wan Kenobi 1 to circa 28 BBY, placing it after Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker's mission to Carnelion IV, as seen in Star Wars: Obi-Wan and Anakin, by dating that mission to 29 BBY. However, Age of Republic - Obi-Wan Kenobi 1 is set early in Anakin Skywalker's apprenticeship under Obi-Wan Kenobi. Within the comic, both Kenobi and Skywalker display uncertainty about the Padawan joining in on field missions, with the comic's dialogue suggesting the mission to Dallenor is Skywalker's first formal field mission with his master. Indeed, the "Anakin Skywalker" issue of Star Wars Encyclopedia has confirmed as such.[29] As such, Obi-Wan and Anakin must occur after Age of Republic - Obi-Wan Kenobi 1 due to it featuring Skywalker's first mission.
- Timelines establishes that the events of Age of Republic - Anakin Skywalker 1 occur before those of "Shadow of Malevolence," which depicts the Battle of the Kaliida Nebula. Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 19 states that the first use of BTL-B Y-wing starfighter/bombers came with that battle.[30] However, Age of Republic - Anakin Skywalker features BTL-B Y-wings in action at the Battle of Corvair.[31] As Timelines is the more recent source, this article assumes Build the Millennium Falcon 19 is incorrect.
- Timelines dates the meeting of the Strategic Advisory Cell where Gubacher presented the Death Star plans to c. 22 BBY. However, Catalyst establishes that the meeting took place after the Second Battle of Geonosis, which Timelines and other sources place in 21 BBY, invalidating the 22 BBY placement of the meeting.
- Timelines places the events of Dark Disciple to begin in 20 BBY, thereby claiming Ventress' role in "To Catch a Jedi" and "The Wrong Jedi" occur after the start of the novel. Both of those episodes are dated to 19 BBY. However, Ventress only loses her red lightsabers in those episodes, forcing her to use a yellow lightsaber in the novel. Assuming the 20 BBY placement is a retcon due to the novel’s time gaps, then the placement of the short story “Kindred Spirits” in 19 BBY would be incorrect, as “Kindred Spirits” takes place shortly before the novel. Either the placement of the novel or the short story is incorrect.
- Timelines incorrectly places the flashback events of Halcyon Legacy 3, which feature Ventress during her days as an assassin for Count Dooku, to occur after the Battle of Sullust, which saw her betrayed and abandoned by Dooku.
Imperial Era[]
- Timelines states that in 19 BBY, Darth Sidious ordered Darth Vader to lure Jocasta Nu to the Jedi temple on Coruscant and capture her. This is a reference to the events of Darth Vader (2017) 7, however, in the issue Sidious only tells Vader to find her and save her life.[32]
- According to Timelines, the Droid Gotra was formed around 18 BBY. However, the Coruscant reckoning calendar dating provided by Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious narrows down its formation to 19 BBY.[33]
- Timelines places the events of Kanan 3 to 18 BBY. However, the issue's events overlap with those of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith,[34] placing it in 19 BBY instead.
- Timelines dates Galen Erso's recruitment to Project Celestial Power to 18 BBY, overriding Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide's placement of 19 BBY.[35]
- Timelines dates Darth Vader Annual 2 to 18 BBY and 17 BBY on different pages. Because 18 BBY lines up with what is established in Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel,[36] the 17 BBY placement is impossible.
- Timelines dates the series Star Wars: Adventures in Wild Space to 18 BBY and depicts Wilhuff Tarkin beginning his command of Sentinel Base, but it minorly conflicts with the novel Tarkin, which is set in 14 BBY, stating that he served at Sentinel Base for only three years.
- Timelines puts the skirmish on Onderon between Alexsandr Kallus' first Imperial platoon and the Partisans in 18 BBY. Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide later pushed back the incident to the year 7 BBY.[37]
- Timelines dates "Orientation" to c. 14 BBY. However, the story takes place concurrently to Lords of the Sith, which Timelines gives the concrete placement of 14 BBY.
- Timelines dates "Mercy Mission" to c. 14 BBY. However, the story dates itself to 13 BBY.[38]
The novel Thrawn is at the center of several timeline disputes
- Timelines states the novel Thrawn begins in 14 BBY. While fan speculation has tied the novel's beginning to circa 16 BBY[39] or circa 15 BBY,[40] Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide later repeated the 14 BBY dating.[37]
- Complicating the matter is the first issue of the novel's comic adaption, which features clone troopers in Phase II armor in service to the Empire,[41] implying an early period of Imperial rule instead of 14 BBY.
- In Thrawn, Thrawn himself claims to have only been in his fake exile for a few months. According to Timelines, the events of Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil—which depicts the beginning of Thrawn's exile[42]—occur in 18 BBY, whereas his rescue from exile occurs in 14 BBY. Based on the timeline of events and passage of years presented in Thrawn itself,[43] the novel cannot begin in 18 BBY and end in 2 BBY, as stated by Timelines and implied by Star Wars Rebels.[44]
- Timelines states that the events of Darth Vader (2017) 18 occur before the events of the novel Tarkin in the timeline of 14 BBY. However, Vader only learns of Wilhuff Tarkin's past in the novel,[45] placing the comic after the novel's events because of his knowledge on those matters.[46] Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition affirms as such by placing the events of Vader 18 after Tarkin.[47]
- Timelines dates the events of Beckett 1 to 11 BBY, overriding "Tobias Beckett and Other Characters of the Underworld," which previously had placed the story in c. 10 BBY.[48]
- Timelines states that the events of Star Wars (2015) 7 occur in 11 BBY. It then dates the events of Star Wars (2015) 15 and Star Wars (2015) 20 to the following year, 10 BBY. This placement was previously established in Star Wars Helmet Collection 66. However, as explained here, issue 7 must actually occur in 9 BBY or 8 BBY, while Star Wars 15 and 20 both take place in either 8 BBY or 7 BBY.
- Timelines dates "Powered Down, Part 1" and II to 9 BBY, a placement previously established in Star Wars Helmet Collection 78. However it also places the events of Choose Your Destiny: A Han & Chewie Adventure around 8 BBY. As the "Powered Down" comics take place after A Han & Chewie Adventure, this placement is impossible.
- Timelines dates the main events of Star Wars: Kanan to 5 BBY, and the flashbacks depicted in Kanan 4 to 18 BBY. However, Kanan 6 states there is a fourteen year gap between the flashbacks in Kanan 4 and the main events of the story,[49] meaning either the 5 BBY placement or 18 BBY placement is incorrect. However the events of Kanan in the present day also take place fifteen years after Order 66,[50] which corresponds to 4 BBY per Timelines. Therefore, the present day events of Kanan occur in 4 BBY, while the 18 BBY date for flashbacks is correct.
- Timelines places "The Future of the Force" and "Legacy" in 3 BBY. According to Martin Fisher, the comic "Vulnerable Areas" takes place between these episodes,[51] and the booklet "Walkers and Ground Vehicles of the Empire and First Order" places it in 4 BBY.[52] Therefore, either the episode placement or the Star Wars Encyclopedia is in error.
- Timelines dates Ezra Bridger's death at 3 BBY, which is clearly a mistake for Ephraim Bridger.
- Timelines places the events of "Endangered, Part 1" before Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow, however Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition and "Jabba the Hutt and Other Characters of the Underworld" previously placed it afterwards.[47][53] Given that "Endangered, Part 1" features the Phantom, which is destroyed in Steps Into Shadow, Timelines placement must be the correct one.
- Timelines dates the Ordu Aspectu's disappearance to 20,000 BBY, except that it is supposed to have used the Great Temple of Yavin 4 which was built around 5000 BBY.
New Republic/Resistance Era[]
- Timelines states that Chandrila became the New Republic's capital and the meeting place for the New Republic Senate in the time after the events of Aftermath. However, Aftermath itself shows Chandrila as the Senate's home, suggesting it is also already the capital.[54]
- Timelines provided the date for the flashback events seen in "Chapter 2: The Tribes of Tatooine" as circa 5 ABY. The "A Certain Point of View" department in Star Wars Insider 225 later provided a concrete date of 5 ABY proper.[55]
- Timelines calls Maldo Kreis "an ice moon," while Star Wars: The Mandalorian Handbook established it was a planet.
- Timelines gives a chronological order of Life Day 1, Force Collector, "The Crimson Corsair and the Lost Treasure of Count Dooku," and Star Wars Special: C-3PO 1. However this placement is inaccurate per the reasoning here.
- It also states that Poe Dameron joined the Resistance in 33 ABY, which contradicts Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary and is inconstant with his appearance in C-3PO 1.
- Timelines states that Star Wars: Poe Dameron begins in 34 ABY. However Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary previously placed it two years before Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, which corresponds to 32 ABY.
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary also establishes that Star Wars Resistance begins half a year before The Force Awakens, and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge takes place half a year later. As both of these stores take place in 34 ABY,[56][57] the timeline for 34 ABY must be as follows: Resistance at the very beginning of the year, The Force Awakens at the middle, and Galaxy's Edge at the end. As Poe Dameron takes place before the events of Resistance, and depicts a large passage of time, it is impossible for it to also take place in 34 ABY.
- Timelines mistakenly places Poe's story in Before the Awakening after "Robot Resistance," however it must take place before.
- Timelines states that C-3PO upgraded to learn 7 million forms of communication in c. 27 ABY in the New Republic section, however the Rise of the First Order section places it in 33 ABY instead. "Jedi Master's Quiz," a department in Star Wars Insider 223 places his upgrade prior to the formation of the First Order,[58] which publicly occurred in 29 ABY per Timelines, meaning c. 27 ABY must be correct.
- Timelines states that Kazuda Xiono fired at the bridge of the Thunderer while flying the Fireball during the attack on Aeos Prime. However, as depicted in "No Place Safe," Xiono was actually flying Yeager's ship.[59]
- Timelines places the events of "The Escape" in 34 ABY,[60] contradicting Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy's placement of 35 ABY.[61] Additionally, the timeline shown at D23 Expo 2019 dated the events of "The Escape" to 35 ABY by stating Star Wars Resistance ends during that year.[62] As Timelines is more recent than Battles that Changed the Galaxy and the D23 timeline was never officially released, the 35 ABY placement must have been overruled.
- Timelines states that the Skywalker lightsaber was repaired in 35 ABY,[2] however given that Rey uses the lightsaber during the events depicted in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, which both take place in 34 ABY,[57][63] this placement is impossible.
Appearances[]
By type
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
Organisms
|
Droid models
Events
Locations
Organizations and titles
Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
Weapons and technology
Miscellanea
Sources[]
This Week! in Star Wars Princess Leia and Han Solo's Wedding, The Book of Boba Fett Finale, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)- Chart the History of the Galaxy in Star Wars: Timelines – Exclusive on StarWars.com (backup link)
- SWCC 2022: 7 Things We Learned from the Lucasfilm Publishing Behind the Page Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
- NYCC 2022: Rise of the Red Blade Inquisitor Novel Revealed, and More Highlights from the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
- New York Comic Con Reveals, Tony GIlroy Talks Andor, and More on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 215
- High Republic Phase II Deep Dive, Star Wars Celebration, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- New Concept Art and More Revealed on Star Wars: The High Republic Show on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "It's About Time: The Inside Story of Star Wars: Timelines" — Star Wars Insider 217
- Check Out Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 Exclusives from Hasbro, the LEGO Group, and More on StarWars.com (backup link)
- SWCE 2023: 10 Reveals from the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
- SWCE 2023: All the Big News on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "Prize Giveaway!" — Star Wars Insider 218
Notes and references[]
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