Star Wars - Timeline (New Canon)

This is the timeline/chronology of the new Star Wars universe, including all canon material (except novelizations/adaptations of existing works, since they don't really add any new story material).

It includes all ten films (the three trilogies and The Clone Wars movie) in bold black text. Once titles are announced for Episodes VIII and IX and the spin off films, those will also be added.

The television series (The Clone Wars, Rebels) are in bold gray text.

The novels are in bold italicized blue text. Short stories are in italicized regular blue text.

And the comic books by Marvel will be in bold italicized green text. Any comic short stories (such as those in the Star Wars - Rebels Magazine) are in regular italicized green text.

Any future video games that are official canon will be included in bold red text.

Anything that hasn't been released yet is placed tentatively until its release, and is marked with ** to reflect that, followed by its listed release date in parentheses.
 
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Here's the official statement from Lucasfilm regarding the new canon:

For over 35 years, the Expanded Universe has enriched the Star Wars experience for fans seeking to continue the adventure beyond what is seen on the screen. When he created Star Wars, George Lucas built a universe that sparked the imagination, and inspired others to create. He opened up that universe to be a creative space for other people to tell their own tales. This became the Expanded Universe, or EU, of comics, novels, videogames, and more.

While Lucasfilm always strived to keep the stories created for the EU consistent with our film and television content as well as internally consistent, Lucas always made it clear that he was not beholden to the EU. He set the films he created as the canon. This includes the six Star Wars episodes, and the many hours of content he developed and produced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. These stories are the immovable objects of Star Wars history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align.

Now, with an exciting future filled with new cinematic installments of Star Wars, all aspects of Star Wars storytelling moving forward will be connected. Under Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s direction, the company for the first time ever has formed a story group to oversee and coordinate all Star Wars creative development.

“We have an unprecedented slate of new Star Wars entertainment on the horizon,” said Kennedy. “We’re set to bring Star Wars back to the big screen, and continue the adventure through games, books, comics, and new formats that are just emerging. This future of interconnected storytelling will allow fans to explore this galaxy in deeper ways than ever before.”

In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe. While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded. Creators of new Star Wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the Expanded Universe. For example, elements of the EU are included in Star Wars Rebels. The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems are story elements in the new animated series, and all these ideas find their origins in roleplaying game material published in the 1980s.

Demand for past tales of the Expanded Universe will keep them in print, presented under the new Legends banner.

On the screen, the first new canon to appear will be Star Wars Rebels. In print, the first new books to come from this creative collaboration include novels from Del Rey Books. First to be announced, John Jackson Miller is writing a novel that precedes the events of Star Wars Rebels and offers insight into a key character’s backstory, with input directly from executive producers Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, and Greg Weisman.

And this is just the beginning of a creatively aligned program of Star Wars storytelling created by the collaboration of incredibly talented people united by their love of that galaxy far, far away….
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So been poring over Jen Heddle's Twitter page for details, I guess she oversees or works with Lucasfilm's publishing branch. Apparently Dark Horse's series "Star Wars - Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir #1-4" will be canon due to it being an adaptation of an unproduced episode of The Clone Wars from Season 6.

But the other DH SW comics aren't canon. Apparently.
 
They said when they bought Lucasfilm that they would be releasing a list of what was canon and what was not. Not sure if they still plan on doing that or not.
 
wyokid said:
They said when they bought Lucasfilm that they would be releasing a list of what was canon and what was not. Not sure if they still plan on doing that or not.
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Yeah, I think they're waiting until Episodes XIII and IX are written and set in stone before confirming any of the old EU material as still canon. So it may be awhile.

But as it stands now, everything previously released is non-canon in terms of novels, comics, and video games. And only Star Wars I-VI and The Clone Wars film and series (apparently the Clone Wars 2D animation Tartovsky did isn't canon...I think?), and the upcoming Rebels series are canon. And the four new rebooted EU novels are canon. Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir is canon because it's based on an unproduced episode of The Clone Wars Season 6.

This is almost as confusing and unsure as DC's New 52 reboot...actually, no, the New 52 reboot is a thousand times more confusing for continuity fans.
 
Only unlike DC we're actually going to get an official list. I hope Tartovsky 's Clone Wars stays canon. I love it so much.
 
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wyokid said:
Only unlike DC we're actually going to get an official list. I hope Tartovsky 's Clone Wars stays canon. I love it so much.
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It may, though it wasn't mentioned as being official canon in the press release. When Jen Heddle was asked if it's canon or not she replied that she wasn't sure, so I guess we'll have to wait. Obviously not all SW related films and television stuff will be canon (like the two live action Ewoks movies, the Holiday Special, or even the Droids and Ewoks animated series), but only the stuff that George Lucas explicitly played a part in creating the stories for (Episodes 1-6 and The Clone Wars). This would rule out Clone Wars, but then again it was very well received so it may be kept in the canon. We'll have to see.
 
My Star Wars canon consists of The Phantom Menace and nothing else.
 
DIrishB said:
Oh, look, a Phantom Menace joke. Based on the originality of this humor, I've determined Proj must, in fact, be Joan Rivers.
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I'm not joking. The Phantom Menace is the best one.
 
I like the prequels, the first two are crap with the second being the worstm I stand by the third being a good film though.
 
wyokid said:
I like the prequels, the first two are crap with the second being the worstm I stand by the third being a good film though.
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The biggest problems with the prequels are the uninteresting and uninspired storyline from all three movies, and the fact that the lead is a wooden and uninteresting actor who lacks all aspects of charm and like-ability. You can cast as many big name and talented actors in supporting roles as you want, but if your lead sucks, it's going to bring down the entire film. And let's be honest, Hayden Christiansen sucked. The kid in TPM was ok, and more like able than Christiansen, but not by a whole lot. Casting Hayden as Anakin was one of the worst casting decisions for a blockbuster I can think of.

I'm planning to sit down and re-watch them all again. As someone who used to watch the Original Trilogy at least every month as a kid, the Prequel trilogy turned me off to SW completely. I haven't watched the Prequels since they first came out on DVD, and haven't watched the Originals in almost as long. Also have only watches a few episodes of The Clone Wars series (never saw TCW film or mini episodes).

But the whole rebooting the canon has motivated me, so going to do a marathon sometime in the next few months.
 
I agree with you, but as an ongoing story arc it's a masterpiece and fits VERY well with the originals. I'll elaborate more tomorrow since it's my day off.
 
DIrishB said:
You can cast as many big name and talented actors in supporting roles as you want, but if your lead sucks, it's going to bring down the entire film.
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You can cast as many big name and talented actors in supporting roles as you want, but if you can't direct them, it's going to bring down the entire film. It's amazing how Lucas managed to get such bad acting out of such good actors. Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor spring to mind.

And I saw Hayden in some smaller movie where he played a reporter, and he wasn't bad. I'd give a good portion of the blame for his acting in SW to Lucas. And the script didn't exactly help him either.

Lucas is great as a sstoryteller, but he can neither write dialogue or direct actors. That's why I'm glad more competent people are taking the reigns on the new movies. They might actually be good.
 
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vintsukka said:
You can cast as many big name and talented actors in supporting roles as you want, but if you can't direct them, it's going to bring down the entire film. It's amazing how Lucas managed to get such bad acting out of such good actors. Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor spring to mind. And I saw Hayden in some smaller movie where he played a reporter, and he wasn't bad. I'd give a good portion of the blame for his acting in SW to Lucas. And the script didn't exactly help him either. Lucas is great as a sstoryteller, but he can neither write dialogue or direct actors. That's why I'm glad more competent people are taking the reigns on the new movies. They might actually be good.
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Completely agree. As far as Lucas' involvement, let him offer the story outline, while others write the script and Abrams directs (hopefully lens-flare free).
 
DIrishB here's the chronological order for The Clone Wars show

1 216 Cat and Mouse
2 116 Hidden Enemy
T The Clone Wars theatrical release
3 301 Clone Cadets
4 303 Supply Lines
5 101 Ambush
6 102 Rising Malevolence
7 103 Shadow of Malevolence
8 104 Destroy Malevolence
9 105 Rookies
10 106 Downfall of a Droid
11 107 Duel of the Droids
12 108 Bombad Jedi
13 109 Cloak of Darkness
14 110 Lair of Grievous
15 111 Dooku Captured
16 112 The Gungan General
17 113 Jedi Crash
18 114 Defenders of Peace
19 115 Trespass
20 117 Blue Shadow Virus
21 118 Mystery of a Thousand Moons
22 119 Storm over Ryloth
23 120 Innocents of Ryloth
24 121 Liberty on Ryloth
25 201 Holocron Heist
26 202 Cargo of Doom
27 203 Children of the Force
28 217 Bounty Hunters
29 218 The Zillo Beast
30 219 The Zillo Beast Strikes Back
31 204 Senate Spy
32 205 Landing at Point Rain
33 206 Weapons Factory
34 207 Legacy of Terror
35 208 Brain Invaders
36 209 Grievous Intrigue
37 210 The Deserter
38 211 Lightsaber Lost
39 212 The Mandalore Plot
40 213 Voyage of Temptation
41 214 Duchess of Mandalore
42 220 Death Trap
43 221 R2 Come Home
44 222 Lethal Trackdown
45 305 Corruption
46 306 The Academy
47 307 Assassin
48 302 ARC Troopers
49 304 Sphere of Influence
50 308 Evil Plans
51 122 Hostage Crisis
52 309 Hunt for Ziro
53 310 Heroes on Both Side
54 311 Pursuit of Peace
55 215 Senate Murders
56 312 Nightsisters
57 313 Monster
58 314 Witches of the Mist
59 315 Overlords
60 316 Altar of Mortis
61 317 Ghosts of Mortis
62 318 The Citadel
63 319 Counter Attack
64 320 Citadel Rescue
65 321 Padawan Lost
66 322 Wookiee Hunt
67 401 Water War
68 402 Gungan Attack
69 403 Prisoners
70 404 Shadow Warrior
71 405 Mercy Mission
72 406 Nomad Droids
73 407 Darkness on Umbara
74 408 The General
75 409 Plan of Dissent
76 410 Carnage of Krell
77 411 Kidnapped
78 412 Slaves of the Republic
79 413 Escape from Kadavo
80 414 A Friend In Need
81 415 Deception
82 416 Friends and Enemies
83 417 The Box
84 418 Crisis on Naboo
85 419 Massacre
86 420 Bounty
87 421 Brothers
88 422 Revenge
89 502 A War on Two Fronts
90 503 Front Runners
91 504 The Soft War
92 505 Tipping Points
93 506 The Gathering
94 507 A Test of Strength
95 508 Bound for Rescue
96 509 A Necessary Bond
97 510 Secret Weapons
98 511 A Sunny Day in the Void
99 512 Missing in Action
100 513 Point of No Return
101 501 Revival
102 514 Eminence
103 515 Shades of Reason
104 516 The Lawless
105 517 Sabotage
106 518 The Jedi Who Knew Too Much
107 519 To Catch a Jedi
108 520 The Wrong Jedi
109 601 The Unknown
110 602 Conspiracy
111 603 Fugitive
112 604 Orders
113 605 An Old Friend
114 606 The Rise of Clovis
115 607 Crisis at the Heart
116 608 The Disappeared
117 609 The Disappeared: Pt. II
118 610 The Lost One
119 611 Voices
120 612 Destiny
121 613 Sacrifice
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Why did The Clone Wars suck so much but the The Clone Wars was so awesome? You had to sit through a really crappy film to get to the awesome show.

I just looked it up and apparently Lucas loved Genndy Tartakovsky's show. I'd imagine they'll keep that canon.

wyokid said:
I agree with you, but as an ongoing story arc it's a masterpiece and fits VERY well with the originals. I'll elaborate more tomorrow since it's my day off.
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Okay, so what I meant by this is that when you look at the whole saga it is very clear that it is Vader's story. He was taken in as a boy due to a prophecy (which ended up being the Jedi's downfall because of their faith in it) had his rise, his fall, and redemption. As a story it's actually a pretty damn good one. Especially when you consider that it took the whole Hollywood "chosen one" cliche and turned it on it's head not once, but twice. Anakin ended up not being the actual chosen one and Luke completely rejected it. I kind of compare Lucas to Mark Millar in the fact that they're both really good at coming up with stories, just not actually writing them (there are exceptions for both). That's just my view on the saga. Take it or leave it.
 
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wyokid said:
DIrishB here's the chronological order for The Clone Wars show
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Yup I'd seen that, but thanks for posting it. When I get some time I'll update the timeline to reflect that.


Why did The Clone Wars suck so much but the The Clone Wars was so awesome? You had to sit through a really crappy film to get to the awesome show. I just looked it up and apparently Lucas loved Genndy Tartakovsky's show. I'd imagine they'll keep that canon.
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Yeah I'd read the same thing. I imagine it'll be retained as part of the canon, just waiting to know for sure. If it is kept it'll have to be split up some, with the first 20 or 21 episodes occurring before The Clone Wars CGI show, and the last 4 or 5 episodes occurring afterward, just before Episode 3. In fact I think Clone Wars episode 20 or 21 has to be split up the same way.

Okay, so what I meant by this is that when you look at the whole saga it is very clear that it is Vader's story. He was taken in as a boy due to a prophecy (which ended up being the Jedi's downfall because of their faith in it) had his rise, his fall, and redemption. As a story it's actually a pretty damn good one. Especially when you consider that it took the whole Hollywood "chosen one" cliche and turned it on it's head not once, but twice. Anakin ended up not being the actual chosen one and Luke completely rejected it. I kind of compare Lucas to Mark Millar in the fact that they're both really good at coming up with stories, just not actually writing them (there are exceptions for both). That's just my view on the saga. Take it or leave it.
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Mark Millar has written some bad stories, but the majority of his stuff is great. Ultimates 1 and 2, The Authority, Superman - Red Son, etc. Lucas has also written some fantastic stuff early in his career, THX1138, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc. Unfortunately his more recent stuff is just lackluster or outright bad. If I had to guess I'd say he's essentially lost touch with what audiences enjoy. I guess billions of dollars can do that to a person.
 
Added the upcoming Star Wars - Battlefront game coming out next year for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, since it'll fall into the new continuity.

It's unknown when it will occur, but since the trailer for it showed battle scenes on Hoth I've placed it just after ESB. It'll probably cover many battles from the various films, requiring splitting up the game based on level. But that'll have to wait until next year when it's released.
 
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