‘Star Wars’ Timeline Undergoes Major Changes, New Official Eras Added

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Credit: Lucasfilm (all images)

There was a time when the Star Wars timeline had only three official eras — “Age of Empire,” “Age of Rebellion,” and “Age of Resistance” — but, as the Star Wars universe continues to expand and new parts of the timeline are beginning to be explored in canon materials, the timeline has undergone some changes.

star wars timeline
Credit: Disney

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This week, with the launch of highly anticipated The High Republic publishing initiative — which is set to take fans into a world 200 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) in which the Jedi Order is revered and the people of the galaxy love these superhero-like protagonists — the Star Wars timeline has been officially expanded.

The new version of the timeline can be found in Justina Ireland’s new The High Republic novel A Test of Courage and online. Here, we take a look at each era, complete with new branding and a unique logo straight from Lucasfilm.

The High Republic

high republic
Credit: Lucasfilm

The High Republic — the golden age of Jedi culture — is the oldest era in the newly expanded Star Wars timeline. During this era, when the Jedi Order reigned supreme and Master Yoda was already teaching young Padawans, there was peace throughout the galaxy and expansion into the Outer Rim — where fan-favorite planets like Tatooine and Batuu, of Disney Parks’ Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land –, are located.

Related: New Era of ‘Star Wars’ is “Untethered” and “Unchained”

The Fall of the Jedi

the fall of the jedi
Credit: Lucasfilm

The Fall of the Jedi era encompasses the entire prequel trilogy — Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II – The Attack of the Clones (2002), and Star Wars: Episode III – The Revenge of the Sith (2005).  Characters like Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen), Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) all existed during this age in the Star Wars timeline as Emperor Sheev Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) rose to power and, ultimately, ordered the execution of Order 66.

Related: How Powerful Will Vader Be in ‘OBI-WAN KENOBI’

Reign of the Empire

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Credit: Lucasfilm

The Reign of the Empire is the age in which Imperial forces reign supreme throughout the galaxy. Solo: A Star Wars Story and the upcoming Disney+ streaming animated series The Bad Batch are both set during this era. Some of the Star Wars universe’s most familiar characters, including Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich in Solo), Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover in Solo), and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo in Solo), were having adventures during this time period before the Rebellion began in earnest.

Related: Will Both Donald Glover & Billy Dee Williams Reprise As Lando Calrissian?

Age of Rebellion

age of rebellion
Credit: Lucasfilm

The Age of Rebellion is the era of George Lucas’s original trilogy — Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Star Wars: Episode VI – The Return of the Jedi (1983) — in which Star Wars’ most beloved characters, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels), and more are fighting the Galactic Empire as the often ragtag Rebellion started by Leia’s father Bail Organa.

Animated series Star Wars Rebels — featuring characters like Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2018) — also fall into the Age of Rebellion era. It is important to note that Dave Filoni has previously stated the end of Rebels “potentially” overlaps with The Mandalorian, so this series may extend into The New Republic age.

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The New Republic

the new republic
Credit: Lucasfilm

The New Republic era is when Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s hit series The Mandalorian — featuring the likes of new characters bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu (AKA The Child AKA Baby Yoda) alongside fan-favorites like the aforementioned Bo-Katan Kryze, Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), and bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison).

During this period, the former Rebel Alliance has formed a new government, based on the core planets. This has left the Outer Rim Territories largely at the hands of the Imperial remnant, led by warlords like Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). Right now, The Mandalorian Season 1 and Season 2 are the only parts of a series that take place during this era, but it’s three confirmed spinoffs — Ahsoka, Rangers of the New Republic, and The Book of Boba Fett — will soon be joining it alongside The Mandalorian Season 3.

Related: ‘Mandalorian’ Season 3, Spinoffs Missing From Disney’s 2021 Schedule

Rise of the First Order

rise of the first order
Credit: Lucasfilm

The Rise of the First Order era is the age in which Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo (Adam Driver), and their First Order stormtroopers ruled with an iron fist. It includes animated series Resistance and the entire Skywalker Saga sequel trilogy — Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker — with characters like Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and Finn (John Boyega).

View the entire new official Star Wars timeline below and, remember, with numerous new series and movies — including Patty Jenkins’s Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (2023) and Taika Waititi’s unnamed film — coming down the pipeline, the timeline is likely to only continue to expand over the next few years.

offiical star wars timeline
Credit: Lucasfilm

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What are your thoughts on the new, expanded Star Wars timeline? What other eras would you like to see explored?

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