Star Wars Timeline FAQ

General Information

I began this project around January of 2000. My goal is to construct a "reader's timeline" for folks like me, who enjoy reading Star Wars materials in chronological order, as if you were peeking in on the SW universe as it unfolds. Considering the vast amount of overlapping materials that exist, I felt it would be something interesting and useful to do (or at least, something that would keep me from being bored, which it has). This timeline is (so far) based on materials that I either own or have direct access to, so not everything that's ever been published will be found here. The timeline only includes literature (books, comics, kids books, and short stories), it does not include video games or TV episodes that have not been adapted into literature, though I do use the TV series as reference, as it is canon. The timeline is progressing at a snail's pace, but I'm not giving up! In the meantime, if you're looking for an excellent complete timeline of events, I recommend Nathan Butler's Timeline Gold, easily the best there is. I'm using these as resources for this timeline, particularly when there are no chronological 'hints' in a given book or comic. Some might say that they form the backbone of my timeline, as I frequently use them to narrow down suspect dates. Thanks to theforce.net, I've been directed to another timeline, quite close to mine in concept, known as the Star Wars Expanded Universe Timeline. From what I've seen of it, it's definitely more expansive & complete than mine will probably ever be, including even the old Ewoks and Droids cartoons. It isn't exactly what I'm trying to do (see below), but is very close, and I highly recommend it to readers. Another good site is the Star Wars Expanded Universe Chronology Checklist Databank. It's a timeline very similar to mine, plus checklists to keep track of ownership & reading!

So, what's a "Reader's timeline", anyway?

So far, the timelines I've found on the 'Net outline when events occur, but don't always tell a reader which book or comic to read those events in and/or in what order to read them. For instance, a typical timeline might state that the events of Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones occur at 22 years BSW4 (Before Star Wars, Episode IV), and might even give a brief synopsis. Most will also cite the movie, book and comic book as covering these events. The best ones, like Nathan Butler's Timeline Gold (in my opinion the gold standard of Star Wars timelines), will also have entries in this period for overlapping materials, such as the kids' book Boba Fett: The Fight to Survive by Terry Bisson. These timelines don't always indicate which portions of the Episode II novelization to read before reading portions of Fight to Survive (i.e. Chapters 1-2 of Ep. II, then Chapter 1 of Fight to Survive, then back to Ep. II Chapter 3). This is what I mean by a "Reader's timeline". The idea is that the user can read the litereature like one big book. If you've found a complete timeline like mine, please let me know. In addition, the timeline I'm creating doesn't cite events, only the literature in a reading order based on when they occur, meaning it's smaller, mostly spoiler free, and more direct than most other timelines. The focus isn't so much on exact placement of works by year, more than a chronological sequence for reading.

What do you mean "mostly spoiler free"?

There are no (or at least very few) summaries of literature in the timeline that could cue a reader in to plot twists and turns. However, flashback scenes, particularly those in comics, are placed in their chronological order when possible and could effectively spoil a story by revealing things. My goal is to make the timeline an accurate portrayal of events as they would unfold if you were watching them. This approach unfortunately does not always preserve plots or prevent spoilers.

How do I contact you regarding the timeline?

I can be reached by e-mail at . Please use the words "Star Wars" in the subject line to get my attention.

I noticed the full integrations for the movie adaptations have different styles of integration. Why?

When originally integrating the Episode II material, I noticed that only the comic was out of order compared to other materials to be integrated, and the other books could fairly easily be integrated if comic scenes were juggled around. At that time, I hadn't considered integrating the 'junior novelizations' by Scholastic or 'kids books' as I call them. There's really nothing childish about them and I've discovered they tend to follow the movies more closely than the official 'adult' novelizations, which seem to touch more on character and plot development. As such, I started integrating those adaptations with the adult novelizations as best I could... and that's where the problem began. The various novelizations obviously don't have the same scene structure, as they're interpretations of the screenplays by different authors, aimed toward different reading audiences. In many cases, the scenes of one adaptation may overlap 2 or 3 other scenes in another adaptation. My attempts at complete integration are admittedly, sloppy. I recommend picking the adaptation you wish to read as your "primary" source and using the appropriate timeline, as those are far more accurate.

Why don't all of your dates match the timelines printed in the latest novels and published Chronologies?

For the most part, I try to stay true to these "official" timelines, but in some cases they appear, at least to me, to be blatantly in error. For instance, The Comics Companion by Dark Horse Comics indicates The Fall of the Sith Empire occurs at 4,990 BSW4. I seriously doubt 10 years passes in the comic... 1 year maybe, but not 10. It just isn't feasible to me, so I've kept it at the most logical position I could. That's only one example. In time, I may list more on a separate page explaining why I placed items where they are in my timeline. Generally, when I add items to the timeline, I base their placement on references to other established events and/or notes within the sources themselves which seem to definitively position them, though in some cases, several other sources will place an event to a different given time. In which case, I may go with those sources if it makes more logical sense. A good example here is Jango Fett: Open Seasons #3, in which the Battle of Galidraan is shown in a flashback. The comic states in the flashback that it was "12 years before the Battle of Geonosis", definitively placing it at 34 BSW4, however The New Essential Chronology places the Battle of Galidraan at 40 BSW4, and the more recent Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, as well as references in The Cestus Deception, place it at 44 BSW4. These dates obviously conflict with the story as printed, but point to it being closer to 44 BSW4, making it a more likely date. Given this information, and the fact that moving it from 34 BSW4 to 44 BSW4 doesn't have a negative impact on other references (actually a positive impact, since it fixes what would have been a math error in The Cestus Deception), I chose to move it. All in all, please keep in mind that this timeline is meant to be more of an order in which to read the events and not a definitive "this event happened in this year" guide.

So what series are you working on now? / How are you planning the project?

 I'm working on reading and taking notes on newer items as time permits. I'm acquiring, as I can, older items via e-bay and other sources. I'm reading and adding comics in my free time during the evenings and weekends. With local schools back in session the public bus I ride to work is overcrowded, limiting my book reading time to about 15-20 minutes a day. This, combined with work-related reading requirements, makes for very slow reading progress.

My overall strategy is to finish items with definitive chronological placements (i.e. notes in comics indicating when they occur, and items that are in the timelines shown in the novels, The New Essential Chronology, and The Comics Companion) before starting on items like tales and other hard-to-place stand-alones.

Want to know more about what I'm working on, as it happens?

When will you be finished, if ever?

As of 4/30/12, I should be "done" in 1.88 years, consisting of about 6,410 story pages and 167 comics.

Keep in mind that I'm only using sources I have ready access to, that I either own or are available at the library or from friends. I also try to get new material as it comes available (and older items I don't already have). My estimate is calculated based on a conservative 20 pages/day or 1 comic book/day over a 5-day week. I normally only have about 1 day a week, on average, I can dedicate to typing my notes. I'll update this estimate monthly and post it here until everything's current.