New Star Wars Timeline Revealed, Will Explore The First Jedi And The Galaxy After Rise Of Skywalker
"Star Wars" Celebration 2023 came out swinging thanks to Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase, a panel that saw three new "Star Wars" films announced along with trailers and details on the next wave of live-action series. Perhaps most notably, for all the nerds who care about such things (me; I'm "the nerds"), Lucasfilm also revealed a handy dandy official timeline for a galaxy far, far away. It breaks down the history of the franchise into nine distinct periods, starting with "Dawn of the Jedi" and ending with "New Jedi Order."
"Dawn of the Jedi," as the name implies, covers the discovery of the Force and the emergence of the first Force users. James Mangold, director of "Logan" and the upcoming "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," is now confirmed to be helming a film that takes place during this era. It's an epoch that has yet to be fully examined in the modern canon, although it shares its name with a Dark Horse Comics series launched in 2012.
The next two eras, "The Old Republic" and "The High Republic," cover the thousands of years between "Dawn of the Jedi" and "Fall of the Jedi," a period referring to Sidious/Palpatine's rise to power and Order 66 (as depicted in the prequel trilogy and prequel-era animated shows). "The Old Republic" tellingly (?) shares its name with the pre-Disney MMORPG released in 2011, which centered on the war between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire.
As for "The High Republic," that era is being explored in a transmedia initiative that finds the Republic and the original Jedi Order operating at the height of their power a few centuries before the prequel trilogy. Leslye Headland's live-action series "The Acolyte" will further zero in on this period, picking up 100 years prior to "The Phantom Menace."
Reign of the Empire and beyond
Up next are "Reign of the Empire" and "Age of Rebellion." Both ages have been pretty thoroughly documented at this point, between the original trilogy, the film "Rogue One," the animated shows "Star Wars Rebels" and "The Bad Batch," and the live-action series "Andor" and "Obi-Wan Kenobi." "Andor" season 2 will only continue to fill in the gaps, leading into the events of "Rogue One."
Following "Age of Rebellion," we have "The New Republic." Also known as the "Mandalorian" period, this era covers the early years of the New Republic's reign and the war to defeat the final remnants of the Empire. "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett" have only partially explored this period, with the incoming "Ahsoka" and "Skeleton Crew" series set to build upon their foundation. At "Star Wars" Celebration, Lucasfilm confirmed that all these shows will culminate with a film directed by Lucasfilm Animation head honcho Dave Filoni (who's also the co-architect of "The Mandalorian" and its spinoffs).
That being said, it stands to reason "The New Republic" additionally spans part of the — roughly — two decades between when the "Mandalorian"-era shows unfold and the sequel trilogy begins. What's more, "The Force Awakens" and its sequels now officially cover an era known as "Rise of the First Order," a period that begins prior to the trilogy but, presumably, after Filoni's upcoming movie.
Finally, we have "New Jedi Order," an epoch that, we can assume, starts with the defeat of the First Order and the death of Palpatine's clone(s) in "The Rise of Skywalker." "Ms. Marvel" director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy's as-yet-untitled film will shine a light on this epoch, picking up 15 years after "Rise" and following Rey as she begins training a new order of Force warriors. Got all that?