Ultimate Star Wars timeline: a complete chronological guide

Have you ever watched Star Wars with a “newbie”? We’re talking about someone who doesn’t know the difference between bantha fodder and a Padawan, or who thinks that BB-8 is a type of multivitamin.

Well, one of the main things that newbies get confused about is not necessarily WHAT is happening, but WHEN it is happening. And to be completely honest, even some of the more dedicated Star Wars fans can get a little (OK: a lot) confused about chronological order.

And so, to mark May the Fourth this year, I am pleased to share this complete Star Wars timeline:

The KEY Battle

There have been a lot — and I mean A LOT — of battles in the Star Wars series. But in terms of timeline, the most important is the Battle of Yavin. This was a major and decisive battle of the Galactic Civil War, in which the Rebel Alliance was able to destroy the Death Star. It was also one of the first major victories over the Galactic Empire. Basically, the Star Wars timeline is anchored by the Battle of Yavin: There is BBY (Before Battle of Yavin) and ABY (After Battle of Yavin).

The Timeline

Below is the full timeline, along with the corresponding movie/series that referenced the event (I would like to give HUGE credit to Gamesradar.com as the basis of this great geeky information!).

• Around 900 BBY: Yoda is born (source: Return of the Jedi).

• Around 200 BBY: The Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order are at their most powerful (source: The High Republic novels and comic-book series).

• Around 200 BBY: Dark-side powers emerge, and the Sith comes to power (source: The Acolyte).

• 41 BBY: Anakin Skywalker is conceived by the Midichlorians and his mother, Shmi (source: The Phantom Menace).

• Around 41 BBY: A young Yoda-like creature is born (source: The Mandalorian).

• 32 BBY: The Trade Federation escalates a trade dispute by blockading Naboo. C-3PO and R2-D2 meet for the first time. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi discover Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine and save him from slavery (source: The Phantom Menace).

• Around 32 BBY: Queen Padme Amidala leads the liberation of Naboo. Obi-Wan slices Darth Maul in two. Palpatine is elected Chancellor of the Republic. Anakin starts his Jedi training. Galaxy watches both their careers with great interest (source: The Phantom Menace).

• Around 32 BBY: Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas commissions Kaminoan cloners to build an army for the Republic (source: Attack of the Clones), and Grogu trains with the Jedi (source: The Mandalorian).

• 22 BBY: Separatists make attempts on Senator Amidala’s life. Obi-Wan’s investigations into the assassin’s identity lead him to Kamino, where he discovers a Clone Army. Anakin kills a village of Tusken Raiders in revenge for the death of his mother. Padme becomes strangely attracted to him (source: Attack of the Clones).

• Around 22 BBY: Naboo Senate Representative Jar Jar Binks calls for Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to be given emergency powers to bring the Clone Army into service. The Clone Troopers follow the Jedi into action against Separatist forces on Geonosis. Jango Fett is killed in the battle. Separatist leader Count Dooku is revealed to be Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, and he cuts off Anakin’s arm in a lightsaber duel. Geonosian leader Poggle the Lesser hands the Separatists’ Death Star plans to Count Dooku. Anakin and Padme marry in secret. The Clone Wars begin (source: Attack of the Clones).

• Around 22 BBY: Anakin takes on Ahsoka Tano as his apprentice (source: The Clone Wars).

• 21 BBY: Boba Fett infiltrates a Republic Star Destroyer to take revenge on Mace Windu for his dad Jango’s death (source: The Clone Wars).

• Around 21 BBY: Energy scientist Galen Erso is captured by Separatist forces and rescued by Orson Krennic (source: Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel).

• 20 BBY: Darth Sidious orders Count Dooku to eliminate Asajj Ventress, who is the Dark Side apprentice Dooku has been training in secret. Former Sith Lord Darth Maul (who is not actually dead!) is discovered by his brother Savage Opress on Lotho Minor. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan meet and train future insurgent Saw Gerrera to fight against the Separatists on Onderon. Construction of Death Star begins above Geonosis (source: The Clone Wars).

• 19 BBY: Maul and Opress join forces with criminal gangs and Mandalorian hardliners Death Watch to overthrow and kill Mandalore’s peaceful leader Duchess Satine Kryze. Darth Sidious clears up the mess, killing Opress and capturing Maul. Ahsoka quits the Jedi Order and disappears, and later goes to Mandalore to battle Maul, where the Siege of Mandalore takes place. She manages to escape from Order 66 with the Clone trooper Rex (source: The Clone Wars).

• Around 19 BBY: Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is kidnapped by Separatist forces, and Count Dooku is executed by Anakin during the rescue. Obi-Wan kills the Separatists’ cyborg military commander General Grievous. Palpatine is revealed to be Darth Sidious. Anakin is seduced by the Dark Side and becomes Darth Vader. Palpatine declares himself Emperor and the Galactic Republic becomes the Galactic Empire. Order 66 prompts the Clone Troopers to turn on the Jedi and all-but wipe them out. Darth Vader kills the remaining Separatist leaders on Mustafar. Obi-Wan defeats Vader in a duel. Padme dies giving birth to twins. Luke is left with his step-uncle/aunt Owen and Beru Lars on Tatooine, and Leia is left with Senator Bail Organa on Alderaan. Obi-Wan and Yoda go into hiding on Tatooine and Dagobah (source: Revenge of the Sith).

• Around 19 BBY: A rogue bunch of defective Clones called “The Bad Batch” are told to hunt down the Padawan in training Caleb Dume (later known as Kanan Jarrus). However, the team's leader, Hunter, goes against orders. The Bad Batch are then commanded to kill Saw Gerrera. They refuse and head off on their own adventure (source: Star Wars: The Bad Batch).

• 17 BBY: Galen Erso, forced to work on the Death Star, runs away with his wife Lyra and daughter Jyn from their home on Coruscant, with help from Saw Gerrera (source: Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel).

• 13 BBY: Krennic tracks down Erso’s family on Lah’mu. Lyra dies, and Galen goes back to work on the Death Star. Jyn is raised with Saw (source: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).

• Around 13 BBY: Han Solo escapes captivity on Corellia, and enlists in the Imperial Navy (source: Solo: A Star Wars Story).

• 10 BBY: Han Solo meets Chewbacca, defects from the Empire, and joins Tobias Beckett’s criminal gang. Rebellious L3-37 initiates a droid uprising on Kessel. Han completes a Kessel Run in the Millennium Falcon in a record-breaking 12 parsecs. He also helps out Enfys Nest’s proto-Rebels, but declines to join the cause. Qi’ra assumes day-to-day control of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate, answering directly to Maul (source: Solo: A Star Wars Story).

• 9 BBY: The events of the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series take place.

• 5 BBY: Ezra Bridger joins the crew of Rebel vessel the Ghost. Fugitive Jedi Kanan Jarrus takes him on as his Padawan (source: Star Wars Rebels).

• 4 BBY: Rebel informant Fulcrum is revealed to be Ahsoka Tano. Empire commences Siege of Lothal. The Emperor sends Darth Vader to solve the Rebel problem. Former Clone Troopers Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor join Rebel cause (source: Star Wars Rebels).

• 3 BBY: Maul blinds Kanan Jarrus in battle. Ahsoka faces Vader for the first time since she was Anakin’s apprentice (source: Star Wars Rebels).

• 2 BBY: Obi-Wan Kenobi kills Maul on Tatooine. Mon Mothma resigns from Imperial Senate, and calls for the formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. The Chopper Base on Atollon destroyed by Admiral Thrawn’s forces, forcing the Rebels to relocate to Yavin 4 (source: Star Wars Rebels).

• 1 BBY: Kanan Jarrus sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Ghost crew. Ezra Bridger has an audience with the Emperor, before he and Grand Admiral Thrawn go missing in action. Bo-Katan Kryze takes Mandalorian throne, after Sabine Wren gives her the ceremonial Darksaber (source: Star Wars Rebels).

• 0 BBY: Rebels secure their first significant victory over the Empire at Scarif, but everybody involved in recovering the Death Star plans dies (source: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).

• 0 ABY: Princess Leia Organa is captured by Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker meets C-3PO and R2-D2, and takes Death Star plans hidden in R2 to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke begins Jedi training, meets Han Solo and Chewbacca. Alderaan is destroyed by Death Star. Leia is rescued. Obi-Wan Kenobi dies. The Death Star is destroyed at the Battle of Yavin (source: A New Hope).

• 0-3 ABY: Darth Vader recruits Boba Fett to help hunt down the Force-sensitive young pilot who blew up the Death Star (source: Darth Vader comic). Also, the Rebel Alliance relocates to Echo Base on Hoth. Han Solo runs into an unknown bounty hunter on Ord Mantell (source: The Empire Strikes Back). Plus, the Rebels evacuate Hoth after the Empire discovers Echo Base. Luke Skywalker begins Jedi training with Yoda on Dagobah. Darth Vader captures Han, Leia, and Chewbacca at Bespin. Han Solo is frozen in Carbonite and taken to Jabba the Hutt by Boba Fett. Luke faces Darth Vader, and learns that Darth Vader is his father (source: The Empire Strikes Back).

• 4 ABY: Han Solo is rescued from Jabba the Hutt, who is killed by Leia. Boba Fett is thought dead. Yoda dies. Luke learns that Leia is his twin sister. Imperial forces intercept Rebellion’s secret assault on Endor. Luke faces Darth Vader again, this time in the presence of the Emperor. Vader turns back to the good side and kills the Emperor. The Death Star is destroyed (source: Return of the Jedi).

• 5 ABY: Han Solo helps Chewbacca liberate Kashyyyk from Imperial rule. The New Republic secures a final victory over the remains of the Empire at the Battle of Jakku. Mon Mothma signs the Galactic Concordance and the Empire is dissolved. A faction of top Imperials, led by Grand Admiral Rae Sloane and General Hux’s dad Brendol, travels through the Unknown Regions to start the First Order. Ben Solo is born (source: Star Wars: Aftermath novel trilogy).

• 5-9 ABY: Boba Fett emerges from the Sarlacc pit after being eaten alive, is captured by Tusken Raiders, wins their favor, and is immersed in their culture. The Tuskens are eventually wiped out by a rival biker gang. Boba Fett meets and helps the injured Fennec Shand. Together, they search for whoever took Boba's armor from the Sarlacc (source: The Book of Boba Fett).

• 9 ABY: A gunfighter named Din Djarin makes his way through the outer reaches of the galaxy where he stumbles upon a young-ish green creature named Grogu. Din hopes to reunite the creature with the Jedi. He meets Ahsoka Tano, who is on the hunt for General Thrawn. She tells Din to head to Tython and use a special stone to call any Jedi who may be out there. Grogu calls to the Jedi but is then captured by Moff Gideon, who holds the Darksaber blade. Din is helped by Boba Fett and the former heiress of Mandalore, Bo-Katan, to beat Moff Gideon. They almost succeed, when a battalion of Dark Trooper droids arrive. Grogu's call to the Jedi is heard and Luke Skywalker saves the day. Skywalker then takes Grogu away to be trained as a Jedi (source: The Mandalorian).

• Around 9 ABY: Boba Fett heads back to Tatooine with Fennec Shand to take over the planet's criminal underworld. Their plans are thwarted by Tatooine's mayor, the Hutt twins, and the Pyke Syndicate. Boba assembles a team – including Din Djarin – to take on his enemies. Cobb Vanth is shot in a showdown with Cad Bane. Luke Skywalker is training Grogu and trying to establish a new Jedi temple. He gives Grogu a choice between remaining a Padawan and becoming Skywalker's first student, or returning to the Mandalorian. Grogu chooses to go back to Djarin, so the Jedi sends him to Tatooine, where the Child and Mando are reunited. Fett kills Bane and defeats the Pykes and the other crime syndicates to regain control of Mos Espa. Vanth spends time in a bacta tank to heal from his clash with Bane (source: The Book of Boba Fett).

• 21 ABY: The First Order starts using crime syndicates to fund its increasing military activities (source: Star Wars: Bloodline novel).

• 28 ABY: The truth about Leia’s parentage is leaked by political enemies, engulfing her in a scandal that forces her to resign from the Senate. Sensing the threat of an increasingly active First Order, she forms the Resistance to keep them in check (source: Star Wars: Bloodline novel).

• 28 ABY-34 ABY: Ben Solo is persuaded by Supreme Leader Snoke to turn to the Dark Side. He destroys Luke Skywalker’s new Jedi school, kills most of his fellow students, and renames himself Kylo Ren. Luke goes into exile on Ahch-To. (source: The Force Awakens). Also, Kazuda Xiono goes undercover as a Resistance spy at the Colossus outpost (source: Star Wars Resistance).

• 34 ABY: Poe Dameron finds a map containing details of Luke Skywalker’s location. Trooper FN-2187, AKA Finn, defects from First Order, gets Poe’s jacket and meets Rey on Jakku. They steal the Millennium Falcon, and meet Han Solo and Chewbacca. The First Order uses Starkiller base to destroy the entire Hosnian system, wiping out the whole of the New Republic’s government. Kylo Ren kills Han Solo. The Starkiller base is destroyed. Rey tracks down Luke on Ahch-To (source: The Force Awakens). Also, the Resistance evacuate their base on D’Qar and go on the run from the First Order. Kylo Ren kills Supreme Leader Snoke and declares himself Supreme Leader. First Order flagship the Supremacy destroyed when Vice-Admiral Holdo pilots the Raddus through it at hyperspace. Luke creates a Force projection of himself to face Kylo Ren and dies in the effort. The last few survivors of the Resistance escape on the Millennium Falcon (source: The Last Jedi).

• 35 ABY: Emperor Palpatine returns. He has been building a huge Sith army all these years, and they have been awoken on Exegol, a Sith stronghold in the uncharted area of the galaxy. The Resistance has made some headway in their fight back against the First Order. Kylo goes on the hunt for Rey, the granddaughter of Palpatine. When they meet, Rey stabs Kylo with a lightsaber but uses the Force to keep him alive. General Leia passes as she helps keep Kylo, her son, alive. After Rey discovers the location of Exegol, she travels there in Luke Skywalker's X-Wing and lays trackers so that the Resistance can follow. She then confronts her grandfather, while the Resistance (with the help of Lando), have brought together an army filled with people who despise the Final Order. However, Palpatine soon has the upper hand on Rey, wanting her to "strike him down" so the Sith can live on in her. But Kylo Ren comes to help, and the pair attack Palpatine. The Emperor overpowers them and takes their life-force. All the fallen Jedi then come to Rey and help her overthrow Palpatine, and he is disintegrated. The galaxy celebrates victory over the Final Order. Rey buries Luke and Leia's lightsabers on Tatooine. The two suns set. Balance is restored (source: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker).

The Productions

Now, let’s say that you want to start from the VERY beginning of the Star Wars saga, and move forward in chronological order through the movies and TV shows (we aren’t including the books and comics). Well, here is the extremely long but very interesting path you would take:

• The Acolyte*
• Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
• Star Wars: The Bad Batch
• Solo: A Star Wars Story
• Obi-Wan Kenobi series*
• Star Wars Rebels
• Andor series*
• Rogue One series
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
• Star Wars: A New Hope
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
• Star Wars Resistance
• The Mandalorian
• The Book of Boba Fett
• Ahsoka*
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Series that have a * beside them have not yet been released. Let’s take a look at them in the next section.

Coming Soon (We Hope!)

• The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take the audience into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. This has been in the works for several years, and as it stands, there is some buzz that it will be released in the summer of 2023.

• Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place 10 years after the dramatic events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat — the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. It is premiering on May 25, 2022.

• Andor is set before the events of Rogue One, and will follow Cassian Andor as he spies for the Rebellion. No release date has been announced, but there is word that we might see it in the summer of 2022.

• Ashoka is based on the character who appeared in The Mandalorian and will see her continue to chase down Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn. Production started in spring 2022, and right now the best guess for a release date is early 2023.

Video Games

Like many of you, I’m a huge gamer. Here are some of the Star Wars games placed in the timeline (credit and thanks to the Star Wars heroes at Oxtero.com for this awesome information!):

• Star Wars Squadron: Set after Return of the Jedi but long before The Force Awakens Squadrons, this was published by EA in 2020, and its prologue takes place around the Battle of Yavin in 0 ABY, with the main portion of the game set following the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY.

• Star Wars Battlefront II: This is an action shooter game developed by DICE, released in 2017 as the fourth installment of the Battlefront series. Battlefront II is larger than its predecessors, with its novel single-player campaign taking place between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order: Developed by Titanfall creators Respawn Entertainment, the game's narrative follows protagonist Cal Kestis, a Jedi Padawan who survived the Great Jedi Purge, as he is hunted by the Galactic Empire whilst attempting to complete his training and rebuild the fallen Jedi Order. Order 66 was issued by Palpatine towards the end of the Clone Wars, in the year 19 BBY. Following this, the Great Jedi Purge, also known as the war against the Jedi, persisted until 3 BBY, in which the Jedi Order was ended by the Sith, and they were ruthlessly hunted and murdered by the Galactic Empire. The narrative of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order takes place five years after the end of the Clone Wars, in 14 BBY.

• Star Wars Eclipse: Showcased at The Game Awards 2021 with a cinematic trailer, the High Republic-set Star Wars Eclipse will be developed by Quantic Dream and will feature multiple characters. Set before the events of the Skywalker Saga, the game takes place during the High Republic period, which roughly spans the years between 300 and 82 ABY, and will be the earliest canon game in the Star Wars timeline.

May the Force Be with You!

Well, if you made it all the way through this article, then you, my friend, are a true Star Wars fan. I would be honored to have a drink with you at the Mos Eisley cantina anytime!