How To Understand The Timeline Of The 'Star Wars' Universe: 2025 Edition

Star Wars

Feb 25

A few years ago, CultureSlate produced a guide to the Star Wars timeline. But since that article was written, a great deal more material has been released and Star Wars has also firmly organized its timeline into nine distinct eras.

More subdivisions may very well be on the way, but we felt it was time to update you, dear reader, about how to approach the timeline of the Star Wars galaxy!

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The Different Chronologies

Star Wars has had different chronologies for a while, but with the development of canon, there are four notable dating systems which have appeared. Some of these are shown on screen or in notable reference material, and others suggest key information about the societies and worlds they’re associated with.

BBY-ABY: The most familiar chronology on this list, BBY and ABY refer to Before the Battle of Yavin and After the Battle of Yavin. Developed in the 1990s and used extensively in Legends, canon Star Wars generally shied away from its use in material beyond reference books. However, it has since entered canon in a major way through its use in Andor as an audience-focused timescale and in The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire as the dating system of choice by Beaumont Kin.
C.R.C.: The Coruscant reckoning calendar is a system developed in canon for the Scum and Villainy reference book, and later made its way on-screen in Andor through text seen on Ferrix. It dates the rise of the Empire to 7977.331.3, and suggests that while the Old Republic is not 8000 years old (it is instead dated back many millennia, possibly as much as 25,000 years), something very significant had to have happened around that time to cause the creation of a new calendar system.
LY: The Lothal Calendar is another dating system invented for a visual guide for Star Wars Rebels. While it has not been used again, it is notable for dating the rise of the Empire to 3245 LY. This suggests Lothal was probably settled by offworlders a little over 3000 years ago, or at least whoever was living on the world adopted a new calendar for some unknown reason.
Year of Kwilaan: The dating system for the planet of Naboo was named after the apparent founder of the human colony on the planet, and sets Queen Amidala’s coronation as occurring in the year 835. This date, and other information from The Clone Wars’s episode “Crisis on Naboo” from the series fourth season, would imply that the human Naboo colonists settled the planet a little over 800 years prior to The Phantom Menace.

The Different Eras

Star Wars’ galactic history is currently broken up into nine different eras. The time spans between each of the eras is considerably different, and 5 of the 9 are set within the Skywalker Saga, while two remain relatively untouched at present, waiting for films which are slowly coming together. In any case, here is a brief rundown of each era of Star Wars, and a note about when they take place in BBY or ABY.

Dawn of the Jedi

Taking place about 25,000 BBY, the Dawn of the Jedi is the setting for the upcoming film from director James Mangold, which will deal with the founding of the Jedi Order. We know little else about this era in canon aside from the importance of Ahch-to and the possibility that Professor Huyang was present in some form for the Order’s foundation. Whether either element will play a role in the film remains to be seen.

The Old Republic

A period of time from 25,000 BBY to 1000 BBY, The Old Republic is a huge era made up of a vast amount of history we only have hints and pieces of in canon. One of the biggest events is the formation of the Sith Order in roughly 5000 BBY, with many more events associated with their evil in the following millennia. They allied with the Drengir, hunted the Ascendent for their “heretical” ideas, and as the spectre of Darth Bane says, killed each other. We know of several notable Sith from this period, preserved in legends told in the modern galaxy, or through other means like Lord Momin and his mask. Roughly 1000 years before the Battle of Yavin, the Sith were considered destroyed and the Old Republic was reforged into the Galactic Republic. While there currently aren’t any projects set in this era, we might see more storytelling in the near future, if whatever is coming after The High Republic jumps further back in time.

The High Republic

Set between 500 BBY and roughly 100 BBY, The High Republic was an era created from scratch for The High Republic Publishing Initiative. Three Phases of storytelling across books, comics and other media, it has since expanded and become a key part of Star Wars storytelling. This era is marked by renewed expansion from the Galactic Republic into the galactic fringes, while the Jedi are at their prime and are spread across the galaxy in various temples and outposts. The period sees some conflict, such as a series of border skirmishes between the Togruta and the Galactic Republic, and the emergence of the Nihil, but full-scale galactic war does not break out.

Notable Comic: The Blade
Notable Book: Light of the Jedi
Notable Media: Young Jedi Adventures

Fall of the Jedi

Dated between 100 BBY to 19 BBY, this is the period shortly before and during the Prequel films of the Skywalker Saga. This is an era where the Jedi have dramatically insulated themselves from the wider galaxy, and the Galactic Republic has begun to greatly suffer from corruption and a collapse of central power with the rise of corporations. Through the manipulations of Palpatine, and his pawns Maul and Dooku, the Sith begin the Clone Wars to further weaken the Jedi and corrupt them, before Order 66 allows for the rise of the first Galactic Empire. The end of this era is full of stories thanks to The Clone Wars animated show, and countless connected comics, though we’ve also started to see more information about the galaxy in and around The Phantom Menace in recent years.

Notable Comic: Obi-Wan & Anakin
Notable Book: The Living Force
Notable Media: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Reign of the Empire

The Reign of the Empire, also sometimes called the Dark Times, is dated to between 19 BBY and 0 BBY, and follows the rise and expansion of the Galactic Empire across the galaxy. The clone troopers, used by Palpatine to kill the Jedi, are soon discarded for a conscripted military while military leaders like Tarkin consolidate power and spread their doctrines throughout the new Empire.

Darth Vader and the Inquisitors hunt the remaining Jedi, their allies, and other Force sensitives while slowly, in various star systems, the Death Star is built. Thrawn also rises during this period, and proves his skills in service to the Empire. Despite all of this though, there is still resistance and hope, the early flames of rebellion kindled and spread across the galaxy in a scattered network through groups like the Hidden Path, and the covert actions of Ahsoka Tano as Fulcrum. The formation of the Rebel Alliance takes place in the final years of this period, and they help bring it to an end by stealing the plans to the Death Star.

Notable Comic: Darth Vader (2017)
Notable Book: Leia: Princess of Alderaan
Notable Media: Jedi Video Game Series

Age of Rebellion

The period of the Original Trilogy and slightly beyond, the Age of Rebellion lasts from 0 BBY until roughly 5 ABY, ending with the Battle of Jakku. This is the most intensely explored period of galactic history thanks to three films, numerous comic series, novels, and more that show us the course of the Galactic Civil War, as well as its aftermath. Many legendary heroes and villains emerge or fall during this period, while the galaxy undergoes a dramatic and painful transformation in a relatively short period of time. There is also a shakeup of the galactic underworld, leaving openings for new groups to rise into the vacuums being created both by the fall of other crime syndicates, and the collapse of centralized authority.

Notable Comic: Star Wars (2015)
Notable Book: Thrawn Trilogy
Notable Media: Star Wars Outlaws

The New Republic

One of the slower to develop eras in canon, The New Republic lasts from 5 ABY to 34 ABY, and deals with the years after the formation of the New Republic. This is the era of the Mandoverse, with all the shows (as of the start of 2025) being set in the year 9 ABY. The rest of the material in this period is set much further down the line, closer to the Sequel Trilogy, though that is set to change this year. Alex Segura will be writing a new ongoing Star Wars comic for Marvel set after the Battle of Jakku, covering the New Republic at an early period we’ve never seen before. This era is also marked by the slow, secret emergence of the First Order, formed from remnants of the Empire who fled to the Unknown Regions, and an eventual cold war between the New Republic and worlds who broke away to join the First Order. Facing the First Order are the Resistance, a militia operating with the unofficial support of the New Republic, and led by Leia Organa.

Notable Comic: Star Wars (2025)
Notable Book: Bloodline
Notable Media: The Mandalorian

Rise of the First Order

This is the era of the Sequel Trilogy, as the First Order finally makes their move when they believe they will soon have found and eliminated Luke Skywalker as a threat to the plans of their leader, Snoke. They destroy the seat of the New Republic, killing billions, and invading the galaxy though lose their devastating superweapon, Starkiller Base, to a strike by the scrappy Resistance. Rey, a mysterious girl later revealed to be Palpatine’s granddaughter, is trained by Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Jedi, while Kylo Ren, a Dark-side turned Ben Solo, doubts his bond with Snoke, leading to him betraying his mentor.

But when offering Rey the chance to rule at his side, she declines, and he becomes the Supreme Leader of the First Order. But from the Sith world of Exegol, the Final Order emerges, led by the decaying Darth Sidious, who tries to manipulate Rey and Ben as they are part of a Dyad in the Force which he can use to save his failing cloned body. In the end, as a galaxy’s worth of civilian vessels arrive to attack the Final Order fleet, Rey and Ben successfully kill Palpatine for a final time, devastating the Sith and bringing an end to millennia of evil.

Notable Comic: Legacy of Vader (2025)
Notable Book: Black Spire
Notable Media: Star Wars Resistance

New Jedi Order

This period of the timeline is similarly undeveloped as a film, focused on Rey’s Jedi Order, is in development with other possible projects alongside it. We know that the Sith will not be the threat in this film, as the creatives are interested in asking what resistance the Jedi Order might find against their reestablishment. We will have to wait for news out of Star Wars Celebration Japan to learn any new possible details on this era.

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