Sorting out the Star Wars Timeline
Things have gotten very confusing with the Star Wars timeline. After years of material being released, many of them are no longer considered in canon. Once Disney got the rights, they threw out much of the older stuff; the old novels and many of the comics from Dark Horse are now considered an alternate history of the series.
No more Zahn trilogy. No more Dark Empire. No more Boba Fett escaping from the Sarlaac Pit.
The flip side is brand new material coming out to set up the new movies. I started with the beginning of The Phantom Menace as Year 0; many places still have the Battle of Yavin (the end of A New Hope) as key point on the time line and go from there both ways. Here’s a look at what is in canon right now.
Year 0: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (Movie)
Year 0-13: Journeys: Beginnings (Video game, spread over the prequel movies)
Year 10: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (Movie)
Year 10: The Clone Wars (Movie)
Year 10-12: The Clone Wars (TV: 2.16 and 1.16 take place before the Clone Wars movie and the series ends right before Kanan #7-9; click here for the full order of the series)
Year 12: Kanan: The Last Padawan #7-9 (Comic, estimated)
Year 12: Kindred Spirits (Short story)
Year 12-13: Dark Disciple (Book)
Year 12: Darth Maul – Son of Dathomir #1-4 (Comic)
Year 13: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (Movie)
Year 13: Kanan: The Last Padawan #1-5 (Comic)
Year 18: Orientation (Short story)
Year 18: Lords of the Sith (Book)
Year 18: Mercy Mission (Short story)
Year 18: Tarkin (Book)
Year 19: Rise of an Empire (Book)
Year 19: A New Dawn (Book – contains both Tarkin and Rise of the Empire)
Year 21: Star Wars #7 (Comic)
Year 21-37: Lost Stars (Book – runs before, concurrently, and after the original trilogy)
Year 22: The End of History (Short story, estimated)
Year 26-27: Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy (Junior reader book)
Year 27: Rebels: Ghost Raid (Video game)
Year 27: Ezra’s Gamble (Junior reader book)
Year 27: Rebels: Spark of Rebellion (Movie)
Year 27: A New Hero (Young reader book)
Year 27-28: Rebels (TV; for the episode listing, click here)
Year 27: Servants of the Empire: Rebel in the Ranks (Junior reader book)
Year 27: Kallus’ Hunt (Comic)
Year 27: Kanan #6 (Comic)
Year 27: Rebels: Recon Missions (Video game, estimated)
Year 27: Ring Race (Comic, estimated)
Year 27: Learning Patience (Comic, estimated)
Year 27: The Fake Jedi (Comic, estimated)
Year 27: Return of the Slavers (Comic, estimated)
Year 27: Eyes on the Prize (Comic, estimated)
Year 27: Rebels: Rebel Strike (Video game, estimated)
Year 27: Sabotaged Supplies (Comic)
Year 28: Servants of the Empire: Imperial Justice (Junior reader book)
Year 28: Ezra’s Vision (Comic)
Year 28: Rebel Bluff (Short story)
Year 28: Senate Perspective (Comic)
Year 28: Rebels: The Siege of Lothal (Movie)
Year 31: Rogue One (Movie)
Year 32: Episode IV – A New Hope (Movie)
Year 32-37: Battlefront (Video game, spread over the original trilogy)
Year 32: Princess Leia #1-5 (Comic)
Year 32: Smuggler’s Run: A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure (Junior reader book)
Year 32: One Thousand Levels Down (Short story)
Year 32: Chewbacca #1-5 (Comic)
Year 32: Heir to the Jedi (Book)
Year 32: The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure (Junior reader book)
Year 32: Skywalker Strikes #1-6 (Comic)
Year 32: Vader #1-14 (Comic)
Year 32: Star Wars #8-14 (Comic)
Year 32: Vader Down #1 (Comic)
Year 32: Commander (Video game)
Year 33: Battlefront: Twilight Company (Book)
Year 35: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (Movie)
Year 36: Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure (Junior reader book)
Year 36: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (Movie)
Year 36: Blade Squadron (Short story)
Year 36: The Levers of Power (Short story)
Year 36: Shattered Empire #1-4 (Comic)
Year 36: Blade Squadron: Zero Hour (Short story)
Year 36: Lost Stars (Book)
Year 36: Aftermath (Book)
Year 36: Uprising (Video game)
Year 36: C-3PO #1 (Comic)
Year 66: The Force Awakens (Movie)
Year 66: Battlefront (Video game)
Year 66: Uprising (Video game)
Year 66: Bottleneck (Short story, estimated between Y18 and Y21)
Year 66: Servants of the Empire: The Secret Academy (Junior reader book, estimated between Y28 and Y32)
Year 66: Lando #1-5 (Comic, estimated between Y33 and Y35)
Year 66: Last Call at the Zero Angle (Short story, estimated between Y33 and Y35)
Some notes:
The serial series (comics and cartoons) are inter-tangled with other forms of material. Star Wars Wikia have a good run down of where they intersect.
There are a few adaptations of the movies for young readers that aren’t included. Video games based off the movies are also not included.
At this time, we don’t know the placement of Episodes VIII and IX, along with the other anthology films (one is rumored to be a Han Solo prequel). There are also some novels and young/junior reader books coming out in early 2016.
I found this info from various sites; check Star Wars Wikia and Slash Film to see where most of this came from.