Star Wars Timeline: From The Phantom Menace to Rise of Skywalker

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A Star Wars timeline

Lucasfilm; David James/Lucasfilm; Space Frontiers/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Rogue One takes place about two decades after the events depicted in Revenge of the Sith and just before those in A New Hope — which means 11 years after the Gorse Conflict and four before Operation Cinder. Yes, the Star Wars timeline is complicated, but, ahead of The Rise of Skywalker, we’ve plotted the essential points for you here, using the Blockade of Naboo as Year Zero.

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Founding of the Galactic Republic

Lucasfilm

The democratic Galactic Republic, led by an elected Supreme Chancellor and supported by the Jedi Order, governs the galaxy through a thousand-year era of peace and prosperity.

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Blockade of Naboo

Lucasfilm

Senator Palpatine of Naboo (a.k.a. Darth Sidious) secretly orchestrates the Trade Federation’s invasion of his homeworld.

—As seen in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

Continued on next slide.

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Fated meeting

Everett Collection

Qui-Gon Jinn, Jar Jar Binks, astromach droid R2-D2, and Princess Padmé Amidala (ruler of Naboo in disguise) land on the planet Tatooine to repair their ship after escaping the Federation's blockade. They meet a young boy named Anakin, whom Qui-Gon believes is the prophesied “Chosen One” who will bring balance to the Force.

—As seen in The Phantom Menace.

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Gungans vs. Droids

Everett Collection

In an effort to regain control of Naboo, Padmé aligned herself with the Gungans to face the Trade Federation’s droid army in battle, while she and the Jedi fought to capture Viceroy Nute Gunray. Though the fighting claimed the life of Qui-Gon, Anakin, piloting a fighter ship with droid R2-D2, is able to destroy the Federation’s ship from within, dismantling the droids on the battlefield.

—As seen in The Phantom Menace.

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Senator Palpatine rises

Lucasfilm

The Galactic Senate passes a vote of no confidence on the sitting chancellor Finis Valorum. Palpatine succeeds him as Supreme Chancellor.

—As seen in The Phantom Menace.

Continued on next slide.

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Mon Mothma Elected Senator

Lucasfilm LFL 2016

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Count Dooku joins the separatists

Lucasfilm/Courtesy Everett Collection

Under the supervision of his master, Sidious, Count Dooku (Darth Tyranus) stirs up discontent and sets the stage for the Separatist Crisis by creating a competing government: the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

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Military Creation Act

Lucasfilm

The Senate votes to give Palpatine emergency military powers, which he uses to build a clone army, created from the DNA of the mercenary Jango Fett.

—As seen in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones.

Continued on next slide.

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The Grand Army of the Republic

Lucasfilm

The Republic’s clone army, under the leadership of Jedi generals, faces off against the Separatists’ drones. The relationship between the clones and Jedi, who are used to working independently, slowly sours.

—As seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

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Anakin takes Ahsoka Tano as apprentice

Lucasfilm

—As seen in The Clone Wars.

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The Siege of Mandalore

Lucasfilm

In one of the final battles at the tail end of The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi who left the Order, led a Republic squadron to rid the planet Mandalore of Darth Maul's influence. The epic skirmish that ensued led to a lightsaber duel between Ahsoka and Maul, who had intended to lay a trap for Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had chopped Maul in half years earlier. However, Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker were called away to fight in the Battle of Coruscant. Maul was eventually captured, but Ahsoka released him to cause a diversion during the chaos of Order 66.

— As seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7.

Continued on next slide.

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The rise of Darth Vader

Lucasfilm

Anakin Skywalker discovers Palpatine’s true identity as a Sith Lord and backs him instead of the Jedi Masters who intended to arrest the duplicitous chancellor.

—As seen in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

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Order 66

Lucasfilm

Palpatine announces he has uncovered a plot by the Jedi to overthrow the Senate and activates Clone Protocol 66, an order implanted in the clone troopers to shoot down their Jedi commanders, including the young Padawan.

—As seen in Revenge of the Sith.

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Birth of the Galactic Empire

Lucasfilm

Palpatine reorganizes the Republic into the Galactic Empire, a “safe and securer society,” and pronounces himself Emperor.

—As seen in Revenge of the Sith.

Continued on next slide.

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Birth of Luke and Leia

Padmé Amidala dies in childbirth after delivering twins fathered by Anakin (now Darth Vader). Bail Organa adopts the girl, and Obi-Wan Kenobi takes the boy to Tatooine, where he is raised by Anakin’s stepbrother Owen Lars.

—As seen in Revenge of the Sith.

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Loyalists senators unite

Lucasfilm

Senators Mon Mothma and Bail Organa are disturbed by the founding of the Empire and begin to meet in secret to discuss Emperor Palpatine.

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The Great Jedi Purge

Lucasfilm

Vader leads Inquisitors trained in the Force to wipe out remaining Jedi who escaped Order 66.

—As seen in Star Wars: Rebels.

Continued on next slide.

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Project Harvester

Lucasfilm

The Inquisitors, under direction from the Empire, begin efforts to kidnap young, Force-sensitive beings and convert them into Imperial operatives.

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Cal Kestis

Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts

Cal Kestis, a young padawan who survived Order 66, is exposed on the planet Bracca. Hunted by the Inquisitors, Cal joins forces with former Jedi knight Cere Junda, pilot Greez Dritus, droid BD-1, and Dathomirian Nightsister Merrin on the Mantis ship. Together, they hope to rebuild the Jedi Order by locating a hidden holocron containing the names of Force-sensitive children.

—As seen in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

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Ryloth Insurgency

Lucasfilm

The leader of the Twi’lek Resistance, Cham Syndulla, tries and fails to kill Vader and the Emperor after luring them to the planet Ryloth.

Continued on next slide.

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Separatists worlds rebel

The ex-Republic Intelligence agent Berch Teller attempts to betray the Empire from within but is foiled by Tarkin, whom the Emperor rewards with a promotion to Grand Moff and a new role supervising the construction of a superweapon above Geonosis.

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Galen Erso taken by the Empire

Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm

Orson Krennic captures scientist Galen Erso, an expert in crystallography, to use kyber crystals in the construction of the Death Star.

—As seen in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

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Escape from Corellia

Lucasfilm

A young Han and his childhood friend Qi’ra attempt to escape Corellia and their servitude with the White Worms criminal organization. Qi’ra is left behind, but Han, buying his way on an outbound transport, inevitably enrolls in the Imperial Navy and adopts the name “Solo,” being that he has no family.

—As seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Continued on next slide.

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The Gorse Conflict

Lucasfilm/Disney XD

Unsafe conditions in the mining world of Gorse and its moon Cynda force Kanan Jarrus (a Jedi survivor of Order 66) to take a stand against the Empire. He teams up with the pilot Hera Syndulla, daughter of Cham.

—As seen in Star Wars: Rebels.

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The Kessel Run

Lucasfilm

Han makes the Kessel Run in approximately 12 parsecs to avoid Imperial forces after stealing unrefined coaxium from the mining planet for the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate, which counts Qi'ra as a member.

—As seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

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Lothal Rebels unite

Lucasfilm/Disney XD

A cell of Resistance fighters on the Outer Rim planet Lothal bands together and calls itself the Spectres, operating out of Hera’s Ghost ship. Kanan Jarrus leads Jedi apprentice Ezra Bridger, the Mandalorian Sabine Wren, and the Lasat warrior Garazeb Orrelios in various plots against the Empire.

—As seen in Star Wars: Rebels.

Continued on next slide.

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Alderaan assists Ghost Team

Lucasfilm/Disney XD

Bail Organa, working with his old Senate friends to undermine the Empire, sends his daughter, Princess Leia, to assist the Lothal rebels.

—As seen in Star Wars: Rebels.

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The Fulcrum revealed

Lucasfilm/Disney XD

Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan, reveals herself as the mysterious Fulcrum, who has been feeding information to Ghost Team on behalf of the Rebellion.

—As seen in Star Wars: Rebels.

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Imperial Senate dissolved

Lucasfilm

The Emperor dissolves the Senate, the last functioning remnant of the Republic, and moves to centralize powers under the planetary Governors.

Continued on next slide.

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Rebels steal Death Star blueprints

Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm

A strike team of Rebel forces, led by Jyn Erso (daughter of Galen Erso), infiltrates a key Imperial military base on the tropical planet Scarif and steals the blueprints for the Death Star. The team is killed in a massive explosion, but they are able to transmit the blueprints to Princess Leia Organa, giving the Rebels an edge in the coming war. Darth Vader pursues and commandeers Leia’s ship, but not before she hides the Death Star plans with R2-D2, sending the droid and its companion C-3PO to Tatooine.

—As seen in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

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The Battle of Yavin

Lucasfilm

After rescuing Leia from the Death Star, Luke and Han Solo take down the superweapon in the first major victory for the Rebellion.

—As seen in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.

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Construction of the second Death Star begins

Lucasfilm

Continued on next slide.

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Battle on Hoth

Lucasfilm

The Empire tracks down Rebel forces to a secret frozen base on the ice planet Hoth. Han, Luke, and Leia are forced to split up in the aftermath.

—As seen in Star Wars: Episode VI - The Empire Strikes Back.

Account

'A long time ago': A Star Wars timeline

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A Star Wars timeline

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Founding of the Galactic Republic

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Blockade of Naboo

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Fated meeting

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Gungans vs. Droids

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Senator Palpatine rises

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Mon Mothma Elected Senator

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Count Dooku joins the separatists

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Military Creation Act

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The Grand Army of the Republic

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Anakin takes Ahsoka Tano as apprentice

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The Siege of Mandalore

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The rise of Darth Vader

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Order 66

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Birth of the Galactic Empire

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Birth of Luke and Leia

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Loyalists senators unite

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The Great Jedi Purge

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Project Harvester

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Cal Kestis

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Ryloth Insurgency

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Separatists worlds rebel

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Galen Erso taken by the Empire

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Escape from Corellia

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The Gorse Conflict

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The Kessel Run

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