The Star Wars timeline spans thousands of years, with multiple eras of storytelling. However, not every era has faced the same level of narrative exploration.
New movies, shows, games, books, comics, and more are constantly expanding the Star Wars timeline. However, that doesn’t mean every period in the established canon has been covered equally. Keeping that in mind, here’s our ranking of all nine Star Wars eras by their current level of storytelling potential (with space for new stories to be told).
9
Age of Rebellion
Naturally, it follows that the first-ever Star Wars era we saw would have an excess of stories. The Age of Rebellion offered iconic stories, predominantly the original trilogy of films from 1977 and 1983.
However, it’s also been vastly mapped out with tales that have been told between episodes, as well as stories set just before, after, and even during. While stories like comics have added depth to elements like Luke Skywalker’s full Jedi path and the Rebellion’s efforts between Death Stars, the era remains pretty boxed in creatively at this point.
8
The Fall of the Jedi
The Fall of the Jedi is another one of Star Wars’ most developed eras. Featuring the prequels as well as the Clone Wars animated series, so many epic stories have been told during this period.
While new stories can be told (and some currently are), for the most part, there is very little mystery left about the Clone Wars’ trajectory and how it led to the Jedi Order’s downfall, as we see in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. While there’s supposedly room for more character-focused stories, it doesn’t seem like this era’s overall narrative has very many large-scale surprises left.
7
Rise of the First Order
The Rise of the First Order covers the years seen in Disney’s sequel trilogy between 2015-2019. While the era has primarily been explored on screen, there have also been several tie-in materials with books, comics, and shows like Star Wars: Resistance.
In their own way, each of these connected stories has helped fill in the gaps with narratives like how the First Order came to power, Palpatine’s hidden resurrection on Exegol, as well as Ben Solo’s fall to the dark side and transformation into Kylo Ren.
That said, there is still a degree of room for new stories, just like we’re seeing with the current comic series Legacy of Vader, detailing Ben Solo’s journey between The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker.
6
The High Republic
A newer Star Wars era that first debuted as a major publishing initiative, The High Republic offered vast new territory with brand-new Jedi Knights, all-new threats like the Nihil, and fascinating galactic politics in an earlier era initially defined as a golden age of prosperity and peace, hundreds of years before the prequel films.
Beyond the multiple phases of novels and comics published since 2021, The High Republic Era is best known for The Acolyte series, Disney Junior’s animated series Young Jedi Adventures, as well as the upcoming game Star Wars: Eclipse (which has been in development since 2021 as well).
Although the books and comics have somewhat petered out with their recently concluded third and seemingly final phase that was originally planned (and The Acolyte’s cancellation), there seems to be more room in this era compared to the previous three periods.
5
Reign of the Empire
The Reign of the Empire is the 19-year era sitting between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. It’s one of the most fascinating and richest eras of Star Wars storytelling, featuring projects like Star Wars Rebels, Kenobi, The Bad Batch, Rogue One, and the critically acclaimed series Andor.
This era allows for truly compelling stories about oppression, resistance, and the evolving structure of the Empire at its peak amid the ever-growing sparks of Rebellion as Palpatine’s regime continues to tighten its grip.
Combined with some of the best books and novels covering the earliest days of Darth Vader’s dark side development, uniting Rebel cells, Jedi survivors, and corrupt politics all offer strong narrative opportunities.
This era thrives as it becomes a dynamic bridge between the first two Star Wars trilogies. While it may seem fuller due to all the recent stories that have been told over the last few years, there’s still a fair amount of narrative potential here.
4
The New Republic
The New Republic era has been explored in shows like The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and Skeleton Crew.
As we’re actively seeing, this period between the original trilogy and the sequels holds enormous potential, a key time of transition and rebuilding for the galaxy after the defeat of the Empire. While there is a mapped endpoint with The Force Awakens, there’s still 30 years between that movie and the preceding 1983’s Return of the Jedi.
With new movies and shows on the way like The Mandalorian and Grogu, Ahsoka season 2, an untitled movie from Dave Filoni, and more, the New Republic is definitely was of the most exciting eras right now with a lot of clear potential in the eyes of Lucasfilm.
3
The New Jedi Order
The New Jedi Order era marks the future of Star Wars after the sequel trilogy. This is one of the most exciting eras because almost nothing has been established thus far, and it’s also the furthest along the known timeline.
All we really know right now is that Rey Skywalker will be attempting to rebuild the Jedi Order in an in-development movie from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. This should provide exciting opportunities to redefine the Jedi for a new age, expanding what the Jedi can be for a new Star Wars galaxy.
We also have another post-sequel trilogy movie currently in production and set to release in 2027. Directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, Matt Smith, and Mia Goth, Star Wars: Starfighter is also set to give us our first look at the galaxy following Palpatine’s true demise and the end of the First Order.
As such, The New Jedi Order is quite the blank slate (which is super exciting).
2
Dawn of the Jedi
Going in the opposite direction with Star Wars’ earliest period (25,000 years before the prequels), the Dawn of the Jedi will explore the earliest origins of the Force and the First Jedi.
Almost no canonical material currently exists, allowing creatives like director James Mangold considerable freedom to define early cultures and conflicts in his Dawn of the Jedi movie (currently in development), without worrying about running up against established canon issues.
The foundations and origins of both the dark side and the light can offer endless narrative depth, making the Dawn of the Jedi era as a whole one of the most exciting periods to be explored in the near future of the franchise.
1
The Old Republic
The Old Republic stands as the era with the greatest story potential in the entire Star Wars timeline. With millennia of history, thousands of Jedi and Sith, massive wars, and legendary figures, it contains an unmatched narrative space in the canon, with so many epic events and characters that can be pulled from non-canon pre-Disney stories now known as Legends.
Whether it’s Lucasfilm adapting Legends material or forging new paths, it’s truly remarkable how much The Old Republic Era remains untouched since Disney purchased the franchise in 2012, especially considering how popular it still is today (despite 99% of it being non-canonical).
The Jedi Order is at its height, the Sith remain numerous pre-Rule of Two, and the galaxy is filled with unexplored worlds and rising tensions. Star Wars fans have long waited for an official return to the Old Republic era, and its vast storytelling canvas practically guarantees it can remain one of Star Wars’ most fertile narrative grounds for years.
- Cast
-
Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
-
The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Movie(s)
-
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Character(s)
-
Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
Source link
Add Comment