Summary
A new fan-madeStar Warstimeline really is the most impressive - and creative - one I’ve ever seen. Although most viewers think ofStar Warsas a film franchise, in reality there’s always been so much more to it than that; it’s the ultimate transmedia franchise, where comics and novels, computer games and TV shows are all just as important as the films themselves. TheStar Warsmovies and TV showsare just the tip of the iceberg, and they hop around the timeline with impunity. That can make it pretty challenging to navigate them.
Step forward Dakota fromGeekritique, who I consider one of the best fan chronologists I’ve ever had the privilege to cross paths with. He’s created a phenomenalStar Warstimeline, the largest project he’s ever worked on, and he’s rendered it in a unique way;as a timesaber.
Incredibly, even this does not includeeverythingthat’sStar Warscanon; there’s simply too much content for that. Dakota has had to forego short stories, short story anthologies, short comics, children’s picture books, and choose-your-own-adventure novels.That decision was understandable given the desire to create a single visual timeline.
This Is The Best Tool I’ve Seen To Date
Disney effectively rebooted theStar Warscanon in May 2014, when the House of Mouse chose to brand the old Expanded Universe - all the old tie-ins - non-canon. Since then, though, canon has grown again at a phenomenal rate. Disney has transformedStar Warsinto a true transmedia initiative, with stories weaving between different mediums. Dakota’s timesaber is releasing just over a decade into the new canon, and it’s striking how much content there is to navigate.
I grew up with the old Expanded Universe (now dubbed “Legends”), but I used Disney’s relaunch as an opportunity to really reconnect with the franchise in every medium. That means I’m familiar with most of the content in Dakota’s timesaber, and indeed have attempted to create my own timelines. I have a copy of Lucasfilm’s officialStar Wars: Timelinesbook, which I simply adore, but it has one flaw; it’s simply a chronology of events, and it doesn’t have references. That makes it a fun read, butnot a helpful timeline if you want to dig into the stories themselves.
All this means I have some idea just how much work Dakota has put into this project. Just figuring out the timeline will have been hard work, while Dakota is to be commended on the creative approach he’s taken in rendering it. This really is the bestStar Warstimelineto date, one that will surely prove invaluable to anyone invested in the chronology.
