Summary
- The Star Wars canon timeline is missing a significant era, which covers thousands of years and has not been explored in the new timeline.
- It is speculated that Lucasfilm may be saving this era for a revival, either by reworking it to fit into canon or generating interest for new stories in that era.
- Until this era is explored, it will remain a major gap in the Star Wars canon timeline, giving Disney and Lucasfilm the freedom to use or ignore it as they please.
The official Star Wars Canon timeline continues to expand rapidly, but a large storytelling gap has yet to be filled. Before Lucasfilm rebranded the Expanded Universe as Legends in 2014, the Star Wars timeline covered thousands of years with an enormous catalog of books, comics, and video games to fill in the gaps between stories. When there was no complete story to fill the gap, reference books and articles added new information to make the timeline more cohesive. Disney has done an impressive job expanding the Star Wars franchise less than ten years after creating the new timeline, but one storytelling era remains untouched.
The official eras of the Star Wars canon timeline were revealed at Star Wars Celebration 2023, as well as when the upcoming Star Wars movies will take place. James Mangold’s Star Wars movie will take place in the “Dawn of the Jedi” era, a title previously used in the Legends timeline and set 25,000 years before A New Hope. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Star Wars movie will focus on Rey during the “New Jedi Order” era, while The Mandalorian and its upcoming film are set in “The New Republic.” Among the nine Star Wars canon eras defined by Lucasfilm, only one lacks any current or scheduled stories.
Star Wars’ Timeline Highlights A Gap In The Old Republic Era
“The Old Republic” is currently the most glaring unfilled portion of the Star Wars canon timeline. James Mangold’s “Dawn of the Jedi” movie takes place around 25,000 BBY, and the earliest entry in “The High Republic” era is in 382 BBY. In the Legends timeline, “The Old Republic” era was 5,000 BBY to 1,000 BBY, meaning there are at least 4,000 years worth of stories to be told in canon. Of course, “The Old Republic” timeline has not been strictly defined, with Star Wars: Timelines labeling 26,000 BBY – 501 BBY as “Early History” so “The Old Republic” era could be much longer in Star Wars canon.
Is Lucasfilm Saving The Old Republic For A KOTOR Revival?
The missing gap in the Star Wars timeline could imply that Lucasfilm is saving “The Old Republic” for a revival of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. While the original KotOR video game is set in the Legends continuity, Lucasfilm could rework the story to fit into Star Wars canon. Alternatively, the KotOR remake’s success could generate interest for new tales in “The Old Republic” era, so Lucasfilm may be waiting for the right time to fill the gap. Until then, “The Old Republic” will remain a massive gap in the Star Wars canon timeline, free for Disney and Lucasfilm to use or ignore as they see fit.