Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Tie-In Novel Reveals Official New Timeline

Let it be known that ‘Starkiller Incident’ has become the new anchor point for Lucasfilm’s entire Star Wars saga. Or so says the newly-released Visual Dictionary for The Rise of Skywalker.

To add some context to the events of the Sequel Trilogy – and, more specifically, to ground them in the same timeline as their cinematic predecessors – Episode IX’s tie-in novel lists both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi as ‘0ASI.’ Which is to say that each film took place within the same year as the Starkiller Incident.

That’s already public knowledge, given Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi picks up mere moments after The Force Awakens left off, but this Visual Dictionary puts the remainder of the series – that is, Episodes I through IX – into perspective. You’ll also notice that Lucasfilm’s two Anthology films (see: Rogue One and Solo: A Star Wars Story) are placed in what is sure to be the definitive timeline for the Star Wars movies.

• Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace – 66BSI
• Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones – 56BSI
• Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – 53BSI
• Solo: A Star Wars Story – 44BSI
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story/A New Hope – 34BSI
• The Empire Strikes Back – 31BSI
• Return of the Jedi – 30BSI
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens/Star Wars: The Last Jedi – 0ASI
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – 1ASI

So, the Star Wars timeline has essentially been split into two camps: everything that occurred after Starkiller Incident, and everything that came before. If nothing else, it’s nice to have an official timeline down on paper, one which recounts all of the major cinematic events that have shaped this galaxy far, far away.

For all the hype and excitement that preceded Episode IX – and with it, the final chapter in the story of Skywalker – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has struggled to hit the dizzying heights of its predecessors (see: The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens) in terms of box office totals. It’ll still pass that all-important the $1 billion mile marker by Saturday, but it’s a long way away from the $2 billion cume of Episode VII.