Thanks to Lucasfilm’s ongoing anthology series, you probably could’ve guessed where Solo: A Star Wars Story fits into the Star Wars saga with some confidence – somewhere between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, give or take.
But thanks to a newly-unveiled visual timeline from Del Rey Books (h/t /Film), we now know exactly when Ron Howard’s standalone pic transpires.
First up, and as expected, it’s set long after the events of Episode III, but it turns out Solo actually takes place before Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which itself leads straight into A New Hope – quite literally, given the final shot sees a CG-powered Princess Leia in possession of the Death Star plans. Chronologically speaking, Solo: A Star Wars Story is also set before Lucasfilm’s Star Wars Rebels animated series.
Meanwhile, a tie-in novel titled Last Shot: A Han and Lando Novel indicates that Solo will largely revolve around a “mysterious transmitter with unknown power.”
It’s one of the galaxy’s most dangerous secrets: a mysterious transmitter with unknown power and a reward for its discovery that most could only dream of claiming. But those who fly the Millennium Falcon throughout its infamous history aren’t your average scoundrels. Not once, but twice, the crew of the Falcontries to claim the elusive prize—first, Lando Calrissian and the droid L3-37 at the dawn of an ambitious career, and later, a young and hungry Han Solo with the help of his copilot, Chewbacca. But the device’s creator, the volatile criminal Fyzen Gor, isn’t interested in sharing. And Gor knows how to hold a grudge. . . .
Last Shot also leaps forward in time to follow the duo’s exploits beyond Solo: A Star Wars Story, by which point they’ll seemingly cross paths with Fyzen Gor…again.
It’s been ten years since the rebel hero Han Solo last encountered Fyzen Gor. After mounting a successful rebellion against the Empire and starting a family with an Alderaanian princess, Han hasn’t given much thought to the mad inventor. But when Lando turns up at Han’s doorstep in the middle of the night, it’s Fyzen’s assassins that he’s running from. And without Han’s help, Lando—and all life on Cloud City—will be annihilated.
With the assistance of a young hotshot pilot, an Ewok slicer prodigy, the woman who might be the love of Lando’s life, and Han’s best and furriest friend, the two most notorious scoundrels in the New Republic are working together once more. They’ll have to journey across the stars—and into the past—before Gor uses the device’s power to reshape the galaxy.
Expect Solo: A Star Wars Story to see a release on May 25th.