Introduction

Star Wars has a long history of media all the way from Splinter of the Mind’s Eye to The High Republic. Many incredible stories, such as Legacy of the Force, Truce at Bakura, Lost Stars, and more are sadly locked in two completely disconnected parallel universes. After watching this fan film I began to think about a way to bridge every single piece of content into one split timeline.

If you are familiar with the Legend of Zelda you are familiar with the nonsense that is the Zelda timeline. Example here if you are not. Essentially, three timelines were created off of one game, pivoting on the hero’s success, failure, and time travel escapades.

My goal with this ongoing project is to draw a completely unnecessary timeline of all Star Wars content, past and present, in a multi-split timeline theory. For now I will just be focused on the Adult Novel timelines and then will work on how everything fits into there.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for various Legends and Canon material!

Prologue, Where are the pivot points?

There are two distinct Star Wars universes. The first is Legends, previously known as the Expanded Universe(EU). The second is Canon, or as some insist on calling it, the Disney Canon(DC). Both universes share a common history in the original Complete Saga, Episode 1-6.

Following these fixed points in time, the quest of this project is to figure out the pivot points that drive time from these films into either EU or DC territory. With that being said, there have to be at least 13 pivot points throughout the Star Wars Timeline.

• The Creation of the Star Wars Universe

• Pre The Phantom Menace

• Post The Phantom Menace

• Pre Attack of the Clones

• Post Attach of the Clones

• Pre Revenge of the Sith

• Post Revenge of the Sith

• Pre A New Hope

• Post A New Hope

• Pre The Empire Strikes Back

• Post The Empire Strikes Back

• Pre Return of the Jedi

• Post Return of the Jedi

When dealing with these pivot points the question we must answer is what events, decisions, or circumstances would cause the timeline to diverge and then converge again. If indeed, for the sake of this project, we believe that all of Star Wars takes place in the same universe, just separate timelines, what cosmic happenstances would Force the stream of time to fracture as it does?

Part 1, The Creation of the Star Wars Universe

The start of this universe we all hold near and dear to our hearts is the first of seven fixed points in our timeline. While the DC does not state how the Universe began, we are going to assume it is the same as the EU, A Big Bang. The main point of divergence is as follows…

The First Sentient Life Form

In the EU the first sentient life form emerges on Goroth Prime
In the DC the first sentient life form emerges on the Planet Crul

Scientifically there can be many many many reasons why the timelines split at this point. Perhaps an asteroid barely missed a proto-planet after The Big Bang, or more mystical, the Force attempted to control the creation of life and inadvertently allowed two timelines to form. The biggest issue with trying to solve this specific divergence is how little information we have about the creation of the universe from either DC or EU. Until new information is available, all that is left to us is speculation.

The two timelines continue to progress, blissfully unaware of each other. As much as things are different, the will of the Force creates some very similar things.

• The Force itself is discovered by the inhabitants of the universe.
• A group of individuals, devoted to the Light Side of the Force, begin to form and learn about the Force and its will.
• A group of individuals, devoted to the Dark Side of the Force, begin to form and use the Force for selfish intentions.
• Hyperspace Travel is discovered.
• A Republic is formed with their capital on the Inner Rim Planet of Curascant.
• Reven exists in both timelines in some capacity. While much more prevalent in the EU, he still exists by name in the DC.

As time travels in through the Old Republic of the EU and the High Republic of the DC, eventually the timelines converge on the second fixed point in time, The Phantom Menace.

Part 2, Pre The Phantom Menace

“The Jedi Order’s problem is Yoda. No being can wield that kind of power for centuries without becoming complacent at best or corrupt at worst. He has no idea that it’s overtaken him; he no longer sees all the little cumulative evils that the Republic tolerates and fosters, from slavery to endless wars, and he never asks, “why are we not acting to stop this?” Live alongside corruption for too long and you no longer notice the stench. The Jedi cannot help the slaves of Tatooine, but they can help the slavemasters.” -Count Dooku (Star Wars: The Clone Wars Novelization, 2008, EU)

While tackling this first converging of the timelines I had to assess what things were different at what things stayed the same. Through my research, I believe that the pivot point in the Pre TPM time in Count Dooku, Son of Serenno.

Dooku’s stories in time begin rather differently:

In the EU Dooku was discovered by the Jedi Order in much the same way most Younglings were found. He grew up in the Temple not caring about his origin, landing himself at the tutelage of Jedi Master Thame Cerulian.

In the DC Dooku was abandoned by his parents and cast off on the Jedi because of his Force abilities. Dooku discovered the truth of his abandonment and it became a huge part of his identity. Dooku was later chosen by Jedi Master Yoda to be his apprentice, which made Dooku very proud.

While there are many differences in events and in dates, what stays the same in either timeline regarding Dooku’s history is his choice to teach Jedi Padawan Qui-Gon Jinn. In the EU this occurs in 66BBY, yet in the DC this occurs in 68BBY. Either way, this occurs, and this is our pivot point that drove the timelines back together: Dooku’s decision to train Qui-Gon.

This is how the events of The Phantom Menace are put into motion. With this decision, Qui-Gon is placed on a path to eventually train Obi-Wan Kenobi, travel to Naboo to discuss a trade dispute, find a vergence in the Force on Tatooine, and die on Naboo to a deadly Zabrak.

Part 3, Post The Phantom Menace

As the events of The Phantom Menace come to a close the timelines once again split. Divergences are much more difficult to pinpoint. What could exactly happen that would cause a timeline to diverge after this fixed event? When did it happen? How long after the events of the film did the timeline split in two? Does the fixed point in time only stretch as far as the film does?

My postulate is that the timeline divergence hinges on Syfo-Dyas. Is he dead or is he alive?

As seen in the image above Syfo-Dyas is alive towards the end of the Clone Wars in the DC timeline, yet Syfo-Dyas was killed in 32BBY (the same year TPM takes place) according to the accounts of the EU timeline. What if, Dooku (yes, him again) was met with a choice in that same year to kill Syfo-Dyas or lock him up, and the timeline splits based on that decision.

If Dooku chooses to spare Syfo-Dyas’ life, then the timeline branches off into the DC material. Specifically, the Comic-Book of Obi-Wan training Anakin.

If Dooku chooses to kill Syfo-Dyas, then the timeline branches off into the EU material. Specifically the Jedi Quest books, Rogue Planet, and The Approaching Storm.

These two timelines continue on. Anakin learns to become a Jedi under the training of Kenobi, yet the specific details of their journeys are different. In the EU timeline, Anakin returns to Pod-Racing. In the DC timeline, Obi-Wan and Anakin embark mission to Dallenor. There are many other differences, yet not much happens between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones in either timeline. For having 10 years in between them, it’s a history dark zone. We can now move on then to what would make the timelines converge once again.

Part 4, Pre Attack of the Clones

To Be Continued…

Last: February 17, 2021