Star Wars: Disney+ Reveals Entire Franchise Timeline

For some Star Wars fans, the timeline of the entire franchise is something they know better than actual history, but in case you can't quite remember where all 11 films, three animated series, and the live-action series fit in relation to one another, Disney+ has released a new timeline that will help those unfamiliar with the course of events remember the details of the sprawling saga. The release of this updated timeline coincides with this Friday's launch of the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, while the timeline also notes that both Solo: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be heading to the streaming service soon.

For a substantial part of the franchise's existence, keeping track of the course of events was an easy affair. While it was clear that there was more to the overall story, the original film landed in theaters merely as "Star Wars," not earning the Episode IV or A New Hope titles until 1981, as the release of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back confirmed that it was the fifth episode of a long-running adventure. The release of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi solidified the series as a trilogy, though things changed slightly in the late '90s when Lucasfilm began to roll out the prequel trilogy, complicating timelines for the more casual fans.

The debut of The Clone Wars in 2008 really began to complicate things, as the animated series ran for multiple years, yet reportedly took place in between the events of two prequel films. Star Wars Rebels' 2014 debut also caused some complications, as that series tying more closely to the events of A New Hope resulted in some confusion among younger audiences.

Things have only gotten more confusing in recent years, due not only to the debut of the sequel trilogy, but also because of the release of the series' first standalone films. Part of the joys of these spinoff films is an audience isn't required to have seen any Star Wars films to enjoy them, yet these adventures obviously appeal more to established fans, forcing some to remember where to place Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Solo in the overall timeline.

Last year saw the debut of The Mandalorian, a seemingly straightforward endeavor that took place after the events of Return of the Jedi, though the main character's resemblance to Boba Fett, who died in Return of the Jedi, sparked its fair share of confusion among those who weren't experts in the overall timeline.

Hopefully the above timeline helps to clarify the complicated chain of events ahead of the release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars this Friday.

Are you looking forward to the new episodes? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!