Summary
TheStar Warstimeline and calendar has always been a bit confusing, but there’s now a canon explanation for using BBY and ABY as its main distinction.TheStar Warstimelineuses a peculiar dating system, one that resembles the real-world equivalent of BCE and CE, where a single event separated the halves of the calendar. TheStar Warsversion centers around the Battle of Yavin, when Luke Skywalker destroyed the Death Star in the originalStar Wars, which was later retitledA New Hope. Thus,theStar Warscalendaris separated into BBY and ABY, or before and after the Battle of Yavin.
Using the Battle of Yavin has always made sense from an outside perspective, as it was the climax ofA New Hopeand the beginning of the entire franchise. Within the galaxy far, far away, however, using BBY and ABY doesn’t seem as straightforward. There were thousands of years ofStar Warshistory beforeA New Hopeand even before theStar Warsmoviesin general, and plenty of monumental battles, moments, and events that could have separated the calendar. Luckily, a canon book has finally addressed why the Battle of Yavin has become so important to theStar Warstimeline.
The Galactic Empire Timeline Explained: The Dark Times, The Rebellion, & The Galactic Civil War
The Empire was the backdrop for much of the world-building in the original Star Wars trilogy, but what did the regime’s reign really look like?
There’s An In-Universe Debate About The Star Wars Timeline Too
Chris Kempshall’s book, “Star Wars The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire,” serves as an in-universe account of the history ofStar Wars, written by an in-universe historian. Though Kempshall wrote the book in real life, it was supposedly written by Dr. Beaumont Kin, a historian introduced inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. As a definitive history book,The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empiredelved quite deeply into the galaxy’s history.One passage from the book revealed that the choice to use the Battle of Yavin as the basis ofStar Wars' calendar also caused some in-universe confusion and debate among historians.
“When it comes to chronicling the events of the Empire’s lifespan, there has long been a divide and debate among historians regarding dating conventions. Some have favored a calendar which takes the birth of the Empire as a starting point. Others have preferred to have their ‘before’ and ‘after’ periods around the Battle of Endor and the - apparently first - death of Palpatine.”
As Kempshall and Kin noted, some historians chose other moments to use as their division between old and new. There are countless examples that could have been the basis of the calendar just as effectively as the Battle of Yavin, such as the formation of the Empire afterOrder 66, the Battle of Endor, or even the Battle of Jakku, when the Galactic Civil War officially ended.Star Warshistorians clearly had differing opinions, but the Battle of Yavin evidently won out. Luckily,The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empirealso explained why that moment was chosen instead of others.
Beaumont Kin Explains Why He Views BBY & ABY As The Best Explanation
After explaining how other historians viewed theStar Warscalendar differently, Beaumont Kin went on to explain why he chose the Battle of Yavin instead of other viable alternatives.
“I understand both of these approaches but have not utilized either. As my research progressed, it became increasingly clear that the history and activities of the Empire could be split into two different sections. Those before the emergence of the Death Star and its destruction at Yavin and those afterward. While the Empire was never truly ‘at peace,’ the onset of the Galactic Civil War greatly accelerated many aspects of its rule and the ways in which it would interact with - and often murder - its own citizens. Therefore, I have come to favor a dating system that highlights the years before the Battle of Yavin (BBY) and those that came after (ABY). I have no doubt that this will produce the sort of stringent debate from both my colleagues and other readers which often accompanies such decisions.”
Based on Kin’s argument for BBY and ABY, it seems clear that the Battle of Yavin was the natural choice to base theStar Warscalendar on.The formation and collapse of the Empire were both important moments, but the Galactic Civil War was the true turning point of galactic history, and the Battle of Yavin was the true turning point of the war. Kin mentioned that the Empire’s behavior changed drastically with the creation and destruction of the Death Star, but the Battle of Yavin also cemented the Rebel Alliance as a legitimate threat to the Empire’s reign.
The Battle of Yavin also beat its competition in one key way. The beginning and end of the Empire were both quite gradual. Palpatine worked for decades to destroy the Jedi and the Republic, and the Empire didn’t come into its full power until years later. Additionally, though the Emperor died at the Battle of Endor, the war lasted another year, until the Battle of Jakku.The Empire didn’t have a clear, easily dated beginning and end, but the Death Star was revealed and destroyed in a matter of days. That made the Battle of Yavin a much more precise moment to base a calendar around.
The Battle of Jakku has not been depicted in a Star Wars movie or show yet, but was featured heavily in the “Aftermath” trilogy of books and the video game “Star Wars Battlefront II.”
How Would Other Approaches Differ?
While it may seem like an arbitrary choice, the event that split theStar Warscalendar was quite important. Whatever event was chosen would instantly be given more importance, and it would center that moment as the most pivotal event in all of galactic history.Using the Proclamation of a New Order, when Palpatine declared himself Emperor, would have centered him in Galactic history. Similarly, using Palpatine’s death at the Battle of Endor would have been a signal that he was the most important figure in history. The Battle of Yavin, however, signified that the Rebel Alliance was more important and worthy of remembering than the Emperor.
On top of its symbolic importance, the central date ofStar Wars' calendar defined how the entire time period was viewed.Using an event focused on Palpatine would have made him a stand-in for the entire Empire, and essentially showed that he “restarted” Galactic history. That was likely how the debate about the calendar began, as Palpatine would have loved to view himself as the beginning of a new era of history and could have actually created a new calendar centered around himself. Additionally, either of those options would have minimized the countless villains who made the Empire possible, from Grand Moff Tarkin to Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious
The senator for Naboo, Palpatine rose to power and influence during the dying days of the Republic. In reality, his public persona was just a mask; he was really Darth Sidious, greatest of the Sith Lords, and he used his political skills and Machiavellian cunning to bring down both the Republic and the Jedi. Palpatine ruled his Galactic Empire for decades, until he was betrayed by his apprentice, Darth Vader. Even this wasn’t enough to stop the Emperor, however, as he was resurrected by his followers - only to be defeated once again.
While the Battle of Yavin may not be the most intuitive way to delineate the halves of theStar Warscalendar, it was probably the best. It centered the discussion of Galactic history around the Rebellion and the people of the galaxy rather than the Empire. It doesn’t, however, present the same unified history of the Galactic Empire as the other options would have, as they would have kept the entirety of the Empire within the same half of the calendar. There isn’t a perfect way to separate theStar Warstimeline, but there is at least a canon explanation for using the Battle of Yavin.
Purchase Chris Kempshall’s “Star Wars The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire” on Amazon
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
