Star Wars Reveals New Timeline Order for 27 Movies & TV Shows

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As a huge Star Wars fan, I was really excited to see the updated timeline of movies and shows! They finally clarified where the new series, Maul – Shadow Lord, fits in. We knew it would be set during the early days of the Empire, but there was always a bit of a gap in Maul’s story between The Clone Wars and Rebels. Now, Star Wars has officially told us exactly where Maul – Shadow Lord falls in relation to everything else, which is fantastic for keeping the chronology straight!

The official Star Wars website has been updated to include the comic series Maul – Shadow Lord in its official timeline of events. The update clarifies exactly when Shadow Lord takes place in relation to other canon stories (excluding books), showing where it fits chronologically.

The comic series Maul – Shadow Lord takes place during the time the Empire is rising to power, which fans expected since it’s set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Specifically, it’s set relatively early in the Empire’s reign. It’s one of thirteen projects exploring this era, and chronologically, it’s the fourth story in that series.

We also learned that the new series, Shadow Lord, will be set in the timeline between The Bad Batch and the video game Jedi: Fallen Order. If you haven’t played Jedi: Fallen Order or aren’t familiar with the story, it happens right before the events of the movie Solo – another story where Maul appears.

Here’s the complete, official order to watch all 27 Star Wars films and TV shows, broken down into six different time periods:

The High Republic

  • Young Jedi Adventures
  • The Acolyte

Fall Of The Jedi

  • The Phantom Menace
  • Tales of the Jedi
  • Attack of the Clones
  • The Clone Wars
  • Revenge of the Sith

Reign Of The Empire

  • Tales of the Underworld
  • Tales of the Empire
  • The Bad Batch
  • Maul: Shadow Lord
  • Solo: A Star Wars Story
  • Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • Andor
  • Star Wars Rebels
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Age Of Rebellion

  • A New Hope
  • The Empire Strikes Back
  • Return of the Jedi

The New Republic

  • The Mandalorian
  • The Book of Boba Fett
  • Ahsoka
  • Skeleton Crew

Rise Of The First Order

  • Star Wars Resistance
  • The Force Awakens
  • The Last Jedi
  • The Rise of Skywalker

While Shadow Lord mainly tells the story of Maul and his adventures following his escape in The Clone Wars, because it takes place during the time of the Galactic Empire, it will probably also show what’s happening with the Empire itself.

The trailers for the new show reveal that several Inquisitors will appear, and it’s been hinted that Emperor Palpatine wants Darth Maul eliminated. This suggests the Empire will play a significant role in the story, and we might also see other well-known Imperial figures like Darth Vader or Palpatine make an appearance.

Every Star Wars Era & Project Maul Has Been In

The Phantom Menace – Fall of the Jedi

Darth Maul first appeared in the 1999 film The Phantom Menace, the beginning of George Lucas’s prequel trilogy. While the movie revealed he was being manipulated by Darth Sidious (Palpatine), Maul was the main villain viewers saw actively fighting against the Jedi and the Republic.

The movie The Phantom Menace marks the beginning of the decline of the Jedi Order in the Star Wars story. It introduces Darth Maul, the first Sith Lord to appear publicly in centuries, who famously defeated Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in a duel. While Maul was ultimately defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo, his story wasn’t over.

Tales of the Jedi – Fall of the Jedi

Though Darth Maul wasn’t seen in Tales of the Jedi, one episode takes place around the same time as The Phantom Menace. His actions actually set the stage for what happens in that particular Tales of the Jedi episode.

In the episode “The Sith Lord,” it was revealed that Qui-Gon Jinn had been killed by a Sith Lord – later identified by fans as Darth Maul – and his funeral was imminent.

Later in the episode, Count Dooku skipped the funeral and went to see Darth Sidious at his hidden base on Coruscant. He wanted answers about the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, who had been Dooku’s former apprentice and a close friend. Dooku was deeply upset to learn Sidious had been involved in Qui-Gon’s death.

Okay, so in that episode, we finally get confirmation about a key moment in Dooku’s turn to the dark side. Dooku mentions Maul in a conversation with Sidious, and it’s revealed that Maul actually killing Dooku – or, well, the attempt – was a major catalyst. It really pushed him over the edge, fueling his anger and solidifying his descent. It was a fascinating little reveal that adds a lot of depth to both characters.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Fall of the Jedi

The Clone Wars series is a key part of the story leading up to the fall of the Jedi, and fans of the show know that the character Maul played a significant role. The series brought Maul back into the Star Wars story in its fourth season, revealing that his intense rage kept him alive after his battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Following his reappearance, Maul became a key villain in seasons five and seven, successfully taking control of Mandalore. His conflict with Ahsoka Tano on Mandalore is often considered a highlight of the entire Star Wars saga, forming the core of the show’s final story arc.

The series The Clone Wars revealed how Darth Maul managed to survive the execution of Order 66 and went into hiding. Fans didn’t see him again until he reappeared in the film Solo, and then played a more significant role in the Star Wars Rebels series. This makes The Clone Wars the last chronological appearance of Maul before those later stories.

A primary goal of Shadow Lord is to connect the stories told in The Clone Wars, Solo, and Rebels, filling in gaps in Darth Maul’s history across those different series.

Solo: A Star Wars Story – Reign of the Empire

Before his appearance in Maul – Shadow Lord, Maul first appeared during the time of the Empire in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Though he was only on screen for a few minutes at the end, the film revealed he was the leader of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate and had been secretly controlling events throughout the story.

Following his appearance in Solo, Darth Maul only reappeared in Rebels, but wasn’t connected to Crimson Dawn during that show. Fans are eager to see if the Shadow Lord series will explain how he became involved with Crimson Dawn and bridge the gap between that and his eventual appearance on Malachor in Rebels.

Star Wars Rebels – Reign of the Empire

Fans first realized how persistent Darth Maul was through the series Star Wars Rebels. Despite appearing in previous stories, he had a knack for unexpectedly reappearing, often at the most surprising moments.

Maul first appeared in the Rebels season 2 finale, a two-part episode called “Twilight of the Apprentice.” When Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger traveled to the ancient Sith world of Malachor, they unexpectedly encountered Maul. The events that unfolded on Malachor established Maul as a character who would reappear throughout the show.

Maul was a key figure in Season 3 of Rebels, even attempting to train Ezra. However, it became clear that his true goal was to find Obi-Wan Kenobi. He eventually tracked Obi-Wan down on Tatooine, leading to a final showdown. Obi-Wan defeated Maul, seemingly ending his life for good.

George Lucas had initially envisioned Darth Maul returning in his planned sequel trilogy, where he would have been the primary villain alongside a character from the old Expanded Universe named Darth Talon. While there’s currently no word about Maul appearing in any of the new Star Wars projects being developed, an intriguing, Force-sensitive Twi’lek will appear in the comic series Maul – Shadow Lord, and many fans speculate this character will eventually become Darth Talon.

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2026-03-12 12:39