Understanding the Timing of Solo: A Star Wars Story

Solo: A Star Wars Story, released in 2018, offers a detailed look into the early days of the iconic character, Han Solo. The film is set approximately 10 years before the events of A New Hope, placing it around 10 Before the Battle of Yavin (10 BBY).

Character Ages and Chronology Confusion

One aspect that can confuse viewers is the age of the characters, especially Chewbacca and Han Solo. In Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (hereafter referred to as A New Hope), it is mentioned that Chewbacca is 200 years old, while Han claims he is 190 in Solo: A Star Wars Story. This discrepancy is resolved by Han being about 20 years old in Solo: A Star Wars Story and about 30 in A New Hope.

The Role of Darth Maul

Augto further confuse matters, the appearance of Darth Maul in Solo: A Star Wars Story is a significant point. Despite his presence, Darth Maul was not killed in The Phantom Menace. Instead, he is portrayed as a powerful figure in Solo: A Star Wars Story. His story is continued in the animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels.

Timeline Clarifications

There is a notable confusion about the timeline of Last Shot, a companion novel to Solo: A Star Wars Story. The novel states that the events before the movie take place 8 years before A New Hope. However, this doesn't align with the established timeline of the films. Members of the Lucasfilm Story Group have clarified on Twitter that the times mentioned in the novel are more of a general position rather than specific years.

Further Timeline Details

The Last Shot novel also mentions that the events prior to the movie take place before the second season of Rebels and after Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. This information supports the idea that Solo: A Star Wars Story should be placed in the timeline between these two points. However, the exact years are still a matter of speculation.

Conclusion and Speculation

While the precise years between Episode III and Episode IV are not definitively established, a popular theory is that there were 18 years between the two films. Based on this, I suggest that Solo: A Star Wars Story should be set around 10 years after Episode III, which would place it around 8 Before the Battle of Yavin (8 BBY).

In conclusion, while the timeline of Solo: A Star Wars Story is still a subject of discussion, the film is generally placed around 10 years before A New Hope, with specific years being less certain.