As the Gamemaster, you are free to set your Star Wars campaign in any time period. However, the core rulebook focuses on three eras in particular: the Rise of the Empire Era, the Rebellion Era, and the New Jedi Order Era. The information presented in this chapter is intended to give you enough of a backdrop to comfortably set adventures in any of these Eras.
The Rise of the Empire Era represents a time of political unrest; the slow dissolution and ultimate demise of The Old Republic, the rise to power of Chancellor Palpatine, and the Clone Wars. Specifically, it’s the years around Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
The Rebellion Era covers the time of the Galactic Civil War, as depicted in Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
Finally, The New Jedi Order Era is set twenty-five years after A New Hope. The New Republic has been reestablished, and Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Knights are growing stronger. This Era begins with the costly Yuuzhan Vong War, which reshapes much of the politics of the galaxy. This is the time period detailed in the Del Rey novel series.
Other Star Wars Ears have achieved popularity in both comic books and video games, and these will be covered here in the future.
The Rise of the Empire Era represents a time of political unrest; the slow dissolution and ultimate demise of The Old Republic, the rise to power of Chancellor Palpatine, and the Clone Wars. Specifically, it’s the years around Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
The Rebellion Era covers the time of the Galactic Civil War, as depicted in Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
Finally, The New Jedi Order Era is set twenty-five years after A New Hope. The New Republic has been reestablished, and Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Knights are growing stronger. This Era begins with the costly Yuuzhan Vong War, which reshapes much of the politics of the galaxy. This is the time period detailed in the Del Rey novel series.
Other Star Wars Ears have achieved popularity in both comic books and video games, and these will be covered here in the future.
The Rise of the Empire Era
aka The Dark Times
22 to 32 years before A New HopeA campaign set in this era focuses on the slow decline and corruption of the Republic. As The Phantom Menace comes to and end, the future for the galaxy looks bright. The charismatic and popular Palpatine has been elected as Supreme Chancellor, the Trade Federation has seemingly been dismantled, and the Jedi Knights are at their peak of power and influence. However, there’s a sinister shadow creeping across the galaxy. The vile Sith have returned. Crime is on the rise. Politicians continue to bicker and look after their own petty interests. Nothing is what it seems.
The Phantom Menace unfolds with a galaxy torn asunder by strife, hatred, and greed. Led by a charismatic Separatist named Count Dooku, thousands of worlds have broken away from the Republic. This “confederacy of independent systems” wants to free itself from the yoke of the corrupt Senate, unaware that their galactic insurrection could spell the rise of an even greater evil.
As war foments and erupts between the Republic and the Separatists, plenty of opportunities for adventure present themselves. Heroes working for the Supreme Chancellor, the Jedi council, or Count Dooku might undertake assignments to stem the tide of decay that grows stronger with every passing year. Remember that no matter what you or your players might think they know about Chancellor Palpatine, most people living in this era consider Palpatine a good, fair leader and the best hope of the Republic. His true machinations have yet to reveal themselves. Similarly, Count Dooku seems to have the best interests of the galaxy at heart. Under his august leadership, he seeks a galaxy restored to order and prosperity. No one suspects that this former Jedi Master has fallen to the dark side of the Force.
During the era, all species are equal. For every Human senator, there are many more alien species on the Senate. Some species from the later eras haven’t been encountered yet (such as Ewoks), and some have made only cursory visits to the galaxy (such as the advance scouts from the Yuuzhan Vong). The order of the Jedi Knights is held together by the Jedi Council, and some ten thousand Knights roam the galaxy as the defenders of the Republic, each hoping to be selected as a Padawan learner. Those who aren’t selected for advanced training use the skills they have acquired to help the Republic in some other way. Some, for example, become farmers in the Agri-Corps or healers in the Medi-Corps.
Corrupt officials, various criminals, evil corporations, assassins, petty warlords, and dark Jedi abound in this time frame. New worlds still await discovery, and new alien species are encountered all the time. Any of these topics can become the seeds for great adventures. Remember also that the Jedi Council wants to learn more about the new Sith menace. From its chamber high atop the Jedi Temple in Coruscant, the capital world of the Republic, the Jedi Council quietly directs key members of the Jedi order to investigate incidents that might somehow be tied to the Sith. Although the Sith started as an empire controlled by corrupt Jedi, eventually Darth Bane altered the nature of the Sith forever. He dictated the rule of the new Sith order: There could be only two Sith at any time, a master and an apprentice. This doesn’t limit the number of followers and lackeys the Sith could utilize, just the number of actual Sith.
In Revenge of the the Sith, Chancellor Palpatine reveals to Anakin Skywalker that he is, in fact, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. By this time, he has already lost two apprentices (Darth Maul and Darth Tyranus) battling the Jedi. However, he creates an apparent crisis that encourages the senators of the Republic to vote him permanent powers, making him emperor of the galaxy. Darth Sidious strikes down the Jedi with his new clone trooper army and takes Anakin Skywalker as his new Sith apprentice, Darth Vader. His victory nearly complete, Darth Sidious sets Darth Vader on a path to hunt down the remaining Jedi while he sweeps away the last vestiges of the Old Republic. Heroes of this time might be Jedi on the run or fledgling members of what will eventually become the Rebel Alliance.
The Rebellion Era
0 to 5 years after A New HopeThe Emperor rules with an iron will. His key supporters include Dark Lord Darth Vader, Moffs and Grand Moffs of varying degrees of power and influence, military commanders, and a variety of secret police, spies, and assassins. The feared agents of the Imperial Security Bureau (the ISB) scour the galaxy for traitors and Rebels. The once-great Jedi Order has been eliminated, and only a handful of Force-sensitive individuals remain in hiding on out-of-the-way planets—other than those darksiders working for the Emperor’s New Order.
The Senate has been disbanded. The HoloNet has been restricted. The Core worlds have been effectively cut off from the rest of the galaxy. Alderaan, a world of peace and influence, has been destroyed. The Emperor’s Grand Admirals command the vast Imperial military machine, and hundreds of worlds have been tasked with keeping that machine going—no matter what the cost. New weapons of war appear regularly, from modified stormtroopers to walkers, TIE fighters to Star Destroyers. Interdictor cruisers capable of pulling ships out of hyperspace are seeing wider use. No starship, private or otherwise, is safe from Imperial inspection, and boardings occur on a regular basis.
Heroes in this era probably work for the Rebel Alliance. They can be part of a Rebel cell, attached directly to Alliance High Command, or independents drawn to the Alliance’s cause. In addition to the Empire, opponents in this period include crime lords, smugglers, bounty hunters, and traitors to the Alliance. It’s up to the heroes to help turn the tide of Imperial domination.
The New Jedi Order Era
25 years after A New HopeIn this era the New Republic is in place, although a small Imperial remnant maintains control of a portion of the galaxy. The Jedi, on the rise again thanks to the efforts of Luke Skywalker, are at a crossroads. Some members of the order, which numbers about one hundred individuals, want to take a more direct and deliberate role in galactic affairs. Skywalker, meanwhile, is struggling with whether or not he wants to reestablish the Jedi Council. Rash Jedi have led New Republic officials to be wary of the Knights and suspicious of their true motives. Indeed, this leads to varying degrees of mistrust and even fear in the general populace, many of whom still remember the Emperor’s anti-Jedi rhetoric from years before.
The first galaxy-wide threat in the New Jedi order era is the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. It begins with Nom Anor, a spy who sows additional seeds of discord throughout the galaxy. His efforts give rise to antitechnology cults dedicated to the destruction of innocent droids. Masking his true identity, he recruits agents from the native populations to carry out acts of sabotage and subversion. Nom Anor, however is only the beginning of the Yuuzhan Vong threat.
The Yuuzhan Vong are humanoids that follow a religion of pain and nature. They hate machines of all kinds, using instead living technology that they have bioengineered to serve as ships, weapons, and tools. These fierce, holy warriors seek to conquer the galaxy and bring their faith to the infidels who regularly make use of unclean machines. Their invasion begins on far-flung worlds such as Belkadan and Helska, but they quickly widen their hold on key sectors of the Outer Rim and Mid Rim, terraforming worlds to produce the yorik coral and other living materials that serve as their ships and weapons. The Jedi learn, to their horror, that this intractable new enemy cannot be sensed through the Force. The Jedi, former guardians of peace, become the hunted prey of the Yuuzhan Vong. Meanwhile, the extragalactic intruders continue their relentless advance toward the Core, crushing any force that dares stand in their way. A few worlds surrender without a fight, while those that resist are rendered uninhabitable. In time Coruscant itself falls, signaling the death of the New Republic.
Eventually the Yuuzhan Vong discover their history may not be as they thought, when the living planet Zonama Sekot came to Coruscant and fought defensively against the Yuuzhan Vong, “welcoming home it’s true inhabitants.” The new Galactic Federation of Free Alliances (Galactic Alliance) allows the Yuuzhan Vong to surrender and take Zonama Sekot as their homeworld. While not all Yuuzhan Vong accept this, the primary threat of the Yuuzhan Vong ends as Zonama Sekot flies into hyperspace to seek a new home for the Yuuzhan Vong in the Unknown Regions.
Though the war is over, many threats still exist. Some Yuuzhan Vong and their cults still fight against technological civilization. The Galactic Alliance has to rebuild the galaxy. And the New Jedi Order seeks out threats to peace and justice.