Question about Dates in Star Wars

[Mysterion]

Have been long familiar with the usual convention of "4 ABY" for four-years After Battle of Yavin (or BBY for Before Battle of Yavin. Pretty straightforward.

Paging through the Essential Atlas of Star Wrs, however, I find another system at work. for example is says that the events of The Empire Strikes Back begin on "38:6:6". I can find no explanation of this dating system. Anyone have a good link for one?

Thanks in advance!

 

[PsychoPere]

Don't you just love Star Wars dating conventions?

We've got the long familiar BBY / ABY, as you mentioned. There are dates based on the Ruusan Reformation, which restructured the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order following the defeat of the Brotherhood of Darkness. With TOR, we have BTC / ATC (Before and After the Treaty of Coruscant). I wouldn't be surprised if there are still others.

The one you're asking about is the Great ReSychronization, which is one that I hadn't previously been familiar with before looking it up to get you an answer.

The Great ReSynchronization was a 60 year long notation system that was established in 35 BBY by the Republic Measures & Standards Bureau to recalibrate the disparate dating systems used by the Galactic Republic. Later in 25 ABY, it was disbanded and reorganized by the New Republic into the GSC . It was since used as a zero year for the dating system; thus, the Battle of Geonosis takes place in the year 13, the Great Jedi Purge in the year 16, Battle of Yavin in the year 35, and the Battle of Endor in the year 39. The Seventh Battle of Ruusan occurred in the year 965BrS.

 

[Mysterion]

That seems to be needlessly complicated.

Thanks for the answer and the link, though. Very helpful!

 

[Set Harth]

Don't you just love Star Wars dating conventions?

Sounds promising... are they conventions where Star Wars fans can go to get dates?

 

[Admiral_Young]

I believe the dates used by the Great ReSync were dates used by Tim Zhan in the Heir to the Empire Trilogy as well.

 

[Skywalker]

I don't mind the various dating conventions in Star Wars--we have a lot of different conventions in the real world, too. It's not complicated at all when you look at it from an in-universe perspective.

I really dislike the BBY/ABY one, though. It's an arbitrary choice based on the gap between the OT and the PT. If they wanted to base their new dating system on the end of the Empire's influence, setting it after the Battle of Endor makes far more sense. Actually, I think that's what the post-OT timeline was based on before the prequels went into production.

 

[Mr Light]

^^ Agreed. I always thought restarting their calendar with the Battle of Yavin was stupid, because while it was their first major victory, it's not a shift of power. The Imperial calendar should have started with Revenge of the Sith, and the New Republic calendar should either continue with that or start with the Battle of Endor.

It just makes more sense to use ROTJ as the starting point, because when you look at the date you know it's X number of years after the OT, rather than X + 4 years after the OT or whatever it is.

 

[ATimson]

The Imperial calendar should have started with Revenge of the Sith, and the New Republic calendar should either continue with that or start with the Battle of Endor.

That's what the dates currently expressed as Great Resynchronization were intended for; however, they were created for the WEG RPG in the early 90s, between trilogies, and George ended up changing the date for ROTS. Rather than throwing out all the old dates, LFL kept them and introduced an in-universe reason for the offset.

It just makes more sense to use ROTJ as the starting point, because when you look at the date you know it's X number of years after the OT, rather than X + 4 years after the OT or whatever it is.

I agree that it makes more sense for the post-OT stuff. The shift from ABE to ABY came with the prequels, though, where it makes more sense to say "X years before the OT" instead of "X+4 years before the end of the OT".

Of the two, I think that ABY is probably the lesser nonsense.

 

[Mr Light]

There's a lot more post-OT books than PT books, though

 

[Dream]

I think using ANH as the starting point makes the most sense because it was the first Star Wars movie that came out.

 

[Skywalker]

I agree that it makes more sense for the post-OT stuff. The shift from ABE to ABY came with the prequels, though, where it makes more sense to say "X years before the OT" instead of "X+4 years before the end of the OT".

Of the two, I think that ABY is probably the lesser nonsense.

Oh, no doubt. In the real world BBY/ABY makes a lot more sense than BBE/ABE because it's easier for the casual reader. It just doesn't make a ton of sense in-universe.

 

[I Grok Spock]

"A long time ago...." is sufficient.