Since 1978's publication of the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye, the Star Wars universe has been expanding beyond the adventure seen in the films. In over 20 years of growth, the tale now encompasses 5,000 years of continuity, from the time of the ancient Jedi Knights, to events 25 years after the first Death Star's destruction.

Those newly initiated into the Star Wars fold - or those who may have missed out on certain novels and expanded universe material - may be daunted by the sheer scope of the saga. It covers over 40 novels, over 30 children and young reader books, hundreds of comic books, and dozens of roleplaying and game books. Five millennia of Star Wars lore has spread over two decades of publishing.

Star Wars: The Essential Chronology is the perfect solution for both the casual fan who dabbles in expanded universe literature, and the die-hard reader who wants to enjoy how the saga fits together.

Published by Del Rey Books, The Essential Chronology is the ideal prelude for The New Jedi Order series of novels hitting the bookstores now. A casual fan needn't be versed in all the books that have preceded the series. The Chronology fills in the gaps needed to understand the continually expanding universe.

"The Essential Chronology was conceived to represent the epic sweep of events throughout the history of the Star Wars Universe," says editor Steve Saffel. "Star Wars is, indeed, an epic, and though there have been many finite adventures that have taken place, the Chronology gathers them together, places them in the ongoing currents of time, and shows their relationship to the broader tapestry of galactic events. And in doing so, the Chronology becomes an adventure unto itself - one that spans the centuries."

Work on the Chronology began over five years ago by Kevin J. Anderson, author the Jedi Academy Trilogy, Young Jedi Knights novels, and many other Star Wars projects. "It was originally going to be a Michener-style novel, complete with frame-story about Jedi Master Luke Skywalker compiling his own Holocron and researching the history to include," says Anderson. The Chronology eventually found itself as part of Del Rey's successful Essential Guide series.

"The scope of the Chronology grew by leaps and bounds," says Anderson. "It soon got much too big for me to handle alone, so I enlisted the aid of Daniel Wallace. By this time, the sheer amount of content forced us to drop the frame story. It sure is hard to write the 'history' of a constantly evolving epic."

Wallace had already proven himself a Star Wars authority, having written The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons and The Essential Guide to Droids. "It was very much a collaborative effort," says Wallace. "We would divide the subject matter, compare notes, and send our summaries back and forth, commenting as we went. It was a very satisfying project to work on."

"It was interesting to see how all the pieces fit together. How stand-alone novels would bridge to one-another. The Chronology explains a lot of the things that happen in between the individual stories," says Wallace.

Since the Star Wars universe lacks an official form of calendar, the Chronology's dates are recorded in relation to the Battle of Yavin, the historic conflict that saw the destruction of the original Death Star. As such, the events of the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, marks year "0" in the Chronology's calendar. Events that occur before or after that date are denoted BBY and ABY respectively.

"It's not a day-to-day chronology," explains Wallace, "which wouldn't really fit the kind of stories that are told in Star Wars, which tend to be big and not really episodic in nature. It's more of an historical narrative that shows the big picture and, as a result, ends up being easier to read."

The Chronology is divided into 10 parts, dissecting the saga into manageable sections. In this first segment - Part I: Tales of the Ancient Jedi Knights -- the Chronology steps back thousands of years into Star Wars' past, to the Tales of the Jedi comic series which chronicles the "medieval" era of Star Wars lore. In the last segment - Part X: Generations of Jedi Knights - the Chronology sets up the events of The New Jedi Order series of novels.

"This is the real story," says Anderson, defining the Chronology. "Straight from the source. I think in reading the history from beginning to end, fans will see just how cohesive the Star Wars universe is, and how it's a genuine epic."

"One of the interesting things to come up from looking at the whole saga, is seeing that it's less a story about space battles, but more a story about individuals," says Wallace. "Whether it be Ulic Qel-Droma, or Anakin Skywalker, or Luke, or later on, the twins Jacen and Jaina, it's still a story of individuals called upon to do heroic tasks. Either they succeed or fail, and if they fail, it's a story about their redemption from failure. Seeing that pattern play itself out on a galactic background was very interesting."

Of incredibleresource to budding Star Wars historians is a detailed index found in the back of the book. Readers coming across unfamiliar yet historic names in the pages of The New Jedi Order - or any Star Wars book - will be able to instantly research their importance. "I've never seen anything quite like it," says Saffel. "Readers are going to go to town, referencing and cross-referencing with the help of hundreds of index entries."

Star Wars: The Essential Chronology is available in April in softcover.