First came Episodes 4-6. Now, Lucas is going and back and doing 1-3. Allegedly he had plot lines for 7-9, but won't do them. Therefore, he's farmed out the Star Wars future and the rest of its past. There are a lot of licensed stories, in novels and comics and games. Want to know where they fit in? If so, you actually have to look at two outlines. I'm not going to read all of this stuff, though I want to read some (for example, I'm not reading any more about weapons that can destroy a planet or more (3 Death Stars, a Sun-Crusher, the World Devastators, and a Dark Saber later) or about the twins getting kidnapped). But I browsed 'Star Wars : The Essential Chronology' at Borders and it looked like it was worth getting. I'm interested enough in the plot that's it's worth it to me to read a page or two per novel. It's got original art, too, which is a bonus. It's nice to see something new.