Topic: Where to Place Netflix’s Zelda Series on the Timeline

[JusDBerube]

We examine the best places a live-action Zelda series could go on the timeline.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/39613/where-to-place-netflixs-zelda-series-on-the-timeline

A few days ago we learned that Netflix is in talks with Nintendo to develop a live-action series based on The Legend of Zelda. While the series could just ignore the current Zelda timeline and do its own thing, it’s also possible that the story told in the series will be officially connected to the games. If it is connected to the timeline, the series could be used to fill in some gaps that we currently don’t know too much about in the Zelda universe.

I’ve spent some time thinking about it and have come up with several places that a live-action Zelda series could be placed nicely on a timeline.

1.   Before Skyward Sword

A lot of crazy stuff happened before the events of Skyward Sword. There was a huge war with the Demon King Demise for the Triforce. This ended with the goddess Hylia eventually sending some humans up into the sky on a patch of land known as Skyloft for safety and the remaining races on the ground weakly sealing Demise.

Detailed accounts of the events taking place during this war are still unknown. Skyward Sword showed us that during this era there was even a race of super advanced robots before the war. Additionally, a non-canonical comic in the back of Hyrule Historia also tells a tale of the events that happened during this era.

There is clearly a demand for more information on the events that occurred before Skyward Sword. If Netflix were to tie their series in here it could also be used to give Demise a deeper character than we briefly saw in his only game appearance.

2.   The Hero of Men

Before Minish Cap there was a tale told about The Hero of Men. No game has taken place to describe the events that took place during this era, so it’s another great place for a live-action Zelda series.

The tale of The Hero of Men is pretty straightforward. The kingdom of Hyrule was taken over by evil dark beings. The Picori then came from the sky and delivered a sword and a golden light to The Hero of Men. This hero then drove out the darkness and, apparently, sealed it with the Picori’s sword in a chest.

3.   Before The Wind Waker

After the events of Ocarina of Time, on the Adult Era timeline, Ganondorf somehow escaped his seal in the Scared Realm and began to pursue world domination once again. These events could be greatly expanded upon to tell a great tale.

The only downside is that there would be no happy ending in this series. As anyone who has played 10 minutes of The Wind Waker knows, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, desperate for a solution to save his kingdom from Ganondrof, entrusted his kingdom to the gods. This ended with the gods flooding Hyrule in an attempt to stop the evil Gerudo prince.

4.   Before The Original Zelda

There was a lot going on politically before the first Legend of Zelda title. The king of Hyrule was worried about the power of the Triforce being abused, so he hid the Triforce of Courage. This same king passed the Triforce of Wisdom down to his daughter, foregoing giving it to his son who he didn’t trust.

The young prince was promoted to king upon his father’s death, but was mad that he didn’t obtain the Triforce. A powerful wizard advised the new king to seriously question his sister, Zelda, about what was going on. Zelda refused to tell the king or the wizard where the Triforce was, so the wizard eventually cast a spell on Zelda that would cause her to sleep forever.

The king immediately regretted this and placed Zelda in an alter (which you may remember from The Adventure of Link). After all of this, Hyrule then went into a steep decline.

I’ve always wondered why the land of Hyrule looked so bleak in the first two Zelda games. A more detailed account of the events that took place during this era could be an exciting way to delve deeper into this tragic back-story that also somehow relates to the unknown resurrection of Ganon.

5.   After The Adventure of Link

After the events of the second Zelda title, two Princess Zelda’s co-existed at the same time. The younger one was rescued by Link in the first game; the second is the older formerly sleeping Zelda who Link later saved. What occurred after these events is completely unknown.

Was Ganon once again resurrected? Did Link and the two princesses rebuild Hyrule and both fight for his heart? Maybe we need a Netflix series to fill us in.

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So there are my top picks for where Netflix’s The Legend of Zelda series could take place on the timeline. Is there a back-story or different era you would like to see explored in this show? Tell us about it in the comments section below!

[itsgoodmetal]

Somewhere between Wand of Gamelon and Zelda's Adventure. Two great games that were so good they deserve the tv-series to be right smack in the middle of the shi-... I mean glory.

[Triforce Hermit]

My idea: Not canon

[NWR_insanolord]

They should split another timeline off from Ocarina of Time.

[Ian Sane]

If they want to kill this show dead almost immediately then I think taking any inspiration from the timeline is the way to do it.  Do existing Zelda fans even like the timeline?  Since Wind Waker I have just outright given up on the timeline and find I need to pretend it doesn't exist and that each game is self-contained in order to enjoy myself.

Even if Zelda didn't have a horrible timeline I would make the show its own continuity anyway just so that the audience can enjoy it on its own.  You can't assume that people that like the show would want to have to play a videogame to fill in all the backstory.

[Mop it up]

It was all a dream, like that one Zelda game.

[ShyGuy]

They should place it in the Mario timeline.

[Nile Boogie Returns]

It should be about as canon as Hyrule Warriors and I love all the lore and timeline stuffs.


 The timing of this is very curious with a new game on the horizon and this show poised to air within 6 months of Zelda U's release(if ever). I'm thinking the game and movie could have some sort of tie-in with each other. Not directly cause that would preclude having any major plot developments form taking place in either media (if you defeat Ganon in the game chances are he won't be in the tv and vice versa)


HOWEVER, if one is to extrapolate from current information, Zelda U take place in the one of the three eras between Skyward Sword and The Minish Cap, possibly during the Era of Prosperity when Hyrule Kingdom is established. There is about 2-3000 years of unkempt timeline to fiddle with including the first War of the Triforce. Put the show there. Its just enough backstory there (WAR, Temple of Time, The First Sage, Prophecy of Time).








OR




Make each time line its own medium. Child timeline is all TV movies and books from here on out. Adult timeline are  mainline games and spin-offs and the failed timeline stops and is closed.








OR (this is turning into CLUE)












Create a new timeline (which already happens in Skyward Sword) into where this all fits.








*Also if you've never noticed , each of the 3 timelines represent 1 piece of the Triforce but that is another story

[Luigi Dude]

The TV show will probably be like Hyrule Warriors where it'll borrow characters and settings from different Zelda games but is non canon in the end.  This is the best way to handle a Zelda TV series since it'll give the shows writers a lot more to work with and they can be way more creative without having to worry about being locked into a timeline which Link Between Worlds proved last year even Nintendo doesn't give a **** about it trying to make sense anymore.

[Stogi]

To retroactively make everything 'link' was idiotic to begin with, we don't need it for the show as well.

And honestly, the setting is the least of my worries. It'll look like the world we have now because it's live action. It's not going to be fantastical, which really sucks, as there is a lot of potential to do some crazy things. What I am worried about the most is the characters. If Link is the main character, I really hope they flesh him out. He's a piece of wood in the games, so there's a lot the writers can do here. Let's just hope he doesn't turn out like Samus in Other M.

[Nile Boogie Returns]

And honestly, the setting is the least of my worries. It'll look like the world we have now because it's live action. It's not going to be fantastical

Are you basing this on projective budget or just because its live-action? I don't think either should prevent Zelda from being fantastical or whimsy. Only thing the show really needs (other than the obvious miracle ) is a nice budget. Shoot on location somewhere in the PacificNorthWest and get a nice-mid size SFX house to do the goblins and such and BOOM! I don't watch SciFi tv anymore but Dr Who and the like look to have a solid fantasy element on a smaller scale.

[Stogi]

Maybe fantastical was the wrong word. What I mean is the creativity will be limited because they can't just draw what they want.

It's going to look like a less interesting LOTR (if it ever gets made) and that kinda sucks. I just was hoping to be drawn into a different world rather than comparing it to ours.

[Shaymin]

Is the dustbin of history an acceptable point?

[Ian Sane]

Maybe fantastical was the wrong word. What I mean is the creativity will be limited because they can't just draw what they want.

It's going to look like a less interesting LOTR (if it ever gets made) and that kinda sucks. I just was hoping to be drawn into a different world rather than comparing it to ours.

I never really saw Hyrule as looking particularly different than real life.  It has green trees, brown dirt, blue sky, clear water and grey rocks like real life.  What elements of the setting are there that don't look like a forest in our world?

[Luigi Dude]

I never really saw Hyrule as looking particularly different than real life.  It has green trees, brown dirt, blue sky, clear water and grey rocks like real life.  What elements of the setting are there that don't look like a forest in our world?

The more interesting settings we get in the games like the temple are going to be hard to translate onto a TV show unless it has a good budget.  A Zelda TV show just set in a normal looking forest is going to be pretty boring.  If they want to do a Zelda show justice, it'll need to include a lot of the more unique locations the Zelda games are known for.

[Ceric]

I would hope they don't try to do a mainline story but instead do a story of someone who is in the world and lightly intersects with the heroes.  That way it could be canon but not much more then fluffing up.

[Ian Sane]

I never really saw Hyrule as looking particularly different than real life.  It has green trees, brown dirt, blue sky, clear water and grey rocks like real life.  What elements of the setting are there that don't look like a forest in our world?

The more interesting settings we get in the games like the temple are going to be hard to translate onto a TV show unless it has a good budget.  A Zelda TV show just set in a normal looking forest is going to be pretty boring.  If they want to do a Zelda show justice, it'll need to include a lot of the more unique locations the Zelda games are known for.

Well, yeah, but for buildings you make sets for that.  If this was Dr. Seuss for example then you have weird landscapes that would be hard to do in a real life movie.  But Zelda's physics and nature is all pretty much like real life, just with moblins and octorocks all over the place and the humans have pointy elf ears.  Even the buildings, though not real buildings, are made of stone and wood like real life buildings of medieval times were.  A comparison was made to Lord of the Rings and I'm struggling to see what the visual difference is between the two franchises to start with.  LotR has darker subject matter but Link pretty much look like Legolas in a Robin Hood costume.

Is Hypotheliciously thinking of Wind Waker specifically?  A real life show isn't going to look like that obviously.