A Zelda TV Series Needs To Take Note Of The Timeline
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom artwork
Last October, there were rumors that The Legend of Zelda series would get a Netflix TV series. This turned out to be just a rumor as it was based on the fan art that was posted on social media. Though it wasn’t true, many had shown interest in this and hoped it would happen. The rumors have only bolstered a desire to see Link, Princess Zelda, Ganondorf, and Hyrule on the small screen. Luckily for those who wish for this development, it could be coming soon. If the upcoming Mario movie is a huge success, Nintendo will most likely look to other properties to be developed into adaptations. Since The Legend of Zelda is one of their main and popular properties, it only makes sense for Zelda to be the next one. It would be fascinating to see the fantasy series come to life. While there will be many concerns/issues if it comes forth, the one issue they would perhaps need to address is the complicated and confusing Zelda timeline.
For those who don’t know, the Zelda timeline is a list of events that have occurred during the history of the Kingdom of Hyrule, which has been depicted in most of the games. It is a long, complicated timeline that may or may not be canon that fans have debated for years. Even when Hyrule Historia, a book that discusses the timeline and the franchise with the developers, was released, many still debated the contents, and some even called it nonsense. Regardless, many have used the timeline to create content and theories about events and characters from the series and to understand the world of Hyrule better.
Prologue from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
This messy, complicated timeline returns us to a possible Zelda TV series. How would they go about it if it were to be green-lighted? Would it be similar to the production process of the Mario movie, such as Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of the Zelda series, and Eiji Anonuma, longtime producer, being heavily involved with the creation? It should also be noted that though the Zelda and Mario series share Mr. Miyamoto as a creator, there are many differences between them, one being the narrative. Though the circumstances might differ, the Mario series follows the same premise: Princess Peach gets kidnapped by Bowser, and Mario must go around the kingdom, world, or galaxies to save her. For the Zelda series, the premises are different in every game. For example, not every game asks Link to save Hyrule and/or Princess Zelda from Ganondorf; examples include The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Even when the premises are the same, it’s a new story that adds new characters and events and provides further details about the main characters, making each game in the series unique.
With the established lore and the debate that has come with it, I am curious how it will be addressed or even if it will be addressed at all. It does not have the advantage that Mario does, as his universe does not have as profound lore as Zelda. Even if the TV series decides to chuck out the established Zelda universe and make a new one, they are throwing out 37+ years of history from one of the most popular video game franchises ever. If that were to be the case, that would be a stab in the back for the fans of the beloved franchise. I also don’t see how it will go over well with those who worked on the Zelda games over the years to see all of their hard and dedicated work to be chucked out in the name of entertainment.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Because of the backlash that would undoubtedly come if they took that option, they would most likely keep as much lore as possible instead of getting rid of it altogether. So the question would be, what will they keep the same? What will be chucked out, or what will be altered? Will the Hero of Time from Ocarina of Time still play a crucial role in the TV series as he does in the franchise and timeline? Will the Great Flood and Great Calamity in Wind Waker and Breath of the Wild happen or be somehow portrayed? Will the creepy moon from Majora’s Mask make an appearance? These iconic individuals, events, and objects would need to be considered if the adaptation were to come. Another question to consider is whether it will be included in the official Zelda timeline for the games.
I don’t know what would be the best strategy to take. No matter what they choose, there will be criticism, so it will depend on what they want to achieve with the TV series. Perhaps they may make a whole new Zelda timeline separate from the game timeline to avoid the chaos that would be created. On the other hand, it may be connected to the game timeline, and chaos will erupt for Zelda fans and theorists as to how that works. Or maybe I am thinking too hard about this and should let this question go. Either way, it’s something that we should keep in mind if a Zelda TV series moves forward, and the fans will speculate about whatever they do.
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