Spoiler How Can TMC Be the Beginning of the Split Timeline?

[DuckNoises]

And we know what the Light Force is. It's a source of limitless magical power that resides in Princess Zelda, a gift from the Picori. While it hasn't appeared in any other game by name, we can assume that it still exists in every Zelda, which would explain her magical abilities. It would also explain why she is kidnapped by villains in games where she doesn't even wield the Triforce of Wisdom. Even without the Triforce, she possesses a great power inside of her; the Light Force.

Firstly, if it were a truly limitless magical power, why would Ganondorf bother to attempt to get Link's Triforce fragment (à la OoT) in subsequent adventures to obtain the entire Triforce, rather than just merely tapping into the power that Zelda has? Why wouldn't he just stop once he has Zelda?
Secondly, I see no instance other than in TMC where a villain attempts to capture Zelda specifically for the Light Force. (Warning: Contains spoilers from ALttP and ST)

The only non-Triforce related occurrences of capturing Zelda that come to mind are Agahnim capturing Zelda in ALttP because she is the final sage, and Zelda's body being possessed by Malladus in ST for use of the royal family's bloodline. The second instance sounds like that fits, so I'll cede that to you. That means that Zelda's bloodline has hereditary magical powers, which may or may not be due to the Light Force, but I don't think that's a very strong argument for the placement of TMC. The only conclusion that we can draw from that is that Zelda's bloodline has exhibited magical powers since one of her ancestors received the Light Force from the Picori, and all of her subsequent descendants will also exhibit magical traits, which may or may not be for a reason related to the Light Force. If legend in which the Light Force was given to Zelda's bloodline occurs directly before TMC, the only way we can determine if this power in question is the Light Force is if an even earlier incarnation of Zelda exhibits no magical traits. Perhaps Skyward Sword (as some see it), but that has yet to be determined.
Consider the other most common placement of TMC, which is usually after TP on the CT. That is after Zelda possessed the Triforce of Wisdom in OoT and after she possessed it in TP (for an unconfirmed, although plausible reason, seeing as Ganondorf somehow maintained the Triforce of Power), and in both instances she exhibited magical traits. How are we to know that this is due to the Light Force, and not necessarily due to the Triforce of Wisdom?

At any rate, do we really know enough about the Light Force for it to be used as the primary pivotal argument to determine whether TMC predates OoT, which would be one of the most important judgments regarding the entire Zelda timeline?

 

[Zemen]

That sounds like it's implying that the hat is the Triforce.

That's impossible because the Goddesses created the Triforce and Ezlo made the hat.

Secondly, Ezlo says that since Vaati drained some of the "light force" from Zelda, that now she only has a portion of the power she had before. The fact that he mentions a "portion" could mean he is referring to the Triforce of Wisdom, if indeed the "light force" is the Triforce.

This really caught my eye. If a portion of the Light Force is drawn from Zelda and you believe that the Light Force is the ToW then you are suggesting that a piece of a piece of the Triforce was taken from Zelda. You are pretty much saying that Zelda only has part of the ToW. How would that even be possible? It's not like there are pieces of the ToW around Hyrule that Zelda doesn't have. The fact that the Light Force is partially drained from Zelda is more than enough evidence to prove it's not the Triforce.

 

[DuckNoises]

That's impossible because the Goddesses created the Triforce and Ezlo made the hat.

That was my point, because that implication would be ridiculous.

This really caught my eye. If a portion of the Light Force is drawn from Zelda and you believe that the Light Force is the ToW then you are suggesting that a piece of a piece of the Triforce was taken from Zelda. You are pretty much saying that Zelda only has part of the ToW. How would that even be possible? It's not like there are pieces of the ToW around Hyrule that Zelda doesn't have. The fact that the Light Force is partially drained from Zelda is more than enough evidence to prove it's not the Triforce.

I wasn't trying to imply that it was the Triforce of Wisdom in that statement. I was merely repeating what was stated at the end of the game, and stating possible implications, whether or not I'm subscribed to those implications.
The only point I'm trying to prove here is that a lot of these implications aren't necessarily relevant to the placement of TMC.

 

[Tyeforce]

Firstly, if it were a truly limitless magical power, why would Ganondorf bother to attempt to get Link's Triforce fragment (à la OoT) in subsequent adventures to obtain the entire Triforce, rather than just merely tapping into the power that Zelda has? Why wouldn't he just stop once he has Zelda?
Secondly, I see no instance other than in TMC where a villain attempts to capture Zelda specifically for the Light Force. (Warning: Contains spoilers from ALttP and ST)

I don't think it truly has "limitless" magical power, I think its abilities were exaggerated in TMC. If it did contain limitless power, then Zelda could have easily defeated Vaati without Link's help, or any other villain in any other game for that matter. I think that the people greatly exaggerated the true abilities of the Light Force, or perhaps were confusing it with that of the whole Triforce, because it's said to have many of the same abilities as the Triforce in TMC, including the ability to grant wishes. Anyway, I think it's safe to assume that the Light Force isn't as powerful as the complete Triforce, which is why Ganondorf was after it instead of Zelda's Light Force. (Though, if he had the whole Triforce, he could just wish for Zelda's Light Force if he wanted. Two birds, one stone.)

The only non-Triforce related occurrences of capturing Zelda that come to mind are Agahnim capturing Zelda in ALttP because she is the final sage, and Zelda's body being possessed by Malladus in ST for use of the royal family's bloodline. The second instance sounds like that fits, so I'll cede that to you. That means that Zelda's bloodline has hereditary magical powers, which may or may not be due to the Light Force, but I don't think that's a very strong argument for the placement of TMC. The only conclusion that we can draw from that is that Zelda's bloodline has exhibited magical powers since one of her ancestors received the Light Force from the Picori, and all of her subsequent descendants will also exhibit magical traits, which may or may not be for a reason related to the Light Force. If legend in which the Light Force was given to Zelda's bloodline occurs directly before TMC, the only way we can determine if this power in question is the Light Force is if an even earlier incarnation of Zelda exhibits no magical traits. Perhaps Skyward Sword (as some see it), but that has yet to be determined.

Only ALttP and ST? There are more instances than that. Let's look at all of the possibilities:

TLoZ: Ganon's reason for imprisoning Zelda was because she had split the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces to protect it from him, which angered him. He didn't imprison her when she was still in possession of the Triforce of Wisdom. Perhaps Ganon didn't only kidnap Zelda out of anger. Maybe he wanted her inner power; the Light Force. (However, the Zelda in TLoZ may not even be in possession of the Light Force, because there's another living Zelda at the time who predates her; the sleeping Zelda of TAoL.)

ALttP: It's explained that Agahnim (Ganon) kidnaps Zelda because she's a descendant of the Seven Sages that sealed Ganon, and she, along with the other maidens, need to be sacrificed in order to release him. Again, there could have been a secondary motive for Zelda's kidnapping (wanting her Light Force), though Ganon already had the full Triforce, so there was really no need for Zelda's Light Force. But even if the Light Force wasn't a factor in Ganon's kidnap of Zelda, it would explain why she has telepathy and magical abilities when she doesn't have the Triforce of Wisdom.

OoS/OoA: Twinrova kidnap Zelda in order to use her body as a vessel to resurrect Ganon. But why Zelda? Why is her body special? She doesn't have the Triforce of Wisdom, since the Triforce is whole in Hyrule Castle, so why does her body contain the power to revive Ganon? The Light Force comes into play perfectly here.

FS: Vaati kidnaps Zelda. Most likely because he's after her Light Force again, as he was in TMC.

FSA: Vaati kidnaps Zelda yet again, but this time he's using Zelda and the maidens to power up Ganon. Perhaps Zelda's Light Force power is needed for Vaati/Ganon's motives, as it may have been in ALttP.

PH: Tetra (Zelda) is kidnapped by Bellum. But why? Maybe Bellum knows of Zelda's Light Force and wanted it for himself. There's really no other explanation as to why Bellum kidnapped Tetra.

ST: Zelda is "killed" by Chancellor Cole and her body is taken to be used as a vessel to resurrect Malladus. Sound familiar? This marks the second time in a Zelda game where Zelda's body is used as a vessel to resurrect an evil demon (the first time it's successful, however). Why must Zelda's body be used? What makes it any more special than any other body? Unless there was a great power inside of her...the Light Force.

Consider the other most common placement of TMC, which is usually after TP on the CT. That is after Zelda possessed the Triforce of Wisdom in OoT and after she possessed it in TP (for an unconfirmed, although plausible reason, seeing as Ganondorf somehow maintained the Triforce of Power), and in both instances she exhibited magical traits. How are we to know that this is due to the Light Force, and not necessarily due to the Triforce of Wisdom?

How are we to know that it's not the Light Force? She displays magical powers in other games where she doesn't have the Triforce of Wisdom, so it's more likely that the source of her magic comes from the Light Force, not the Triforce of Wisdom, or perhaps it's a combination of the two in games where she has the Triforce of Wisdom.

At any rate, do we really know enough about the Light Force for it to be used as the primary pivotal argument to determine whether TMC predates OoT, which would be one of the most important judgments regarding the entire Zelda timeline?

I wasn't trying to prove TMC's placement in the timeline with the Light Force. I was just explaining what it is and how it can be connected to other games.

 

[DuckNoises]

I don't think it truly has "limitless" magical power, I think its abilities were exaggerated in TMC. If it did contain limitless power, then Zelda could have easily defeated Vaati without Link's help, or any other villain in any other game for that matter. I think that the people greatly exaggerated the true abilities of the Light Force, or perhaps were confusing it with that of the whole Triforce, because it's said to have many of the same abilities as the Triforce in TMC, including the ability to grant wishes. Anyway, I think it's safe to assume that the Light Force isn't as powerful as the complete Triforce, which is why Ganondorf was after it instead of Zelda's Light Force. (Though, if he had the whole Triforce, he could just wish for Zelda's Light Force if he wanted. Two birds, one stone.)

I agree for the most part; that's why I think this is worth discussing, because the MC seemed to keep contradicting itself in some of the plot elements.

Only ALttP and ST? There are more instances than that. Let's look at all of the possibilities:

I think the thing here is that I must have originally read something like "non-Triforce related instances" rather than "non-Triforce of Wisdom related instances," which is why there were so many omissions on my part.
I had thought about the OoX one in particular, and I see that it is very strong evidence of your point, but I left it out because I must have misread something, as I stated above. Again, I had mentioned that ALttP and ST were also good examples.

TLoZ: Ganon's reason for imprisoning Zelda was because she had split the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces to protect it from him, which angered him. He didn't imprison her when she was still in possession of the Triforce of Wisdom. Perhaps Ganon didn't only kidnap Zelda out of anger. Maybe he wanted her inner power; the Light Force. (However, the Zelda in TLoZ may not even be in possession of the Light Force, because there's another living Zelda at the time who predates her; the sleeping Zelda of TAoL.)

I don't see how the Light Force is really relevant to this one, if Ganon was only after the Triforce of Wisdom and he already has magical powers of his own.

PH: Tetra (Zelda) is kidnapped by Bellum. But why? Maybe Bellum knows of Zelda's Light Force and wanted it for himself. There's really no other explanation as to why Bellum kidnapped Tetra.

Did Bellum actually capture Zelda in PH? I thought she was still turned into stone until near the very end. I don't recall the ending as well as I should, because I think I beat the game at 2:00 am or so. Regardless, by that point, didn't Bellum already have everything he needed, having corrupted the Great Sea and all? The game didn't really give a good explanation of Bellum's motives.

How are we to know that it's not the Light Force? She displays magical powers in other games where she doesn't have the Triforce of Wisdom, so it's more likely that the source of her magic comes from the Light Force, not the Triforce of Wisdom, or perhaps it's a combination of the two in games where she has the Triforce of Wisdom.

Fair enough. I agree with most of this. What I'm skeptical of, though, is why Legend at the beginning of TMC should have to happen before TMC with nothing happening in between the time of the events of the legend and the events of TMC itself. The way I see it, a fair number of the arguments for TMC being first (or next to first) on the timeline are centered more around the legend that happened before TMC rather than the events of TMC itself.
If the events of the legend at the beginning of TMC are ever going to physically manifest themselves in a game, I'd guess that those events must happen early on in the timeline. I don't think the events of TMC necessarily have to follow suit.

I wasn't trying to prove TMC's placement in the timeline with the Light Force. I was just explaining what it is and how it can be connected to other games.

That's swell, then, because that's what I disagreed with. ^^

 

[Tyeforce]

I don't see how the Light Force is really relevant to this one, if Ganon was only after the Triforce of Wisdom and he already has magical powers of his own.

I don't really think it is either, but I included it because it's still possible. After all, Ganon kidnapped Zelda after she had split the Triforce of Wisdom. What did he have to gain from kidnapping her if she didn't even have the Triforce?

Did Bellum actually capture Zelda in PH? I thought she was still turned into stone until near the very end. I don't recall the ending as well as I should, because I think I beat the game at 2:00 am or so. Regardless, by that point, didn't Bellum already have everything he needed, having corrupted the Great Sea and all? The game didn't really give a good explanation of Bellum's motives.

Tetra wasn't directly kidnapped by Bellum, but Bellum controlled the Ghost Ship that Tetra became trapped on. Bellum drains the Life Force from people, and he was drawn to Tetra because of her powerful Life Force, as Oshus said. On the Ghost Ship, Bellum drained the Life Force from Tetra and turned her to stone. The scenario is perfect here... Bellum wasn't just drawn to Tetra's Life Force, he was drawn to her Light Force as well, which is why he wanted it so much.

Fair enough. I agree with most of this. What I'm skeptical of, though, is why Legend at the beginning of TMC should have to happen before TMC with nothing happening in between the time of the events of the legend and the events of TMC itself. The way I see it, a fair number of the arguments for TMC being first (or next to first) on the timeline are centered more around the legend that happened before TMC rather than the events of TMC itself.
If the events of the legend at the beginning of TMC are ever going to physically manifest themselves in a game, I'd guess that those events must happen early on in the timeline. I don't think the events of TMC necessarily have to follow suit.

I place TMC first in the timeline (ignoring SS at the moment, since it might just predate TMC, but we can't say that for sure right now) for many reasons, not just because of the legend of the Hero of Men. The legend may not be able to prove TMC's placement in the timeline, but it does help a bit. Of course, it's always possible that the legend of the Hero of Men happened long, long before TMC, and that other games may take place in between, but let's get real here. Why would that legend be the one that's remembered and spoken about most in TMC if there were more recent events that have taken place? For example, if you place TMC after TP in your timeline, then why isn't the Hero of Time (OoT) or the Hero Chosen by the Gods (TP) remembered, but the Hero of Men is, which would be hundreds of years ago, predating both OoT and TP? It just doesn't make sense. There's so much evidence that points to TMC being first in the timeline, including Aonuma's own word. I'll never understand why people continue to ignore it all and place it elsewhere.

 

[DuckNoises]

I place TMC first in the timeline (ignoring SS at the moment, since it might just predate TMC, but we can't say that for sure right now) for many reasons, not just because of the legend of the Hero of Men. The legend may not be able to prove TMC's placement in the timeline, but it does help a bit. Of course, it's always possible that the legend of the Hero of Men happened long, long before TMC, and that other games may take place in between, but let's get real here. Why would that legend be the one that's remembered and spoken about most in TMC if there were more recent events that have taken place? For example, if you place TMC after TP in your timeline, then why isn't the Hero of Time (OoT) or the Hero Chosen by the Gods (TP) remembered, but the Hero of Men is, which would be hundreds of years ago, predating both OoT and TP? It just doesn't make sense. There's so much evidence that points to TMC being first in the timeline, including Aonuma's own word. I'll never understand why people continue to ignore it all and place it elsewhere.

I suppose it's because I see a lot of plot holes in the game that I don't feel were sufficiently explained, but that may be just me. I think putting anything before OoT is a very bold decision, and I think there has to be a lot of evidence that specifically points to it being before OoT. I'd prefer some more specific evidence, such as foreshadowing OoT or referring to it in specific places, to make such a claim. Skyward Sword may make references to TMC and OoT, and if it implies that TMC also goes before OoT, I may change my mind. For now, I haven't seen enough evidence for me to come to such a big decision. Maybe Skyward Sword will clarify things.

 

[Tyeforce]

I suppose it's because I see a lot of plot holes in the game that I don't feel were sufficiently explained, but that may be just me. I think putting anything before OoT is a very bold decision, and I think there has to be a lot of evidence that specifically points to it being before OoT. I'd prefer some more specific evidence, such as foreshadowing OoT or referring to it in specific places, to make such a claim. Skyward Sword may make references to TMC and OoT, and if it implies that TMC also goes before OoT, I may change my mind. For now, I haven't seen enough evidence for me to come to such a big decision. Maybe Skyward Sword will clarify things.

What I'd like to know is why some people just cannot believe that any game takes place before OoT. What is it about OoT that makes you think that no game can come before it? There is plenty of evidence that points to TMC, FS, and FSA taking place before OoT both in game and from developer quotes.

 

[DuckNoises]

Tyeforce, I think it's because no game really has a sense of "adjacency" to being before OoT. Most other games have some sort of adjacency about them; TWW has a sense of adjacency to OoT, as does Twilight Princess (despite that TP is technically not adjacent to OoT on the timeline, and it is actually adjacent to MM). TMC doesn't feel connected to OoT in any way, really; there are no cameos, references or anything of the sort. Most games since OoT have continued that sense of adjacency, with one game or another feeling like it goes next to another. I don't get that sense from TMC, but perhaps others do. I guess I could say it just doesn't feel "right" going next to OoT to me.

 

[Tyeforce]

Tyeforce, I think it's because no game really has a sense of "adjacency" to being before OoT. Most other games have some sort of adjacency about them; TWW has a sense of adjacency to OoT, as does Twilight Princess (despite that TP is technically not adjacent to OoT on the timeline, and it is actually adjacent to MM). TMC doesn't feel connected to OoT in any way, really; there are no cameos, references or anything of the sort. Most games since OoT have continued that sense of adjacency, with one game or another feeling like it goes next to another. I don't get that sense from TMC, but perhaps others do. I guess I could say it just doesn't feel "right" going next to OoT to me.

Well, that would be partly because it's not adjacent to OoT; FSA would be, unless SS takes place between FSA and OoT. And no 2D game really feels all that "adjacent" to any 3D game... What makes TMC feel adjacent to TP to you?

 

[DuckNoises]

What makes TMC feel adjacent to TP to you?

To be quite honest, nothing does. To me, FS seems adjacent to FSA, and FSA feels adjacent to ALttP more than it does to any other game, from what I know in regards to the plot. FSA is the only game I haven't finished, but to be honest, it doesn't feel like it goes very well anywhere. It has anachronisms placed both before ALttP and before OoT, at least from what I know from reading text from the game and having a good friend of mine (who owns the game) explain the plot to me.
Lastly, TMC feels like it belongs with the FS games because it also involves the Four Sword and Vaati in its plot. This may be why you place it there, as well. I don't think those games make a lot of sense before OoT, both as a whole and individually. Essentially, I felt like the placement that would result in the least amount of gaping plot holes was after TP. You may feel the exact opposite.

 

[AlaskaAce1996]

Since TMC dosen't have that many connections to any other games other than FS and FSA it could really go anywhere on the timeline with the Four Swords games.

 

[Tyeforce]

To be quite honest, nothing does. To me, FS seems adjacent to FSA, and FSA feels adjacent to ALttP more than it does to any other game, from what I know in regards to the plot. FSA is the only game I haven't finished, but to be honest, it doesn't feel like it goes very well anywhere. It has anachronisms placed both before ALttP and before OoT, at least from what I know from reading text from the game and having a good friend of mine (who owns the game) explain the plot to me.
Lastly, TMC feels like it belongs with the FS games because it also involves the Four Sword and Vaati in its plot. This may be why you place it there, as well. I don't think those games make a lot of sense before OoT, both as a whole and individually. Essentially, I felt like the placement that would result in the least amount of gaping plot holes was after TP. You may feel the exact opposite.

Well, there's a reason why FSA feels very similar to ALttP. Originally, before Miyamoto upended the tea table, the game was going to use ALttP sprites, as well as have a very different story. It's safe to assume that the original plan was for FSA to be connected to ALttP in some way, most likely by representing the Seal War. There is even unused text that mentions the Master Sword, Magic Mirror, and Sages. So, had the game been released with the original intent, it would clearly be connected to ALttP. But Miyamoto felt that the story was too complicated, so they changed the game drastically, resulting in the new story that we have now. Of course, they're not going to just start over and completely remake everything from scratch, so there are no doubt a lot of leftovers that match up well with ALttP, such as certain locations in the game and general geography. But that doesn't mean that it's supposed to connect to ALttP. The story was completely changed to predate OoT instead of telling the story of the Seal War before ALttP. This is backed up by Aonuma himself, and other in game evidence that I'm about to explain.

There's one very important thing that, to me, proves the Four Sword series' placement before OoT: the Tower of Winds, and the Realm of the Heavens that it leads to. We first see the Tower of Winds in FSA, and its origin is explained in TMC. The Wind Tribe, who originally lived on the land, built the Tower as a gate to the heavens during the reign of King Gustaf. In FSA, the Tower of Winds is destroyed when Link defeats Ganon.

Now, let's take a look at Twilight Princess. In TP, it is said that there was once a race of sky people (AKA Oocca) who lived in the heavens and maintained contact with the royal family. For some reason, contact was eventually lost between the heavens and Hyrule. It matches up perfectly with the Four Sword series. The Wind Tribe built the Tower of Winds in the time of King Gustaf, before TMC, creating a gateway to the heavens. This would allow the Hylians to establish contact with the Oocca, which lasted until the Tower of Winds was destroyed in FSA, and by the time of TP, the Oocca would be merely a legend.

There's also the fact that if TMC, FS, and FSA took place after TP, then where is the Tower of Winds in OoT and TP?! Surely something that massive would be seen in those games, and if it did exist at the time of TP, the Hylian people would still be in contact with the Oocca.

But the Tower of Winds isn't the only evidence. There are also many other things. I'm not going to recite every single supporting detail, but I will mention a few other things. For one, there is no Death Mountain in TMC. What we can assume is Death Mountain is instead called Mount Crenel. But in every other game, it's called Death Mountain. If TMC took place after TP, why would the mountain go from being called Death Mountain in OoT and TP to being called Mount Crenel in TMC, and back to Death Mountain again in FS and FSA? I think it's just further proof as to why TMC comes first in the timeline, because it was at a time before Mount Crenel got its infamous nickname "Death Mountain".

Also, in the Japanese ending of the game, it specifically calls this Link's first adventure. And, yes, it could just be referring to that particular Link, but why would it even bother saying that then? You don't hear that in any other game that's a certain Link's first adventure. It then goes on to say that many other occurrences will come to Link and Zelda. Since the Link from TMC has only had one adventure (that we know of, at least), it can be assumed that this is talking about all future Links and Zeldas.

To me, it seems pretty darn clear that the developers went out of their way to show that TMC, as well as FS and FSA, are the earliest games in the timeline (ignoring SS, since it wasn't even thought of at the time). And, sure, they may not connect to OoT as well as TWW and TP do, but you have to realize that it's a lot harder to make connections from a prequel to a sequel than from a sequel to a prequel. It's easy for TWW and TP to connect to OoT because they can directly reference the events of that game. TMC, FS, and FSA, however, can't reference the events of OoT because it wouldn't have even happened yet in the timeline if they do come before it.

To wrap this up, I think people need to stop thinking that the Four Sword series has to have strong connections to OoT in order to predate it. You need to stop thinking "what makes this game a prequel to OoT?" and start thinking "what makes this game take place sometime before OoT in the timeline?" There's plenty of evidence that shows that the Four Sword series was intended to predate OoT, even if they don't directly connect to it. Hell, Aonuma even confirmed it himself, but for some reason that just isn't enough for some people.

 

[DuckNoises]

Here's the thing about FSA going before OoT; ALttP states that during/before the Imprisoning War, Ganon found the Triforce and changed the Sacred Realm into the Dark World. This implies that the Dark World had not existed prior to the Imprisoning War. FSA features the Dark World, and many portals being opened to it. That means that Ganon the Sacred Realm no longer existed (because it was the Dark Realm) until the end of ALttP, where it's implied as if Link changed it back to the Sacred Realm. However, the Sacred Realm is present in Ocarina of Time; shouldn't it still be the Dark World, if no one has changed it back to the Sacred Realm?

Ganon also betrays the Gerudo in FSA, does he not? Why would they still follow him in OoT? Then again, FSA doesn't make much sense before ALttP either, because Ganondorf had been the only male Gerudo, and he was sealed away and/or absent for approximately 100 years after they attempted to execute him. Yet, in FSA, the Gerudo are still around, when they should have all died out.

As for developer quotes, the developers contradict themselves all the time. Particularly because not every member of development has access to the magical timeline document, and we don't even know how long it's existed for. That's why Aonuma was so hesitant to say a certain game is first or last, because sooner or later, what he said will probably be no longer applicable.

 

[Tyeforce]

Here's the thing about FSA going before OoT; ALttP states that during/before the Imprisoning War, Ganon found the Triforce and changed the Sacred Realm into the Dark World. This implies that the Dark World had not existed prior to the Imprisoning War. FSA features the Dark World, and many portals being opened to it. That means that Ganon the Sacred Realm no longer existed (because it was the Dark Realm) until the end of ALttP, where it's implied as if Link changed it back to the Sacred Realm. However, the Sacred Realm is present in Ocarina of Time; shouldn't it still be the Dark World, if no one has changed it back to the Sacred Realm?

Ganon also betrays the Gerudo in FSA, does he not? Why would they still follow him in OoT? Then again, FSA doesn't make much sense before ALttP either, because Ganondorf had been the only male Gerudo, and he was sealed away and/or absent for approximately 100 years after they attempted to execute him. Yet, in FSA, the Gerudo are still around, when they should have all died out.

As for developer quotes, the developers contradict themselves all the time. Particularly because not every member of development has access to the magical timeline document, and we don't even know how long it's existed for. That's why Aonuma was so hesitant to say a certain game is first or last, because sooner or later, what he said will probably be no longer applicable.

First of all, the Dark World in FSA most likely isn't the same Dark World from ALttP. By that I mean that it's not the corrupted Sacred Realm, just some other Dark World. Perhaps it's just some parallel world created by the Dark Mirror? Whatever it is, it behaves differently from the Dark World/Scared Realm of ALttP, so it's probably not that. It may have originally meant to be the same Dark World as ALttP before Miyamoto upended the eat table, but that was changed in the final game. Since they already had developed the game with the Dark World, they weren't going to just scrap it, so they made a similar, but different Dark World.

Second of all, the Ganondorf from FSA isn't the same Ganondorf from OoT. He was transformed into Ganon and sealed in the Four Sword in FSA, so how could he possibly be the same one?! Likewise, how could it be the same Ganondorf from ALttP for the same reasons? Assuming FSA's placement before OoT is correct, the Ganondorf from FSA is the first Ganondorf. And Ganondorf wasn't just born as the demon Ganon, he was just a normal Gerudo male, hungry for power. He stole the forbidden trident, which gave him his powers and turned him into the ancient demon Ganon. That's the purpose of the trident; to turn its wielder into the the Demon King, Ganon. This is strongly implied by ancient text engraved in the room that the trident was kept it:

"... ... ...
Seek...you...the world?
Seek you...power?

Does your...soul...despise
peace and...thirst for...
more?

Does your soul...cry...
for...destruction and...
conquest?

We...grant you...power to
...ruin...the world. The
power of...darkness.

Evil...spirit of
magic trident.

You are...the...
King of Darkness."

Now, let me explain my Ganon theory. By stealing the trident, the Ganondorf from FSA, the first Ganondorf, was transformed into Ganon. He was then sealed within the Four Sword... Then, generations later, a new Ganondorf was born, the Ganondorf from OoT. This Ganondorf was the first person to ever lay hands on the Triforce. At the end of OoT (the Adult Timeline ending, that is), this Ganondorf turns into Ganon, but how? He doesn't have the trident, and couldn't, since it's sealed in the Four Sword along with the Ganon from FSA. He's not the same Ganondorf, either, so how can he have the power of Ganon? Some say the Triforce of Power allowed him to transform into Ganon, but that contradicts the purpose of the trident from FSA. Well, I have a very plausible theory that explains this, and I'll get to that in a bit. First, let's move on to other games.

We can skip the Adult Timeline, because the Ganondorf from TWW is just the same Ganondorf from OoT, no explanations needed. He gets impaled with the Master Sword, turned to stone, and sealed under the Great Sea along with Hyrule, presumably never to return. So, moving on to the Child Timeline, we have TP, which also features the same Ganondorf from OoT. Again, no explanations needed, since the connections here are pretty much common knowledge. Now, Ganondorf is killed at the end of TP, losing his Triforce of Power that was granted to him by destiny. So there's the second death of OoT Ganondorf, on the opposite timeline. Let's look at what we have now. We have the Ganondorf from FSA who had been transformed into Ganon and then sealed in the Four Sword, and then the Ganondorf from OoT who has been killed in both timelines. Now, onto ALttP...

ALttP's backstory tells us that a Gerudo man, Ganondorf, found the entrance to the Sacred Realm and claimed the complete Triforce for himself. This can't be the same Ganondorf from OoT, because he's dead, and it can't be the Ganondorf from FSA, because even if he did manage to break out of the Four Sword, he would already be Ganon, not Ganondorf, but ALttP's backstory says that he was transformed into Ganon when he obtained the Triforce. So we must assume that the Ganondorf from ALttP is yet another, third Ganondorf. But how did this Ganondorf somehow get the trident and transform into Ganon? Here's where my theory comes in.

In the GBA remake of ALttP, we see that the Four Sword has been moved to the Palace of the Four Sword in the Dark World/Sacred Realm, and its seal had been broken. Why was it moved, and when? Well, it was likely moved to the Sacred Realm for Hyrule's safety. After all, the Four Sword's seal had been broken twice before, releasing Vaati from within. The Hyrulean people didn't want to risk that happening a third time, and with Ganon, no less. So, sometime after FSA but before OoT, an entrance to the Sacred Realm was discovered and the Four Sword was relocated to that realm, so that even if the seal was broken again, Ganon would be trapped in the Sacred Realm, not able to wreck havoc on the land of Hyrule. The reason why this has to happen sometime before OoT is because it has to be a time before the location of the Triforce was discovered. The Hyrulean people knew of the Triforce even in the earliest times of Hyrule, as shown in TMC, but the location of the sacred artifact was unknown at that point. It wasn't until several years before OoT that the location of the Triforce was discovered: The Sacred Realm. This led to an all out war over the Sacred Realm, with everyone in search of the golden power. If the people of Hyrule knew that the Triforce was located in the Sacred Realm when they moved the Four Sword, there's no way they would have moved it there. If the seal ever broke, it would be the perfect opportunity for Ganon to take the Triforce and use its power for evil. And that's exactly what happened...in a way.

Eventually, the Four Sword's seal weakened, and the spirit of Ganon was able to escape. His body, along with the trident, however, would still be trapped in the Four Sword, unless the sword were to be drawn and its seal fully released. With no physical body, Ganon's spirit could do nothing but roam the Sacred Realm...and roam he did, until it found the Triforce. Being only a spirit, Ganon could not touch the Triforce, and therefore he could not harness its power. So, he played the waiting game. He infused his spirit in the Triforce of Power, waiting for a power hungry individual to discover it and house his spirit. That individual just happened to be the Ganondorf from OoT. This would explain why Ganondorf can temporarily transform into Ganon in OoT and TP, and why he's not the true, blue pig-like Ganon that was awakened in FSA. Ganondorf only had the spirit of Ganon in OoT and TP. He wasn't completely transformed into the Demon King like he was in FSA when he stole the trident. But then, in ALttP, Ganondorf does become the original Ganon. How can that be? Well, I'll tell you how.

In the end of TP, Ganondorf's Triforce of Power, the very same that Ganon's spirit is infused in, leaves him, presumably returning to the Sacred Realm. This would set the stage for ALttP. The third Ganondorf steals the whole Triforce, in turn obtaining the spirit of Ganon, just as the last Ganondorf had. At this time, Ganon longed for his original body, with his full power and the trident. So, he sent monsters into the Palace of the Four Sword to destroy its seal. He could then reclaim his full power and the trident. Much like what happened to FSA Ganondorf, this third Ganondorf was completely transformed into the Demon King Ganon, and stayed that way throughout the rest of the timeline. He was defeated in ALttP, but somehow revived and returned in TLoZ, and then defeated again, only to be revived a second time in OoS/OoA, and then defeated a final time.

Yes, I know it's a big explanation, but you're going to need a big explanation for Ganon in any timeline, and I feel that this one is the most plausible, with the least amount of plot holes. It all just fits.

Now, about developer quotes... Developers haven't contradicted themselves at all since TWW. Ever since TWW, the timeline quotes have been very consistent with each other. I think it's safe to assume that the master timeline document has been in existence at least from around the time TWW was created, when the timeline official became split, and it hasn't changed since, except for the addition of new games, of course. And we know for a fact that Aonuma, as well as Miyamoto and any other producer of a Zelda game, has special access to this document, so to say that Aonuma doesn't know what he's talking about is ridiculous. He wouldn't have said that the Four Sword series is the earliest tale in the Zelda timeline if he didn't mean it.