Since we've been getting all this new info on Spirit Tracks, I've gotten back into making a Zelda timeline. I plan on making a video soon, but in the mean time, take a look at my timeline:
So, what do you think? Does anyone here agree with my timeline? If you have any questions about it, just ask. I won't explain it all here right now, but everything will be addressed in the video.
I'll wait for the video. Anyway, if possible, please don't use images to show timeline theories. It makes it terrible for us to read and annalyse so we can comment.
ZeldaWiki developed a great notation for representing timelines, which uses hyphens (-) to separate games that are direct sequels but do not share the same hero, and slashes (/) for games that are direct sequels and share the same hero.
So, by using that notation, I suppose your timeline is like this:
...../-TWW/PH-ST
OoT
.....\MM-TP-LoZ/AoL-OoX-TMC-FS/FSA-LttP/LA
or
.........../-TWW/PH-ST
OoT/MM
...........\-TP-LoZ/AoL-OoX-TMC-FS/FSA-LttP/LA
It's hard to say exactly what you meant by MM being showed as pre-split there. Anyway, if you actually meant for MM to be pre-split, I have to say that I can't see that working. Link is a child in MM. That only works if MM comes in the CT after OoT.
Also, there are two things I would like to have you consider:
1st, TMC uses the same hylian alphabet (well, syllabary) as TWW, not the same one as TP, so I think it is more likely for the Four swords games to come after TWW. Also, everything but Hyrule seems to be flooded in FSA. hat definitely shows a world similar to how it is in TWW.
2nd, back in 1991, LttP showed that, at some point of the storyline, an ancient Hylian language died and a new one appeared. The only other game that came after LttP, ever to mention an old language dying and a new one appearing was TWW. IMO, that shows enough evidence that LttP was, at least in one point, meant to follow TWW in the timeline.
Anyway, both points are circumstantial. They are personal opinion only. Just wanted to let you know.
The Triforce works between TP and LoZ perfectly... It's spilt in TP, and it's split in the beginning of LoZ.
This is not true. You are ignoring both LoZ backstory (LoZbs) and AoLbs. Basically, you have it like this:
1- TP: ToX starts and ends split and apart
(problem)
2- AoLbs: ToX is complete (all together in the castle), but split so that the ToC can be hidden by the king
(works)
3- LoZbs: ToX is split. ToC is hidden. ToW and ToP are in the castle. ToP is stolen by Ganon and ToW is split into 8 parts and hidden across Hyrule.
(works)
4- LoZ: ToX is split and apart. ToW is gathered and ToP retrieved from Ganon.
(works)
5- AoL: ToC is retrieved from the Great palace by Link. ToX ends together in the castle.
(works)
6- OoX: ToX starts in the castle together (maybe split, but still, complete). Ends the same way.
(problem)
7- between OoX and LttPbs: ToX is somehow put in the SR.
(works)
8- LttPbs: The ToX is full and complete in the SR.
(works)
9- LttP: the ToX is retrieved by Link from the SR.
You see where the problems are? The best way to avoid most ToX problems is to have LoZ, AoL, LttP and OoX ordered like this: LttP---OoX---LoZ/AoL, with LttPbs coming before LttP, and AoLbs---LoZbs comeing between Oox and LoZ.
That way, we have things working this way:
1. Either TP or TWW (it doesn't matter in which timeline you place the other games, this problem will still exist): ToX ends split.
(problem)
2. LttPbs: ToX is in the SR, full and together.
(works)
3. LttP: ToX is fully retrieved by Link from the SR and brought back to Hyrule.
(works)
4. OoX: ToX is in Hyrule Castle through the game.
(works)
5. AoLbs: ToX is full in the castle. It is split and the ToC is hidden.
(works)
6. LoZbs: ToP and ToW together in the castle. ToP still hidden. Ganon steals the ToP and Zelda splits the ToW in 8 pieces, hiding it accross Hyrule.
(works)
7. LoZ: ToW is gathered and ToP is retrieved from Ganon in Death Mountain. Both by Link.
(works)
8. AoL: ToC is found and retrieved by Link, and ends in the castle.
So, if I were you, to fix the triforce inconsistencies, i'd change the timeline to something like this:
...../-TWW/PH-ST
OoT
.....\MM-TP-FSS-LttP/LA-OoX-LoZ/AoL
(FSS, or Four Swords Subseries, means TMC-FS/FSA)
And Ganon...well, he's revived. Somehow. It's possible that Ganondorf isn't really dead in the end of TP, he merely lost the Triforce of Power. I don't know, and neither does anyone else. It's all up for debate. But I had to place LoZ/AoL somewhere, and I think it fits best there.
It doesn't matter where you put LoZ/AoL, Ganon has got to get ressurected at some point somehow. OoX shows a possible way for Ganon to be ressurected, so I don't think you have a Ganon problem there.
You do, however, have a Ganon problem in OoX. The Ganon ressurected in that game is the Yami no Maō Ganon holding the trident. FSA says that the trident is what makes someone the Yami no Maō. As the Ganon from OoX was ressurected with the trident in his possession already, he probably died with the trident, as well. That does not happen in LoZ. And ganon is not the Yami no Maō in LoZ, either. But he does have the trident and is the YnM in LttP. So it is a better assumption to have OoX follow LttP.
If it wasn't for FSA, the trident wouldn't mean anything, but the developers made sure to add a backstory to Ganon's weapon in that game. So it is fair enough to say that they probably intended for all games depicting the trident to come after FSA in the timeline.
I'm still new to a lot of these acronyms... What does MO and OO mean?
I've been theorizing for 5 years already and never heard those before, so don't worry.
I suppose they mean Miyamoto's Order and Old Order or something.
Miyamoto's order is OoT---LoZ/AoL---LttP in 1998, with LA fitting anywhere.
The other order is OoT---LttP/(LA)---LoZ/AoL, as supported by the Lttp box and manual.
In my opinion, Miyamoto made a mistake when he said that. I believe all he was trying to say there is that OoT was supposed to come first in the timeline, back then at least. He really emphasized the part that said OoT came first, and the others came later in the timeline.