When does The Mandalorian take place? The Disney+ series is set between the Original Trilogy and the Sequel Trilogy. Season One takes place in 9 ABY, about five years after Return of the Jedi. Since the first season, the series has expanded our knowledge about that period of time within the Star Wars Universe. Here is everything you need to know about when The Mandalorian takes place and the timeline of the series.
Spoiler Warning: This first section of this article may contain spoilers for other Star Wars stories. If you want to remain entirely spoiler free, skip ahead to the list of when The Mandalorian takes place in the Star Wars timeline. The following section “Potential Changes to The Mandalorian Timeline” contains rumors and potential spoilers for both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
When Does The Mandalorian Take Place?
The Mandalorian takes place in 9 ABY, which is five years after Return of the Jedi. This was an unexplored period of the Star Wars timeline when the series first debuted.
At this point in time, the Rebel Alliance has defeated the Galactic Empire and created the New Republic. However, Imperial remnants still control certain systems and seek to overthrow the new government.
However, subsequent seasons and spins offs like The Book of Boba Fett continue to expand our knowledge of this time period. Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew, both expected in 2023, take place around the same time.
The Mandalorian takes place 30 years after the Prequel Trilogy ends in 19 BBY. The Clone Wars Season Seven takes place in 19 BBY, with certain arcs overlapping with Revenge of the Sith.
In relation to the Sequel Trilogy, the series takes place 25 years before The Force Awakens. In season one, Ben Solo – Kylo Ren – is only 4. Rey has not even been born yet.
The series is set roughly 9 years after the events of Rogue One, which also coincides with the end of Star Wars: Rebels. Set in 10 BBY, Solo takes place 19 years before the series begins.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor Disney+ series also take place before this series. Obi-Wan is set in 9 BBY, while the Cassian Andor series takes place in 5 BBY.
Here is the spoiler-free list of when The Mandalorian takes place within the Star Wars timeline compared to other films and series:
- 32 BBY – Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- 22 BBY – Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- 22 – 19 BBY Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
- 19 BBY – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- 19 BBY – Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021-present)
- 13 BBY – Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) [Prologue]
- 13 BBY – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) [Prologue]
- 10 BBY – Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- 9 BBY – Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
- 5 BBY – Andor (2022)
- 5 – 0 BBY – Star Wars: Rebels (2014-2018)
- 0 BBY – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- 0 BBY / 0 ABY – Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- 3 ABY – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- 4 ABY – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
- 5 ABY – Star Wars: Rebels (2014-2018) [Epilogue]
- 9 ABY – The Mandalorian (2019-present)
- 9 ABY – The Book of Boba Fett (2021)
- 9 ABY – Ahsoka (Expected 2023)
- 34 ABY – Star Wars: Resistance (2018-2020)
- 34 ABY – Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
- 34 ABY – Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
- 35 ABY – Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
When Does the Mandalorian Season Two Take Place?
Season Two takes place shortly after the end of the first season. It picks up with the Din Djarin looking for a Jedi to care for “the child.” At this time, it is assumed the events of the second season also take place in 9 ABY.
When Does the Mandalorian Season Three Take Place?
Season three takes place after the events of The Book of Boba Fett. Again, it is assumed that both Book of Boba and the third season take place in 9 ABY as well.
Potential Changes to The Mandalorian Timeline
As far as we know, The Mandalorian takes place over a relatively short time period. However, Jon Favreau recently indicated a possible shift in that timeline.
Posted by Skytalkers on February 28, 2023, author, blogger, and podcaster Tricia Barre asked a question about Grogu. Unexpectedly, Jon Favreau’s response potentially rewrote the timeline for the show.
He said, “And we know that [Grogu] started off earlier in the Jedi Template, we’ve seen flashbacks that speak to that. And then we know that he has been rescued and spent many years with The Mandalorian, went back with Luke, now he’s been two years apart from him there training.”
Although many news sources list this as a confirmed shift in when the series takes place, Lucasfilm has not clarified the timeline at this point. As the show’s creator, Favreau certainly has one of the largest voices when it comes to setting the timeline.
However, the growing Mandoverse makes it difficult for just one person to make sweeping decisions. From future seasons of The Mandalorian to Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew, many different stories are interconnected.
How This Impacts When the Mandalorian Takes Place
According to this interview, the first and second seasons would take place over several years. Then Grogu spends an undisclosed amount of time training with Jedi Luke Skywalker during The Book of Boba Fett. And now Season Three picks up after Grogu and Din Djarin have been together for two years.
Based on that, Season Two could be set in 10 or 11 ABY. The Book of Boba Fett would then start shortly afterward and take place over an unknown period of time. Season Three would then start as late as 13 or 14 ABY.
Obviously, this has a significant impact on the overall Star Wars timeline. However, Jon Favreau’s changes to The Mandalorian timeline could just be headcanon.
Ultimately, we need to wait until either Lucasfilm makes a statement or something within The Mandalorian or one of the spin-offs gives an official date.
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