When Does The Mandalorian Take Place?

Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian has nerds everywhere eagerly awaiting the next episode. While there are those Star Wars super fans that know every last detail about the universe, down to the length of Ahsoka Tano’s montrals, some of us have had a hard time pinning down the details, including how the story fits in with the timeline. Just when does The Mandalorian take place?

The latest addition to the Star Wars universe has grown into another hit with both old fans and padawans alike. Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian goes for a space spaghetti western feel while holding on to that cheesy yet invigorating Star Wars persona us dorks and sci-fi nerds have obsessed over for the last few decades. While we all understand the story exists within the Star Wars universe and have been giddy to see the return to some of our favorite planets, The Mandalorian has many viewers puzzling out when the show takes place.

Who Is Running from the Empire This Time?

In a galaxy far, far away, Pedro Pascal plays a lone gunslinger traversing the galaxy in search of the next bounty. The show’s premise revolves around our space cowboy being hired to capture an alien infant known as “The Child” by a shady character whose face screams ‘Empire’. Somewhere along the way, Pascal’s ‘Mando’ grows attached to our ‘mini-Yoda’. As a character partially inspired by Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name character, you know this story isn’t going to end without a few blaster showdowns.

A Snapshot of the Star Wars Timeline

So where does our new favorite bounty hunter turned adoptive father fall in the Star Wars timeline? Star Wars has a knack for releasing movies in an order that can leave viewers scratching their heads. To make things simple, let’s look at a basic Star Wars timeline using The Battle of Yavin – featured in Star Wars: A New Hope – as our ‘year zero’ with Before the Battle of Yavin (BBY) and After the Battle of Yavin (ABY).

• Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – 32 BBY
• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones – 22 BBY
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith – 19 BBY
• Solo: A Star Wars Story – 0 BBY
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – 0 BBY
• Star Wars: A New Hope – 0 BBY – 0 ABY
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – 3 ABY
• Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – 4 ABY
• The Mandalorian – 10 ABY (YOU ARE HERE!)
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens – 34 ABY
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi – 34 ABY
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – 35 ABY

The Mandalorian is wedged between the two sets of trilogies, coming shortly after Return of the Jedi and over 20 years before The Force Awakens. In a nutshell, the show takes place post the fall of the Empire and James Earl Jones’ Darth Vader, but prior to Rey squaring off against the ever-angsty Kylo Ren.

Jumping Aboard the Mandalorian Train

If you’re finding it difficult to place the show, the good news is that, while there is no shortage of easter eggs scattered throughout episodes, the show creates a storyline that anyone can follow. For the long-time Star Wars fans, there is plenty of screen time for some of your favorites characters that lacked screen time or never quite made it to the big screen, and the show maintains traditions, like Stormtroopers not being able to hit a target and characters with deep rooted familial issues. And if you’re late to the Mandalorian party, there are two seasons released for you to binge in all your stay-at-home glory. This is the way.

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