The Mandalorian timeline in Star Wars, Explained

The Mandalorian season 3 is among the most anticipated TV shows of 2023, and Disney just recently launched its latest trailer. After the last two seasons, The Book of Boba Fett acted as a nice buffer between seasons 2 and 3, but with the arrival of Mando and Grogu, we’ve got to revisit one of the most important questions that fans have about this series - its timeline.

Star Wars has launched 20 projects so far, and the timeline must be confusing for many. Many fans just joined the bandwagon for The Mandalorian, so here’s some clarity on where Mando’s onscreen journey started.

The Mandalorian is set 28 years after Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

A still from season 3's trailer (Image via Lucasfilm)

Just as Earth years are addressed by BC and AD, the Star Wars universe follows its years with BBY and ABY. BBY stands for “Before the Battle of Yavin,” where Yavin is the planet around which the climactic battle of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope took place.

After Luke Skywalker destroyed the first Death Star and saved the entire Rebel Alliance from obliteration, the Star Wars timeline was switched to ABY, i.e., “After the Battle of Yavin.” So in those terms, The Mandalorian takes place between 9-10 ABY.

Grogu during Order 66 (Image via Lucasfilm)

The Mandalorian is set 28 years after Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which took place in 19 BBY. That’s when Order 66 was issued, and Grogu was hidden away. With regards to the original trilogy, Mando’s adventures are set between Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (4 ABY) and Episode VII: The Force Awakens (34 ABY).

Basically, The Mandalorian season 1 starts in 9 ABY, approximately five years after the death of Darth Vader, but 25 years before the death of Han Solo. Now, season 3 either takes place in late 9 ABY or in 10 ABY. We’re yet to get clarity on that.

The entire Star Wars timeline

Star Wars timeline (Image via Lucasfilm)

For hard-core fans wondering about the rest of the Star Wars timeline, a project-wise breakdown is mentioned below:

Tales of the Jedi (Release - 2022) – 50 BBY-18 BBY
Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Release - 1999) – 32 BBY
Episode II: Attack of the Clones (Release - 2002) – 22 BBY
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Release - 2008-2020) – 22-19 BBY
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (Release - 2005) – 19 BBY
The Bad Batch (Release – 2021-present) – approximately 19 BBY
Solo: A Star Wars Story (Release - 2018) – 13-10 BBY
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Release - 2022) – 9 BBY
Star Wars Rebels (Release - 2014-2018) – 5-1 BBY (Epilogue after 4 ABY)
Andor (Release - 2022-present) – 5-0 BBY
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Release - 2016) – 0 BBY
Episode IV: A New Hope (Release - 1977) – 0 BBY/ABY
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Release - 1980) – 3 ABY
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (Release - 1983) – 4 ABY
The Mandalorian (Release - 2019-present) – 9 ABY
The Book of Boba Fett (Release - 2021-2022) – approximately 9 ABY
Star Wars: Resistance (Release - 2018-2020) – 34 ABY
Episode VII: The Force Awakens (Release - 2015) – 34 ABY
Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (Release - 2017) – 34 ABY
Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (Release - 2019) – 35 ABY

It’ll be interesting to see what Kathleen Kennedy and co have planned after Episode IX.

The Mandalorian season 3 synopsis

For now, Mando and Grogu continue their journey after uniting in The Book of Boba Fett. The official synopsis of season 3 teases:

"The journeys of the Mandalorian through the Star Wars galaxy continue. Once a lone bounty hunter, Din Djarin has reunited with Grogu. Meanwhile, the New Republic struggles to lead the galaxy away from its dark history. The Mandalorian will cross paths with old allies and make new enemies as he and Grogu continue their journey together."

Season 3 arrives on March 1, only on Disney+.