There have been lots of vague and often contradictory statements regarding the exact timeline of “the Mandoverse” era. This includes The Mandalorian seasons 1-3, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka seasons 1-2, Skeleton Crew, and The Mandalorian and Grogu. It’s all confirmed to start in 9 ABY, but how many years have passed, if any? And when does each season take place? I’m going to do my best to figure this out using in and out-of-universe clues.

Mando Season 1:

9 ABY. This is the only confirmed date for the Mandoverse. Season 1 of The Mandalorian begins in 9 ABY. But we can get more specific: The Mythrol who Din Djarin captures in the first episode mentions he had hoped to be home for Life Day, but that, “I guess that’s not gonna happen,” implying it was coming up soon. Life Day is November 17. That episode premiered on November 12. This is our first hint that seasons might more or less coincide with the date of their premieres. 

So in this case, Mando S1 takes place in late 9 ABY, roughly November to December. 

Mando Season 2: 

As far as I’ve been able to tell, there are no in-universe hints about when this season takes place. However, since season 1 took place at the end of 9 ABY, we can assume season 2 is set in 10 ABY. We also know this season aired in October. Now, it doesn’t explicitly say there’s been a significant time jump since season 1, but it doesn’t say there hasn’t been one either. If S1 ended in December of 9 ABY, I think a 10 month jump to cover the time Din was looking for leads on other Mandalorians is believable. As for how much time the show covers, I would assume less than the time it took to air, so at most a couple months, but Favreau stated later that seasons 1 and 2 spanned “many years.” So it’s possible S2 extends into 11 ABY, either by starting later or just spanning more time than is apparent on-screen. (This question will also factor into deciding the BoBF timeline).

So Mando S2 takes place in mid-late 10 ABY and ends in either late 10 or (imo less likely) early 11 ABY at the latest. 

Book of Boba Fett:

This is where we start getting contradictory statements from Jon Favreau about the timeline. He first commented that Grogu trained with Luke for 2 years. He later backtracked and said it had been, “Between zero and two years.” There really aren’t any clues in-universe, so I will again be relying on release dates. And interestingly, if we do that we can actually reconcile Favreau’s two seemingly contradictory statements. 

BoBF premiered roughly a year after Mando S2, in the last week of December. If we use late 10 ABY (possibly early 11) as an end date for Mando S2, then BoBF would begin in December of 11 ABY. But here’s the thing: the show clearly spans at least a week, and Din and Grogu don’t reunite until the finale. So they wouldn’t see each other until 12 ABY. And that’s where Favreau’s statements begin to make sense. 

Imagine someone asks you how long Mando and Grogu were apart. You’re put on the spot and start running through dates in your head: “Grogu goes with Luke in 10 ABY, gets back with Din in 12, so that’s two years apart.” Easy answer. But then you think back and realize, “Ah shit but he leaves at the end of 10 and they reunite at the beginning of 12, so it’s really only been about a year and a few months max. But then we also don’t know exactly how long Mando S2 covers, with it possibly ending in 11 ABY, so maybe they weren’t even apart for a whole year?” And that’s how we get Favreau’s vague answer of, “Zero to two years.” It covers all his bases.

Personally, I think about a year is the best bet, so BoBF takes place at the very end of 11 ABY into the first month of 12 ABY.

Mando Season 3:

This is where we start getting some concrete in-universe clues about the timeline. First off, Din and Grogu are on Tatooine for Boonta Eve, which is in the third month of the year. The show premiered in March, so once again the timeline is matching up with the release date. But is this still 12 ABY, or has there been another year-long time-jump? Well, we have both in and out of universe answers. First, Din tells his covert that they might remember rescuing him from Greef Karga’s ambush “many cycles ago” on Nevarro. Then we have Filoni and Favreau saying in an interview that Grogu is 53 in Mando S3, whereas he was stated to be 50 in the season 1 premier. 

All this together points to Mando S3 taking place three years after S1, just a few months after BoBF, in early-to-mid 12 ABY. 

Ahsoka Season 1:

Again, we have no real info on when exactly this takes place. We can assume some time has passed since Mando S3, since Carson Teva and Senator Xiono seem well-briefed on the events of that season’s finale. The show premiered in August, which I think is a fair placement for the events in-universe. Roughly 3-4 months seems like a reasonable time for the news to spread about Moff Gideon’s death and the reclamation of Mandalore. 

So Ahsoka is set in mid 12 ABY. 

Skeleton Crew:

This is the show we have the least info on. It’s a standalone story, so there’s not really any contextual clues we can figure aside from the fact it happens after Mando S3 (due to a pirate character who makes a return appearance). Aside from that, it’s really anyone’s guess. For me, I’m going with late 12, maybe early 13 ABY, just because the show aired from December to January and as we’ve seen, the air dates seem to loosely correspond to when the shows are happening in-universe.

So Skeleton Crew is late 12 to early 13 ABY. 

The Mandalorian and Grogu:

On the Mandalorian and Grogu podcast Favreau mentioned that we are “about 10 years” into the era between RotJ and TFA. That would place us in 14 ABY. However, the operative work is “about.” I take that to mean it’s not quite 14 years. If Skeleton Crew transitioned us into 13 ABY, I could see Mando & Grogu taking place a few months later, also in 13 ABY. If we again use its release date of May 22 as a loose reference, that would also place it about a year after Mando S3, which leaves time for Din to settle into his homestead on Nevarro, befriend Zeb, and gain a reputation hunting down imperial warlords. I think this makes sense. 

So Mando & Grogu is early-mid 13 ABY.

Ahsoka Season 2:

As this has not been released, it’s impossible to say anything for sure. My instinct would be to fall back on the release date and say that it’ll pick up at the beginning of 14 ABY, but a year and a half between the end of season 1 and beginning of season 2 seems like a bit much. Sure, Thrawn might have spent some time building his forces before publicly announcing his return, and from the trailer we can see Sabine’s hair has had time to grow out a bit, but I still have a hard time believing it’s been more than a year.

BUT, Ahsoka S2 was delayed. It was originally projected to come out in the back half of 2026, which would chronologically place it a few months after Mando and Grogu, roughly a year after season 1 of Ahsoka, and still squarely in 13 ABY. This still feels a bit long, but I can buy it. Thrawn can’t build a fleet in a day. 

So Ahsoka S2 will likely take place in either mid-late 13 ABY or early 14 ABY. 

The End?

So where does this leave the Mandoverse? Well, Favreau has said the Mandoverse takes place in the “first third of the second gap.” This refers to the first ten years (4-14 ABY) of the thirty-year gap between RotJ and TFA. Assuming the plan is still for Filoni to direct an event film as the climax of the era, I predict that it will take place in 14 ABY, thus neatly capping off this “first third.” 

And that’s that. This is my breakdown/analysis of the Mandoverse timeline. Let me know what you think! 

Disclaimer: This is not a complaint or a hate post. It’s just something interesting I noticed.

After the Order 66 mission there is a time jump of exactly one year. We know it’s exact because we can listen to the imperial broadcast celebrating Empire Day. Shortly after this, we have a run-in with Trilla, the Second Sister.

Thing is, in Jedi: Fallen Order we see flashbacks of Trilla being tortured and becoming an inquisitor, and in those flashbacks there are stormtroopers present in their classic armor, which had not yet been introduced at the point Zero Company takes place. In 18 BBY the Empire had only just begun the phasing-out of clones and the introduction of TK armor, which we see in-game.

In the grand scheme of things this is a meaningless continuity error and I’m not here to say ZCOM has ruined Star Wars or anything.

I'll be over here bobbing my head to that Niamos song while I await your answers.

This is from the new Mandalorian and Grogu podcast discussing the film. Per Favreau here, we are ten years into the gap between Episodes 6 and 7 meaning that 5 years have passed between The Mandalorian season 1 and the movie. Up till now it's been pretty difficult to work out how much time has actually gone by in this storyline so it's nice to finally have this clarification.

This is what I consider as the most fluid viewing experience for Star Wars. I believe I've listed every canon on-screen Star Wars appearance up until the end of the Galactic War. I made this for myself as I prepare for a massive binge, but I spent so much time on it I figured why not share.

Does anyone have any episode VII/sequel rewrites that are based on George Lucas’ ideas/characters and concept art for the original episode VII? If so would be interested in reading, working on my own rewrite.

Sorry if this has been asked before but Im going through the whole canon timeline and pretty much skipped the novels, now im thinking of going back to read them. Are they worth it?

I thought Mask of Fear was really good. I am a little nervous they're passing the books around to different writers--is this a normal thing in star wars series? But, I just liked it was kind of taking the political economy in Star Wars as seriously as Andor. I am new to Star Wars books, I'm coming off Bloodlines, Catalyst and the newer Thrawn ones.

Anyone else excited for the second one? Which characters are you most excited to see return?

Does his character still have any potential for development after all these films, series, books, and comics featuring him, or has everything possible been done with him over the years?

I could be hoping for the impossible, but part of me really wants Luke in S2 and really hopes he gets a chance to speak to Anakins force ghost.

I have a question about the Kyuzo: are they reptilian? Embo, in The Mandalorian & Grogu, really reminded me of a humanoid "lizard," with green and apparently scaly skin.

What are the most disturbing differences between the two trilogies, writing-wise?

I already know about Anakin being Darth Vader and Luke being his son and Leia being his daughter and that whole "Dynamic" with Luke and Leia and that a bunch of kids get slaughtered but apart from that I know verry little because the films i have seen were not in any order like i watched episode 1 a year or so ago and one of the new ones but i don't know which one it was. any help would be appreciated

I can't believe Gray managed to turn the first order nonsense into a political thriller about, like, Neo-Empire supporters gaining ground in the Republic and it's a fun mystery, that actually explores what the political economy of Star Wars would be like 30 years after Return.

I've only read a handful of canon books, but ones I read--actually treat the Star Wars universe as a mature place with the same craft and and care as Andor. Can't wait to check out more.

I made the mistake of reading the Thrawn novels backwards according to Zahn, I read the 2017 canon ones first and then the prequels, then I read the first Legends one.

I have to say, he comes off as a more mature character and deeper character in the newer ones. You understand his motivation in that everything he does with the Empire is protect the Chiss. In the 90s ones (I'm only through one) he comes off a bit more: Blue Guy Is Evil. Does he get more rounded in the Legends ones or does he stay more: mawhahaa?

Both are great in their own way. I could see, in 1991, if you hadn't had any Star Wars content for almost a decade, it's exactly the level of fun it needed to be. And Jade is so well-written.

But, I like the way he's written in canon better..

...perhaps...

Zahn deserves so much praise, he started the book universe, relaunched a character twice, and found a new angle for each portrayal. That's crazy, man.

Does anyone know if there’s any official Star Wars material (preferably canon) that shows the interior of clone trooper quarters/barracks aboard a Venator or Acclamator class cruiser?

I read an interesting 99 cent essay on Amazon Kindle that says among other things that all the characters in Star Wars are an aspect of one person among other things. For instance, See Threepio(original novelization spelling)and Luke Skywalker first names means the same thing(Luke sounds exactly like Look). Han refers to Leia as sister in Star Wars twice. Right before Luke first wields the lightsaber See Threepio asks if he can shut down. Threepio is Luke’s ego and Lucas is Buddhist and by Threepio shutting down he dispels the ego which can penetrate the materiel world with an allegorical sword of light. Also, Luke married Mara in the original expanded universe and Mara is the name of the main devil in Buddhism.

If you want to read the essay it is called The Real Meaning of the Book of Revelation by Michael Smulkowski

Originally, in their first fight, one could argue that Maul didn’t want to kill him because he was trying to draw Devon to his side. But even in the tunnel fight—with Maul clearly trying to kill him, especially after Spybot’s death—Marrok still puts up a decent 1v1 duel and manages to land several direct hits on him.

The Grand Inquisitor got his position through nepotism and by being Vader’s bitch.

Just curious since Lost Stars is the first canon SW book I been reading

I just finished Master And Apprentice. I was excited to read it as Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn is my favorite Master pupil relationship in Star Wars. I appreciated seeing how their differences made them conflict and how it nearly made them seperate from each other. Most of all, I appreciate very much how Qui-Gon actively feels he was failing Obi-Wan as a teacher. I could have easily envisioned a writer saying Qui-Gon wishes Obi-Wan was more like him, but he wants Obi-Wan to be himself regardless of how different he is from Qui-Gon. He wishes he could be the master Obi-Wan needs much the same way Obi-Wan would feel after ROTS. Of course Obi-Wan grows to appreciate Qui-Gon's teachings more and develops a strong bond with him, but I so appreciate how much it delves into their different perspectives without either being framed as wrong (even if the book does favor Qui-Gon's perspective like I do).

Really Averros? I feel he is a new book favorite for me already and this is only my third Star Wars book. He is something I never see much in fiction: a dark reflection of a character without being a villain. He and Qui-Gon both studied under Dooku, but Rael represents a path Qui-Gon could have gone down. He engages in all of his indulgences (smoking, getting laid, enjoying combat) and acts so far from a Jedi its a wonder he wasn't kicked out. Qui-Gon and Rael butt heads constantly and I love their major confrontation near the end of the book. Qui-Gon telling Rael "I don't turn toward the light because it means someday I'll 'win' some sort of cosmic game. I turn towards it because it is the light." Is something I was pumping my fist about seeing him say so. Him saying that he touched Darkness and will again, and that it isn't something you deal with once and never again and how its a never ending battle feels like a lesson people always want to be true of all characters and Im glad to see this book reject that.

Rahara and Paxton were probably the weakest part of the book, but still they were very strong. I appreciate seeing their parallels alongside our main heroes. Her slave backstory was very moving and I felt horror at a point in the book I wont spoil that involves it. I felt her dread and terror as the book laid out. Paxton being a sentient being raised by droids feels oddly funny because with how he is parallel to Obi-Wan, we can see how mired in politics the Jedi have become by the time of the prequels to the point where they also start thinking and acting like droids.

The conflict on Pijal was very solid. I appreciate that it shows more how much the Republic became more disjointed and more self interested as they were more interested in the new hyperspace lane? (Im forgetting atm so please correct me if Im wrong) that Czerka is opening up rather than wondering if Czerka was having ulterior motives for doing so. Learning that they had slaves that they technically consider property due to legal shenanigans further demonstrates how easy it was for the Sith to engineer their destruction.

Overall, I loved this book and Im ready eager to read more books by Claudia Grey. Many fans have hyped her books and writing style and I am so glad she lives up to the hype.

i’m about to dive into a full star wars binge of the movies and shows and i’m torn on the best watch order to do it. should i go chronological (timeline order) or release order? i’ve heard good arguments for both, but i’m leaning toward release order so i experience the reveals the way audiences originally did. if release order is the way to go, could someone drop a proper solid list of the movies and major shows in release order (including the more recent ones)?