TheStar Warstimeline has just been subtly clarified ahead ofStar Wars: Skeleton Crew, helping viewers understand howThe Mandalorianera fits together. TheStar Warstimelinehas always been a little confusing, largely because the franchise has a habit of hopping around the timeline with impunity. TV shows set inThe Mandalorianera seem to have a rough sense of progression to them, but even that failed withThe Mandalorianseason 3, in the face of contradictory comments from Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.
The latest issue ofEmpire Magazineincludes a feature on the upcomingStar WarsTV show,Skeleton Crew, which is set in this same era. Importantly, it notes thatSkeleton Crewis “set concurrently withThe MandalorianandAhsoka”. It seems this is as precise as Disney aim to get with placing the show in the timeline, likely to prevent the kind of confusion we saw withThe Mandalorianseason 3. But how does the timeline work out?
What This Means For The Star Wars Timeline
The Mandalorianseason 1 kicked off five years afterReturn of the Jedi, four years after the Empire’s fall at theBattle of Jakku. The core problem, though, is thatthere’s evidently been some passage of time since then; a lot’s happened, after all. But precisely how much time? Matters came to a head with a debate over how long Grogu trained with Luke Skywalker; Favreau seemed to suggest Baby Yoda had been with Luke for years, while Filoni believed it was months. A whole slew of contradictory statements led to massive confusion in the fanbase.
Empire’s comment aboutSkeleton Crewneeds to be read in this context. It seems Lucasfilm is backing down on any sense of precision, presumably intending to update thetimeline ofStar WarsTV showswhen the current overarching narrative is complete. There’s a sense in which that makes sense; it prevents any more confusion. But it’s also frustrating, because the right solution would surely be for the various creatives to sit down and work it out. That said, the open-ended statement aboutSkeleton Crewis interesting because it leaves the door open to potential cameos, which wouldn’t necessarily contradict anything because the shows don’t precisely overlap.
Our Take On The Star Wars Timeline
The Mandalorianera has become vitally important to the future ofStar Wars. Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin will even be bringing the franchise back to the big screen inThe Mandalorian & Grogu, the firstStar Warsmovie since 2019’sThe Rise of Skywalker. Lucasfilm can be forgiven a little caution right now, because the studio can’t afford the kind of confusion we saw beforeThe Mandalorianseason 3. But that can only last so long - we’ll soon need a lot more precision when it comes toSkeleton Crewand the like.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Cast
Skeleton Crew follows four ordinary children who become lost in the expansive Star Wars galaxy. As they navigate unfamiliar worlds and the challenges they present, the group endeavors to find their way back to their home planet, undertaking a journey across the iconic Star Wars universe.
