WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 5, "Chapter 13: The Jedi," streaming now on Disney+.
When Ahsoka Tano made her live-action debut in The Mandalorian "Chapter 13: The Jedi," most viewers assumed the episode took place after the epilogue to Star Wars Rebels. However, based on some comments by The Mandalorian executive producer and Lucasfilm Animation head honcho Dave Filoni, that might not be the case.
It's generally assumed the Rebels epilogue is set right after the Battle of Endor and the destruction of Death Star II in Return of the Jedi. This would also place the show's final minutes about five years before Ahsoka meets Din Djarin and Grogu on Corvus in The Mandalorian. However, during an interview with Vanity Fair, Filoni pointed out "you don't really know how much time has passed" between the climactic battle for Lothal in Rebels' series finale and the end of its epilogue. He went on to tease that " it's possible that the story I'm telling in The Mandalorian actually takes place prior to that."
Rebels' series finale concludes with Ezra Bridger defeating Grand Admiral Thrawn by using a group of Purrgil to attack his Star Destroyer and pull the ship into hyperspace with both of them still on board. The episode then cuts to the epilogue, which shows Sabine Wren watching a group of Rebel ships arrive on Lothal. After Sabine hops on a speeder bike and heads off to Capital City, the epilogue shifts into a montage checking in with the show's main characters before jumping to Sabine meeting Ahsoka and setting off on a mission to find Ezra. But, when paying closer attention, it's unclear how much time has passed between the two scenes with Sabine that book-end this chain of events.
It's possible these scenes take place in two different time periods -- one right after Emperor Palpatine's death, and the other years later. This would explain why Ahsoka is searching for Thrawn when she encounters Din and Grogu; if Thrawn has re-emerged and is actively sending orders to the remaining Imperial forces on Corvus, he's her best lead to finally locating Ezra. If true, that means Ahsoka is only at the start of her quest in the episode and will reunite with Sabine sometime after, once she's followed up on the information about Thrawn's whereabouts that Morgan Elsbeth provided to her.
That would answer some big questions raised by Ahsoka's appearance in "Chapter 13: The Jedi," including why Sabine isn't with her, and what's going on with Ezra. This could also mean Ahsoka's storyline on The Mandalorian will set the stage for a separate TV show about the search for Ezra, be it an Ahsoka spinoff series, a Rebels sequel or a show that qualifies as both.
So far, The Mandalorian has aimed to tell a smaller story while alluding to bigger events happening in the Star Wars universe, like the New Republic's struggle to root out the last remnants of the Galactic Empire and help planets in need in the Outer Rim. If the plan is to carry that approach over into Season 3, it might make sense to leave Ahsoka's hunt for Ezra and Thrawn for another series to resolve and keep its attention on Moff Gideon building a legion of enhanced Death Troopers. Setting part, if not all, of The Mandalorian before the last scene in Rebels' epilogue should make it easier to do just that.
Then again, it's best to not jump to conclusions. Fioloni's comments could merely be misdirection that's meant to keep fans fixated on figuring out where the Rebels epilogue fits in the Star Wars chronology, and not what's going on with Thrawn, Ezra and Sabine when "Chapter 13: The Jedi" takes place.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, with guest stars Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Horatio Sanz and Giancarlo Esposito. Directors for the second season include Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa, Carl Weathers, Peyton Reed and Robert Rodriguez. New episodes air Fridays on Disney+.