With the upcoming release of the second season of The Mandalorian, anticipation for the live-action Disney+ series is at a fever pitch. Fans have been awaiting the return of the series since its epic first season finale last December. Season 2 is approaching, and while much of it is still shrouded in mystery, one thing that we do know is when The Mandalorian takes place within the Star Wars timeline.
As the series' creator Jon Favreau has confirmed, The Mandalorian takes place five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, but twenty-five years before the events of The Force Awakens. However, in the Star Wars universe, pivotal moments or events aren't marked by the movies -- rather, they are marked by the Battle of Yavin. They'll be referenced as either Before the Battle of Yavin (BBY) or After the Battle of Yavin (ABY). The Mandalorian takes place in 9 ABY.
After the Battle of Jakku in the year 5 ABY, the Rebel Alliance defeated the Empire and re-established itself as the New Republic on the planet Chandrila, the home of Mon Mothma. Grand Admiral Rae Sloane and the rest of the Imperial brain trust vanished into the Unknown Region where decades later they would reorganize into the First Order by 30 ABY. However, the remaining Imperials left in the galaxy were pushed to the Outer Rim Territory where they established individual fiefdoms and became warlords. The setting of The Mandalorian largely takes place in the Outer Rim, where the systems are lawless and bounty hunters have been able to thrive due to the destabilization. The New Republic has subsequently demilitarized and its overextended fleet has a tenuous hold over the territory.
In 9 ABY, a Mandalorian was hired by an unnamed Client from the former Galactic Empire to retrieve a mysterious 50-year-old infant from Yoda's species. When he finally retrieves The Child, the bounty hunter has second thoughts about handing him over into Imperial custody and rescues him instead. Moff Gideon, a former operative in the Imperial Security Bureau, kills the Client after his failure in retrieving The Child and subsequently confronts the bounty hunter before he and his allies manage to escape.
In the second season of The Mandalorian, Mando has been tasked with returning The Child back to the Jedi, a race of "enemy sorcerers" the Mandalorians have historically been at odds with. As Mando struggles to find the Jedi, he'll be pursued by different factions who each want The Child for their own purposes. The Child is a powerful Force user and this might be the reason why Moff Gideon is so invested in securing him. If the infant was to somehow fall into their hands, the former Empire could use his incredible Force abilities to turn the tide in their conflict with the New Republic.
At this point in the timeline, Luke Skywalker is in the process of rebuilding the Jedi Order. If a powerful Force user like The Child joins their ranks it would be a significant gain, as the Jedi were nearly extinct during the Great Jedi Purge in 19 BBY. However, The Child has been adopted into the Mandalorian culture and he might not want to join the Jedi. The New Republic might also want the infant for its own ambitions as well. With all these different factions vying for The Child, the ramifications it could have on events throughout the timeline are endless.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito and Emily Swallow. Season 1 is streaming now on Disney+, with Season 2 slated to arrive in October.