After several months of waiting, EA's highly anticipated video game, Star Wars: Squadrons has finally been released. In the game, players get the chance to pilot their very own starships, from the fan-favorite A and X-Wings of the Rebellion to the Empire's very own TIE Fighters.
Given the ships and the factions involved, it was clear going into the game that the story would take place in the Original Trilogy era or sometime very close to it. However, it remained to be seen when exactly the game took place in the overall Star Wars timeline. Now that the game is here, we have an official answer: the events of Star Wars: Squadrons take place shortly after Return of the Jedi.
At the start of Squadrons, players are dropped in their first mission. As a Rebellion pilot, you take part in a battle that is meant to take place shortly after the destruction of the planet Alderaan. Therefore, this original mission essentially takes place during the events of the first Star Wars film, A New Hope. Once the mission is finished, however, the cinematic intro goes over the Rebellion's battle with the Empire, all the way up to the Battle of Endor.
The actual game then begins four years after this first mission, shortly after the second Death Star has been destroyed. While the Emperor is believed dead and the Empire defeated, there are still plenty of officers, troopers and ships still active -- and they all keep fighting in the name of the Empire. This is where the player's very own squadron comes into play.
This places the events of the game in a familiar timeline. After all, one of EA's previous games, 2017's Star Wars Battlefront II, also took place shortly after the events of Return of the Jedi, when Stormtroopers of the Inferno Squad defected to join the Rebellion.
What's more, with Star Wars: Squadrons dealing with the remnants of the Empire, certain fans can rapidly see similarities between the game and the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. After all, in the show, Din Djarin protects the famously adorable Baby Yoda from Moff Gideon and his Imperial forces, years after the fall of the Empire.
However, the timeline slightly differs here. After all, The Mandalorian takes place several years after Return of the Jedi, while Squadrons is meant to directly follow the 1983 movie. Therefore, Squadrons, like Battlefront II, takes place between Episode VI and The Mandalorian. It's a familiar timeline, but one that is rife with storytelling possibilities, especially considering that this places the game several decades before the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the rest of the Sequel Trilogy.
Star Wars: Squadrons is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.