Ahsoka Tano is one of the few characters to make appearances in stories set both before and after the original Star Wars trilogy. However, that leaves some fans wondering when exactly Ahsoka takes place. Given that Rosario Dawson’s live-action take on the character debuted in The Mandalorian, there’s been some understandable confusion about whether her series is set before or after the events of that show.
What we know
We know for certain that Ahsoka takes place after The Mandalorian season 2 as the series starts with Morgan Elsbeth being broken out of custody after she’s apprehended by Ahsoka, which happened during the second season of Mando. However, many people assume that relatively little time has passed in Ahsoka, and that it is still the same year in the Star Wars galaxy (9ABY, or nine years after A New Hope).
Jon Favreau recently revealed that there was a three-year time-skip between The Mandalorian season 2 and The Book of Boba Fett / The Mandalorian season 3.
What we think
Theoretically, Ahsoka could take place during that time gap. However, The Mandalorian season 3 reveals that the Imperial remnants don’t know where Thrawn is or when he will be back—which indicates that either Ahsoka takes place after The Mandalorian season 3, or that the hyperspace trip to another galaxy could span years. This is entirely possible, as Thrawn’s location appears to be the furthest point we have ever traveled in Star Wars.
At the moment, it is hard to know for certain. I do think that Ahsoka taking place after The Mandalorian season 3 is the most likely timeline. But this still opens up many possibilities. We have about 15 years of room in the Star Wars timeline before Ben Solo turns to the Dark Side and sets the sequels into action. It also helps that we don’t know what will happen to a majority of the characters—Ahsoka, Mando, Grogu, and Boba Fett—during that time.
The future is clouded and uncertain, but that’s what makes it all the more exciting.
(featured image: Disney+)
