When Does "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu" (2026) Take Place?
"Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu" is a science fiction film written by Jon Favreau with Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor that released May 22nd, 2026. So when is "The Mandalorian and Grogu" set?
It takes place on the fictional Star Wars timeline in the year:
We know this because ALL the Star Wars franchise stories are simply set “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”. As stated on Wikipedia, the final scenes of "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" (1977) depict a space dogfight and "This battle has become known as the Battle of Yavin, and its date is used as a place-marker for events in the expanded Star Wars universe. Events before the Battle of Yavin are marked by BBY ("Before the Battle of Yavin"), and events that occur after are marked by ABY ("After the Battle of Yavin")."
It is a chronologically late movie in the Star Wars universe and can be watched at its timeline point, after the TV series "Star Wars: The Mandalorian" season three (2023).
9? ABY
We know this because ALL the Star Wars franchise stories are simply set “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”. As stated on Wikipedia, the final scenes of "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" (1977) depict a space dogfight and "This battle has become known as the Battle of Yavin, and its date is used as a place-marker for events in the expanded Star Wars universe. Events before the Battle of Yavin are marked by BBY ("Before the Battle of Yavin"), and events that occur after are marked by ABY ("After the Battle of Yavin")."
The Mandalorian Din Djarin has been working for the New Republic, something he only began to do after a scene near the end of "Star Wars: The Mandalorian" season three's season finale, episode eight "Chapter 24: The Return" (2023), which takes place in 9 ABY. So all that can said for sure is that it is during or after 9 ABY.
This is the system most fans use as it was introduced first. It originates in a 1996 role-playing game. Wookieepedia includes an explanation entry.
There are also two more fictional calendars created for the Star Wars universe in the 2010s. By the CRC or Coruscant reckoning calendar, year 9 ABY is 7986. It's explained on Wookieepedia. By the Lothal Calendar, year 9 ABY is 3286 LY (for Lothal year). It's explained on Wookieepedia.
If you want to read a scientific attempt at making sense of an actual year on the Gregorian calendar when the Star Wars franchise takes place, there's an excellent article at Wired. Taking the "long time ago" part as gospel but recognizing the time it takes for any "galaxy far, far away" to form with stars and solar systems and planets with intelligent lifeforms. The author, Patrick Johnson, can only place it somewhere between 4.7 billion years ago to the more recent past something like 1,000 years ago. So sometime between 470000000000 BC and 1000 AD.
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