Just as they have taken over cinemas over the decades, Star Wars productions have now taken over TV screens, and are now dominating streaming platforms. We can’t blame those of you who have been lost among the many TV shows over the years, so we’ll try to give you some chronological reference points between live-action productions to make sure that’s not the case…
Between completed, ongoing, and upcoming series, Star Wars showcases a number of different eras. Although the cancellation of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020, 7 seasons) was one of Disney’s first actions after its acquisition of Lucasfilm, the studio has continued to develop Star Wars animated content for television. However, after the launch of Disney+, Star Wars, in addition to continuing the tradition of animated series, also created the possibility of live-action TV shows, all set at different points in the Star Wars timeline.
Set to premiere next summer, The Acolyte (2023) has already been revealed, including the fact that it will take place around 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. This timeframe puts The Acolyte in the final years of the Great Republic, so chronologically it will be the first Star Wars series for now. Although Star Wars has already delved into the era of the High Republic in the comics and novels, The Acolyte will be the first live-action production to go this far back in the timeline. Written and executive produced by Emmy Award-nominated Leslye Headland, the series is rumoured to be a darker-toned thriller about the growing influence of the Dark Side.
Debuting on Disney+ back in May, Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) is set 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, nine years before A New Hope. This is why Luke and Leia are still kids, and why Obi-Wan doesn’t look as old as he did in the 1977 classic. This timeframe allows Obi-Wan Kenobi to serve as a perfect transition between the prequels and the original trilogy, and helps to better connect Obi-Wan and Anakin’s story with it, as well as presenting a more nuanced character arc of Master Jedi and Darth Vader.
Fans will only have to wait a few months for the next series, with Andor (2022, premiering 31 August) being a spin-off of Rogue One (2016), set five years before the events of the film. Cassian Andor, who dies at the end of the film, will be the central character in the spy thriller set in the early years of the Rebellion, and will also star as the Rebel leader Mon Mothma. Cassian Andor is already a seasoned rebel spy in the film, and now we’ll learn even more about him thanks to the Andor series… Andor, starring Diego Luna in the title role, will be released in two seasons: the first will last one year, while the second will span four. In other words, the end of Andor will most likely cross the beginning of Rogue One.
The Mandalorian, which debuted in 2019 to critical acclaim, takes place five years after Return of the Jedi and the fall of the Empire. It’s the first time Disney’s new Star Wars canon has tackled a period so close to the end of the original trilogy, as those sequels took place more than 30 years after the Rebellion and the fall of the Empire. At this point, it is still unknown how far the series will go in terms of seasons and years covered.
Although Boba Fett’s character pre-dates The Empire Strikes Back, The Book of Boba Fett (2021) was created as a spin-off of The Mandalorian. The series picks up just as the second season of The Mandalorian has ended, and follows the title character as he takes up an important post on the planet Tatooine.
And finally, let’s talk about next year’s Ahsoka series, which will likely be a continuation of the character’s story following The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla, and Chopper will all appear in the series, and the search for Thrawn and Ezra is expected to be an important part of the story.