Where Skeleton Crew lands on the Star Wars timeline

In 2024, Star Wars showcased three animated series; the final season of The Bad Batch, a second part in the Star Wars Tales anthology, and more episodes of Young Jedi Adventures. Then, two completely new narratives were brought to live-action; The Acolyte released this past summer and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has kicked off its run on Disney Plus.

Skeleton Crew differentiates itself by being the only live-action Star Wars series with children as the primary protagonists (unless you count Grogu in The Mandalorian) and it also has a strong focus on the pirate community of the Star Wars Universe. Space pirates form common antagonists in Young Jedi Adventures and feature in a few chapters of The Mandalorian, but Skeleton Crew’s opening sequence, as well as its eventual setting in the sophomore episode, promises a more auspicious exhibition for the plunderers.

The Mandalorian even labeled one of its later episodes “The Pirate”, yet Skeleton Crew shares more than just a pirate connection to Disney +’s inaugural launching pad – they both take place around the same time in Star Wars history. They are both among the growing collection of New Republic series that also include The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka. This is the era following the fall of the Empire, several years after the original trilogy concluded (and decades before the events of the sequel trilogy).

It might be too early to determine exactly where to place Skeleton Crew next to The Mandalorian, but the fact that the New Republic has an increased presence in the latter, while pirates are pillaging starships without extra reinforcements in the former, may be a clue. Though, X-Wings are called upon in the show's third chapter, so this latest Star Wars entry could very well take place simultaneously with The Mandalorian, if not slightly preceding it.

Currently, this is how the Star Wars chronology roughly lines up:

• The Acolyte
• Tales of the Jedi - Life and Death, Justice, and Choices
• The Phantom Menace
• Tales of the Jedi - The Sith Lord
• Attack of the Clones
• The Clone Wars - Seasons 1-4
• Tales of the Empire - The Path of Fear
• The Clone Wars - Season 5-7
• Tales of the Jedi - Practice Makes Perfect
• Revenge of the Sith
• Tales of the Empire - Devoted
• Tales of the Jedi - Resolve
• The Bad Batch
• Tales of the Empire - Realization
• Solo
• Obi-Wan Kenobi
• Tales of the Empire - The Way Out
• Rebels - Seasons 1-2
• Tales of the Empire - The Path of Anger
• Rebels - Seasons 3-4
• Andor
• Rogue One
• A New Hope
• The Empire Strikes Back
• Return of the Jedi
• Skeleton Crew
• The Mandalorian - Season 1
• Tales of the Empire - The Path of Hate
• The Mandalorian - Season 2
• The Book of Boba Fett
• The Mandalorian - Season 3
• Ahsoka
• Resistance - Season 1
• The Force Awakens
• The Last Jedi
• Resistance - Season 2
• The Rise of Skywalker

Another touchstone of this post-Return of the Jedi era is the scarcity of Force-wielders. Other than Grogu, Jedi are rare in The Mandalorian, and he is also the only Force sensitive character to have more than a cameo in The Book of Boba Fett. In Skeleton Crew the Force is prevalent due to Wim and Neel idolizing Jedi and they happen to join up with the singular “Jedi” in the plot, who turns out to be the discredited pirate captain played by Jude Law.

While Skeleton Crew is the final Star Wars show of the year, hopefully 2025 will bring more great galactic adventures. Andor’s second part is the most anticipated upcoming event, while a few animated series are likely to air new episodes as well. There is also a possibility that we may hear more news about another season of Ahsoka.

Looking ahead even further, the first cinematic Star Wars feature of the decade is scheduled for 2026, The Mandalorian and Grogu. While that will obviously continue the titular pair’s journey together, could Skeleton Crew's temporal proximity lead to a crossover? Perhaps Din Djarin will cross paths with Law’s Silvo or the children’s home planet at the center of the Skeleton Crew mystery may come into play.

For now, the remaining episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew drop weekly on Disney +.