Star Wars Rebels Timeline Explained: When Each Season Takes Place

Summary Star Wars Rebels takes place during the "dark times", although most of the series takes place before the original Star Wars trilogy.

Each season of Rebels is set at different points in the Star Wars timeline, with season 1 starting 5 years before A New Hope.

The Rebels epilogue takes place around 9 ABY, and it has been revisited in Ahsoka.

Star Wars Rebels takes place in one of the most important portions of the Star Wars timeline, with events that connect to the original trilogy as well as to live-action shows such as The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. Despite being a spiritual successor to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Rebels is set more than a decade after the fall of the Jedi. Disney's first major Star Wars release followed a unique group of rebels during the Age of the Empire, the setting of upcoming Star Wars TV shows like Tales of the Empire.

Star Wars Rebels premiered in 2013, while Star Wars Rebels' ending aired in 2018. Before Luke Skywalker joined the Rebel Alliance, other heroes were being forged across the galaxy. This includes the Ghost crew, the lovable main characters of the show played by Star Wars Rebels' voice cast. In the Star Wars timeline, the Battle of Yavin, which happens in A New Hope, is ground zero for Star Wars' chronology. As such, BBY refers to events before the Battle of Yavin, while ABY denotes events after. Concerning Rebels specifically, here is how each season fits in the saga's extensive timeline.

Related Star Wars Movies In Order: How To Watch Release Order, Chronologically & With The TV Shows What's the best way to watch Star Wars? Here's everything you need to know to watch in release or timeline order, and how to include the TV shows.

Star Wars Rebels Opens In 5 BBY

Five years before the Battle of Yavin, the story of Star Wars Rebels begins.

Star Wars Rebels season 1 begins in 5 BBY, meaning the show starts five years before the events of A New Hope. The Rebel Alliance - as introduced in the original Star Wars movie - had yet to be formed, although the Empire was already noticing more organized rebel operations. This included Saw Gerrera’s rebel cell, which had always caused trouble for the Empire. This year is also when Saw Gerrera abandoned Jyn Erso, which is depicted in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’s flashbacks.

Andor season 1 is another Star Wars story that takes place concurrently with Rebels, as the former show also begins in 5 BBY.

The political background of the Star Wars galaxy is very much the same in Andor season 1 and Rebels season 1. The crew of the Ghost was assumed to be one of many isolated rebel cells the Empire was dealing with. However, Andor shows that a more solid rebellion was being crafted by the likes of Mon Mothma and Luthen Rael. Star Wars Rebels season 1’s finale reveals that Hera was working within a larger operation, setting up Phoenix Squadron's role in the Galactic Civil War during Rebels season 2.

Major Star Wars Cameos In Rebels Season 1 Episode Number and Name R2-D2 Episode 3 - "Droids In Distress" C-3PO Episode 3 - "Droids In Distress" Lando Calrissian Episode 11 - "Idiot's Array" Yoda Episode 10 - "Path of the Jedi" Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 1 - "Spark of Rebellion" Grand Moff Tarkin Episode 13 - "Call to Action" Episode 14 - "Rebel Resolve" Episode 15 - "Fire Across the Galaxy"

Star Wars Rebels Season 2 Opens In 4 BBY

The second season of Rebels takes place one year after season 1.

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Star Wars Rebels season 1’s final episodes take place in 4 BBY, as confirmed by the celebration of the 15th Empire Day. The death of the Grand Inquisitor and the rebels’ escape all happened in 4 BBY, meaning Star Wars Rebels season 2 begins four years before A New Hope. In 4 BBY, Leia Organa becomes a junior senator and begins to secretly help rebel cells on behalf of her father, Bail Organa. Leia would then appear in Star Wars Rebels season 2, episode 12 on what was supposed to be a diplomatic mission on Lothal.

Related All 15 Original Trilogy Characters Who Appeared In Star Wars Rebels Star Wars Rebels sets up a lot of background for the rebel alliance, so naturally many characters from the original trilogy appeared in Rebels.

Not much had changed between 5 BBY and 4 BBY, although the existence of an organized rebellion was now more obvious. Star Wars' Ahsoka Tano joined Phoenix Squadron and became an important ally of the Rebellion, with Darth Vader briefly taking part in the search for the rebels of Lothal. Following the death of the Grand Inquisitor, Vader deployed two new Inquisitors to search for the Ghost crew – the Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister. The battle between Ahsoka and Vader, as well as the deaths of three Inquisitors in Malachor, also happened in 4 BBY.

Aside from Leia and Ahsoka, other Rebels season 2 cameos include Darth Vader, Maul, Captain Rex, Hondo Ohnaka, and another appearance from Yoda.

Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Opens In 2 BBY

Rebels' third season marks the biggest time jump between installments.

There is a noticeable time jump between the end of Rebels season 2 and the beginning of Rebels season 3, the latter of which is set in 2 BBY. This is a crucial year not only for the Rebels crew but for Star Wars as a whole. It is in 2 BBY that Star Wars' Grand Admiral Thrawn is enlisted to deal with the rebellion, serving as the main villain for Rebels season 3. It was also in 2 BBY that Wedge Antilles, who would go on to become one of the Rebellion’s most important pilots, left the Imperial Academy.

With two years left before the events of the original Star Wars, the scattered rebel cells were reorganized into the Alliance to Restore the Republic, also known as the Rebel Alliance.

Mon Mothma’s transition from a senator to a leader also happens in 2 BBY and is covered in Rebels season 3. Following the Ghorman massacre, Mon Mothma publically criticized Emperor Palpatine and asked people to rebel against the Empire. Mon Mothma left Coruscant to become one of the Rebellion’s leaders. With two years left before the events of the original Star Wars, the scattered rebel cells were reorganized into the Alliance to Restore the Republic, also known as the Rebel Alliance. This is a defining moment for the Star Wars galaxy, officially starting the war covered in the original trilogy.

The year of 2 BBY is also when Maul dies on Tatooine. More than 17 years after Star Wars: The Clone Wars' timeline, the former Sith finally found Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Maul vs. Kenobi rematch was brief, and the exiled Jedi Master killed his old nemesis. Following the Battle of Atollon, Thrawn momentarily stepped away from the Galactic Civil War. Lastly, the Mandalorian Civil War began in 2 BBY. This war pitted Clan Saxon's Imperial Mandalorians against the rebel Mandalorians of Clan Wren. While the rebels won, the Empire would soon answer with the Great Purge of Mandalore.

Related Star Wars: Every Mandalorian Who Survived The Great Purge The Mandalorian has made several references to the Great Purge, an Order 66-esque event in which many Mandos were wiped out, but several survived.

Star Wars Rebels Season 4 Opens In 1 BBY

Another year splits the stories of Rebels season 3 and Rebels season 4.

With only one year left before the Death Star destroys Alderaan, Star Wars Rebels entered original trilogy territory with season 4. Most of the events of Rebels season 4 take place before 2016’s Rogue One. For example, Rebels season 4 features one of the final chronological appearances of Saw Gerrera before his death in the film. The High Command of the Rebel Alliance chooses Yavin-4, which debuted in the original Star Wars movie, as its base. Following the end of the Mandalorian Civil War, Sabine Wren chose to give the Darksaber to Bo-Katan Kryze, despite Mandalorian traditions.

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Most of the key Rogue One moments take place very close to the end of 1 BBY. This includes the destruction of Jedha during the Death Star’s test run, Saw Gerrera’s death, the recruitment of Jyn Erso by the Rebellion, the death of Galen Erso, and the Battle of Scarif. Chopper and Hera Syndulla are in Yavin-4 during the final portion of Rogue One, which takes place after Kanan Jarrus’ death and the Battle of Lothal from Star Wars Rebels season 4.

Star Wars Rebels' Epilogue Takes Place Around 9 ABY As Seen In Ahsoka

Ahsoka season 1 ties to the very final scenes of Star Wars Rebels.

When Star Wars Rebels epilogue takes place in the franchise’s timeline was a mystery when season 4’s finale aired. In this epilogue, Sabine Wren narrated the success of the Rebellion and the fall of the Empire following the Battle of Endor as Rebels revealed the fates of its characters. However, it was difficult to say how much time had passed between Return of the Jedi and the scenes from Rebels’ epilogue. For the most part, Rebels' epilogue scenes seemed to take place in the four-year gap between season 4 and Return of the Jedi.

However, the release of Ahsoka in 2023 retconned Star Wars Rebels’ epilogue. Ahsoka was essentially a live-action sequel to Rebels and revealed that the reunion between Tano and Wren happened around 9 ABY. Therefore, at least nine years passed between Star Wars Rebels' Battle of Lothal, during which Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn disappeared, and the reunion between Sabine and Ahsoka.

This transformation into Ahsoka the White comes later in Ahsoka season 1, proving how the show retconned Rebels' epilogue.

Interestingly, Ahsoka completely changed elements of Star Wars Rebels' epilogue. In the latter, Ahsoka can be shown wearing a white gown with a white staff when she meets Sabine. However, Ahsoka episode 2 recreates this scene, retconning it so that Ahsoka does not have her white attire. This transformation into Ahsoka the White comes later in Ahsoka season 1, proving how the show retconned Rebels' epilogue. Upcoming shows such as Ahsoka season 2’s story and movies like The Mandalorian & Grogu are set to further explore the New Republic timeline, which links directly to the ending of Star Wars Rebels.