Where Rogue One Falls In The Star Wars Timeline - CBR

Six years ago, the galaxy far, far away showcased a different side to an iconic era with the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. This companion to the original trilogy was the first of what was meant to be several Star Wars side stories, but in recent years, these sorts of stories have been told on Disney+ TV shows.

With so many Star Wars movies and TV shows having come out since then, it can be a bit confusing to figure out where some of them take place. That's especially the case with Rogue One, which only somewhat hints at its place in the timeline. With the movie turning six in a few months, here's an exact look at when Rogue One takes place.

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What Is Rogue One About?

The story of Rogue One doesn't focus on familiar characters from the Star Wars franchise, instead telling a tale within the "underbelly" of the original trilogy's plot. Said story has a scientist named Galen Erso being captured by Orson Krennic and the Empire, who intend to use his expertise to complete their ultimate weapon: the Death Star. Galen's daughter Jyn escapes and is saved by Saw Gerrera, a character who had debuted in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Jyn, Saw, thief/spy Cassian Andor and others race to secure the schematics for the Death Star, in doing so hoping to earn the Rebel Alliance a decisive victory against the Empire. The result was a dark, morbid movie that was unlike any previous Star Wars film, showing the malleability of the franchise. Given the presence of the Death Star, Star Wars purists are likely curious as to when Rogue One takes place in connection to A New Hope.

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Where Rogue One Exists in the Star Wars Timeline

Rogue One takes place one week before A New Hope, the original Star Wars movie. In fact, its events are actually referenced in that movie's opening crawl, which reads: "Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet."

The film also takes place around the same time as the conclusion of the animated series Star Wars Rebels. The upcoming Andor TV series on Disney+ will be set five years before Rogue One, setting it around the same time period as when Rebels began. Both the ending of Rebels and Rogue One are noted as taking place zero years away from the Battle of Yavin (the climactic dogfight at the end of A New Hope). Thus, if fans are trying to watch the movies in chronological order, they should pop Rogue One in right before the first Star Wars movie.