Where does Obi-Wan Kenobi fall on the Star Wars timeline? It's a question that's thankfully easy to answer, because we know the exact year the Disney Plus series is set.
The show takes place in the lengthy 19-year gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, which is an era that's been left unexplored by the other live-action Star Wars TV shows, which have so far been set in the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.
We've delved into when exactly Obi-Wan Kenobi is set on the Star Wars timeline below, with everything you need to know to get caught up on the show's chronology. Be warned, though, there are spoilers ahead for the first two episodes.
When does Obi-Wan Kenobi take place in the Star Wars timeline?
Before we get stuck in, it's worth breaking down how the Star Wars timeline actually works. The main thing to know is that everything in the galaxy's calendar revolves around one significant event: the Battle of Yavin, AKA the first time the Death Star was blown up (as seen in A New Hope). That's abbreviated to BBY (Before Battle of Yavin), or ABY (After Battle of Yavin).
Here's how the movies and TV shows fall so far, with Obi-Wan Kenobi included:
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – 32 BBY
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones – 22 BBY
- The Clone Wars – 22 BBY-19 BBY
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith – 19 BBY
- The Bad Batch – 19 BBY
- Solo: A Star Wars Story – 13 BBY – 10 BBY
- Obi-Wan Kenobi – 10 BBY
- Star Wars Rebels – 5 BBY – 1 BBY
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – 1 BBY
- A New Hope – 0 BBY
- The Empire Strikes Back – 3 ABY
- Return of the Jedi – 4 ABY
- The Mandalorian seasons 1 and 2 – 9 ABY
- The Book of Boba Fett – 9 ABY
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens – 34 ABY
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi – 34 ABY
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – 35 ABY
Obi-Wan Kenobi timeline: what does that mean for the show?
Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, and nine years before A New Hope. That means we pick up with the titular Jedi Master in exile on Tatooine, watching over a young Luke Skywalker (he and his twin sister Leia Organa are both 10 years old). Meanwhile, Darth Vader is still out there following his clash with Obi-Wan on Mustafar a decade previously, and the Sith Lord's Inquisitors are on the hunt for any Jedi who survived the deadly Order 66.
So far, the show has featured a quick cameo from young Luke, but it's Leia who stole the show with her heart-warming team-up with Obi-Wan. Her adoptive parents Bail and Breha Organa have also appeared, and there was even a cameo from a former clone trooper in episode 2.
As for who else might be showing up in the show, there's a few characters around at this time. Ahsoka Tano is out there, as is Yoda, Bo-Katan Kryze, Han Solo, and even the Force ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn. Rebels characters could make an appearance, especially considering the Grand Inquisitor debuted in that show, and so could rebellion figures like Mon Mothma, or more clones like Cody or Rex.
Plus, characters from the other Star Wars TV shows like Din Djarin, Boba Fett, and even Grogu are alive in this time period. In short, there's tons of characters that could potentially be crossing over, though whether they actually will remains to be seen – some are far more likely than others…
Obi-Wan Kenobi's place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope means that we know certain things are bound to happen in the future, too. Nine years on from the show, Obi-Wan will be the wise grandfatherly figure we know and love from A New Hope, and he's set to duel Vader one final time aboard the first Death Star.
But, there's still a lot of room to play with, considering Vader and Obi-Wan only exchange a few words when they meet for the final time, so their "rematch of the century" isn't all that hemmed in. Obi-Wan also isn't particularly forthcoming in the original trilogy about what he's been up to on Tatooine for all those years, so the way is clear for his new adventures in the Disney Plus show.
To find out when the next episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi is arriving on Disney Plus, check out our Obi-Wan Kenobi release schedule.
In the meantime, for much more on the series, see our interviews with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen on their favorite memories filming the show and how their characters' relationship has changed, as well as Christensen on why he didn't speak to George Lucas before returning as Darth Vader and Moses Ingram on playing the galaxy's newest villain, Reva.
For everything else coming soon from the galaxy far, far away, there's our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows – and get up to speed on all there is to know about Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, too.
