Star Warshas accomplished plenty withThe Mandalorian, both in-universe and in real life, but there’s one plot hole from the TV show that just keeps getting worse.The Mandalorianseason 1 begins five years after the events ofReturn of the Jedi, which has allowed it to become a bridge between the original and sequelStar Warstrilogies.
In the process of laying the foundation for the sequelStar Warstrilogy, most pointedly the pivotalProject Necromancerthat would eventually bring Palpatine back from the dead,The Mandalorianhas struggled with one key thing: its timeline. This is especially true of the most crucial event at the core of its entire story.
The Purge Of Mandalore’s Timeline Keeps Shifting
First introduced by Paz Vizsla inThe Mandalorianseason 1, episode 3 “Chapter 3: The Sin,“the Great Purge of Mandalore saw the Empire pillaging and destroying the entire surface of Mandalore, rendering nearly all Mandalorians extinct. As a result, Mandalorians like Din Djarin were forced into hiding, hence why his covert lives underground on Nevarro.
This event has been somewhat expanded on in bothThe Book of Boba FettandThe Mandalorianseason 3, butnever once is its actual place in the timeline ever revealed. Initially, it was thought to have happened before the events ofA New Hope, as creator Jon Favreau intended on using the Purge as an explanation for where the Mandalorians were during the original trilogy.
Then, in theAhsokaseason 1 finale, the droid Huyang informs Ezra Bridger that Mandalore was destroyed “at the end of the war,” which seems to make the Purge of Mandalore a part of theEmpire’s Operation: Cinder- which was mentioned inThe Mandalorianseason 2, episode 7 “Chapter 15: The Believer.”
Just under a year later, however, the video gameStar Wars Outlawsseemed to retcon the Purge’s timeline once again, with background stormtrooper chatter discussing the Purge beforeReturn of the Jeditakes place.All the while, we have yet to receive an official datefor when the Purge of Mandalore actually takes place.
The Mandalorian Purge Is Too Important To Ignore Like This
It’s true thatStar Warshas a very complex timelinethat’s undoubtedly difficult to keep up with, especially with nearly fifty years' worth of supplemental material to account for, but the Purge of Mandalore is too essential toThe Mandalorianand the overallStar Warsnarrative to not have a specific place on the timeline.
The Mandalorianis currently at the center ofStar Wars’biggest storytelling initiative, especially withThe Mandalorian and Grogumovieset to release in May 2026. With the Purge of Mandalore playing such a crucial role in that story, especially in season 3, it’s almost ridiculous that we don’t yet know for certain when this tragedy takes place.
It’s a springboard for so much of what happens inThe Mandalorian, and as its story continues to web off into others that will eventually culminate in Dave Filoni’s untitledStar Warsmovie,there needs to be some long-awaited clarity surrounding the Purge. Otherwise, the stories of characters like Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze will inevitably falter.
Unfortunately, we have already seen some evidence of this.The Mandalorianseason 3, for many viewers, was overall a miss compared to seasons 1 and 2, mostly because it didn’t feel nearly as grounded nor as fleshed-out. Perhapsif the Purge had an actual place in the timeline and more definitive lore attached, this could have been prevented.
Star Wars Needs To Decide When The Purge Actually Happened
Nearly six years after it was first introduced inThe Mandalorian,Star Warsneeds to simply choose when the Purge of Mandalore takes place, and it needs to stick to that placement. At present,its murky timeline is hindering the story ofThe Mandalorianrather than helping it - and even that of the original trilogyas well.
If the Purge truly does take place after the war, thenStar Warsstill has to find a way to explain why the Mandalorians aren’t around during the Galactic Civil War. It stands to reason thatthe greatest warriors in the galaxy would fight against an unjust Empire, or at least be more presentaround the fight in general.
If it takes place during or after the war, as indicated byStar Wars OutlawsandAhsokarespectively, then there will need to be some small workarounds for what those two projects are actually referring to in relation to the Purge’s timeline. Either way, clarity is absolutely necessary here.
The Great Purge of Mandalore is a turning point inStar Warshistory, specifically for the Mandalorians, and with a character who was directly affected by it now leading the current era ofStar Warsstorytelling, this event truly needs to be more grounded. The future ofThe Mandalorianand its related properties depends on it.
