For Millennials. By Millennials.
The Mandalorian is the only show in the Star Wars Universe that is so disconnected from the Skywalker Saga. But, that is what makes the show so amazing. However, there were still some references to the trivial Star Wars saga in the show, mostly in the forms of Easter Eggs. Yet, it still does not deter fans from asking the question – where was Luke Skywalker during the Mandalorian?
To find out the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker, we first have to know when the Mandalorian takes place in the Star Wars Universe. Or specifically, how long after the original trilogy did the show take place? Surprisingly, the show never really touched on that. However, the creator John Favreau confirmed that the show takes place five years after Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi. This puts the Mandalorian at 9 years after the Battle of Yavin (ABY), 25 years before Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Despite the time jumps, it gives us a fairly short time span, helping us pinpoint where Luke Skywalker was.
So, where was Luke?
As of now, Luke Skywalker has not appeared on The Mandalorian, yet. But there is Star Wars canon content that tells us where he was at the time. At 9 ABY, it means that Luke has already begun training of Leia Organa. And he did not begin training Ben Solo until 15 ABY. So, it’s in between this timeline that The Mandalorian takes place. And during this time period, Luke was studying the Force and the Jedi to reform the Jedi Order. For that, Luke traveled across the Galaxy, collecting many pieces of Jedi history and how to improve the Jedi Order.
However, due to the uncertainty, it’s very hard to pinpoint which world Luke Skywalker really was. Moreover, the Mandalorian gave no reference to the whereabouts of Luke as well. The show was just disconnected from the entire Skywalker Saga, and that was a part of its charm. It created a lot of uncertainty around our favorite characters, creating a tension that wasn’t present in the prequels and other Star Wars shows.
The first season of the Mandalorian focused around Baby Yoda and Din Djarin’s (Pedro Pascal) epic journey in a distant quadrant of the galaxy to save the baby from a grim fate. But, in season 2, the stakes are higher and Din must find Baby Yoda’s ancestral home to return him to safety and away from the clutches of the remainder of the First Order and Moff Gideon. Perhaps the show is building up to a reunion of Luke and Baby Yoda and Co. But, we’ll only find out about it in season 2 of The Mandalorian.