When does Star Wars: Visions take place? Here’s where each episode falls in the timeline
Just how much is a long time ago?
Star Wars: Visions is breathing new life into a mainstay franchise.
Decades after George Lucas took inspiration from old samurai movies, multiple iconic anime studios are reviving that inspiration and bringing something wholly new to the Star Wars universe.
However, a lot of questions remain surrounding these one-off adventures. Are they canon? Will we see these characters again? Where do these episodes fall in the Star Wars timeline?
The answers to all these questions are unclear. However, Executive Producer James Waugh says there is an answer to the timeline question, even if it’s a bit vague. “I think some of these fit more on the timeline than other shorts,” he tells Inverse.
Here is a breakdown of where each of the Visions episodes potentially fit in the Star Wars timeline, be it an exact moment or window in time.
Star Wars: Visions Episode 1, “The Duel”
“The Duel,” done mostly in black and white like the samurai films of yore, focuses on a masterless Force user known only as Ronin as he encounters a confrontation in a small village. When a shipload of what look like stormtroopers get off their transport, the local shopkeeper tells Ronin they’re actually bandits, the “last remnants of the war.”
What war could he mean? Judging by their stormtrooper armor, this episode either takes place between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi or after the original trilogy itself, around the time The Mandalorian takes place.
Star Wars: Visions Episode 2, “Tattooine Rhapsody”
Thankfully, this episode is very clearly marked on the Star Wars timeline thanks to surprising cameos by Boba Fett, Jabba the Hutt, and the Mos Espa Circuit. It’s clear this episode takes place before the original trilogy but after the prequels, in the mysterious region where Star Wars’ animated spinoffs take place.
Star Wars: Visions Episode 3, “The Twins”
This anti-Luke-and-Leia fable takes a look at the Dark Side of the Force, but at what point?
Well, this is the first of two episodes that deal with the aftermath of the sequel trilogy. According to a press conference held by a number of Visions directors in July, Hiroyuki Imaishi, one of the founders of Studio Trigger, said, “‘The Twins’ is set after Episode IX, after the Empire has been vanquished by the Resistance. The remnants of the Imperial Army have raised a pair of twins on the Dark Side of the Force, and the story goes from there.”
But don’t jump to thinking this is the future of Star Wars. Visions isn’t about creating a new path for the franchise, it’s more about exploring paths not taken.
Star Wars: Visions Episode 4, “The Village Bride”
This story of love and familial sacrifice feels almost pulled out of folklore, but it can be pinned to a specific era of the Star Wars timeline. Thanks to a mention of “Separatists” that the Jedi don’t really want to involve themselves with, this sets this episode probably just before the prequel trilogy.
With its vicious fairytale mood, being set in the history before the Skywalker Saga makes perfect sense.
Star Wars: Visions Episode 5, “The Ninth Jedi”
This epic saga depicting a group of Jedi, a mysterious droid, and a lightsaber manufacturer fighting for his life is also set after The Rise of Skywalker.
Director Kenji Kamiyama of Production I.G. said in a press conference, “I wondered, after Episode IX, has the galaxy settled into peace? We all love stories of the Jedi and lightsabers, but what became of the Jedi Knights after the movie series? My story is about that.”
Star Wars: Visions Episode 6, “T0-B1”
This episode, a loving Astro-Boy homage about a droid who dreams of being a Jedi, reveals its setting when the villain, an Inquisitor, gets word of a signal that “could be a survivor.”
Inquisitors were soldiers led by Darth Vader who hunted Jedi who fell through the cracks of Order 66, meaning this episode, much like “Tattooine Rhapsody,” takes place in between the prequels and the original trilogy.
Star Wars: Visions Episode 7, “The Elder”
“The Elder” is the second episode created by Studio Trigger, following a Jedi padawan and his master as they encounter an evil force in a deserted area.
Due to the exploration of the master-padawan model without dealing with any huge conflict, this episode takes place before the prequel trilogy, which was confirmed by Studio Trigger in their press conference.
Star Wars: Visions Episode 8, “Lop and Ochō”
“Lop and Ochō” follows a divide between sisters that brings into question the entire concept of family and inheritance. But the issue that drives Ochō away from her father and sister is also the detail that reveals the setting.
Ochō lashes out at her father for attacking the Imperial base, saying support from the Empire is the only way their culture will develop. He responds that they’ve gotten by so far without any help from the Republic, and he doesn’t see why things should change. This reveals this episode takes place during the precarious transition of power between the Republic and the Empire right after the prequel trilogy.
Star Wars: Visions Episode 9, “Akakiri”
The final Visions episode deals with a love story and the Jedi and Sith, illustrating why Jedi have this strict “no attachments” rule — it ends up turning Tsubaki just as it turned Anakin. But when is this story set? This unfortunately is difficult to answer. Jedi and Sith have clashed all over the Star Wars timeline.
Thankfully, the last shot features a Star Destroyer, meaning this episode probably takes place in the heyday of the Empire, sometime between the end of the prequels and the end of the original trilogy.
Star Wars: Visions is now streaming on Disney+.
