Dave Filoni has addressed the Ezra Bridger and Star Wars Rebels connection in “Chapter 13: The Jedi” of The Mandalorian.
Everything happens for a reason. That’s one way to address the connection the thirteenth episode of The Mandalorian had to the animated series, Star Wars Rebels. The director and writer of this chapter, conveniently titled “Chapter 13: The Jedi,” Dave Filoni spoke with Vanity Fair about where Ahsoka Tano’s live-action debut takes place in the timeline and how missing Jedi padawan Ezra Bridger fit into the narrative of Din and Grogu’s adventure.
Filoni states that the placement of “The Jedi” was done intentionally and the reason is quite simple. When the first six films were released, it went Episodes IV, V, XI and then jumped back in time to Episodes I, II, and III. Filoni clarifies also that where this installment takes place does not necessarily mean it sits where most people assume it does, prior to the epilogue of Rebels where Ahsoka joins Sabine Wren in trying to find their missing friend Ezra Bridger. Here’s his exact quote from the interview when asked where his scene fits into the timeline:
"Right. But no, it’s an interesting one… That’s not necessarily chronological. I think the thing that people will most not understand is they want to go in a linear fashion, but as I learned as a kid, nothing in Star Wars really works in a linear fashion. You do [Episodes] IV, V and VI and then I, II, and III. So in the vein of that history, when you look at the epilogue of Rebels you don’t really know how much time has passed. So, it’s possible that the story I’m telling in The Mandalorian actually takes place prior to that. Possible. I’m saying it’s possible."
The reason why fans were confused as where the episode sat in the timeline is because of the mention of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Before this, it was assumed the episode took place after the epilogue of Rebels. As we mentioned earlier, everything happens for a reason. But if Filoni’s involved, it’s deliberate, no doubt.
Filoni also says we don’t know how much time has passed since the events of “The Jedi” and the Rebels epilogue/finale.
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What could Filoni have in store for the connections to Rebels in the Mandalorian?
If I had to guess, Filoni wouldn’t have included Rebels references to the episode if he wasn’t going to explore it further. It’s not in his nature to just start something and not finish it.
Given that we got two Rebels-associated characters in Ahsoka and Bo-Katan in The Mandalorian, we need to consider what could be in store next for the Star Wars Rebels connections.
Given that Bo-Katan’s story isn’t finished, we could see her in one of the last episodes of the season as Moff Gideon has the Darksaber which was rightfully in the hands of the Mand’alor as seen in Rebels. A lot of time has passed since then, and who knows what happens between then and now?
Whether we see a live-action Thrawn is still up in the air. As nice as it would be to see him, it would likely wait until season 3 or be shown in another series that is totally separate to Mando and Grogu’s journey.
Where does this put Sabine and Ezra’s potential appearances?
Depending on where in the timeline placement of “The Jedi” is confirmed to be, we may get a live-action Sabine. Of course, it would make sense given she is a Mandalorian by birth despite having been raised on Krownest. However, it’s doubtful we’ll get Ezra given where he is at this point in time.
If we were to get a flashback of him or a vision, that would be okay. but it may look a bit off if he appears in the present-day without too much of an explanation.
Final thoughts
What did Filoni’s explanation give us in regards to the Rebels and Ezra connections? It’s possible that “The Jedi” takes place either before or after Ahsoka and Sabine venture off to find Ezra. Nothing is set in stone, and in Star Wars, there is no such thing as linear.
Did you understand Filoni and his cryptic message? Tell us below!