Five years after theGreat Purge of Mandalorewas first mentioned inThe Mandalorian,Star Warshas officially revealed when this devastating tragedy took place, though it has unwittingly reopened the largest Mandalorian plot hole in the process. The Great Purge has become an extremely important part ofMandalorian history, with the orbital bombardment of Mandalore scattered its people all across the galaxy in its wake. Though Mandalorians have since reclaimed their world, little is still known about this tragedy, such as its timeline - though that has since become clearer.
Star Wars: Every Mandalorian Who Survived The Great Purge
The Mandalorian has made several references to the Great Purge, an Order 66-esque event in which many Mandos were wiped out, but several survived.
In the new video gameStar Wars Outlaws, it’s revealed in a conversation with stormtroopers thatthe Great Purge happens in 3 ABY, or just three years after the destruction of the first Death Star. This means it takes place an entire year before the Battle of Endor, as seen inReturn of the Jedi, and thus well before the Galactic Civil War officially ended at theBattle of Jakku. This not only contradicts the previous timeline given by thedroid HuyanginAhsoka, who said these events happened after the war, but also reopens a massive Mandalorian plot hole.
Star Wars Outlaws
Set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Outlaws is an open-world action-adventure game where players hop into the scoundrel boots of Kay Vess, a woman who travels the galaxy Looking for a better life. Together with her furry partner Nix and new allies she meets along the way, Kay will navigate the various landscapes, towns, and planets across the galaxy while outsmarting both Crime Syndicates and the Empire.
The Purge Of Mandalore’s Date Causes A Major OT Problem
Where Were the Mandalorians During the OT?
One of the biggest questionsThe Mandalorianhad to answer straightaway was why the Mandalorians weren’t around during the events of the originalStar Warstrilogy. Save for Boba Fett, who doesn’t even consider himself to be a Mandalorian,no one else with Mandalorian armor is ever seen during that time. Of course, the real-world explanation is that Mandalorians simply hadn’t existed then the way they do now, butStar Warshas long since needed to create an in-universe explanation for why that is - and the Purge was meant to be that explanation.
The Purge happening near the end of the Galactic Civil War still begs the question of why they weren’t around from the beginning of the war until that point.
Now, however,Star Warscan no longer use the Purge as an excuse for why the Mandalorians are missing during that time. The Purge happening near the end of the Galactic Civil War still begs the question of why they weren’t around from the beginning of the war until that point. Mandalorians were, and still are, regarded as the greatest warriors in the galaxy, and they had their own qualms with the Empire that would motivate them to take action.Why, then, wouldn’t they have been fighting against the Empire, or at least been more active on other worlds?
This new timeline for the Purge thus reopens this massive original trilogy-era problem forStar Wars, making it even more unclear what exactly the Mandalorian were up to until this point. This isn’t the only consequence of this new, confirmed date for the Purge, either, as it also raises questions about otherStar Warsevents and characters around this same time. Nevertheless, it’s still exciting to have some more confirmation about something as new toStar Warslore as the Purge, proving howThe Mandalorianhas truly changedStar Warsin the last five years.
The Mandalorian
Cast
Released on August 25, 2025 The Mandalorian follows a lone gunfighter navigating the galaxy’s outer reaches after the Galactic Empire’s fall. As a skilled bounty hunter, he operates in a lawless universe, undertaking various missions on the fringes of the New Republic’s territories.
