Where does Tales of the Underworld fit into the Star Wars timeline? Explained

Tales of the Underworld takes a step away from the Jedi storyline to highlight characters who are usually lurking in the dark corners and shadows of the galaxy.

This latest add-on to the Star Wars anthology format focuses on Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane, giving each character three episodes to explore the complicated underworld they function.

While the new show might not follow through with traditionally seen Star Wars characters, the events seen in the show are anything but detached from the actual canon universe - in fact, they thread carefully through important moments and eras.

But exactly how do their stories fit into the extensive Star Wars timeline? Read further to find out more.

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Asajj Ventress' return and the shifting Empire

Tales of the Underworld starts with the resurrection of Asajj Ventress—a moment formerly implied in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 but never fully elucidated on, well…until now.

Her arc here starts during the final year of the Clone Wars in 19BBY, as seen in the very first episode, “A Way Forward.” The animated scene portraying Quinlan Vos and Obi-Wan Kenobi laying Ventress to rest on Dathomir reflects her heartbreaking end in the novel Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, where she martyrs herself in an unsuccessful mission to wipe out Count Dooku.

As Dark Disciple recounted;

“The Jedi created a convoluted and undeniably dangerous plan to have a Jedi kill Count Dooku.”

Her death and the connection with Quinlan set her up for a mystical comeback.

In the wake of her resurrection via Nightsister magic, Ventress journeys through the early Reign of the Empire, affiliating her story with the in-between period that spans 19BBY to approximately 16BBY.

This era, rich with degeneration and restructuring, becomes the faultless setting as Ventress meets Lyco, a young Jedi toughie of Order 66. Together, they hunt for the mysterious Hidden Path—a network aiding fugitive Jedi, formerly made known in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi: Survivor.

In “Friends,” the second episode of Tales of the Underworld, the duo makes a deal with a bounty hunter in trade for information on the Path. It’s here that the audience lands on a timeline hint.

The bounty hunter makes known that;

“The Empire is building a new kind of starship…”

This here references the change from Venator-class vessels to Imperial Star Destroyers. This technical whirl places the episode—as well as Ventress’ arc— definitely around 16BBY, fixed closely between The Bad Batch and Jedi: Fallen Order.

While the character development is sharp and dense, it leaves the door open for a reunion with Quinlan Vos going beyond Tales of the Underworld.

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Cad Bane’s evolution across decades in Tales of The Underworld

Unlike Ventress’ constricted storyline, Tales of the Underworld presents Cad Bane’s life as a comprehensive character study. Each of his 3 episodes takes place in different phases of his life—childhood, puberty, and early adulthood—allowing audiences to watch the bounty hunter grow before his rise to ill repute.

Born in 62BBY, Cad Bane is roughly around 10 years of age in his first appearance, placing the episode somewhere around 52BBY. A substantial time jump in the second episode, likely crossing 8–10 years, sets it to be around 44–42BBY.

By the final episode of his arc, Bane is shown as an out-and-out bounty hunter. However, the veteran killer is not yet seen in The Clone Wars.

This last episode most likely falls somewhere between 33–35BBY, just before the happenings of The Phantom Menace.

Regardless of being short of a tangible timestamp in each episode, inklings from character designs and officially canonical events help to draw a mapwork around Bane’s timeline.

The gradual progress from a young, roughly flanked outcast to the actual cold-blooded Cad Bane the audience recognizes from The Book of Boba Fett.

While Tales of the Underworld doesn’t drastically amend his character arc, it adds certain nuances to his drives and past connections.

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Tales of the Underworld expertly intertwines two separate timelines into the Star Wars canonical universe —Asajj Ventress’ return during the Empire’s rise and Cad Bane’s resolute origin story before any of the prequels.

Though situated in different periods, both arcs develop in the Star Wars universe, underlining those who steer through the galaxy’s darker paths with purpose and complexity.

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