Lucasfilm confirmed two of its biggest titles of 2026 will be tied together, as The Mandalorian & Grogu will serve as a prequel story to Ahsoka Season 2. Disney's next Star Wars movie has its work cut out for it when it comes to theaters next May. Not only does it have the lofty task of bringing Star Wars back to the big screen for the first time in over half a decade, but it also must continue the story of The Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian is not the only streaming project it seems to be building upon, though. The Mando Movie takes place in the post-Return of the Jedi period that has come to be known as the MandoVerse, joining fellow 2026 Star Wars title Ahsoka.
According to The Mandalorian & Grogu director Jon Favreau, his new Star Wars film is secretly a prequel to the second season of Ahsoka. Speaking during a conversation with Empire Magazine (via Star Wars Holocron), Favreau posited that the inclusion of Star Wars Rebels hero Zeb Orrelios in the upcoming film will "tie in what’s happening with Ahsoka."
Zeb crossed over with The Mandalorian franchise during a fun cameo in Season 3, but has been confirmed to play a larger part in The Mandalorian & Grogu. The former Ghost Crew member was assumed to pop up in Ahsoka's first season, given the series' branding as a Rebels sequel, yet he was nowhere to be seen.
That is set to change with Ahsoka Season 2, as he joins his fellow former Rebels cohorts in the fight against the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn.
How Zeb's Mando Movie story will tie into Ahsoka Season 2 remains to be seen, but with The Mandalorian & Grogu expected to be released before the hit Disney+ streaming series, whatever the lovable Lassat gets up to in the film almost has to pave a path back to Ahsoka.
The Mandalorian & Grogu will continue the story of the beloved Mandalorian Disney+ series, following Pedro Pascal's bounty hunting hero, Din Djarin, and his young ward Grogu on various capers across the galaxy. Directed by Jon Favreau, the new Star Wars film is set to come to theaters on May 22, 2026. No release timing for Ahsoka Season 2 has been released, but it is expected to arrive sometime next year.
How Can The Mandalorian & Grogu Set Up Ahsoka Season 2?
While The Mandalorian & Grogu is trying to separate itself from its Disney+ roots and be as standalone an adventure as possible, it will still have to feature some connective tissue to the greater Star Wars universe.
The entire era of the Star Wars timeline in which The Mandalorian story takes place has come to be colloquially known as the MandoVerse. Because of that, The Mandalorian & Grogu movie has to tie into the greater narrative, even if it is just a passing mention.
The way it will seemingly achieve that is to include Zeb before he pops back up in Ahsoka Season 2. What is most likely to happen is that Zeb helps Mando and Grogu on their adventure before hearing of Thrawn's arrival back into the galaxy (as seen at the end of Ahsoka Season 1), and is called back to help out with that.
That way, Zeb gets to where he needs to be for Ahsoka Season 2, but the greater MandoVerse story does not pull Din and Grogu away from whatever quest they have to go on in the film itself.
With rumors that Disney wants to pursue a trilogy of Mandalorian movies, perhaps The Mandalorian & Grogu could pass the baton off to Ahsoka Season 2, before it is passed right back for a potential Mando Movie sequel.
