Star Wars Zero Company takes place in 20 BBY, during the later stages of the Clone Wars and roughly one year before the events that bring the war to an end in Revenge of the Sith. That puts Zero Company after several major events from The Clone Wars animated series, but before Order 66, the fall of the Jedi Order, and the Galactic Republic becoming the Empire in 19 BBY.

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When Zero Company Takes Place
Where It Fits With the Movies
Where It Fits With The Clone Wars
Is It Before Order 66?

Star Wars Zero Company Takes Place in 20 BBY

Zero Company is set in 20 BBY, near the end of the three-year Clone Wars.

The Clone Wars begin in 22 BBY with the Battle of Geonosis in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. They ultimately end in 19 BBY during Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, when Palpatine executes his plan against the Jedi and transforms the Republic into the Galactic Empire.

That makes 20 BBY a particularly interesting point for Zero Company. The Republic and Separatists have already spent years fighting across the galaxy, but the war hasn't reached its catastrophic ending yet.

Official descriptions repeatedly call the game's setting the "twilight of the Clone Wars," which is probably the easiest way to think about it. You're entering this conflict very late rather than watching the Clone Wars begin.

Zero Company Takes Place Between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith

If you're only familiar with the Star Wars movies, the placement is pretty simple.

Zero Company happens after Attack of the Clones and before Revenge of the Sith.

Attack of the Clones takes place in 22 BBY and ends with the Clone Wars beginning. Zero Company is set around two years later in 20 BBY. Revenge of the Sith then takes place in 19 BBY, approximately a year after Zero Company's starting point.

So when you see Clone Troopers, Republic forces, Separatist battle droids, and Jedi operating throughout Zero Company, the Empire hasn't taken over yet. Palpatine is still Supreme Chancellor, the Republic is still technically the Republic, and the Jedi are still fighting alongside clone forces.

That context is also why Zero Company can comfortably build a roster around characters from dramatically different sides of the conflict. Hawks is a former Republic officer, Trick is a former clone soldier, Luco Bronc actually fought against the Republic on Umbara, and Tel-Rea is a Jedi Padawan.

Where Zero Company Fits With The Clone Wars Series

Zero Company's 20 BBY setting puts it fairly deep into the timeline of Star Wars: The Clone Wars rather than alongside the show's earliest seasons.

One of the clearest reference points is Umbara.

The Battle of Umbara and its aftermath occur in 20 BBY, and Zero Company includes Luco Bronc, an Umbaran who defended his homeworld against the Republic invasion. By the time you meet him, the Republic has defeated and occupied Umbara, and Luco has very good reasons for not being particularly fond of it.

That means the events surrounding the famous Umbara storyline aren't some distant future event from Zero Company's perspective. They're part of the recent history shaping its characters.

I think this is one reason the setting works particularly well for the kind of story Zero Company wants to tell. The Clone Wars have gone on long enough that characters from both sides have accumulated losses, grudges, and reasons to question the factions they originally fought for.

Rather than playing another straightforward Republic squad, Hawks leads an independent group willing to recruit Operators from across the galaxy.

That eventually includes recruitable Clone Operators as well. If you're building your own Clone-heavy squad, I've covered the process separately in my Star Wars Zero Company how to recruit Clones guide.

Does Zero Company Take Place Before Order 66?

Yes. Zero Company's 20 BBY setting places it before Order 66, which happens in 19 BBY during Revenge of the Sith.

At the beginning of Zero Company's story, the Jedi Order still exists, Clone Troopers are still associated with the Galactic Republic, and Palpatine hasn't publicly transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire.

That's an important distinction because Zero Company is extremely close to one of the biggest turning points in the entire Star Wars timeline without starting on the other side of it.

In chronological terms, you're much closer to Revenge of the Sith than Attack of the Clones.

I won't get into later campaign events here because someone searching when Zero Company takes place probably doesn't want the ending spoiled. The spoiler-free answer is that its core setting is the final stretch of the Clone Wars, before the Republic's collapse and the rise of the Empire.

Why the 20 BBY Setting Matters

The 20 BBY date isn't just background lore. It explains a lot about why Zero Company looks the way it does.

The Separatists and Republic remain active military powers, so Clone Troopers and battle droids are everywhere. Jedi can still operate openly. At the same time, years of war have created defectors, mercenaries, displaced fighters, and people who no longer fit neatly into either faction.

That's exactly the environment Zero Company needs.

Hawks himself was once a captain in the Grand Army of the Republic before being dismissed from service. Trick was also part of the Republic military before joining Hawks, while Luco comes from a world the Republic invaded. Zero Company's roster basically represents the mess the Clone Wars have left behind by this point.

The game's main conflict also happens largely in the shadows of the larger Republic-versus-Separatist war rather than replacing it. Zero Company is dealing with the Infinite Coil while the enormous conflict everyone already knows from the movies and animated series continues around them.

So, When Does Star Wars Zero Company Take Place?

Star Wars Zero Company takes place in 20 BBY, during the twilight of the Clone Wars.

Chronologically, that means it's set after Attack of the Clones, after the Clone Wars have already been underway for roughly two years, and around one year before Revenge of the Sith, Order 66, and the creation of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY.

If you're placing it alongside the animated series, think late Clone Wars rather than the beginning of the conflict. The Battle of Umbara is already part of the history affecting Zero Company's characters, while the galaxy-changing events of Revenge of the Sith are still ahead.

Star Wars Zero Company