The series follows thief-turned-rebel spy Cassian Andor during the five years that lead to the events of the two films, exploring how he becomes radicalized against the Galactic Empire and how the wider Rebel Alliance is formed.
What makes Andor truly unique is the depth and complexity of its storytelling, which elevates it to the status of — and I don't say this lightly — the most exquisite Star Wars content ever produced. At the heart of Andor's greatness is its commitment to character.
Given how Rogue One ended for Cassian Andor (Spoilers: he dies), Andor is most certainly not a sequel to that Star Wars film. Instead, Andor is a prequel to Rogue One, taking place some five years before Andor met Jyn Erso and they stole the Death Star plans.
Andor contributes to the mega-plot of the Rebellion and the construction - and later destruction - of the Death Star while still telling its own story and fleshing out its characters. It is a relevant and interesting story that feels like it belongs in the Star Wars universe.
It is announced at the beginning of Andor that the show takes place in the year 5 Before the Battle of Yavin (BBY). That puts the show fourteen years after the formation of the Empire and just five years before the events of Rogue One and A New Hope. That is a significant time in the galaxy.
“The Mandalorian” is set between the original film trilogy and the latest sequels. “Andor” is a prequel to “Rogue One,” itself a prequel to “A New Hope.” And the forthcoming Disney+ series “The Acolyte” takes place hundreds of years before the Skywalker saga.
Andor tells the story of Cassian (Diego Luna) five years before the events of Rogue One. In doing so, the series serves as a link to Star Wars creations that do not primarily feature Jedi. Andor explores the rebellion in all its glory without Jedi/The Skywalker Saga as a central premise or even an on-screen presence.
Why Andor & Din Djarin's Orphan Backstories Are So Important. For the Mandalorian, his roots are crucial to his entire story in the Star Wars franchise. In a way, it's what drives him.
Masters. For other uses, see Andor (disambiguation) and Kassa (disambiguation). Cassian Jeron Andor was a human male operative of the Alliance to Restore the Republic who was remembered as a hero after his sacrifice to secure the Galactic Empire's Death Star plans at the Battle of Scarif.
Kleya Probably Isn't Leia, But She Likely Is Very Important
Princess Leia is approximately 14 years old in Andor, which means she's too young to be Elizabeth Dulau's character. Plus, it's a bit too early for Leia to have this level of involvement in the fight against the Empire in the Star Wars timeline.
The Empire of Andor is different. Darth Vader and the Death Star are somewhere off-screen—the former unmentioned, the latter also unacknowledged aside from a stray reference to Scarif. The Emperor is remote and voiceless, the unseen spider at the center of a galaxy-wide web.
WizardWarrior1 is correct, when describing a character like Cassian Andor it's very difficult to use the terms “good” and “bad” to describe him. Cassian is fighting against a regime that is tyrannical and oppressive. However he does tend to do things you wouldn't think “good guys” would do.
Cassian later began stealing ship components and other valuable technology from the Empire with his former lover Bix Caleen. These activities bring him to the attention of the rebel leader Luthen Rael. Cassian, who is wanted for the murder of two corporate security guards, agrees to join Luthen's operation.
Andor was a vital part of Rogue One, the team who ultimately succeeded in obtaining the Death Star plans from the Imperial facility and uploading them to the Rebel Alliance. He and every member of Rogue One gave their lives to save billions of others.
Based on where Andor takes place in the Star Wars timeline, the reason Jedi are nowhere to be found is because that's where most of the galaxy has been led to believe they are.
"Andor" is set before "Rogue One," because the character dies in that film, and will show how the character became involved with the rebellion and how he meets his allies such as his fan-favorite sidekick droid, K-2SO (Alan Tudyk).
Diego Luna reprises his role as Cassian Andor from Rogue One and serves as an executive producer. The series also stars Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgård, Fiona Shaw, Genevieve O'Reilly, Denise Gough, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, and Elizabeth Dulau.
If there was one stand-out moment in the first season of Tony Gilroy and Disney+'s Andor–and there were several–it surely must have been the moment that Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) deploys the side-mounted laser beam projectors, almost lightsaber-like, as he spins his Fondor Haulcraft to evade an Imperial patrol.
Emperor Palpatine has yet to appear in Andor, yet his presence looms large in the series, offing the possibility of a new sort of portrayal of the secret Sith Lord.
That is when Andor reveals that Luthen carries a stick that very much resembles a lightsaber. While this object looks quite different from the lightsabers used by Jedi in Star Wars canon, it does look like something an Old Republic Jedi would have used.
If you're looking at Andor's relevance to other recent shows, it is important to realize that Obi-Wan Kenobi, the last Star Wars series released on Disney+, is four years before Andor, in the year 9 BBY, and follows Ewan McGregor's character through the galaxy on a rescue mission.
Andor, therefore, takes place in between Obi-Wan Kenobi—during which the Resistance is only beginning across the galaxy—and Rogue One, when the Resistance is able to mount its first large scale attack on the Empire.
That movie is set in 0 BBY, or zero years Before Battle of Yavin – and that's also when Rogue One is set, as that movie ends just before A New Hope begins. Everything after the Death Star explosion is ABY, or After Battle of Yavin. Andor is set in 5 BBY, so five years before Rogue One and A New Hope.
