Now that Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett are behind us, the next live-action iteration of the Star Wars saga is Andor, starring Diego Luna as Rogue One’s rebel leader Cassian Andor. But like so many Star Wars projects, the “where and when” of the series was not something they advertised in teasers and trailers. But thanks to several interviews given by the show’s creators, we have an idea of how this all fits into the overall Star Wars saga. And just where Andor overlaps with the existing Star Wars series timeline. Here’s when Andor takes place.
Andor Is a Star Wars Prequel to a Prequel
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. (So effectively, Andor takes place five years before A New Hope as well in the scheme of the Star Wars franchise). So yes, it’s a prequel to a prequel, but technically a sequel to a different prequel, Revenge of the Sith. (It’s far less confusing than it sounds).
According to showrunner Tony Gilroy, the first of two seasons will take place five years before Rogue One, in the early days of the Rebellion. Season one, which will consist of 12 episodes, will cover a whole year’s worth of time.
The second season of Andor will cover the other four years leading up to Rogue One, with events dovetailing directly into that film. Gilroy further shares with Total Film, “We have four blocks of three [episodes] coming up [for season 2]… And each block will move you one year closer to Rogue One. And because it’s a year [each time], we can do something really fascinating narratively that you would never have the chance to do in a film. It’s exciting.”
Does Andor Overlap with Star Wars Rebels?
The first season of Rebels took place approximately five years before the events of A New Hope. So, Star Wars Rebels has the exact same timeline as Andor. Does that mean we’ll see the crew of the Ghost show up? Anything is possible. After all, Kanan, Ezra, Hera, and company were fighting Imperials at the same time Cassian was. Just because we never saw Cassian Andor on Rebels doesn’t mean their paths never crossed.
But if Rebels was any indication, while there were many insurgent cells at this time, all operating independently, there was no formal Rebel Alliance. That will presumably happen later in season two of Andor. So Cassian and the Ghost crew could conceivably never meet. But it would be a shame if there were zero connections between both series. Especially as Ahsoka is casting live-action versions of the Star Wars Rebels characters.
The Mon Mothma Factor
Series creator Tony Gilroy has described the character of Senator Mon Mothma as almost a co-lead in Andor. Her journey towards rebellion in the capital world of Coruscant will mirror Cassian Andor’s similar journey in the Outer Rim of the galaxy. We were first introduced to Mon Mothma in Return of the Jedi, where she commanded the Rebel forces in the battle of Endor. In Return of the Jedi, Mon Mothma was played by Caroline Blakiston.
In the modern era, actress Genevieve O’Reilly has portrayed the character since Revenge of the Sith (or, to be more accurate, in its deleted scenes) where she was a Republic Senator. She later reprised the role in Rogue One, which took place some 19 years later. In that film, she was already a leader of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, along with Senator Bail Organa.
O’Reilly also voiced Mon Mothma in seven episodes of Star Wars Rebels, in seasons three and four. We saw her formally leave the Imperial Senate in that series and publicly front the Rebel Alliance. According to the Andor producers, season one will show Mon Mothma’s journey from believing she can do good in the Imperial Senate to taking a more active role in the Rebellion. So in a sense, Andor will also be a prequel to Mon Mothma’s character as seen in Rebels as well as Rogue One.
Will There Be a Cal Kestis Connection in Andor?
Cal Kestis, the lead character from the game Jedi: Fallen Order, keeps popping up in rumors to appear somewhere in live-action. Fans thought for sure he’d appear in Obi-Wan Kenobi, given that show’s place in the timeline. But he never showed. Fallen Order took place some 14 years before A New Hope. Its upcoming sequel, Jedi Survivor, is five years down the line from that.
That more or less has it bumping up to the same time period as Andor as far as the Star Wars timeline is concerned. So yes, it’s possible Cal shows up. But so far, it looks like this series is shying away from things pertaining to Jedi and the Force. (Although the Jedi characters on Rebels might be an exception). We wouldn’t hold our breath on seeing the ginger Jedi show up on Andor. But certainly, in the Star Wars galaxy, anything is possible.
Could Ahsoka Tano Show Up in Andor?
Cal Kestis and Kanan and Ezra aside, if any Force user is likely to appear on Andor, our money is on Ahsoka Tano. As Rebels showed us, she was operating as a spy and used the code-named Fulcrum at this time on the Star Wars timeline. Later, Cassian Andor would use it. So she might have to come in contact with Cassian and his rebel cell, even if it’s only via hologram communication. Also, Jimmy Smits’ Bail Organa is likely to appear, if only because of his close connection to Mon Mothma. If either Ahsoka and Bail pop up, we’d expect it in season two. We know we’d love to see these two fierce rebel fighters meet.
Andor‘s Star Wars Timeline
Just in case all that isn’t enough for you, Diego Luna, Cassian Andor himself, wants to help you understand Andor‘s place in the Star Wars timeline.
There’s nothing like a visual aid, after all.
Andor will premiere on August 31, 2022.
Originally published on July 19, 2022.
