The Star Wars franchise is leaving no stone unturned to fill in as many narrative gaps as they can. The latest project in this endeavor is the TV series, Andor, which takes place five years before the events of both Rogue One and Star Wars: A New Hope.
If you want to get into Andor, you should have some primary Star Wars knowledge for sure, and if possible, have watched all the major films (that is, the Luke Skywalker Trilogy and the Prequel Trilogy).
But since this show is attached to the characters introduced in Rogue One, is it also necessary to watch the film before watching Andor?
Andor explores why Cassian Andor joined the Rebellion Alliance, a crew who go on to infamously steal the Death Star’s plans. It is a prequel to Rogue One and can be watched before it.
Let’s get into all the details:
What is Andor about?
Andor follows the life of Cassian Andor, who was introduced in the 2016 film Rogue One. Andor was part of the Rebellion Alliance and helped steal the Death Star blueprints that kickstarted the whole Luke Skywalker trilogy.
As we focus on Andor five years before his mission, the show depicts why and how he got into this rebel alliance in the first place. It also shows the grim reality of people whose lives were wrecked by the Empire.
There’s a lot of emphasis put on how Andor’s story is about “ordinary” people and their struggle for freedom. So, the show is quite grounded and may not get any larger-than-life cameos in form of famous Jedis.
Should you watch Rogue One before Andor?
Since Andor is linked to Rogue One, taking place five years before it, you may be curious about whether or not you need to have watched the latter to enjoy Andor.
While you can certainly watch Rogue One while waiting for a new episode of Andor, the answer is no—you can watch Andor without having watched Rogue One before. Andor is a prequel to Rogue One, so it may be better suited to watch the two chronologically.
Here’s what you need to know if you haven’t watched Rogue One: Remember at the beginning of A New Hope, there’s a rebellion crew that steals the Death Star plans under Leia’s orders? Well, Rogue One is a film about that very rebellion crew set a week before A New Hope.
Andor zeroes in on one of the vital members of the crew, Cassian Andor. It’s quite an independent, self-contained story, and going from the first three episodes released, there aren’t a lot of Easter eggs in it for you to feel like you’re missing out.
So if you haven’t watched Rogue One, no worries. Just make sure you’re familiar with the Star Wars basics.
About Andor
Andor is an American television series created by Tony Gilroy for the streaming service Disney+. It is a prequel to the Star Wars film Rogue One (2016), following the character Cassian Andor five years before the events of the film.
Set five years before Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Andor will see Cassian in his formative years as he becomes the charismatic Rebel and espionage master.
Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Stellan Skarsgaard, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, and others star in the show. The series premiered on Disney+ on September 21, 2022, with the first three episodes.
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