When Does Andor Series Take Place?
The Star Wars franchise has long been renowned for hopping about in time. Since the publication of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, each new tale in the chronology has occurred prior to the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga.
After The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Lucasfilm has returned to the past with the Disney+ prequel series Andor. In fact, Andor had to be a prequel since its main character ended up dead in the film in which he debuted. But when does Andor series really take place?
Cassian Andor, a dedicated captain and intelligence officer of the Alliance, ultimately snatched the Death Star blueprints at the expense of his own life. Lucasfilm has opted to revive the character at various periods in his life prior to embarking on the perilous expedition. The Andor series takes place in the Star Wars timeline as shown below:
1st Season: Five Years Before a New Hope
Cassian was killed by the Death Star's superlaser shortly before the start of Star Wars: A New Hope. Lucasfilm revealed in 2020 that the happenings of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story would be set five years prior to the adventures of Andor. So which period does Andor take place?
Andor is now in the "5 BBY" year. To give you some context, the events of Andor occur four years after the first season of Obi-Wan Kenobi and in the same year as the animated series Star Wars Rebels. This also implies that Andor occurs 14 years before the events of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
The Rebel Alliance was not yet formally founded at the time. The Galactic Empire dominated the galaxy with an iron hand, as shown in Solo: A Star Wars Story. According to showrunner Tony Gilroy, Cassian is very revolution-averse and pessimistic, confused, and sort of a disaster.
Cassian's journey to sacrifice himself to redeem the galaxy began with the first season of Andor. Jyn Erso was deserted by Saw Gerrera around the same year, as per Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide.
2nd Season: The Four Years Preceding A New Hope
Andor's first season was announced to span an entire year of Star Wars timeline with 12 episodes. However, it was confirmed that the second season will span four years while remaining a 12-episode season.
The second season will shift a year forward every three episodes, necessitating time leaps. The initial intention at Lucasfilm, as previously revealed by The Direct, was for Andor to be a five-season series. Every season would also have included each of Andor's five years. Eventually, Lucasfilm dropped the number of seasons down to three before settling on two.
Several Rogue One characters, notably Mon Mothma, have already been announced for the series. The location of Andor has provided for a plethora of fascinating potential appearances and cameos. Characters like Kanan Jarrus, Cal Kestis, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Ahsoka Tano, and even Obi-Wan Kenobi are also on the lookout. While the program is called Andor, it appears to focus on the rise of the Rebel Alliance.
The End of Andor Sets the Stage for Rogue One
When Rogue One was initially released in 2016, people were blown away by how well it transitioned into A New Hope. The interconnectedness of numerous Star Wars films and television episodes was embraced by fans. They will be relieved to learn that this has remained with Andor.
It was intended to be a prequel to a prequel, finally dropping viewers at the doorway of Rogue One. Considering its many virtues, Rogue One does not have enough time to thoroughly examine all of its characters. Andor has provided a great chance to study one of the Star Wars universe's greater ethically ambiguous characters.