Where Does Andor Fit in the Star Wars Timeline?
Tony Gilroy's Andor is creating a buzz among Star Wars fans.
Announced as a series in late 2018 and with filming wrapped up in September 2021, it's a long-awaited series for Star Wars enthusiasts. Focusing on Cassian Andor, a role that Diego Luna took in Rogue One and reprises here, it's an interesting and fresh story that, unlike Kenobi, was always meant for the small screen. With 12 episodes in season one and a second season confirmed, there's plenty for fans to get stuck into.
But what many want to know is where does Andor fit in the Star Wars timeline?
A prequel to a prequel
If you know what happened to Cassian Andor in Rogue One, then you'll already know that Andor can't be a sequel to his story. Instead, this is a Rogue One prequel that covers the five years prior to Andor and Jyn Erso's meeting during the Rebellion's early days (and effectively, it also takes place five years prior to A New Hope too).
Not to confuse matters but, as well as being a prequel to a prequel, it's also a sequel to a prequel as it follows Revenge of the Sith. Avid Star Wars fans won't find this as confusing as newcomers to the franchise that's for sure.
According to Gilroy, season one will cover 12 months' time while season two will cover the remaining four years that lead up to the events in Rogue One.
Do Star Wars Rebels and Andor overlap?
Star Wars Rebels season one takes place around five years before A New Hope so technically it's on the exact timeline as Andor. Does this mean the Ghost crew will turn up in Andor? Who knows! After all, they were fighting Imperials concurrently. However, if Rebels is anything to go by, there were lots of insurgent cells operating independently of one another without a formal alliance. So, though they could meet in Andor season two, it's unlikely we'll see the likes of Ezra, Hera, and co. in this first season.
Where does Mon Mothma fit?
Senator Mon Mothma has been described by Tony Gilroy as almost Cassian's co-lead in the series with her rebellion journey mirroring Andor's. Mon Mothma first appeared in Return of the Jedi and later in Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, and Star Wars Rebels.
Andor's production team has said Mon Mothma's rebellion journey will be explored in season one. In essence, then, Andor is also a prequel to her character in Rebels and Rogue One.
What about Cal Kestis? Will Andor have a connection?
Jedi: Fallen Order's lead character has been the subject of lots of live-action rumors. Fans were sure he'd turn up in Obi-Wan Kenobi due to the timeline there, yet he didn't show.
Fallen Order was set 14 years before the events in A New Hope and Jedi: Survivor, the upcoming sequel to the first videogame, is five years on from its predecessor. This makes it roughly the same point in time as Andor. So, it is possible that Cal could show up but it's also very unlikely.
Not only does Cameron Monaghan not feature on any cast lists but it also seems that Andor is steering away from Jedi-related things. Thus, fans shouldn't hold out hope.
What about Ahsoka Tano?
Andor's timeframe follows the same period as Star Wars Rebels, and Ahsoka appeared in this under the codename "Fulcrum".
Many fans are expecting an appearance of Ahsoka Tano, even if it's just a brief one. This is because there was an extremely quick reference to her connection to Andor in Rogue One. And if the timeline and history of Star Wars are to be followed, she should appear.
Ahsoka helped grow the Fulcrum network and its agents, something that Andor was a part of. As an absolute minimum, Andor and Ahsoka keep the same company. Cassian also used the codename "Fulcrum" later on and both were active together in 5 BBY when Andor starts.
Ahsoka is set to appear in her own series Star Wars: Ahsoka. With this not set to be released until 2023, it could be that this character appears in Andor before appearing in her own series.
Thanks to Disney streamlining the Star Wars timeline back in 2014, there are now countless opportunities for spin-offs. With all of these new stories being released, even die-hard Star Wars fans have trouble keeping up with the chronology sometimes.
When it comes to Andor, working out the timeline is straightforward given Cassian Andor's demise in Rogue One. Thus, we know that the series is set before the Galactic Republic's final years.
With Star Wars chronology centering around the Battle of Yavin and Rogue One taking place in 0 BBY, the first episode of Andor takes place in 5 BBY (five years before the Battle of Yavin). The second season of the series will end as the events of Rogue One were about to unfold.