While the official trailer release came with the reveal that Andor has been pushed back a few weeks, fans are still wildly excited for the live-action Star Wars show, which has the potential to be the best Disney+ show to date. These extra few weeks give fans time to catch up on a slew of content, both on-screen and in the extended canon, that will improve their experience with the show.
Whether it be because they set the scene for the state of the Empire or rebellion at this time or by exploring characters whose impact will be felt in Andor, there is a bunch of great content out there for fans to digest before Andor's September 21st premiere.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Stream On Disney+
The most obvious piece of content to take prior to Andor is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, an underrated Star Wars film with one of the franchise's best third acts.
This is the audience's introduction to Cassian and the end of his journey, and this upcoming series promises to show how he went from being a selfish soldier out for himself to fighting for the greater good. Also recommended is the novelization by Alexander Freed, which delves further into the characters such as Bodhi and offers some unique insight into what fans see on-screen.
Guardians Of The Whills
By Greg Rucka
This YA novel is not necessarily a must-read prior to Andor, but it is a great accompaniment for the Rogue One story. However, some reasons make it a story worth taking in before the premiere.
The novel focuses on Baze and Chirrut as they resist the Empire in the Holy City. It also heavily features Saw Gerrera, which is why it is a good read before Andor. That, along with its connection to Rogue One, makes it a story that will add to Andor's lore and the stories of it and Rogue One's shared characters.
The Bad Batch
Stream On Disney+
There are two fascinating aspects of the series touched on in the trailers - one of which being Cassian's childhood, during which his family was Separatists, and the appearances of clone troopers, both of which make The Bad Batch vital viewing.
Thus far, the animated series has helped showcase the Empire's rise to power throughout the Galaxy and how it transitioned from clones to stormtroopers, which may come into play in Andor. More fascinating than that is how The Bad Batch highlights the inorganic uniformity of the Empire. The Empire strips away all individuality and creates a sterile, tyrannical environment, as seen in the Andor trailers. Further, everything involving the Empire looks very cold and manufactured, void of emotion.
Cassian & K-2SO
Written by Duane Swierczynski
K-2SO will not play a part in Andor season 1, but he is a shoo-in to appear in the already-announced second season, much of which takes place further in the timeline when they met something shown in Rogue One - Cassian & K-2SO Special #1.
There is a lot of discourse amongst the fandom regarding the importance of written media in the canon and not defying it to fit into the TV show's canon. It will be interesting to see if this one-shot, not hugely known comic will have its story altered or thrown out by the show so that it can tell its own story on how the two characters met one another. Either way, this comic tells a story crucial to Cassian's life and worth diving into, especially for its high quality and how little time it takes to get through.
Ahsoka
by E.K. Johnston
While Ahsoka Tano is, rightfully, unlikely to appear in Andor, her novel by E. K. Johnston - which is the subject of much discussion on Star Wars Twitter - is a great read before the spy thriller show hits streaming.
The novel takes place a good few years before Andor. Still, it is crucial to Cassian's story thanks to Ahsoka's use of the Fulcrum title and the creation of the entire spy network. Cassian goes on to be a Fulcrum recruitment agent for the rebellion, which may be shown in the series, especially with the ISB heavily involved in the show. With Bail's involvement in Ahsoka and potential involvement in Andor and the beginnings of a rebellion, the novel is not just a great canon book in general, but one that will be good for the Andor experience.
A New Dawn
By John Jackson Miller
Andor season 1 will not have any Rebels cameos, but season 2 has the potential for some Rebels characters who deserve more screentime, especially if they pop up in the Ahsoka series. For that reason and others, A New Dawn is a great pre-Andor read.
The novel properly showcases the early tyranny of the Empire while showing that there are people out there, namely the likes of the incomparable Hera Syndulla, who are prepared to fight rather than let their necks be stomped on. This story may well have some similarities to Andor's with how people on an individual level fight back against the Empire's local forces. On top of all that, fans will be hoping and praying for a Rae Sloane appearance in this series.
Tarkin
By James Luceno
James Luceno terrifically crafts this origin story for Wilhuff Tarkin, and as far as stories about the Galactic Empire go, it is one of the best on offer in terms of adult novels in the canon.
The Andor story is one Tarkin would fit in, but it does not necessarily need him. Nevertheless, this book still has so much value as a pre-Andor read as it explores guerilla fighters across the Galaxy and how the Empire looks to wipe them out, similar to what they will be doing in Andor.
Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel
By James Luceno
Another brilliant accompaniment to both Rogue One and Andor is Catalyst, which focuses on giving backstory to the movie through the likes of Galen and Krennic as they create the Death Star.
Pairing this with the film and the novels focused around Rogue One gives the full experience, letting audiences fully understand all the characters and their motivations. It dives into the Empire's politics as the likes of Krennic shuffle for power over Tarkin while also giving audiences appearances from the likes of Saw and showing off Coruscant, which is now a confirmed location appearing in Andor.
Star Wars: Rebels
Stream On Disney+
With season 1 taking place five years prior to Rogue One and A New Hope, Andor will overlap with the underrated masterpiece Star Wars: Rebels. While the characters are unlikely to come together this season, so much of Rebels is worth watching before Andor.
For much of Rebels, audiences are shown a fractured rebellion, scattered in cells across the Galaxy, before eventually starting to come together, which is sure to be a prominent aspect of Andor. On top of that, there are key appearances and interactions between Mon Mothma and Saw Gerrera, with the former officially leaving the Imperial Senate in this show and joining the rebellion, which Andor will give even more context to. Rebels has the ISB play a big role, which Andor also does while showcasing the state of the Empire and overall Galaxy at this time with its many fantastic episodes.
Rebel Rising
By Beth Revis
A YA novel, and arguably the best novel related to Andor qualitatively, Rebel Rising focuses on Jyn Erso and her family as well as Saw Gerrera and the Partisans. Given its heavy focus on Jyn, this novel may not appear to have too much bearing on Andor.
But since they both lead directly into Rogue One - once Andor's second season is released - the two stories go together well, showcasing both the rebellion and the Empire. This novel helps show how the rebellion, through Saw, does not always do things the morally right way, being on the extreme side of a revolution. It is a moral dilemma bound to present itself to Cassian in Andor.