Warning! SPOILERS for Andor episode 4.Star Wars has been trying to explain the origins of the Rebellion for years, and Andor is doing it better than any previous movie or show. A prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars story but also a standalone character study, Andor takes audiences back five years before the events of A New Hope and offers better insight into the soon-to-be Galactic Civil War. Despite being focused on Cassian Andor’s journey from a survivor to a rebel hero, Andor is very much a tale about the birth of the Rebellion.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story introduced Cassian Andor at a time when the Rebel Alliance had already been established. The movie featured many familiar Rebel characters, including Mon Mothma and General Dodonna, but it did not change much of what audiences already knew about the Rebel Alliance. Andor, on the other hand, takes place when there were only sparks of rebellion throughout the galaxy – long before Palpatine closed the Imperial Senate.

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While Star Wars grew to become a more fantasy-heavy saga about the Jedi, the Sith, and the Force, the franchise began as a simple tale about the mighty Empire and the underdog Rebel Alliance. The latter was one of the pillars of Star Wars, and it continued to be revisited by other movies and shows released after Return of the Jedi. More than a decade after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith cut a scene involving Mon Mothma and other senators who were against Palpatine plotting a rebellion, a lot of the Disney Star Wars productions have tried to show the origins of the Rebel Alliance. That was initially something Star Wars Rebels was set to do, as suggested by the show’s name and by the title of its first episode, “Spark of Rebellion.” Star Wars Rebels was followed by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was also promoted as a movie that would show the inner workings of the Rebel Alliance. Two years later, Solo: A Star Wars Story teased the Rebellion with Enfys Nest’s resistance group, and Obi-Wan Kenobi did something similar with “The Path." Despite so many attempts at explaining the Rebellion, though, none came close to what Andor is finally achieving with its Rebel Alliance origin story.

Andor Is Becoming The Rebellion’s Definitive Origin Story

Mon Mothma looking to the side in Andor

Already, by the point of Andor season 1, episode 4, the show set to be the Rebel Alliance’s definitive origin story. Despite Star Wars Rebels being set in the exact same time period as Andor, 5 BBY, the animated series focused on the crew of the Ghost and their standalone adventures for most of season 1. By the time the crew of the Ghost got to interact with other rebel fleets, a wider Rebel Alliance led by Mon Mothma was already starting to be formed. More than a timeline matter, the reason why Andor can become the Rebel Alliance’s definitive origin story is that the show treats the themes involved in the “Rebels versus Empire” conflict with a level of seriousness that other Star Wars movies and shows never did. For a lot of Star Wars stories like Obi-Wan Kenobi, the war against the Empire was nothing but a background for other adventures. For Andor, the actions of the Empire and how they lead to a wish for reckoning is the very basis of the show.

Andor is confirmed to have two seasons. The show will lead right into Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which means it will cover the entire formation of the Rebellion and of the Galactic Civil War. More than a piece of lore that offers background on the Rebel Alliance, Andor is a refreshing take on what so far seemed to be a worn-out Star Wars theme.

New episodes of Andor release on Wednesdays on Disney+.

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