Even though Rogue One was radically different from the rest of the Star Wars films, its prequel series, Andor, is now also different from Rogue One. The Death Star’s architect’s daughter, Jyn Erso, joins forces with Rebel Captain Cassian Andor and a ragtag crew in Rogue One to steal the Death Star’s blueprints using her father’s expertise. The story of Star Wars: A New Hope begins here.
The first episode of Andor features a slightly lost Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), who hasn’t yet joined the Rebel Alliance and takes place five years before Rogue One. Andor describes Cassian, a.k.a. Kassa, being saved from his native planet of Kenari by his adoptive mother, Marva before the Empire killed out the Kenari people in flashbacks. Cassian still seeks his biological sister as an adult.
Ironically, Rogue One is the most basic Star Wars combat movie, whereas Andor is the more lonesome tale of a refugee. There have been altercations but no actual conflicts. In Rogue One, Darth Vader and the Force were prominent characters, yet there are no allusions to Jedi, Sith, or the Force in Andor. Instead of focusing on Cassian serving as the Rebel Alliance’s smuggler, as was the case in the commercially and critically successful Rogue One, Disney made a wise decision by taking a different approach.
Why It’s Important and How Rogue One Is Different (While Setting It Up)
On a lesser scale than Rogue One, Andor is nonetheless rooted in rebellion. Cassian is rebelling against the Empire by stealing an Imperial Starpath Unit, but he is untrained and unsupported. Beginning Andor’s revolt tale this early strengthens Cassian’s character journey in Rogue One. Over the five years that Andor seasons 1 and 2 will cover, it enables him to develop further, naturally introducing Rogue One without contradicting it.
In Andor, Cassian is in the understandable position of wanting to do more to assist those who are struggling like him but not understanding how. This contrasts with his role in Rogue One when he plays the more jaded and seasoned rebel. Andor will demonstrate how he evolved into that persona as well as how the Rebel Alliance changed in the five years leading up to the Death Star’s destruction. In a sense, Cassian was created from nothing by Andor, who chose to focus on Cassian’s past rather than his character in Rogue One. With previous live-action series centered on well-known characters like Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars hasn’t been able to do that.
Additionally, a refugee’s narrative is always applicable to the actual world, even if it takes place in a galaxy far, far away. In the expansive Star Wars saga, Andor relates a tale about a very minor individual, yet it’s a crucial one. Andor’s effort to duplicate Rogue One’s success would have probably failed. Andor, on the other hand, serves as its narrative while still enhancing its predecessor.
Below is the trailer of Andor:
