The first three episodes ofAndorseason 2 have already explored some majorStar Warscanon questions. The first season ofAndorwas set five years before the originalStar Warsmovie, beginning the journey to the Death Star;Andorseason 2 continues this, exploring how Cassian Andor wound up uncovering the Empire’s greatest secret inRogue One: A Star Wars Story. Generally viewed as thebestStar WarsTV show,Andorcontinues to go from strength to strength.
Andorseason 1 was noted for a surprising lack of Easter eggs, but the second season is very different. Now,showrunner Tony Gilroy is navigating a period that has already been explored in canon, which means he’s having to navigate with even greater care. Surprisingly, these first three episodes have already taken us by surprise in that they’ve answered some pretty important questions.
3How The Rebel Alliance Found Yavin 4
An Unexpected, But Not Unwelcome, Surprise Reveal
Andorseason 2’s premiere kicked off with Cassian stealing aTIE Avengerfrom the Empire, a unique vessel equipped with hyperdrive that allowed him to head to a rendezvous point on an unknown, heavily-vegetated planet. This went badly wrong, because he wound up catured by a group of disorganized rebels who’d fallen into disorder without their leader. This built to a surprise reveal when Cassian finally escaped; the jungles were capped with the Massassi temples of Yavin 4.He’d been on Yavin 4 all along.
Yavin 4 was the rebel basein the firstStar Warsmovie, but we didn’t know when the Rebels took over the moon. When Cassian leaves Yavin 4, the Massassi Temples are clearly in view, even though they looked uninhabited.It’s reasonable to assume Yavin 4 was a remote rendezvous point for rebels - perhaps particularly for Luthen Rael’s cell - until it was claimed by the Rebel Alliance.
2How The Empire Hid The Death Star From The Senate
Krennic’s Return To Star Wars Revealed A Lot
Ben Mendelsohn’s return as Director Krennic was a welcome addition toAndorseason 2.However, the true genius of bringing back a character like Krennic is showing his rise to power.InRogue One: A Star Wars Story, Krennic fought for power at the top against the likes ofGrand Moff Tarkinand Colonel Yularen;Andoris showing audiences how he got there. While it was previously known that Krennic oversaw the development and creation of the Death Star, we now understand how he and the Empire kept the weapon hidden from the Senate.
The cover, appropriately enough, was a supposedly secret plan to generate “unlimited power.” This allowed Krennic almost unlimited funding; anyone who investigated would discover a project that seemed benign, and wouldn’t look any deeper. Even those in Krennic’s closest circles were only told the cover story, and they were sworn to secrecy. We finally know how the Empire kept such a mammoth engineering project secret.
1We Even Learned More About The Dawn Of The Jedi
And It May Tie Into An Upcoming Star Wars Film
Finally, Leida Mothma’s wedding on Chandrila featured the unveiling of a statue called a Chandi Merle, one of 12 statues stolen from Chandrilla by invaders called the Rakata some 25,000 years ago. The Rakata were introduced in theKnights of the Old Republicvideo game, and they were a key part of Legends lore, conquering the galaxy and leading to what was known as the “Dawn of the Jedi.”
James Mangold is currently working on developing a film with Lucasfilm, calledStar Wars: Dawn of the Jedi,which is supposed to show the establishment of the Jedi Order and take place around the same time the Chandi Merle was taken from Chandrilla. It’s unclear if the Chandi Merle will impact the story Mangold plans to tell inDawn of the Jedi, but it may be a clue that we can expect to see the Rakata appear in live-action. Mangold’s script is being worked on Beau Willimon, part ofAndor’s writing team, so the connection seems likely.
There are still 9 episodes ofAndorseason 2 to be released, but for now, we have some really interesting answers to questions we weren’t expecting to have. It’s likely thatAndorwill provide more answers aboutStar Warscanon, especially when it comes to the building of the Rebel Alliance in the coming episodes. No matter what,Andorseason 2 will definitely be must-watchStar Warscontent.
Andorseason 2 drops three new episodes every Tuesday at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT on Disney+.
Andorseason 2, episodes 1-3
Andorseason 2, episodes 4-6
Andorseason 2, episodes 7-9
Andorseason 2, episodes 10-12
