When Does Andor Take Place in the Star Wars Timeline?

The Andor series on Disney+ ignites the spark of the rebellion. Set in the years leading up to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it tells new tales about the turbulent times before Cassian Andor met Jyn Erso, before Luke Skywalker saved Leia Organa and delivered the Death Star plans, and before the full-scale rebellion. Let’s answer when Andor takes place and where it fits in the Star Wars timeline.

When Does Andor Take Place?

Andor is set during the pre-rebellion era, spanning from 5 BBY to 1 BBY. The series is a prequel to Rogue One and takes place five years before in the Star Wars Timeline. It also helps bridge the gap between the Prequel Trilogy and the original films.

Andor takes place approximately 14 years after Revenge of the Sith and five years before Rogue One and A New Hope. The events of Andor run parallel to Star Wars: Rebels.

To understand exactly where Andor takes place in the Star Wars universe, it’s helpful to understand the dating system. BBY and ABY explain when a specific story takes place in relation to Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope.

Related: What Does BBY and ABY Mean in Star Wars? Want to know more about the importance of BBY and ABY? Go deep into what they mean, how to use them properly, and when they gained widespread use in the fandom.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains significant spoilers about the Andor series on Disney+. If you have not finished watching Season Two, we strongly recommend that you stop reading now. Consider reading one of our other popular articles, like How to Read Star Wars Legends in Order or How to Reply to May the Force Be With You?, test your Star Wars knowledge with our Sequel Trilogy Quiz, or join the Star Wars discussion on our free, fun, and inclusive Discord Server instead.

 

Andor Season One: 5 BBY

The 12-episode first season of Andor is set in 5 BBY and takes place over several months. The series explores Cassian Andor’s introduction to the fledgling rebellion. Cassian encounters rebel leader Luthen Rael, which sets him down a path that leads to a daring heist on Aldhani and a dramatic escape from Imperial imprisonment on Narkina 5.

The story also explores Andor’s childhood, his relationship with his adoptive partens, Maarva and Clem Andor, and his life on Ferrix. Other Ferrix residents include Maarva Andor’s droid B2EMO, Cassian’s friends Brasso and Bix Caleen, Bix’s boyfriend Timm Karlo, salvage shop owner Salman Paak, and his son Wilmon.

Andor also establishes Senator Mon Mothma’s background, including her husband, Perrin Fertha, and daughter, Leida. Other important characters in Mon’s circle include Tay Kolma, her childhood friend and now a prominent banker, and Davo Sculdun, a less-than-savory businessman.

Mon’s cousin, Vel Sartha, is a Rebel operative for Luthen. Other rebel agents in Season One include Kleya Marki, Rael’s assistant, and Cinta Kaz. The Aldhani team includes Vel and Cinta, along with Arvel Skeen, Taramyn Barcona, Karis Nemik, and Gorn, an Imperial turncoat.

Season One also introduces the primary protagonists: ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero and Syril Karn, first a Deputy Inspector for the Preox-Morlana Corporation and later an employee at the Imperial Bureau of Standards.

Other important characters include Dedra’s commanding officer Major Partagaz, her assistant Heert, Doctor Gorst from the ISB Interogation branch, and Syril’s mother Eedy Karn. Another ISB Supervisor, Lonni Jung, is secretly a rebel informant for Luthen.

Season One includes several flashbacks to Cassian’s childhood on Kenari.

Set in 18 BBY, the scenes show Cassian, then known as Kassa, and his younger sister Kerri growing up with other children in the jungle after Kenari was devastated by overmining by the Republic and the Galactic Empire.

These flashbacks also show his first meeting with Maarva, Clem, and B2EMO.

 

Andor Season Two: 4 BBY – 1 BBY

The 12-episode second season begins in 4 BBY, following the story of Cassian Andor, Luthen Rael, Mon Mothma, Dedra Meero, and Syril Karn. The season is broken up into four arcs of three episodes that showcase the escalating rebellion.

Set on the backdrop of personal sacrifice and political intrigue, the season highlights the brutal realities of Imperial oppression. The arcs showcase Cassian’s transformation, the sacrifices of his allies, and the pivotal events that ignite the galaxy-wide rebellion leading directly into Rogue One.

Serving as a direct lead-in to Rogue One, each moves Cassian and his allies one step closer to full-scale war against the Empire. Each arc takes place over a series of weeks or months over the course of a single year.

The first three episodes explore the Empire’s growing need for resources and willingness to destroy entire planets to advance their plans. Dedra Meero is put in charge of the Ghorman initiative, responsible for securing an endless supply of kalkite. Syril introduces Dedra to his mother, Eedy, which opens doors about Dedra Meero’s age and childhood.

On a mission for Luthen, Cassian encounters two rival rebel factions on a jungle moon. Despite a common Imperial enemy, it highlights how fractured each cell is during the early years of the rebellion.

Mon struggles to balance the pressures of being a politician, mother, and revolutionary. Luthen, Vel, Kleya, and Cinta continue working in secret to advance the cause. While hiding out on Mina-Rau, Bix, Brasso, and Wilmon have to make snap decisions to stay alive after a surprise Imperial inspection.

The second arc of Season Two is set in 3 BBY, with Luthen and Cassian working to uncover what Dedra, Syril, and the Empire are doing on Ghorman. Cassian is wary of working with the civilian resistance movement, the Ghorman Front, but Luthen sends Vel and Cinta to support a raid anyway.

Mon tries to rally support against the Empire and the Imperial Security Bureau within the Senate. Due to a scheduling conflict, Benjamin Bratt replaced Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa of Alderaan.

Bix struggles with nightmares of ISB Interrogation office, Doctor Gorst. With intel from Luthen, Cassian and Bix infiltrate Gorst’s lab to get their revenge.

The situation on Ghorman becomes increasingly dire in the third arc of episodes. Set in 2 BBY, Cassian and Bix now live in the Rebel encampment on Yavin IV. With information from Wilmon, Cassian goes off to find Dedra Meero on Ghorman. He leaves Bix behind on Yavin IV, wanting to protect her from the Empire and potentially herself.

Imperial troops are sent to Ghorman, causing Dedra to doubt her authority. Syril begins questioning Dedra about their involvement in the Ghorman resistance.

The Ghorman Front plans to storm the Imperial stronghold, but chooses peace at the last minute. However, the Empire still attacks. During the Ghorman Massacre, Cassian attempts to assassinate Dedra, and Syril attacks Cassian before being killed by resistance leader Carro Rylanz for his role in stoking the resistance movement. Cassian escapes the massacre after collecting a battered KX-series security droid from the battlefield.

Mon Mothma takes a stand against Emperor Palpatine and the Galactic Empire with a moving speech on the floor of the Senate. Bail has organized a rebel team to extract Mon from the Senate building, but one of the team turns out to be an Empire spy. Luthen Rael calls on Cassian to get Mon to safety.

Cassian returns to Yavin IV with plans to start a new life with Bix away from the Rebellion. However, Bix sneaks off in the night, leaving him alone with his rebuilt KX droid.

The final arc is set in 1 BBY, Luthen meets with ISB Supervisor and spy Lonni Jung, who gives him secret intel about a new Imperial superweapon. Luthen kills Jung, then shares the information with Kleya before returning to his antiquities shop to destroy the evidence of his involvement with the Rebellion.

Dedra attempts to arrest Luthen Rael, the mysterious Axis she has been hunting for years, in an unauthorized operation. Luthen attempts to take his own life instead, but is rushed to the hospital.

His assistant, Kleya, infiltrates the hospital to euthanize Luthen and keep him from revealing anything about the Rebel Alliance. A series of flashbacks set at unknown points in time reveal that she was rescued by Luthen and raised as his ward and protege from an early age.

Following Luthen’s capture, Dedra is arrested for overreaching her mandate and questioned by Director Krennic. He reveals that her actions resulted in information about secret projects being leaked to the Rebels.

The Imperials identify Kleya and locate her at a safe house. She contacts Wilmon, who sends Cassian and K2-SO on an unofficial mission to rescue her. Cassian and K2-SO arrive just in time to prevent an ISB strike team from apprehending her.

Back on Yavin IV, Cassian is reprimanded by Bail for his recklessness, but Mon backs his actions. After some debate, the Rebel council agrees to take action on the information that Jung gave to Luthen.

Andor Related to the Entire Star Wars Timeline

Here is where Andor fits in the Star Wars chronology compared to other films and recent Disney+ series:

• 32 BBY – Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• 22 BBY – Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• 19 BBY – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• 13 BBY – Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) [Prologue]
• 13 BBY – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) [Prologue]
• 10 BBY – Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
• 9 BBY – Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
• 5 BBY – Andor Season One (2022)
• 5 – 4 BBY – Star Wars: Rebels (2014-2018)
• 4 BBY – Andor Season Two – Arc 1 (2025)
• 4 – 3 BBY – Star Wars: Rebels Season Two
• 3 BBY – Andor Season Two – Arc 2 (2025)
• 3 – 2 BBY – Star Wars: Rebels Season Three
• 2 BBY – Andor Season Two – Arc 3 (2025)
• 2 – 1 BBY – Star Wars: Rebels Season Four
• 1 BBY – Andor Season Two – Arc 4 (2025)
• 0 BBY – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
• 0 BBY / 0 ABY – Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
• 3 ABY – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• 4 ABY – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
• 5 ABY – Star Wars: Rebels (2014-2018) [Epilogue]
• 9 ABY – The Mandalorian (2019-present)
• 9 ABY – Ahsoka (2023)
• 34 ABY – Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
• 34 ABY – Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
• 35 ABY – Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

What Do You Need to Watch Before Starting Andor?

Since Andor is a prequel to Rogue One, you technically do not need to watch anything. Showrunner Tony Gilroy said he intended the show to be accessible to all viewers, not just Star Wars fans.

That said, you should have a general understanding of the Star Wars universe, especially the struggle between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

If you’re looking for a pre-Andor watch list, consider Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, and A New Hope. Elements of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Solo, and Rebels may also play in, so consider adding them. Since there are four seasons of Rebels, you can save time by reading the episode summaries on Wikipedia.

When Did Star Wars Andor Come Out?

The first three episodes of Andor Season One premiered on Disney+ on September 21, 2022. The remaining nine episodes came out each Wednesday through November 23.

The first three episodes of Season Two debuted on April 22, 2025. Three episodes were released each subsequent week through May 13, 2025. This season concluded the limited series, loosely leading into the events of Rogue One and the Original Trilogy.

What Do We Know About Andor So Far?

Andor stars Diego Luna, reprising his Rogue One role as Cassian Andor. Set five years before Rogue One and A New Hope, the series centers around Andor as a thief who eventually becomes a Rebel spy.

The series takes place during the time when the Rebel Alliance forms against the Galactic Empire and features an ensemble cast of Genevieve O’Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Fiona Shaw.

O’Reilly reprises her role as Senator Mon Mothma, the leader of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. She appeared as Mothma in Revenge of the Sith and, later, Rogue One. Mon Mothma first appeared in Return of the Jedi, played by Caroline Blakiston.

Forest Whitaker reprises his role as rebel leader Saw Gerrera. He previously portrayed the live-action Gerrera in Rogue One and voiced the animated character in the Rebels series. Gerrera first appeared in season five of the animated series The Clone Wars and, later, in Rebels, Rogue One, and The Bad Batch.

The show also features Anton Lesser, Kathryn Hunter, Robert Emms, David Hayman, Alex Ferns, Clemens Schick, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

Given his recent appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi, it is possible that Jimmy Smits could reprise his role as Bail Organa for Andor. In addition to the Kenobi series, Smits played Organa in Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and Rogue One.

It is possible, however unlikely, that we could get our first look at the Ghost crew in live action since both Andor and Rebels take place in the same year, 5 BBY.

Although Kathleen Kennedy announced that Alan Tudyk would reprise his role of K-2SO, Tudyk later confirmed he would not appear in the first season due to changes in the story. However, there are plans for K-2SO to appear in Andor in the future.

Rogue One co-writer Tony Gilroy serves as showrunner, replacing original showrunner Stephen Schiff. Gilroy wrote five episodes, with his brother Dan Gilroy, Stephen Schiff, and Beau Willimon writing the rest of the series.

Toby Haynes, Susanna White, and Benjamin Caron serve as directors for the series. Tony Gilroy originally planned to direct a number of episodes but could not travel to the UK for filming due to the COVID-19 pandemic.