Andor‘s third block of episodes, which aired two days after Star Wars Day, may be essentially the most linked to the bigger franchise. Not solely did Episode 8 showcase the Ghorman bloodbath, which has deep ties to Star Wars lore, however the ninth episode is each an excellent standalone piece of political commentary and a prologue to an episode from a well-liked Star Wars animated sequence, Star Wars: Rebels.
Star Wars: Rebels premiered on Oct. 3, 2014, and was the primary piece of recent materials added to the Star Wars canon following Disney’s buy of the franchise in 2012. Operating for 4 seasons, the sequence adopted a bunch of Rebels referred to as the Phoenix Squadron through the early years of the Rise up earlier than the occasions of Star Wars. Rebels featured Genevieve O’Reilly reprising her position as Mon Mothma in a narrative that noticed her fleeing the Empire after talking out in opposition to the Ghorman Bloodbath, which now makes it a sequel to this Andor storyline. Right here is how Andor and Rebels join throughout the bigger Star Wars franchise. Andor additionally retcons what got here earlier than, however the outcome may be top-of-the-line hours of Star Wars storytelling ever.
Is There Any Overlap Between ‘Rebels’ and ‘Andor’ within the ‘Star Wars’ Timeline?
Star Wars: Rebels and Andor happen within the interval that Star Wars canon storytelling usually refers to as The Age of Rise up. Each sequence deal with the formation of the Insurgent Alliance and its early years earlier than Luke Skywalker joins the trigger and the start of Star Wars occurs. Andor and Rebels could possibly be seen as companion Star Wars tales, as every has episodes set inside particular years of the timeline main as much as the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the Demise Star — the usual Lucasfilm makes use of to trace Star Wars occasions (although this method doesn’t exist in-universe).
Here’s a breakdown of how Andor Seasons 1 and a pair of match into the Star Wars timeline and which seasons of Rebels match that timeframe.
5BBY – Andor Season 1 / Star Wars Rebels Season 1 Episodes 1 by way of 7
4BBY – Andor Season 2 Episodes 1 by way of 3/ Rebels Season 1, Episode 8 by way of Season 2, Episode 9
3BBY – Andor Season 3 Episodes 3 by way of 6/ Rebels Season 2, Episode 10 by way of Season 2, Episode 22
2BBY – Andor Season 3 Episodes 7 by way of 9/ Rebels Season 3
1BBY – Andor Season 3 Episodes 10 by way of 12/ Rebels Season 4
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Rebels‘ “Secret Cargo” episode takes place after the occasions of Andor Season 2’s ninth episode. This implies the Rebels’ first 17 episodes earlier than “Secret Cargo” happen earlier than Andor‘s seventh episode begins. There isn’t any actual overlap between the earlier episodes of Andor and Rebels. On condition that Andor Season 2 episodes happen over a couple of days, it’s potential they may run parallel to the Rebels episodes or happen throughout unexplored durations within the animated sequence. The one actual case that may be made is that Andor Season 1 possible takes place earlier than the occasions of Rebels Season 1.
The largest character connection between Andor and Rebels is Noticed Gerrera, who originated in Star Wars: The Clone Wars earlier than being introduced into Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the place Forrest Whitaker performed him. Whittaker reprised his position as Noticed Gerrera in Rebels and Andor, whereas a youthful model of Noticed Gerrera additionally appeared in The Dangerous Batch.
By way of each Andor and Rebels, Star Wars reveals the delivery of the Rise up from two completely different factors of view. Andor explores the darkish underbelly of the Rise up, whereas Rebels reveals the extra heroic adventures of the group, exhibiting the assorted sides that got here collectively to carry down the Empire. Andor showcases a extra politically inclined model of the battle, akin to the prequel trilogy. On the identical time, Rebels options extra of the swashbuckling adventures of a rag-tag crew generally related to the unique trilogy. That is why Rebels and Andor‘s Mon Mothma episodes mix so properly, making nice complementary items of a bigger Star Wars story, showcasing the huge scope of the Insurgent Alliance’s origins and the assorted operatives that made it potential.
‘Andor’ Leads Straight Into “Secret Cargo”
In Andor, Cassian efficiently will get Mon Mothma off Coruscant to the Insurgent Alliance, however doesn’t appear to carry her to Yavin 4. He’s knowledgeable that Gold Squadron (Y-Wing fighters) will escort and transport Mon Mothma to Yavin 4 after she is about to ship a brand new message, a name for motion that may unite numerous rebels across the galaxy following her talking out. That is the place Cassian leaves Mon Mothma on this story, however the aftermath, Gold Squadron’s escort, and her message transmission are proven within the Rebels episode “Secret Cargo,” which aired on Disney XD on Mar. 4, 2017.
The episodes contain members of Phoenix Squadron, Captain Hera Syndulla, Lasat warrior Zeb, and Jedi knight-in-training Ezra Bridger. They’re ready to rendezvous with a Insurgent ship carrying secret cargo, Mon Mothma, who’s on the run after talking out in opposition to the Emperor within the Senate. Nevertheless, the Empire intercepts and disables the unique transport ship, forcing Mothma to maneuver onto Captain Syndulla’s ship, the Ghost, with Gold Squadron escorting them to Dantooine, a former Insurgent base that Leia Organa would later give to Tarkin as a pretend location for the Insurgent base in Star Wars. Mothma provides a rousing speech broadcast to numerous channels throughout the galaxy, and the Insurgent Alliance lastly begins to take type.
Andor‘s episode works somewhat properly as a prequel to Star Wars: Rebels “Secret Cargo.” Regardless of completely different codecs and goal demographics, the 2 episodes are glorious complementary items that inform a better a part of the Star Wars story. The small remark on the finish about Gold Squadron escorting Mothma on the finish of Andor is an easy approach to clarify how the 2 sequence do not seemingly contradict each other, as now it seems Cassian met up with one other crew that transported Mothma whereas he went to Yavin 4 individually. Andor makes the 2 tales seamlessly mix. Nevertheless, Andor does retcon Rebels barely, however does it for the betterment of each Andor as a sequence and Star Wars.
‘Andor’ Makes a Main Change to Mothma’s Speech, However It Is Nice
Whereas Andor and Rebels mix collectively into one bigger story, the live-action Disney+ sequence modifications the context of Mothma’s speech. The circumstances stay the identical, as Mon Mothma is spurred to talk out following the Ghorman Bloodbath. In Rebels, the speech is a generalized however efficient name out of the Emperor in a style that matches into the unique Star Wars trilogy mould of framing the Empire as Nazi Germany. Additionally, the prequels’ important lens of the Bush administration’s use of extreme wartime powers following 9/11. Mothma’s speech in Rebels goes:
“I identify the Emperor himself for ordering the brutal assaults on the folks of Ghorman. Their peaceable world is one in all numerous techniques helpless in opposition to his oppressive rule. This bloodbath is proof our self-appointed Emperor is little greater than a mendacity executioner imposing his tyranny beneath the pretense of safety. We can’t permit this evil to face.
In Andor, Mon Mothma’s speech is a wider commentary and reflection on the unfold of misinformation, which actually hits near house for audiences watching Andor in 2025. The thought of these with the loudest screams being so defensive that it drowns every little thing might apply to many topics within the present political local weather, notably those that willingly select to unfold misinformation for revenue and private achieve.
“I stand this morning with a tough message. I imagine we’re in disaster. The space between what is alleged and what’s identified to be true has turn into an abyss. Of all of the issues in danger, the lack of an goal actuality is probably essentially the most harmful. The demise of reality is the final word victory of evil. When reality leaves us, after we let it slip away, when it’s ripped from our fingers, we turn into weak to the urge for food of no matter monster screams the loudest. This chamber’s maintain on the reality was lastly misplaced on the Ghorman Plaza. What befell yesterday, what occurred yesterday on Ghorman was unprovoked genocide! Sure! Genocide! That reality has been exiled from this chamber! And the monster screaming the loudest? The monster we helped create? The monster who will come for us all quickly sufficient…is Emperor Palpatine!”
Mon Mothma’s speech feels well timed and related, reflecting the world during which it was launched, as George Lucas’ Star Wars movies did. Lucas in contrast the Insurgent Alliance to the Viet Cong and the Empire to the American military-industrial advanced. On the identical time, the prequel trilogy has gained a newfound appreciation for a way related the commerce tariffs plotline was and the way “liberty dies with thunderous applause.” Now, Andor is wanting on the state of the world, particularly a post-Trump America. Value remembering that Rogue One, the movie Andor is a prequel to, was launched one month after Trump gained the 2016 election.
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Whereas Andor Season 2 was written and filmed properly earlier than the second Trump administration, its phrases actually maintain quite a lot of energy now at a time when the USA authorities has been deporting kids with most cancers, spreading misinformation about gang members having MS-13 tattoos, and spreading a degree of discourse within the nation that the media is mendacity and solely Trump, the particular person in energy, could be trusted and everybody else is the enemy. Andor‘s third batch of episodes, and Mon Mothma’s speech, now maintain much more weight following the White Home’s Could the 4th publish, the place an AI-generated picture of Trump confirmed him wielding a crimson lightsaber, frequent with the villains within the Star Wars franchise.
The 2 speeches are drastically completely different, each in tone and context. Rebels, which was written first, was aimed extra at a youthful viewers and was extra a commentary on the Emperor’s unchecked energy within the galaxy that led to the bloodbath. Andor did not attempt to bend itself over to make Rebels‘ speech match into Andor; as an alternative, it reinterpreted the scene in another way, focusing extra on the present tangible rise in fascism and fearmongering that’s spreading within the twenty first century, which hits near house for the viewer. The 2 speeches’ wording would possibly differ, however the message stays the identical.
The ultimate results of Mon Mothma’s speech is well among the finest writing in all of Star Wars, and cements Tony Gilroy as top-of-the-line creatives to affix the franchise and Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma as top-of-the-line characters in Star Wars. Andor is streaming on Disney+.