The Star Wars Universe’s newest addition, Andor, made its grand three-episode debut this week, and with it came answers as to where it fits in the timeline. In an on-screen label, the show was revealed to take place in 5 years before the Battle of Yavin (5 BBY). The event was featured at the conclusion of A New Hope when the first Death Star was destroyed by Luke Skywalker.
Outside of the story of Andor, 5 BBY was an important year because the first major rebel groups were beginning to form. Unrest was growing all over the galaxy, a theme Andor will undoubtedly continue to explore. In terms of the surrounding galaxy, there were a few notable events in the canon.
One of the most important developments of 5 BBY was when Ezra Bridger joined the Ghost crew at the beginning of Star Wars: Rebels. A portion of the first season of the show took place during 5 BBY. During this time, Ezra began his Jedi training, joining the small population of trained Force-users. As the crew grew as a team and a family, they planned raids on Imperial airfields and convoys, working to free their planet, Lothal, from the Empire’s tyranny.
In Episode 3, “Droids in Distress”, they even captured the attention of Bail Organa. Organa was one of the main organizers of the Rebel Alliance, so this contact became very important later on in the show, as different rebel groups began to collaborate. It is possible that in later episodes of Andor, the Ghost crew will be mentioned in this context.
5 BBY also marks the year that Jyn Erso was abandoned by Saw Gerrera. This became an important time for Jyn, who would eventually join Cassian Andor in the mission to steal the Death Star plans in Rouge One. Jyn was the daughter of the man who helped the Empire build the Death Star. When her identity became known among Saw’s rebel group, he left her behind to save her from their wrath.
After this, Jyn fought to survive in a tumultuous era until she was recruited by the Rebel Alliance, where she would meet Cassian for the first time. Consequently, 5 BBY marks the beginning of a new era for her, one that would result in her growing to become the person who would give everything alongside Cassian for the chance to break the Empire’s grasp the galaxy.
From the first few episodes of Andor, we are now getting the chance to watch Cassian develop into the person we all rooted for during Rogue One. In future episodes, knowing where Andor fits in the larger universe of Star Wars will help us to understand Cassian’s journey more thoroughly.