This article contains spoilers for Andor Season 2, episode 1, "One Year Later."
Andor is back for its second and final season. The groundbreaking awards darling series has changed the face of Star Wars, giving fans something we've never seen before. Let's recap everything you might have missed in Season 2, episode 1, "One Year Later."
Cassian Andor's no good, very bad day
In the year since Season 1, our titular hero has stepped up into more of a leadership role. On the planet of Sienar, he guides a young woman named Niya who is ready to defect from the Empire. She gives him all the tools he needs to steal a TIE Avenger from a test facility, but she's clearly scared. He comforts her by saying that she's becoming her true self as she fights against the Empire. He says, "You've become more than your fear. Let that protect you." They part ways, and Cassian takes the TIE Avenger...
...which he realizes very quickly he was trained incorrectly on how to fly it. The navigation and weapons systems are unlike anything Cassian has seen before, and he accidentally signals to the entire base he's there. He learns literally on the fly in a dogfight how to fly the TIE Advance and manages to escape.
He goes to a mysterious jungle planet, which is later revealed in episode 2 to be Yavin IV, to meet up with his contact. His contact is dead, and Cassian is quickly apprehended by a group of young rebels who claim to be part of Maya Pei's brigade (which you can read all about them here). Led by two young men named Gerdis and Bardi, these rebels don't believe that Cassian is a rebel, as he's still wearing his disguise of an Imperial test pilot.
They have been stranded on the jungle planet with no food and water, so they're desperate to get out of there. Their only pilot has no idea how to fly the TIE Advance, which is the only thing keeping Cassian alive because he can fly it. Infighting breaks out as Gerdis and Bardi oppose each other to lead their newly created tribes. The only pilot dies in a shootout, and Cassian is taken hostage by Gerdis' group.
Catching up with our Ferrix friends
In the year since the riot at Rix Road, our Ferrix friends Bix Caleen, Wilmon Paak, and Brasso have settled with Cassian on the agricultural planet of Mina-Rau. They are illegal migrants with fake visas, but the people of the planet accept and welcome them as they're needed to help during the harvest.
The group works as mechanics, and even young Wilmon has a girlfriend (though her mother doesn't like him coming around). Brasso is also living with a woman named Talia, who has taken to their droid B2EMO. It's peaceful until an Imperial ship shows up. The Empire is doing a routine audit, the first in about a decade. But our Ferrix friends and other migrants are worried they will be found out, rounded up, and deported to prisons. The group tries to send out a warning message to Cassian, who can't get it as he's currently captured by Maya Pei's group.
Orson Krennic makes his Andor debut
Rogue One's Director Orson Krennic has arrived in Season 2 of Andor, and he wastes no time feeling all important with his cape and grandure as he holds a secret meeting. Under the guise of discussing his so-called energy program, it's to help further along Project Stardust AKA the Death Star. At the meeting are two of our Season 1 villains, Dedra Meero and her ISB boss, Major Partagaz.
To clarify: No one other than Krennic know this meeting is about the Death Star.
Krennic explains to them that the planet of Ghorman is of great interest to the Empire. Ghorman is known for creating textiles and clothes from the silk of spiders, which is where they get their wealth from. However, in the core of the planet is a mineral called kalkite that Krennic needs for the Death Star. He wants to invade the planet and mine for it, but that would basically destroy the entire planet and upend at least 800,000 Ghormans in his way. He has brought in two people from the Ministry of Enlightenment (which was a real world Nazi propaganda department) to create negative propaganda towards the Ghormans.
Later, Dedra confides with Krennic that propaganda won't be enough. He'll need spies posing as rebels who can infiltrate the Ghormans and cause trouble. This would justify the Imperial invasion. Krennic smiles at the idea.
Mother of the Bride: Mon Mothma
Season 1 found Mon Mothma in financial trouble as she feared that the Imperials would investigate her bank accounts that have been funding rebel activity. Thanks to her friend Tay Kolma, she agreed to marry off her young daughter Leida to a gangster named Davo Sculdun to protect the Rebellion and settle her financial troubles.
"One Year Later" picks up just days before the wedding as pretty much the rest of Andor's main cast arrives. Luthen Rael is there with his assistant Kleya, both maintaining their antique dealer personas while secretly wondering why Cassian hasn't checked in from his mission. Mon's rebel cousin Vel Sartha is in attendance, sad not knowing where her rebel girlfriend Cinta Kaz is. Mon's husband, Perrin Fertha, is being the grand host. We're introduced to Erskin Semaj, Mothma's attaché, who is making his jump from Star Wars animation into live action (more on that here). And of course, Davo, his wife, and his son Stekan are around.
Among the schmoozing, Mon finds out that Tay is very unhappy with the last year. He's lost a ton of money, his wife left him, and his lips are starting to get a bit loose as he gets drunk at the festivities. Mon and Luthen are immediately concerned about Tay, as there are still two more days of wedding festivities to go.
Andor Season 2 is now streaming on Disney+.