Where does Andor take place on the Star Wars timeline? Thankfully, that's an easy question to answer. We even know the exact year the Disney Plus show is set – it's not long before Rogue One and the Star Wars original trilogy.
We've taken a deep dive into Andor's place on the Star Wars timeline below, pinpointing its slot in the chronology and exploring what that might mean for the show. Plus, there are no spoilers here, so you can check out our guide whether you've caught up on all five episodes or not.
When does Andor take place in the Star Wars timeline?
To understand the Star Wars timeline, you need to know that the whole thing revolves around one major event: the Battle of Yavin, AKA the mission to blow up the Death Star that's seen in A New Hope. That movie is set in 0 BBY, or zero years Before Battle of Yavin – and that's also when Rogue One is set, as that movie ends just before A New Hope begins. Everything after the Death Star explosion is ABY, or After Battle of Yavin.
Andor is set in 5 BBY, so five years before Rogue One and A New Hope. See its place in the timeline below.
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – 32 BBY
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones – 22 BBY
- The Clone Wars – 22 BBY-19 BBY
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith – 19 BBY
- The Bad Batch – 19 BBY
- Solo: A Star Wars Story – 13 BBY – 10 BBY
- Obi-Wan Kenobi – 10 BBY
- Andor – 5 BBY
- Star Wars Rebels – 5 BBY – 1 BBY
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – 0 BBY
- A New Hope – 0 BBY
- The Empire Strikes Back – 3 ABY
- Return of the Jedi – 4 ABY
- The Mandalorian seasons 1 and 2 – 9 ABY
- The Book of Boba Fett – 9 ABY
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens – 34 ABY
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi – 34 ABY
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – 35 ABY
Andor timeline: what does that mean for the show?
We already know that Forest Whitaker's Saw Gerrera will be in Andor, but it's unclear at the moment if other Rogue One characters will make an appearance. Cassian meets most of the gang in that film for the first time, though, so it's unlikely that the likes of Jyn Erso will cameo. One exception is K-2SO, Cassian's droid best friend, but we already know he won't be showing up in season 1.
Andor is set during the height of the Empire's powers, which means we could potentially see Emperor Palpatine or even Darth Vader (who, after all, cameoed in Rogue One). It seems more likely, though, that we could see Bail Organa working with Mon Mothma on Coruscant – we know from the Revenge of the Sith deleted scenes that the two were working together to establish what eventually becomes the Rebel Alliance. If Bail is in play, then we could also potentially see a young Leia Organa, though that's probably not going to happen after she played such a central role in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
There are all kinds of major Star Wars characters at large in the galaxy at this time, too. Star Wars Rebels is set across the same time period, so that opens the way for Ezra Bridger, Ahsoka Tano, and the rest of the Ghost crew to show up. Though, with how grounded Andor is, the Force probably won't play a major part in the events to come.
Of course, the biggest impact our knowledge of the Star Wars timeline has on the series is that we already know Cassian will sacrifice himself for the Death Star plans in Rogue One. But, how he gets to that point is a total mystery, so anything could happen in between.
Check out our Andor release schedule to find out when the first three episodes drop on Disney Plus in your time zone, and see our interview with the cast and showrunner Tony Gilroy for much more on the show, as well as Gilroy on what to expect from Andor season 2.
