How does Andor fit into the Star Wars Universe?

With every new Star Wars project that comes out, it gets a little more complicated keeping track of what’s going on in the galaxy. Like trying to figure out where the latest new streaming series, Andor, falls into that continuum. We know that most of the story takes place five years before the events of Rogue One, with the exception of some flashback scenes depicting Cassian’s (Diego Luna) childhood and adolescence. But what else do we need to know? What’s happening as the show begins? What are the characters we’ve known and loved up to? To help make things clear, we’ve focused on a handful of questions and answers that will provide the insight we need as Andor kicks off today with a three-episode series premiere.

The Rebel Alliance won’t officially be formed for several years, but that doesn’t mean everyone is happy to be living under Imperial rule. Some folks are actually starting to do something about it. There are isolated groups of insurgents throughout the galaxy, especially in the mid and outer rims, where the Empire has less control. They’re mostly guerrilla fighters, operating independently on their home worlds or nearby systems. These include Saw Gerrera’s Partisans, who appeared in both Rogue One and the Rebels animated series. Though they share the same goals of restoring the Republic their methods are considered too extreme to be accepted by more moderate factions.

During the year Andor is set there are two important figures working toward building a formal opposition movement. One of them is Senator Bail Organa, who has been keeping tabs on underground rebel activity through a network of intelligence operatives using the code name Fulcrum. The other is Senator Mon Mothma, who hasn’t yet given up on the idea of democracy and is trying to change the system from within as a member of the Imperial Senate. To protect her interests she outwardly supports the Empire, while secretly organizing those fighting against it. It’s around this time that Senators Organa and Mothma set out to unite the independent cells of the resistance under a single banner, which will eventually become the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

At the end of the Clone Wars the Emperor accused the Jedi of treason and activated Order 66, which compelled the clone troopers to execute any Jedi on sight, but that was just the beginning of the Jedi purge. During the following years the Empire continued its propaganda campaign, turning the public against the Jedi and making it illegal to harbor and assist them. Where threats didn’t work, the authorities offered rewards for tips leading to their capture.

Under the leadership of Darth Vader, agents of the Imperial Inquisition hunted down the last remaining Jedi and eliminated them, one by one. They were also tasked with finding any force-sensitive youths and either recruiting them to the dark side or eliminating the threat altogether. A handful of Jedi were able to evade the Empire during this time—including Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano—but the order is widely thought to be extinct. There are also other mostly peaceful religious orders of force users who aren’t Jedi scattered throughout the galaxy, including monks like Chirrut Imwe in Rogue One. The Empire doesn’t actively hunt them unless provoked, but they don’t exist in great numbers either.

Although most people don’t realize it, the galaxy is actually under the control of the Sith during the Imperial Era. The core philosophy of the Sith religion involves harnessing strong emotions like anger and fear into absolute power. They also believe that true peace can only be achieved through control and domination, which happens to match the totalitarian goals of the Empire. That makes sense, since Emperor Palpatine is the supreme leader of both, though his alternate identity as Darth Sideous is still a secret to everyone but a handful of his most devout followers.

As his apprentice, Darth Vader is the most visible Sith lord within the regime, and he reports only to his master. The ranks of the Sith order consist mainly of the Inquisitors, who operate above the law while they carry out the Emperor’s will. There is some push and pull among those who believe more in the power of the regime itself than the superstitions of an ancient cult. They don’t last long, and those who question Vader’s methods in his presence soon learn that he doesn’t react well to criticism.

Since the show begins five years before the events of Rogue One, which leads immediately into Star Wars: A New Hope, it’s worth sorting out where we might find some of those familiar faces right around now.

• Born in the same year the Emperor seized power, Luke Skywalker is currently 14 years old, living on Tatooine with his Uncle Ben and Aunt Beru on a moisture farm, and dreaming of adventure in the stars.
• Princess Leia Organa is also 14. She has already followed her adoptive father, Bail Organa, into politics and become his aide in the Imperial Senate. Also like her father she is secretly working against the Empire.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi is living alone as a hermit on Tatooine, keeping his distance from Luke while also keeping an eye on him as he grows.
• Han Solo and Chewbacca are working as smugglers and thieves, mainly doing jobs for Jabba the Hutt. They’re still on good terms with the crime lord, for now at least.
• R2-D2 and C-3PO are currently in the possession of Bail Organa and serve with him on his ship the Tantive IV. They also sometimes assist with rebel missions.
• Jyn Erso is 16 and has just been abandoned by Saw Gerrera, her guardian since childhood. Worried that her true identity as the daughter of Death Star engineer Galen Erso might be discovered, Saw leaves her in a bunker with just a blaster and a knife for protection, promising to return. He doesn’t.

As for what that scrappy Cassian Andor is up to at this point in history, we’ll find out soon enough.