"Andor" may be a Star Wars" show, but it is unlike anything else in the canon. Created by Tony Gilroy as a prequel to "Rogue One," "Andor" follows Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) on his gradual journey from apathetic petty thief (at the start of “Andor”) to daring leader of the Rebel Alliance, committed to bringing down the Galactic Empire at any cost (in “Rogue One”).
There aren't any strange creatures or Jedi or midi-chlorians in "Andor" — just ordinary people who slowly, reluctantly become rebels in the fight against an authoritarian regime.
"Andor" season 2, which will be a bridge to the events of "Rogue One," premieres on April 22 and runs for four weeks on an unusual episode schedule. It's been two years and five months since the "Andor" season 1 finale (but who's counting?), so if you haven't had a chance to rewatch season 1, you'd be forgiven for forgetting some details about what happened.
Here are a few key plot points to jog your memory as you strap in for the final stretch of this incredible show.
Major spoilers for "Andor" season 1 follow.
1. A long-lost sister sets the events of 'Andor' in motion
"Andor" opens with Cassian Andor at a brothel on Morlana One, but he isn't there for pleasure. In asking the staff whether a woman from Kenari ever worked there, he attracts the attention of two boorish guards at the bar.
The guards follow him outside and harass him; in the course of fending them off, Cassian winds up killing them both.
We later learn that the woman he's seeking is his younger sister, from whom he was separated when they were orphans on the abandoned mining planet of Kenari.
2. The main villain isn't Darth Vader but two dogged bureaucrats
Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) is a deputy inspector for Preox-Morlana Corporation (Pre-Mor), which manages corporate security for the Galactic Empire. He's all fired up to investigate the murder of his two colleagues, but his supervisor would rather sweep the matter under the rug, since the guards were … well, drinking on duty at a brothel.
He tells Syril to drop it, but the deputy inspector is like a dog with a bone. Disobeying orders, he keeps investigating and manages to identify Cassian as the lead suspect.
Even after Syril botches the attempt to capture Cassian and gets fired, the murders draw the attention of Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), a supervisor at the Galactic Empire's Imperial Security Bureau.
Dedra is convinced that Cassian Andor is one small piece of a larger movement that's plotting to rebel against the Empire, and she undermines her colleague Blevin (Doc Brown), calls him out in a meeting with their boss, Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser), and takes over the case.
3. Luthen Rael is a key figure in the rebellion
Fleeing the scene of the murder, Cassian comes home to Ferrix, where he catches up with his adoptive mom, Maarva (Fiona Shaw), his friend Brasso (Joplin Sibtain), and his ex Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona).
He begs Bix to reach out to her "buyer" because he has something the buyer will want: an untraceable N-S9 Starpath unit, which he stole from the Imperial Naval Base in Steergard. With the money from the sale, he can secure a ship and head far away, ideally with Maarva and their adorable droid B2EMO.
Bix arranges a meeting with her buyer, Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård). As it turns out, Luthen already knows everything about Cassian, believing him to be more than just a low-level thief. Just as he's in the middle of his pitch to recruit Cassian for something bigger — "Don't you want to fight these bastards for real?" — Syril and his team arrive on Ferrix.
When the dust settles, five men are dead (four from Syril's team as well as Bix's jealous boyfriend Timm), and Cassian and Luthen have escaped to Luthen's ship.
4. Forget rebellion — Cassian just wants money
Despite his hatred for the Empire, Cassian thinks fighting the system is useless and not worth the risk. One thing he does believe in? Money. Luthen promises a hefty payday if he'll help him with something important: "I'm offering you everything you want … to put a real stick in the eye of the Empire, and get paid for it."
Luthen has a team that's planning to steal the quarterly payroll for the entire Imperial sector at Aldhani Garrison. Cassian reluctantly accepts the deal.
On Aldhani, he goes by the name "Clem," and while the team — led by Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay) — is upset to be adding someone new only three days before the robbery, they come to see his value and grudgingly accept him.
5. Revolution has steep costs
Cassian trains for two days with Skeen (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Cinta (Varada Sethu), Taramyn (Gershwyn Eustache Jnr), Nemik (Alex Lawther), and Lieutenant Gorn (Sule Rimi), an Imperial officer and their man on the inside.
The plan is timed to coincide with The Eye of Aldhani, a celestial event that takes place every three years and provides cover for their getaway. And although the team successfully makes off with the payroll, they incur heavy losses as most of the team dies.
Before he went out, the idealistic Nemik left Cassian his manifesto, which plays a crucial role in radicalizing our hero.
We come to learn that Luthen organized the Aldhani heist because the network he's been building needs the money. His benefactor and collaborator, Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly), has run up against increased security measures that make it difficult for her to move money from her family accounts.
Visiting Luthen at his antiques store, she's horrified to learn he was behind the Aldhani heist, and tells him people will suffer when Emperor Palpatine takes action. But Luther tells her that's the plan. "We need them to overreact."
6. Cassian leads the prisoners of Narkina 5 in a thrilling escape
Cassian has now killed two guards AND stolen 80 million credits from the government, but in the end, he's swept up into the prison system for loitering.
At the water-surrounded Narkina 5, he's put on a work squad led by Kino Loy (Andy Serkis). Cassian agitates for the men to try to escape, but all Kino wants to do is finish serving his time and go home. But some odd occurrences lead the prisoners to realize that none of them will ever leave Narkina 5.
At last, this is what gets through to Kino. When Cassian again asks how many guards are on each floor, this time Kino responds, "Never more than 12."
The inmates take advantage of a security lapse to overpower the guards, commandeer their weapons and take over the control room. Throughout, Kino delivers a stirring speech. When the prisoners start leaping into the water to find freedom, Kino reveals with a wry smile to Cassian that he can't swim.
7. Maarva's funeral sets the stage for Ferrix to revolt against the Empire
In the season 1 finale of "Andor," all the major players converge upon Ferrix for Maarva's funeral: Dedra and a massive phalanx of Imperial Army troopers, laying a trap to capture Cassian; Syril, who is similarly after Cassian but also basically stalking Dedra; Luther, Vela, and Cinta, who plan to kill Cassian for knowing too much; and Cassian, who only wants to say goodbye to his foster mother.
The funeral procession ends at the center of town, where B2EMO broadcasts a holographic message from Maarva. It's a call to arms: "The Empire is a disease that thrives in darkness. It is never more alive than when we sleep … Fight the Empire!"
Inspired by Maarva's words, the people of Ferrix riot, attacking the Imperial Army troopers. In the melee, Cassian is able to rescue Bix from the hotel, where she was being interrogated and tortured.
The finale ends with Cassian back on board Luthen's ship, but their conversation is very different from the one they had before. Cassian gets Luthen to admit that he came to Ferrix to kill him, and then stares at him with an intensity and sense of purpose he didn't have months ago.
"Kill me, or take me in," Cassian says. And Luthen smiles.
The revolution has begun and Cassian is fully on board.
