Warning! SPOILERS for Andor episode 4.Rogue One: A Star Wars story but also a standalone character study, Andor takes audiences back five years before the events of A New Hope and offers better insight into the soon-to-be Galactic Civil War. Despite being focused on Cassian Andor’s journey from a survivor to a rebel hero, Andor is very much a tale about the birth of the Rebellion.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story introduced Cassian Andor at a time when the Rebel Alliance had already been established. The movie featured many familiar Rebel characters, including Mon Mothma and General Dodonna, but it did not change much of what audiences already knew about the Rebel Alliance. Andor, on the other hand, takes place when there were only sparks of rebellion throughout the galaxy – long before Palpatine closed the Imperial Senate.

Related: Star Wars: How The Bad Batch Helped Start The Rebellion (During Order 66)

While Star Wars grew to become a more fantasy-heavy saga about the Jedi, the Sith, and the Force, the franchise began as a simple tale about the mighty Empire and the underdog Rebel Alliance. The latter was one of the pillars of Star Wars, and it continued to be revisited by other movies and shows released after Obi-Wan Kenobi did something similar with “The Path." Despite so many attempts at explaining the Rebellion, though, none came close to what Andor is finally achieving with its Rebel Alliance origin story.

Andor Is Becoming The Rebellion’s Definitive Origin Story

Mon Mothma looking to the side in Andor

Already, by the point of Star Wars stories like Obi-Wan Kenobi, the war against the Empire was nothing but a background for other adventures. For Andor, the actions of the Empire and how they lead to a wish for reckoning is the very basis of the show.

Andor is confirmed to have two seasons. The show will lead right into Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which means it will cover the entire formation of the Rebellion and of the Galactic Civil War. More than a piece of lore that offers background on the Rebel Alliance, Andor is a refreshing take on what so far seemed to be a worn-out Star Wars theme.

New episodes of Andor release on Wednesdays on Disney+.

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