Some of the refreshing issues about Andor is that it looks like it is the primary Star Wars sequence that isn’t tied to the Jedi and the Skywalker saga. Though The Mandalorian began off as a western on the outskirts of the galaxy, untouched by the occasions of the core storyline, it finally tied into acquainted characters like Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison), Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Star Wars followers wouldn’t be blamed for feeling just like the universe was solely getting smaller.
Fortunately, Andor creator Tony Gilroy has indicated that he’s not excited about doing pointless fan service. Though we’ll see acquainted characters like Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) and Noticed Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), Gilroy says they’re there for the aim of the story. Andor is a spy thriller set within the Star Wars universe, and the change of tempo helps differentiate it among the many different ongoing initiatives that Disney+ has lined up.
Though Andor comes from the attitude of a self-described “non-superfan,” there are nonetheless some references and callbacks that eagle-eyed followers might have picked up on. Listed here are a few of the hidden particulars in Andor you will have missed.
“5 B.B.Y.”
The opening of the pilot episode options an fascinating title card, which notes the yr as “5 B.B.Y.” It’s the primary time in any of the Disney+ reveals that the yr is particularly referred to as out. Within the Star Wars universe, occasions are tracked primarily based on their relation to the unique movie from 1977. “B.B.Y.” means “Earlier than Battle of Yavin,” so this implies Andor begins 5 years earlier than the occasions of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (and by affiliation, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).
Cassian Makes use of A WTK-85A
When Cassian leaves Morlana One, he escapes on a WTK-85A transport to be able to keep away from detection. He’s finally tracked down by Syril Karn (Kyle Soller). This transport first appeared in Star Wars: The Pressure Awakens; it’s the ship that leaves a younger Rey in her nightmare sequence. It later seems in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Cassian’s Stuffed Bantha
Though Andor looks like the primary Star Wars present that doesn’t really feel the necessity to return to Tatooine, we did get one reminder of the creatures from the desert planet. When Maarva Andor (Fiona Shaw) walks by a younger Cassian’s (known as “Kassa”) childhood room, there’s a short shot of a stuffed Bantha toy. It’s truly not the primary time we see an opulent Bantha within the Star Wars universe; Chewbacca’s (Peter Mayhew) son Lumpy has a virtually an identical toy in The Star Wars Vacation Particular.
Republic Gunships
The flashbacks to Kassa’s childhood on Kenari happen proper earlier than the Clone Wars. Maarva finally decides to take Kassa together with her when she realizes that Republic forces are incoming, and that he could also be at risk. We see just a few LAAT (Low Altitude Assault Transports) flying in direction of their location. These transport vessels had been first seen in the course of the Battle of Geonosis in Star Wars: Episode II – Assault of the Clones, and are steadily featured in The Clone Wars.
Reference to Wobani
Within the first episode, Timm Karlo (James McArdle) asks Cassian and Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) if they’re “bidding on the Wobani run.” Cassian truly does find yourself visiting the planet, nevertheless it’s not for a few years later. He rescues Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) from a Wobani jail in Rogue One.
“Caf” and Star Wars Drinks
Star Wars has its personal model of drinks, such because the “blue milk” and “jawa juice.” We get a have a look at one thing barely extra acquainted within the second episode when Bix asks for a cup of “caf.” That is the Star Wars universe’s equal of espresso. Though the time period was first coined by Peter M. Schweighofer in 1996 within the brief story “Hasty Exit,” it was introduced into the fashionable canon in 2014 with John Jackson Miller’s novel A New Daybreak.
Reference To Fest
Cassian has to cover the truth that he’s from Kenari to hide his id, so he pretends that he’s truly from a planet referred to as “Fest.” The official sourcebook for Rogue One mentions that Fest was a regional base for the Insurgent Alliance, however the planet has additionally appeared in lots of Legends tales. The planet comprises an Imperial base within the 1995 online game Star Wars: Darkish Forces.
Bryar Pistol
When Cassian and Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) are pinned down by Pre-Mor officers in “Reckoning,” Cassian brandishes a Okay-16 Bryar Pistol to defend himself. That is one other callback to early Star Wars video games; gamers may use these weapons in most of the Darkish Forces adventures. It was introduced again into the fashionable canon because of the reboot of Star Wars: Battlefront.
Separatist Insignia
When a younger Kassa explores the crashed spacecraft on Kenari, there are just a few indications that the crew had been officers from the Confederacy of Unbiased Methods. The insignia of the Separatists might be seen on an officer’s uniform. Maarva mentions that Kassa’s companions killed a Republic officer, so maybe she is preserving secrets and techniques from her younger companion.
The Y-Wing and T-47 In The Shipyard
Throughout Cassian’s escape, we are able to see just a few acquainted starships. Among the many ships he passes by to get to the transport is a Y-Wing; these ships first appeared in A New Hope in the course of the Battle of Yavin, however The Clone Wars revealed that they had been initially created by the Galactic Republic to function bombers. We are able to additionally spot a T-16 Skyhopper, the smaller ship that could be a childhood favourite of Luke’s. In A New Hope, Luke mentions that he used to “bullseye womprats in my T-16” throughout his youth.
Z-47 Speeder Bikes
Cassian and Luthen escape from the Pre-Mor officers on a Z-47 Speeder Bike. These speeders first appeared in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi; Luke and Leia (Carrie Fisher) need to pilot the bikes to be able to chase down fleeing Imperial Scouts. Just like the Y-Wings, it’s defined within the Star Wars canon that they had been initially created in the course of the Clone Wars period. Clones use these speeders within the Republic Commando video games.
