Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

The opening title graphic for Andor is a slow steady light appearing on the horizon. It starts as a tiny beam, becoming brighter and brighter until finally emerging as a crescent moon.  It is an apt metaphor for Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and the Rebellion: a small glimmer of hope that grows into a powerful force of its own.

Andor is the newest Star Wars series on Disney Plus (stylized Disney+). The show follows Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a thief and smuggler, in his time leading up to joining the Rebel Alliance.  The character may not be familiar to all Star Wars fans.  He was introduced in the 2016 box office smash Rogue One: A Star Wars Story which was an immediate prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy.

Behind this project is Tony Gilroy, a writer, director, and producer with previous credits in the Bourne series and Michael Clayton.  Gilroy directly contributes to the series, doubling as creator and showrunner.  His brother, Dan, is also credited as one of the show’s writers.  

Andor picks up with the titular character at a shady brothel looking for his sister on the planet Morlana One.  Cassian (Diego Luna) crosses paths with a few officers of Preox-Morlana Authority, a sort of second tier security agency lowly ranked in the Empire.  During a physical confrontation with two officers, Cassian kills one of the officers.  To cover his tracks, he decides to kill the other officer.  Not the wisest of decisions, as this puts a big red X on his back.  In an attempt to mask his identity, he ends up becoming a fugitive. 

Andor returns home to the planet Ferrix, a place similar to Moss Eisley: sandy, a bit sketchy, with lots of alleys for secretive deals.  Seeking to sell off a stolen Starpath Unit, an imperial piece of technology, Andor meets with his friend Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), a fellow black market wheeler and dealer, who sets Andor up with a mysterious trader named Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard).