This article was originally published on SFFGazette.com.
Andor has returned to Disney+ with its second season, and we pick up with these characters a year after the season 1 finale.
The first three chapters don't cover a full 12 months; instead, it's a pivotal few days for characters like Cassian Andor and Mon Mothma as the show's heroes once again learn the cost of being a Rebel.
The Empire, meanwhile, makes its next move by targeting the planet Gorman, and Luthen Rael reminds us that he'll do whatever it takes to protect this budding Rebellion.
Below, you'll find our full recaps of the opening few episodes, "One Year Later," "Sagrona Teema," and "Harvest."
"One Year Later"
It's now BBY 4 (four years before the Battle of Yavin in A New Hope), and we pick up with Cassian attempting to steal a TIE Fighter from an Imperial base. He has some help from a mole who is loyal to the Rebellion, but the mission proves to be a disaster when he realises he can't pilot the damn thing.
Cassian manages to escape in the ship after a shootout with some Stormtroopers, and we find Bix hiding out with Brasso and Wilmon on Mina-Rau as they wait for their friend to get them. Unsurprisingly, Bix is still feeling the effects of being tortured.
Luthen Rael arrives on Chandrila for the arranged marriage of Mon Mothma's daughter, and we catch up with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story villain Orson Krennic as he chairs a secret meeting. The Empire has set its sights on Gormon, a peaceful planet rich with Calcite, a material capable of providing unlimited power...and a coating for reactor lenses (which could come in handy for the Death Star).
Dedra Meero is there and listens as her fellow Imperials figure out how they can cover up the potential eventual destruction of the planet, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, with propaganda and the like.
Cassian, meanwhile, arrives at his designated meeting point but is ambushed by locals and gets caught up in a minor civil war. A fight breaks out as they argue over who gets to use the TIE Fighter, and he's captured as the episode ends, and shots are fired.
"Sagrona Teema"
Cassian is now a prisoner and forced to watch as the hapless locals wage war against each other. The one group even attempts to drag the TIE Fighter into a position where they can gun down their foes, leaving the Rebel understandably exasperated.
Dedra now answers to Krennic and has been tasked with overseeing the operation on Gorman after failing to uncover the identity of "Axis." Syril has also received a promotion since we last saw him, and he and Dedra now appear to be an item.
Luthen is concerned that Cassian hasn't checked in, but uncovers a bigger issue when Mon reveals that her banker friend, Tay Kolma, is now attempting to blackmail her after he helped cover up the funds she's used to bankroll the Rebellion in season 1. Unsurprisingly, Luthen isn't overly keen to pay for his silence.
Bix and company are also in trouble, as it turns out the local Imperials are arresting undocumented workers.
Back with Cassian, and as the two sides meet to discuss a treaty, a creature attacks, and the hero makes a run for it. He escapes in the TIE Fighter and leaves them to starve and continue to fight among themselves. As he leaves, we see that the planet he landed on appears to be Yavin.
"Harvest"
Cassian isn't happy that the TIE Fighter he stole wasn't the one was was trained to fly, and makes that clear to Kleya Marki (Luthen, at least, is relieved to hear he's okay).
Things go from bad to worse for Bix, Brasso, and Wilmon when the Imperials arrive, and one attempts to coerce Bix into sex in exchange for keeping her illegal status a secret. When she refuses, he tries to rape her, and takes a hammer to the head for his trouble.
The situation continues to escalate and, realising his friends are in trouble, Cassian takes the TIE Fighter to Mina-Rau and lays waste to the Imps. Unfortunately, the villains kill Brasso when he attempts to escape, marking another huge loss for the Rebel. Fortunately, Cassian is able to take Bix and Wilmon to safety.
Back on Chandrila, Luthen decides that Tay needs to die, and Mon has no choice but to agree. After all, if he's willing to blackmail her, it's too risky for him to be left alive and do the same again.
Vel Sartha is shocked to see that Cinta Kaz is undercover as Tay's driver and, well, you can probably imagine what becomes of him. Mon, distraught about what's happened (and the fact that her daughter rejected the chance to avoid this marriage), dances at the party as the episode concludes.
The first three episodes of Andor are now streaming on Disney+.