You probably don't need us to tell you that Andor is a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, so with that in mind, you may already feel like you know how this Disney+ series connects to the wider Galaxy Far, Far Away.
However, a new rumour shared by Making Star Wars (via SFFGazette.com) has shed a little light on how this show builds on what we saw in that movie and the original trilogy. Cassian Andor may have ultimately helped steal those all-important Death Star plans, but it appears that superweapon crosses his radar quite a few years before the fateful mission that ends with his death.
The site explains that the show will feature former engineers and scientists who have been enslaved by the Empire and forced to work on their sinister projects like, for example, the Death Star's construction.
It's said we'll be taken to one of these brutal, hellish assembly lines, with Cassian going undercover as a prisoner. He's there to extract intel from an agent, but will learn that this factory is part of a secret project the Empire is working on. Yes, it's Project Stardust, and the site speculates that this team is devoted to crafting the Kyber Crystals used to unleash those planet-killing blasts.
"Project Stardust" is reportedly referenced, though it's unclear how much that influences what we saw in Rogue One. Either way, whether he realises it or not, it seems Cassian's mission to take down the Empire means he comes across the Death Star years before ever meeting the woman the project is named after, Jyn Erso.
Andor will explore a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.
Diego Luna returns as Cassian Andor and is joined by cast members Genevieve O’Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough and Kyle Soller. The show premieres on Disney+ on August 31.