One Andor Season 1 Easter Egg Secretly Hints At Its Exact Place In The Star Wars Timeline

Summary Andor season 2 will run concurrently with Rebels, both set in the same era between 4 BBY and 0 BBY, with clear timelines and overlap.

The tie-ins to Rogue One and 0 BBY are expected in Andor season 2, setting up the character's transition to a full-blown rebel.

A subtle Easter egg in Andor season 1 hints at overlap with Star Wars Rebels, indicating potential storyline connections.

Andor season 1's timeline is left vague after the show's first episode, though a secret Easter egg hints at its exact placement in the Star Wars universe. As with other Star Wars TV shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Andor takes place in the Dark Times of the Star Wars galaxy. This phrase is often used to describe the period between Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, when the Empire is at the height of its power.

Andor season 2's story will take place in the same era, in the five years between the first season and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. With Andor season 1's ending setting up the titular character's transition into a full-blown rebel, the tie-ins to Rogue One and 0 BBY are to be expected in season 2. Although Andor season 2's timeline will be easier to follow, season 1's was frustratingly vague aside from the opening title card, though one Easter egg hints at its exact placement in context to other Star Wars TV shows.

The Star Wars timeline is often marked by BBY, Before the Battle of Yavin, and ABY, After the Battle of Yavin, which saw Luke Skywalker destroy the Death Star.

Andor & Star Wars Rebels Are Both Set In 5 BBY... Do They Overlap?

The Exact Time Elapsed In Andor Season 1 Is Unclear Compared To Rebels

At the beginning of Andor season 1, a title card appears alerting audiences that the show takes place in 5 BBY, five years before Rogue One and A New Hope. However, besides this one title card, Andor only provides subtle context clues as to how much time passes in season 1. It is unclear by the end of the story whether days, weeks, or months have passed in 5 BBY, begging the question of whether the show overlaps with Star Wars Rebels.

The animated show takes place in 5 BBY also, though it has a much clearer passage of time season-to-season. That said, one subtle Easter egg found in Andor season 1 hints that the two shows overlap. In Andor season 1, episode 5, "The Aze Forgets," an Imperial agent is shown mentioning stolen goods across the galaxy, mentioning that Kessel is one of the planets targeted. In Star Wars Rebels' season premiere, the titular Rebel group liberates a group of Wookiee slaves from Kessel, hinting that the show overlaps with Andor season 1.

Andor Season 2 Will Run Concurrently With Rebels

The Two Star Wars Shows Will Take Place At The Same Time

Concerning Andor's further overlap with Star Wars Rebels’ timeline, this has been confirmed. Star Wars Rebels season 1 begins in 5 BBY, with each of its subsequent seasons taking the story a year closer to Rogue One and A New Hope, ending in 1 BBY. Andor season 2 has been confirmed to boast a similar timeline, with the show's 12 episodes being split into blocks of three episodes. These four arcs will take Andor season 2 a year closer to Rogue One; the first three episodes will be in 4 BBY, the next three in 3 BBY, and so forth.

Related Star Wars Rebels Timeline Explained: When Each Season Takes Place From Ezra and the crew’s first meeting to Ahsoka and Sabine’s reunion, here’s when each Star Wars Rebels season takes place in the Star Wars timeline.

As such, Andor season 2 will overlap with Star Wars Rebels seasons 2, 3, and 4. This will be vitally important to Mon Mothma's character, played by Genevieve O'Reilly in Andor's ensemble cast. Mon Mothma appears in Star Wars Rebels season 3 (3 BBY) with the titular crew tasked with smuggling her away from Coruscant as she denounces the Empire and formally announces the Rebel Alliance. Given what is known of Andor season 2's timeline, this will likely occur in the second block of the show's 12 episodes, causing even greater overlap between the show and Star Wars Rebels.