Star Wars: Andor has just finished airing with an exciting finale. So, for those fans who waited for the show to conclude before starting to watch it, are there any viewing requirements? Should you watch Rogue One before watching Andor?
What Is Rogue One All About?
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story follows a group of rebels in the Star Wars universe as they band together to steal plans of the Death Star in what came to be the first victory of the Rebel Alliance against the Empire.
The movie follows Jyn, whose mother was killed after her research scientist father refused to continue working on imperial weapons. When her father is taken into custody, Jyn is taken in by rebel extremist Saw Gerrera.
Thirteen years later, a now adult Jyn meets Cassian Andor, who, at that point, is an intelligence officer for the Rebel Alliance. Together with other rebels, Cassian and Jyn are implicated in a bold mission against the Galactic Empire.
Should You Watch Rogue One Before Watching Andor?
As Andor is a prequel to Rogue One having watched the latter is not an absolute necessity before watching Andor. In fact, there are pros and cons to watching Rogue One first.
On the positive side, starting with Rogue One and watching Andor later helps you better comprehend the full extent of Cassian's character development as he went from reluctant anti-hero to rebel.
Moreover, while most of Andor's characters haven't been introduced anywhere else, having already watched Rogue One might be helpful to understand some nuances that are not overexplained because they are assumed knowledge.
For instance, in later Andor episodes, Saw Gerrera, a radical rebel we first met in Rogue One makes an appearance and the show doesn't dwell too much on who he is, since his character is explored more thoroughly in the pre-existing movie. If Andor goes on to do another season, other elements from Rogue One might also pop up.
On the other hand, some viewers might find drawbacks in watching Rogue One first. While we can't really complain about spoilers - given that Andor was likely not even planned when the Rogue One movie that pre-dates it came out.
Still, Rogue 1 has some pretty serious spoilers about Cassian's fate, so, if spoilers really bother you, it might be best to jump right into Andor without watching Rogue 1 first.
Overall, both Rogue One and Andor - but particularly the latter - are some of the most nuanced Star Wars stories out there, so we highly recommend both!
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