Rogue One: A Star Wars Story holds up as the best Star Wars prequel movie, but the film plays with a completely different perspective after watching two seasons of Andor on Disney+.

The following contains spoilers for the final episodes of Andor and how they tie into Rogue One.

Given the film’s poster, it’s very easy to think how Rogue One was considered to be Jyn Erso’s (Felicity Jones) story. But upon watching Andor Season 2 in its entirety during Pesach and the back half for a second time after it launched, it’s very much Cassian Andor’s (Diego Luna) story, too. There are line deliveries that play very differently this time. None more heartbreaking than “Rebellions are built on hope,” now that we know that a hotel clerk originally recited the line to Andor during the Ghorman Massacre. Someone had to say it, right?

Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) and Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) were seen discussing the security breaches. The final episodes of Andor gives a new meaning to this conversation. Lonni Jung (Robert Emms) informed Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) about what was really going on with the Empire and Ghorman. It didn’t end well for Luthen but Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau) made sure the information reached the Rebel Alliance on Yavin 4. Of course, someone in the Empire had to take the fall and it would be none other than Imperial Security Bureau Supervisor Dedra Meero (Denise Gough). Otherwise, she’d have been in Rogue One.

Kleya tells Andor and Ruescott Melshi (Duncan Pow) about the information Luthen got from Jung: Jedha, Kyber, Erso. She was reluctant in wanting to leave Coruscant for Yavin but didn’t have much of a choice. Regardless, this got the ball rolling for Gen. Davits Draven (Alistair Petrie) to send Andor to meet with Alliance informant Tivik (Daniel Mays) at the Rings of Kafrene in Rogue One. Andor’s line readings in Rogue One show how he has some familiarity what he’s being told.

The conversation between Jyn and Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) plays somewhat differently, too, after Saw’s previous conversation with Rebel leaders. Anyone watching Star Wars Rebels–especially episodes airing after the release of Rogue One–will know that Saw was searching for a weapon. If anyone had any insight into what was happening, it would be Saw and his partisans. As it is, he’s right in the heart of it on Jedha while the Empire mines the Jedi Temple of its kyber.

Rogue One, out of necessity, had to have legacy characters from Star Wars: A New Hope. Andor, likewise, had to feature many characters from Rogue One as it neared the Battle of Yavin. But because of scheduling conflicts, not everyone is on planet during the climactic discussion as Andor tries reasoning with the Alliance High Command. If there’s one thing that tends to come back to bite them in the tuchas later, it’s the hesitancy to take action. They don’t want to act on Luthen’s information in as much as they don’t want to act on Jyn’s wishes to get the Death Star plans at Scarif.

As for Scarif, how one views the ending has completely changed. Yes, Andor is in a different place now, but he never got to reunite with Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona). Nor did he know that he became–spoiler alert–a father. But we weren’t thinking about any of that when the film was released in 2016.

Andor is one of the best things to come out of the Star Wars universe. Is it the best piece of television storytelling? That’s currently up for debate but it’s up there with the likes of Breaking Bad, Mad Men, etc. There were things that had to happen in Rogue One because of the opening crawl to Star Wars: A New Hope. This necessitated an appearance from Darth Vader. However, Andor didn’t need to depend on the Skywalkers for its narrative.

This is what I wrote when I previously reviewed Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in the lead-up to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker:

Jyn Erso kicks ass in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the stand-alone anthology film that paves the way for the events of Star Wars: A New Hope.

Rogue One is the first Star Wars opening crawl to be given a live-action adaptation. This film did not disappoint at all. Jyn Erso provides the franchise with another strong independent woman. One that young women can look up to as a role model.

The same year that gave us The Jungle Book also managed to bring Peter Cushing back from the dead. Or so to speak. We haven’t seen Grand Moff Tarkin since Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. In this film, he gets more dialogue and action. As such, the visual effects animators have a lot of work. This also speaks to the advancement in technology. Could you have imagined something like this in 1977?!?

However, it’s the cameo at the end of the film that plays the segue into the start of Star Wars: A New Hope. It should not come as a surprise to see Princess Leia Organa on the Tantive IV. Maybe a slight shock but this film does take place immediately before the start of the original trilogy. It makes sense that we get some fan service in terms of what exactly drew Vader to track down the Organa’s ship.  Seeing the Rebel Alliance on Yavin 4 does bring a welcome trip down memory lane with Senators Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) and Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), General Jan Dodonna, and more.

As for some of the new characters, we’re introduced to Admiral Raddus (Stephen Stanton/Paul Kasey). Admiral Raddus is a new Mon Calamari character in the universe.  He’s a Winston Churchill-type figure. The Resistance will ultimately pay tribute to Raddus by naming a ship after him in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

When it comes to the film’s dialogue, there’s a lot of fan service. A conversation takes place between Organa and Mothma discussing how to get in touch with an old Jedi friend on Tatooine. Organa, who will be leaving for his death on Alderaan, says his daughter, Leia, is the one person he would trust with his life. True enough, it’s Leia’s ship that escapes the Rebel command ship with a pair of droids and the Death Star plans on board.

Rogue One changes how we view A New Hope since there is now some new context to scenes and characters in the original trilogy. Look at the beginning of A New Hope when Vader’s ship is chasing the Tantive IV. The ending of this film really puts the opening in quite a different context. We see the terror taking place on the Rebel command ship. The struggle to get the Death Star plans to someone heading to the Tantive IV is real.

The destruction of both Jedha and Scarif at the hands of the Death Star are horrifying. This is the first time we really get a look at what happens on the ground. You don’t get the same feeling while watching Alderaan get destroyed in Star Wars: A New Hope. Even though we barely knew them, one can’t help but mourn Jyn Erso and Captain Cassian Andor when they get wiped out of existence.

The Death Star’s biggest weakness was a flaw in the exhaust port. Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) is not just the father of Jyn Erso, but the scientist who helped design the Death Star. He built this flaw into the design when he was forced back into working for the Empire. Without sending pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) to get a message to Jyn, we would have never known.

If you remember watching A New Hope, there’s an empty seat in the conference room as the Imperials are discussing the stolen Death Star plans and the rebellion. Pablo Hidalgo tweeted a few weeks prior to Rogue One‘s release about the importance of this scene. After watching Rogue One, the scene can be seen in an entirely different light. This empty seat very well could have belonged to Orson Krennic, who died during the Battle of Sarif.

Other moments of fan service include when Jyn and Cassian run into Ponda Baba and Doctor Evazan, previously seen in A New Hope, on Jedha. For Star Wars Rebels fans, the Ghost is featured in the film and Chopper has a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo. “General Syndulla, please report” can be heard over the intercom on Yavin 4.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is very much a war film but tonally fits in with the original trilogy.

DIRECTOR: Gareth Edwards
SCREENWRITERS: Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy
CAST: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, with Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker

Lucasfilm released Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in theaters on December 16, 2016. Grade: 5/5

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