‘Star Wars Rebels’ Is Essential Viewing Before ‘Andor’ Returns

The animated series about a small group of rebels is the perfect companion to Tony Gilroy's live-action spy thriller.

One of the pleasures of Tony Gilroy’s “Andor” is how standalone it feels within the “Star Wars” universe. It is a rare prequel that manages to make you afraid for characters you know damn well survive until the end — of the series, anyway — and employs a distinct, sophisticated tone that uncovers wholly new facets of its galaxy far, far away. It is inherently “Star Wars,” but also unlike anything in the franchise.

Except that last part is not entirely true. Because there is another “Star Wars” title that covers much of the same ground in a way that is in constant conversation with “Andor” — a show that gave us our first look at the birth of the Rebel Alliance, that portrayed infighting between nascent rebel cells, the rivalry between Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) and Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), and much more. 

That show is “Star Wars Rebels,” and it is the most essential piece of “Star Wars” media to watch before “Andor” returns with its second season on April 22. 

“Star Wars” animation has grown a lot since its humble beginnings as a short film within the infamous Holiday Special. Though shows like Genndy Tartakovsky’s “Clone Wars” have been decanonized, characters from the 2008 “The Clone Wars” and even “Rebels” have made the jump to live-action, while we had an entire TV show revolving around a character that originated in a cartoon — shoutout to Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein in animation and Rosario Dawson in live action).

“Rebels,” though, has the distinction of feeling like a cornerstone of the entire “Star Wars” saga from “Episode I” to “Episode VI.” It touches upon both the original and prequel trilogy in a way no other title does, and spins an adventure yarn that would be at home in either of them. 

The animated series created by Simon Kinberg, Carrie Beck, and Dave Filoni follows the crew of The Ghost, a ragtag band that includes a hotshot pilot, a noble daughter on the run who might also just be the best shot in the Outer Rim, a funny droid, a hidden Jedi mentor and a young apprentice with a chip on his shoulder.

But the dramatic mission of “Rebels” is the same as Gilroy’s in “Andor” — to show how disparate people create the community, indeed the family, of rebels that will be necessary to topple the Empire’s tyranny. Throughout “Rebels,” we see how the Ghost crew goes from a small insurrection on the planet Lothal to joining increasingly bigger rebel cells that eventually form the Alliance to Restore the Republic. 

Just like the Tony Gilroy series, “Rebels” explores the pitfalls of organizing a rebellion. This struggle is most prominent in Season 4 (which came out after the release of “Rogue One”) where the Ghost crew has to balance the growing, sometimes slow-to-act command structure of the Rebel Alliance with the addictive satisfaction of just going and taking the fight to the Empire the way that Saw Gerrera (who is a big part of the series) does. “Rebels” may not monologue about whether the founder of an insurgent cell like Luthan Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) will ever see final victory, but it does explore different ways of resisting the Empire. 

At the same time, “Rebels” shows the infighting amongst imperial factions, with each admiral and sector overseer only looking out for their best interests, and in the process letting the Rebellion grow undetected. Characters like Tarkin (Stephen Stanton) and Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) show up repeatedly, each vying for their own secret projects to get the attention — and, more importantly, the funding — of the Emperor, with Tarkin in particular lamenting several times that Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn, about to appear in “Andor” Season 2) is eating away at imperial budgets to fund his own useless project (The Death Star).  

The animated show also portrays how flimsy loyalty toward the Empire can be, with the episode “The Honorable Ones” stranding an ISB agent (David Oyelowo) and a rebel (Steve Blum) on a deserted planet, beginning a crisis of conscience that turns into one of the best arcs in the entire show, and a fantastic companion piece to the story of characters like Lonnie in “Andor.”

Clocking in at 75 episodes, “Rebels” has a lot more time to provide context to the fight against the Empire and to tie to the blunders of the Clone Wars. The show makes it clear that the Rebellion is very much a consequence and a follow-up to the war between the Republic and the Separatists, showing how the galaxy is still reeling from that conflict even decades later. In other words, “Rebels” treats the politics and cultures of the “Star Wars” galaxy seriously, and creates a spiralling set of unintended consequences out of both rebel ambition and imperial oppression. 

Season 2 of “Andor” is taking those connections to a new level, with Tony Gilroy promising to depict the Ghorman Massacre in the new season. “Rebels” fans know that this is a pivotal moment in the history of the Rebellion and gets mentioned in the show’s Season 3 episode, “Secret Cargo.”   

We’ve seen plenty of nods, callbacks, references, and cameos in “Star Wars” before, but seeing “Andor” directly tie into “Rebels” feels particularly significant. Gilroy and his team are taking the rich world-building of the animated show and translating that to the language of a live-action spy thriller, telling a story that is in constant conversation with the themes, events, and characters depicted in “Rebels.” 

Those looking for spoilers of what “Andor” will do and where it will end may find some clues in “Rebels,” of course. But the reason to go back to the animated show before Season 2 or while the Disney+ live-action series rolls out is that viewers who have seen “Rebels” will have a fuller appreciation of the story of the Rebellion against the Empire and the people who made it happen.

“Star Wars Rebels” is available to stream on Disney+.