Andor season 2 covers a pivotal part of the Star Wars timeline, but when exactly is the show set, and what does BBY mean? The Star Wars timeline is vast, though canon material covers a relatively small portion. Star Wars’ most important narrative arc is the Skywalker saga, and Andor operates within its framework. Though Andor (rightfully) doesn’t feature any of that all-important family, the show’s Rebellion story does have a major impact on Luke Skywalker’s, Leia Organa’s, and even Darth Vader’s lives.

Each era of the Star Wars timeline highlights important events related to the history of the Jedi, the legacy of the Sith, and the galaxy’s politics. There are nine official eras: Dawn of the Jedi, the Old Republic, the High Republic, Fall of the Jedi, Reign of the Empire, Age of Rebellion, the New Republic, Rise of the First Order, and New Jedi Order. Though the first three eras cover thousands of years, the next six are more closely intertwined. Andor is set during the Reign of the Empire, but we can get even more specific than that.

All Star Wars Shows & Movies Are Tied To The Battle Of Yavin

The events, movies, and shows that define each Star Wars era are all tied to a pivotal battle known as the Battle of Yavin. In the original 1977 Star Wars movie, later retitled A New Hope, the Rebel Alliance, with a little help from an up-and-coming Jedi named Luke Skywalker, destroyed an Imperial superweapon known as the Death Star in the Yavin system. The Rebellion had hidden their main operative base on the jungle moon Yavin 4, and the Empire pursued them there.

The destruction of the Death Star was a turning point in the Galactic Civil War and the Age of Rebellion. As the Battle of Yavin is the climactic event of the first-ever Star Wars story, it has since become the focal point of the Star Wars timeline. Everything that happens before it is classified as Before the Battle of Yavin (BBY), and everything that occurs afterward is known as After the Battle of Yavin (ABY). The system is reminiscent of the BC (Before Christ) and AD ("Anno Domini") abbreviations often used to denote historical periods.

As the Battle of Yavin is the climactic event of the first-ever Star Wars story, it has since become the focal point of the Star Wars timeline.

For instance, Luke and Leia were officially born in 19BBY, making them 19 years old during A New Hope. The Mandalorian’s Din Djarin and Grogu meet for the first time in approximately 9ABY. The High Republic era is set roughly 350–100 years BBY. Most major Star Wars events are tied to a specific BBY or ABY year, though the timing of some events is more ambiguous than others.

There Is No 0BBY

To accurately calculate when a certain Star Wars event occurs, it’s important to that 0BBY does not exist. The Battle of Yavin is the zero point. Events that affect the Star Wars timeline immediately before, such as the Death Star plans being stolen in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, are set in 1BBY. The same rules apply to events directly after the Battle of Yavin, such as the Rebels leaving Yavin 4 and Luke Skywalker’s and Han Solo’s medal ceremony. Those events occur in 1ABY, the first “calendar year,” as it were, after the Empire’s defeat in the Yavin system.

How Does Andor Season 2 Fit Into The Star Wars Timeline?

Understanding Star Wars’ BBY/ABY dating system makes it much easier to understand Andor’s timeline. Andor is the story of Cassian Andor’s induction into the Rebellion’s efforts, but it’s also the story of how the Rebel Alliance became what we see in A New Hope. A Rebellion doesn’t just form out of nothing – as Andor proves, it takes years of spy operations, scrambling to secure funds, deals made in the shadows, and well-meaning but naïve volunteers to create a force secure enough to take on the Empire.

The five years leading up to the Battle of Yavin were the most important in creating the foundations of the Rebel Alliance. Andor season 1 is set in 5BBY, with each three-episode narrative arc chronicling the events of Cassian Andor’s life within that year. Andor season 2, however, approaches its storytelling differently. Though Andor season 2, like season 1, consists of 12 episodes, each three-episode block is set during a different year, leading straight into the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which originally introduced viewers to Cassian’s character.

Andor season 2’s first three episodes are set in 4BBY, a year after the ending of Andor season 1, when Cassian’s friends and family were forced to flee his adopted homeworld of Ferrix. Andor season 2 episodes 4-6 are set in 3BBY, the next block will take place in 2BBY, and the final block will be set in the same year as Rogue One, 1BBY. 2BBY will be a particularly important year for the Rebellion, as the Empire’s growing, despicable violence will force Mon Mothma to abandon the Imperial Senate and lead the Rebel Alliance publicly.

Andor isn’t the only Star Wars show to cover this fundamental time in the Rebel Alliance’s history. The animated series Star Wars Rebels is set concurrently with Andor, between 5BBY and 1BBY, though it depicts the formation of the Rebel Alliance from the point of view of a largely independent Rebel cell. Andor may be set in a thoroughly explored era of the Star Wars timeline, but it provides a vital new perspective on the Rebel Alliance and the sacrifices needed to defeat the Empire.

New episodes of Andor premiere Tuesdays exclusively on Disney+.