The first three episodes of Andor arrived on Disney+ today, introducing a Cassian Andor who is vastly different to the one we met in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (the events of which take place 5 years after this series).
We quickly learn that he's searching for his sister, a mission that appears to have dominated his life. In a series of flashbacks, it's revealed that "Kassa" grew up as part of a tribe of children on a planet called Kenari. That was ravaged by the Empire and abandoned after a mining disaster, and over the course of these opening chapters, we see them go to investigate a downed ship.
While the other kids flee following an altercation, Kassa remains and is ultimately saved by some scavengers. One of them is a younger Maarva, the elderly woman who Cassian lives with in the present day. Despite not understanding the scared and confused little boy she finds aboard that ship, she takes Kassa from his home before the rest of that ship's crew arrives on the planet.
More flashbacks are presumably on the way in the weeks to come, but we're guessing that the rest of those kids were taken from Kenari, albeit by those less kind than the woman who rescued the child who would one day come to be known as Cassian Andor.
What became of Cassian's sister is a mystery that's likely to be revealed down the line, though we do wonder what sort of impact finding her will have on the future Rebel hero. Is it possible, for example, that she ended up being taken by Imperials and indoctrinated into the Empire that Cassian so clearly hates?
We'll see, but in the present day, it appears Cassian has no other choice than to join the fight against them, setting the stage for him to become a member of the Rebellion. He clearly still has a lot to learn and go through before then, but these opening chapters have us intrigued to see where the story is heading next.
What did you think about the first three episodes of Andor?