New Star Wars Book Reveals Key Andor Backstory Details

Nobody was more surprised than Star Wars fans when Tony Gilroy’s gritty sci-fi drama about Cassian Andor became one of the best things Lucasfilm has ever released. Andor felt like a series that wanted its audience to take the fight against the tyrannical Empire seriously.

Yet even Andor has flaws, including several unanswered questions. Supplementary material often fills in these blanks. The latest entry in the Reign of the Empire trilogy accomplishes this for Andor.

Star Wars: Edge of the Abyss by Rebecca Roanhorse is the second entry in the Reign of the Empire novel trilogy and a sequel to Alexander Freed’s The Mask of Fear. Set a year before Andor season 1, Edge of the Abyss lays the groundwork for answers to questions raised in the first two seasons of Andor.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: Edge of the Abyss.

Who is Anto Kreegyr?

Anto Kreegyr was first introduced as a leading member of a Rebel cell who sacrificed everything to fight the Galactic Empire. Kreegyr ultimately died off-screen after Luthen Rael and Saw Gerrera failed to warn his group of an impending Imperial attack. This event demonstrated the ruthlessness that Rebel cells occasionally directed at one another.

In Edge of the Abyss, readers learn about the forces that drove Kreegyr to become a Rebel spy. These included the Imperial occupation and the deterioration of his home planet, Bizen. What initially brought employment across various industries eventually led to overwork and ruin, causing people, including Kreegyr’s mother, to die from mining fumes.

When Kreegyr tried to protest peacefully, people laughed at him and dismissed him. Only after he witnessed Saw Gerrera’s attack on Inusagi did Kreegyr conclude that extreme violence was the only path to results.

Luthen encouraged this shift toward violence. Luthen took advantage of Kreegyr’s drunken state and manipulated him into seizing control of the student movement on Ghorman. These students, led by Deata Dau, sought new ways to fight the Empire, even if it meant following someone as inexperienced as Kreegyr. Kreegyr and his group ultimately perish by the first season of Andor.

Do Leia Organa and Leida Mothma get along?

When Edge of the Abyss was confirmed to feature a teenage Leia Organa, fans wondered whether Princess Leia and Mon Mothma’s daughter, Leida, moved in the same circles. Leia and Leida are the same age, and their parents hold prominent government roles, excluding Leida’s father, Perrin.

However, Edge of the Abyss shows that Leia and Leida do not get along. During a gathering where Leia, Leida, and Leida’s friends prepare to meet Imperial pop star Quannaliko, the girls interact briefly. While Leida and her friends are excited to meet a celebrity, Leia finds their desire for marriage and romance naive amid widespread oppression.

This dynamic aligns with prior established continuity. Star Wars: Kenobi and Star Wars: Rebels established that Leia took her political role seriously, making her the pride of Queen Breha of Alderaan and Senator Bail Organa. Leida cares little about the galaxy’s strife, to the dismay of Mon Mothma.

Kleya’s hands are just as bloody as Luthen’s

Andor first introduced Kleya Marki as Luthen’s quiet assistant at his antiquities shop. Season 2 revealed that Kleya was as formidable and ruthless as her employer.

Edge of the Abyss reinforces this by showing Kleya’s involvement in Luthen’s militant plans. She adopts a student persona on Ghorman to encourage others to participate in a heist against Quannaliko and poisons a captured Partisan to protect the Axis Network and Saw Gerrera.

Mon Mothma’s money problems, explained

Mon Mothma’s primary challenge in Andor season 1 was supplying Luthen and the Axis Network with funds for the rebellion. As the Empire increased its scrutiny of government officials, the risk grew that Imperials would discover missing credits from Mothma’s accounts.

Although Mon’s wealth stems from her status as a Chandrilan woman and senator, Edge of the Abyss reveals that she acquired a substantial amount of funds from Quannaliko’s charity concert. COMPNOR, an Imperial propaganda sector, initially intended to confiscate the funds. Mon instead blackmailed COMPNOR officer Nisus Osar into delivering the money to her. She donated part of the credits to schools and used the rest to fund Luthen’s Axis Network.

How long did Luthen and Kleya plan the Aldhani heist?

Edge of the Abyss depicts Luthen and Kleya as active participants in the fight against the Empire. One major operation for their Axis Network involved Vel Sartha leading Cinta Kaz, Karis Nemik, Arvel Seen, Taramyn Barcona, and Gorn in a heist to steal credits from the Empire on Aldhani.

Luthen and Kleya planned to steal those credits a full year in advance. Readers learn this when Kleya contacts Saw to ask for assistance in robbing an Imperial garrison. Saw declines and cuts Kleya off. The heist ultimately succeeds, though at a heavy cost.

Source: Polygon