The Star Wars universe is infamous for its confusing timeline and being almost inaccessible to folks who may be Star Wars-curious but not necessarily Star Wars-literate. This barrier-to-entry problem is hardly unique to Lucasfilm productions, either. TV series like Game of Thrones or animes like Naruto are similarly daunting due to the sheer number of episodes and complexity of their world-building. So, where does that leave aspiring Star Wars fans? Which TV show or movie is the best entry point?

Most would assume starting with A New Hope would be a good idea, given that it was the first ever to be released. Or maybe they've read the recent discourse defending the previously maligned Star Wars prequel trilogy and want to give that a go. But if you're a viewer looking to get truly hooked and want to see some of the strongest storytelling this canon has to offer and get a lay of the land, look no further than Andor. You don't even need to have watched a single Star Wars movie before. Showrunner and producer Tony Gilroy confirmed:

"...There are a lot people that are Star Wars-adjacent or Star Wars-averse. And you should be able to watch our show… This could be your entry point to Star Wars. You could watch our 24 episodes, that could be your way in. We’re doing a show that does not require any prior knowledge whatsoever to get involved..."

Andor Is a Prequel of a Prequel

Andor is a Disney+ series starring Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, the Rebel spy first introduced in 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It tracks his journey in the lead-up to Rogue One, from his childhood on the lush jungle planet of Kenar to his pilfering days on Ferri to, eventually, his time as a wanted fugitive. This period is when the series primarily takes place, as the events that occur then prove to be the turning point in his radicalization against the oppressive Empire regime.

The series has been lauded by fans and even some of the actors as the most 'grown-up' chapter in the Star Wars franchise. It deals with topics such as unethical mining practices (a mining disaster drove Cassian away from Kenari in the first place), fascism, and prison labor. It sets up who the Rebellion is and what they're fighting for, something that Rogue One and A New Hope don't have time to depict thoroughly. It does all this without black-and-white morality, with nuance and attention to each character's background and motivations.

Rebel leader Luthen Rael is questioned at one point, for example, about what he has sacrificed for the cause — particularly in comparison to an undercover operative who has had to live apart from his child. Luthen responds with a monologue so beautifully crafted that it deserves its props just as a standalone piece of media.

Another highlight would be the twisted power couple (a label only partially used in jest), Dedra and Syril. In their Venn diagram of character traits, in the middle is a shared intensity and utter lack of work-life balance. Actors Denise Gough and Kyle Soller do a standout job portraying order-obsessed Imperial officers who keep bumping up against bureaucratic barriers. Their ruthlessness knows no bounds, but they also end up on the receiving end of it often enough that you root for their redemption — or at least for them to take some vacation days.

Andor Is Directly Connected to Rogue One

Apart from showing Cassian's motivations to join the Rebellion, Andor also makes another crucial link to Rogue One and the OG trilogy. During the series, Cassian gets captured and sentenced for a crime he didn't commit. He ends up in a large prison labor camp where his job is to assemble parts for some unknown Imperial weapon or device. Because they compartmentalize teams in the facility, they're all in the dark about what they're building. Most fans have pretty unanimously guessed what that weapon is, though, given the timeline: the Death Star. For now, it's just a theory, but Diego Luna has already teased even more Rogue One cameos and connections coming up in Andor Season 2.

Finally, there's something of an artistic payoff to watching Star Wars in this order, as one fan pointed out:

If all else fails, Disney+ has a category called "Star Wars in Timeline Order," starting with the newest Disney x Lucasfilm series, The Acolyte. You can Stream Star Wars on Disney+.