Nobody was more surprised than Star Wars fans when Tony Gilroy’s gritty sci-fi drama about Cassian Andor’s early years became one of the best things Lucasfilm has ever released. After years of mediocrity, 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. Thankfully, Star Wars is a franchise with heaps of supplementary material that often fills in the blanks — something the latest entry in the Reign of the Empire trilogy has done perfectly with 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 carefully lays the groundwork that leads readers to uncover answers to questions raised in Andor’s first and second seasons.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: Edge of the Abyss.
1
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’s oppression. Kreegyr ultimately died off-screen after Luthen Rael and Saw Gerrera failed to warn his group of an impending Imperial attack, showing how ruthless even Rebel cells could be with one another.
In Edge of the Abyss, readers learn more about what drove Kreegyr to become a Rebel spy: the Empire’s occupation and the deterioration of his home planet, Bizen. What initially brought plenty of jobs 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 didn’t take him seriously. It was only after he saw Saw Gerrera’s attack on Inusagi — which both terrified and inspired people across the galaxy — that Kreegyr concluded extreme violence was the only way to achieve results
Kreegyr was further pushed toward violence by Luthen’s encouragement, who took advantage of his drunken state and manipulated Kreegyr into seizing control of the student movement in Ghorman. These students, led by Deata Dau, were itching for new ways to take the fight to the Empire, even if it meant following someone as inexperienced as Kreegyr. While we won’t spoil how the story ends in Edge of the Abyss, Kreegyr (and his group) ultimately perish by Andor’s first season.
2
Do Leia Organa and Leida Mothma get along?
When Edge of the Abyss was first confirmed to include a teenage Leia Organa, one question ran through every Andor fan’s mind: do Princess Leia and Mon Mothma’s daughter, Leida, run in the same circles? Are they friends? It wouldn’t be far-fetched. Both Leia and Leida are the same age, and their parents (except Leida’s father, Perrin) hold government roles.
However, Edge of the Abyss shows that although Leia and Leida are the same age, they don’t move in the same circles, nor do they get along. During a gathering where Leia, Leida, and Leida’s friends prepare to meet Imperial pop star Quannaliko, the girls briefly interact. While Leida and her friends are excited to meet a celebrity, Leia finds their desire for marriage and romance naive amid great upheaval and oppression.
The two girls’ differences aren’t all that surprising. Star Wars: Kenobi and Star Wars: Rebels both established that Leia always took her role as a political figure seriously, making her the pride and joy of both her mother, Queen Breha of Alderaan, and her senator father, Bail Organa. Leida, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about the galaxy’s strife and its inhabitants, to the chagrin of her mother, Mon Mothma. Fans who hoped for a friendship between Leia and Leida will be disappointed by Roanhorse’s sequel.
3
Kleya’s hands are just as bloody as Luthen’s
Andor first introduced Kleya Marki as Luthen’s quiet but determined assistant at his antiquities shop. In season 2, we learned that Kleya was just as formidable and ruthless as her boss.
Edge of the Abyss further hammers this home by showing that Kleya was very much a part of Luthen’s militant plans to sacrifice others — whether by taking on a student persona on Ghorman to encourage others to participate in a heist against the Empire’s favorite pop star Quannaliko, or by poisoning a captured Partisan to protect the Axis Network and Saw Gerrera.
4
Mon Mothma’s money problems, explained
Mon Mothma’s main issue in Andor season 1 was supplying Luthen and the rest of the Axis Network with money to fund their rebellion. However, as the Empire tightened its grip on government officials, so did the fear that the Imperials would discover a hefty amount of credits missing from Mothma’s accounts. But where did Mothma get this money in the first place?
Although Mon’s money could be attributed to her status as a wealthy Chandrilan woman and her role as a senator, Edge of the Abyss reveals that she also acquired a substantial amount from Quannaliko’s charity concert. Initially, the funds were to be confiscated by COMPNOR, an Imperial propaganda sector, but Mon instead blackmails COMPNOR officer Nisus Osar into delivering the money to her. She then donates part of the credits to schools, but as a conversation with Luthen implies, she also uses some to help fund his Axis Network operation.
5
How long did Luthen and Kleya plan the Aldhani heist?
While Edge of the Abyss gives Luthen and Kleya only minor roles, Roanhorse shows them as very active in the fight against the Empire. One of the biggest blows to their Axis Network came when Vel Sartha led Cinta Kaz, Karis Nemik, Arvel Seen, Taramyn Barcona, and Gorn in a heist to steal credits from the Empire on Aldhani.
As it turns out, Luthen and Kleya planned to steal those credits a full year in advance. Readers learn this when Kleya contacts Saw to ask for his help robbing an Imperial garrison. However, Saw shows no interest in contributing and immediately cuts Kleya off. Andor fans know the heist ultimately succeeds, but at a high cost.