Andor stood as one of the Star Wars universe’s most critically lauded shows, yet it wasn’t exempt from a common prequel pitfall: forcing in well-known characters to give fans the rush of encountering a familiar face. Yet for every returning character, there were two new ones that were equally captivating.
Now, one of these new characters—who had a minor yet vital part in Andor Season 1—is stepping into a new spotlight, one that might resolve one of the series’ biggest unanswered questions.
Io9 recently unveiled the cover for Rebecca Roanhorse’s Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss, the second book in the Reign of the Empire trilogy following the first installment, The Mask of Fear, which centered on Mon Mothma. The cover includes several familiar figures: Luthen Rael, Mon Mothma, Saw Gerrera, and Bail Organa with his young daughter, Leia. Yet alongside these known characters is a stocky, bearded man. Who is this person? Believe it or not, you’ve encountered him before.
This man is Anto Kreegyr, the Separatist whom the ISB targeted in Season 1 of Andor. Thanks to his inside source, Luthen Rael knew full well Kreegyr was walking into an Imperial trap yet decided not to alert him—the ISB thinks Kreegyr is the “Axis” leader they’re hunting, but the real Axis is Luthen. “If Kreegyr falls, the ISB will feel unbeatable. They’ll think they’re untouchable. We’ll have an open playing field,” he tells Saw in Andor Season 1’s 11th episode.
While watching Luthen send his ally to certain death was crushing, the blow was softened slightly because we never actually saw Kreegyr—he only appeared as a hologram in an ISB briefing. Who was this man? What was his mission? How did his Rebellion approach differ from others? These are all questions this new novel might answer.
His cover appearance isn’t just decorative, either. Anto is specifically named in the book’s plot summary, which is set a year prior to Andor’s events—meaning six years before Rogue One. “Across the galaxy, disparate rebel factions are rendered outcasts, branded criminals, and pitted against each other,” the synopsis reads. “On Ghorman, an idealistic student group seeks to make meaningful change, unaware of the ISB agent who seeks to sabotage them from the inside. Leaders like Saw Gerrera and Anto Kreegyr squabble and bargain to survive one more day against the crush of Imperial might.”
Even though we know how Anto’s story ends tragically, this novel will offer insight into just how valuable he was to the cause. It might make rewatching Andor even more poignant, but every character who died for the Rebellion deserves their story to be told.