What does BBY mean in Andor? Explained

The Andor series sits in the larger Star Wars timeline as a prequel to the events shown in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).

The first season, released in September 2022, took the viewers through Cassian's introduction to the Rebel cause, happening in the course of one year. Andor season 2 takes a different format, making a one-year jump every three episodes.

However, to clearly understand the timeline and the chronology of events leading to the first Star Wars film, the concept of BBY was introduced in the franchise.

BBY stands for 'Before the Battle of Yavin'. It is a time measurement term that labels each year a number in comparison to how many years before the Battle of Yavin it stands in time. For example, 4BBY is four years 'Before the Battle of Yavin'.

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Understanding the concept of BBY in Andor

Poster of Andor season 2 (Image via starwars.com)

The Star Wars franchise includes multiple films and series that narrate tales from different periods. However, a pivotal historic event in the entire franchise is the Battle of Yavin, which leads to the destruction of the Death Star. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope covers this battle specifically in detail.

Owing to its centrality in the entire timeline of the franchise, the creators chose Battle of Yavin as the base year to demarcate the years shown in other works. Before the Battle of Yavin, or BBY, indicates all the years before the iconic battle.

After the Battle of Yavin, or ABY, indicated the years after the battle. There is no 0BBY. It is because the zero point is the actual year of the Battle of Yavin.

5BBY in the Star Wars franchise would mean five years before the Battle of Yavin, and 5ABY would denote five years after the battle. This system is similar to the concept of 'Before Christ' (BC) and 'Anno Domini' (AD) dating systems used in historical studies.

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What BBY are Andor seasons 1 and 2 happening in?

Diego Luna as Cassian Andor (Image via starwars.com)

In Andor, both seasons cover the crucial five years before the Battle of Yavin, which led to the formation of the Rebellion and brings context to the prior events and characters shown in the first movie, such as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

The first season covers Cassian's journey in 5BBY, i.e., five years before the Battle of Yavin. Taking a different format, season 2 included major time jumps in the plot over the 12 episodes.

Each set of three episodes in the second season of Andor covered the events of one year, with the next set moving to the next year.

An episode and year breakdown of the timeline from the latest series to Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is given below:

Content	Year
Andor season 1	5BBY
Andor season 2 episodes 1-3	4BBY
Andor season 2 episodes 4-6	3BBY
Andor season 2 episodes 7-9	2BBY
Andor season 2 episodes 10-12	1BBY
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	Same year as the Battle of Yavin
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope	Battle of Yavin

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Star Wars content that happens in ABY

Daisy Ridley as Rey and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker (Image via starwars.com)

There are also several pieces of content in the Star Wars franchise that trace the course of events that happen after the prominent Yavin battle.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) covers the immediate consequences in the year 3ABY (After the Battle of Yavin). Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) covers the fight between the Rebels and the Empire set in 4ABY.

Other prominent works that cover the stories in the later years after the Yavin battle include Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

The BBY-ABY year system helps locate each work from the Star Wars franchise systematically, bringing a better understanding of the intergalactic saga.

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Watch all seasons of Andor on Disney+.