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One of the perks of being in the room when it happens is that, sometimes, we get to see the things we’re looking forward to before anyone else. For example, the Andor panel at Star Wars Celebration Japan included a whole host of cast and crew on stage, discussing what we can expect from the second season — but the real treat was getting to see the first episode of the season before it arrived on Disney+. That’s right; we’ve seen Andor season two already, and we can tell you that fans have plenty to look forward to.

We’re going to be delving into spoilers for Andor season two right now, so if you want to go in fresh, you’ll want to look away now.

Andor season two episode one largely consists of four storylines that take place across the galaxy, one year after the first season’s finale. The first is Cassian Andor’s attempts to steal an experimental Tie Fighter from the Empire. He is aided by a new recruit to the Rebellion and gives a stirring speech about why it is so important that the Empire not win and why the Rebellion needs her, part of which is already in the trailer for the new season.

This thread really is Star Wars at its finest. It is full of action and flash, with big, loud set pieces sprinkled with bits of comedy. Diego Luna feels absolutely at home in the skin of Cassian, who is simply trying to survive in a world where he can’t trust anyone.

We also catch up with Mon Mothma, who is busy planning a wedding and juggling both her Senatorial duties and her desire to aid the Rebellion in secret. She is not as overtly aligned with the Rebels as we see her in Rogue One, but it is clear that she is trying to maintain her public position without abandoning her ideals to bring down the Empire from the inside. There are a lot of clandestine meetings and talking in code here; it is slow but tense and is clearly building to something big, which we loved.

The big reveal of the episode was probably the return of Ben Mendelsohn as Orson Krennic from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. (Not too much of a reveal, in that he's in trailers for the season.) He is hosting a secret meeting of Imperial officers with the sole purpose of trying to extract the material necessary to construct what will become the Death Star’s main weapon from a heavily populated planet, knowing that the locals will likely resist and that the mining operation will likely destroy the planet. It is a very casual discussion of planetary genocide, which is more than a little uncomfortable to watch. Dedra Meero is there, offering her insight into how to justify the use of force to suppress the local population.

Of all the storylines we see in the first episode, the one that probably gets the least attention is Bix, who is hiding on a remote planet following the events of Andor season one. Her appearancein the episode is focused on her trying to fit in with local farmers as she waits for Cassian to meet her. Considering that Adria Arjona hinted during the Andor panel that season two would be more focused on the romance between these two characters, we can’t wait to see them meet up again. As it is, she just doesn't get much to do besides... wait.

There is plenty to love in the opening episode of Andor season two. Action. Hints of comedy. Diego Luna is still perfect as Cassian Andor, trying to make a rebellion happen on the fly. If you enjoyed season one, we don’t think season two of Andor is going to disappoint you judging from the first episode. It puts all the pieces on the table. The fun is going to watching them all come back together.

Andor season 2 begins April 22 on Disney+.

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