Andor season 2 episode 1 sees the Empire hitting the ground running with its brutal plans for the galaxy.

As the Star Wars spin-off builds up to the events of 2016movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (the one about the Rebels’ mission to recover the plans to the Death Star), the Empire is making its presence felt. Director Orson Krennic (the man responsible for the completion of the famous moon-sized battle station) has the planet of Ghorman in his sights, and as anyone who’s watched animated series Star Wars Rebels will know, that’s not going to end well for its residents.

Here's everything you need to know about Krennic and the Empire’s latest evil scheme in what’s already confirmed to be Andor’s final season. And if you’re yet to watch the show, check out our 7 reasons why you should watch Andor, even if you don’t like Star Wars.

Spoiler warning: Proceed with caution if you’re yet to watch Andor season 2 episode 1.

Who is Orson Krennic in Andor season 2 episode 1 and where have we seen him before?

Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn first played Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and now joins the Andor season 2 cast to reprise his role as the ruthless Imperial officer.

In Rogue One, Krennic is responsible for overseeing the completion of the Death Star, the vast planet-destroying superweapon that obliterates Princess Leia’s homeworld, Alderaan, in the original Star Wars movie, A New Hope. Unfortunately for him, he’s unable keep the space station’s plans out of Rebel hands in Rogue One – as anyone who’s seen A New Hope knows, they’re the reason Luke Skywalker knows about the exhaust port he uses to blow the Death Star up – and pays the ultimate price for his failure when the Empire opts to destroy its own base on Scarif.

The Andor season 2 story is a prequel, however, set four years prior to the events of Rogue One. In Andor season 2 episode 1 Krennic is at the height of his powers, able to bring the brightest lights of the Imperial military together for a more classified than classifed briefing at the Maltheen Divide. Top of the agenda? The Empire’s plans for a planet named Ghorman.

What do Krennic and the Empire want with Ghorman?

Thanks to the Ghorman spider (technically known as a “ghorlectipods”), the planet has established itself as the galaxy’s premier destination for quality tailoring. High fashion is of little interest to the Empire, however.

Instead, this stylish world is integral to the Emperor’s initiative for energy independence, thanks to its plentiful reserves of a unique form of kalkite – way superior to synthetic alternatives – that can be used to coat reactor lenses.

This is, of course, disastrous news for Ghorman. The extraction process is so invasive that it could ultimately render the planet unstable, but this is a price the Empire considers worth paying for the fulfilment of its totalitarian goals. Silencing all resistance is fundamental to the plan.

By the time Krennic delivers his secret briefing, the so-called Ministry of Enlightenment has already initiated an aggressive propaganda campaign to discredit the Ghorman and diminish sympathy for their cause. It’s no spoiler to say that this isn’t going to end well…

Has Ghorman appeared in the Star Wars universe before?

The planet has not appeared on screen prior to Andor season 2 but it has been mentioned on several occasions – in fact, during a season 1 speech to the Galactic Senate, Mothma makes reference to a fact-finding commission being put together to investigate the Empire’s unlawful blockade of Ghorman.

However, we already know that Ghorman will soon have a rather more pivotal role to play in the mythology of that galaxy far, far away, thanks to an event that’s set to take place around two years on from the story unfolding in Andor season 2 episode 1. In Star Wars Rebels (an animated series that ran from 2014-2018 and is set in the same time period as Andor) Senator Mon Mothma delivers a speech in the Galactic Senate referencing a “massacre” on Ghorman during which Imperial forces have opened fire on peaceful protestors.

This prompts Mothma to speak out against Emperor Palpatine’s regime and turns her into a fugitive. She’ll ultimately go into hiding at the Rebel base on Yavin IV and become one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance. As such, the Ghorman massacre is set to be a major turning point in the season.

New Andor season 2 episodes debut on Disney+ on Wednesdays.