The first episode of Andor introduces viewers to Star War’s Corporate Zone. The place is a sector none of the films and series have properly explored yet.
We all know how Lucasfilm transformed Star Wars into a transmedia franchise by focusing on successful Disney+ TV shows. One of those shows that premiered recently is Andor. Andor is a prequel to Rogue One, and the series’ events are set in the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign.
Andor is different from anything we have seen in the Star Wars franchise. The series shows the events of 5 years before the timeline of the first Star Wars film. Only a few precious Jedi are shown active in the series. The Force is not even once mentioned in Andor, most probably because the Empire has gone to lengths to erase all memory and knowledge of Jedis’ existence. Moreover, surprisingly, we will not even have a single glimpse of a stormtrooper in the initial episodes of the series. The Empire’s shadow looms large in Andor’s first episode, but the threat doesn’t feel direct.
The threat’s nebulous nature is because Andor’s events set in a part of the Star Wars galaxy that the franchise has only explored once before on-screen. It’s in the Corporate Zone (sometimes called the Corporate Sector or “CorpSec”), a space sector governed by the independent Corporate Sector Authority. Established during the dying days of the Republic, the Corporate Zone became a place where galactic companies could dictate the laws more effectively than they could in the Senate.
The threat feels nebulous mainly because Andor is set in a particular region of the Star Wars galaxy that we have only seen once on the screens. It’s located in The Corporate Zone (sometimes called “CorpSec” or the Corporate Sector). The Corporate Zone is a space sector controlled by an independent Corporate Sector Authority. It was established in the final days of the Republic. It became a place where galactic corporations could control the law better than within the Senate.
The Corporate Zone government affiliated with the Separatists during the Clone Wars and remained independent even after the Empire’s fall. However, the Empire frequently conducted missions to inform the Corporate Zone its independence was at the Empire’s discretion and could be annulled at any point.
The Significance of Corporate Zone in Star Wars
The Corporate Zone will surpass the Empire’s lifespan. In fact, a prominent world, Cantonica, of this sector appears in The Last Jedi. Cantonica is the planet where Canto Bight is situated. Rose and Finn traveled to Canto Bight, discovering it as a haven for war profiteers who supported both the Resistance and the First Order. George Lucas himself tried to introduce war themes of profiteering in The Clone Wars. He revealed the shadowy cabals who took advantage of the conflict. However, viewers couldn’t always pick up on these themes. The Last Jedi put forward these notions, telling that the war profiteers thrived in the Corporate Zone.
Yet, the first to third episodes of Andor clarify that the Corporate Zone’s existence was not guaranteed. There is a strong suggestion that any crimes could be used to justify the Empire’s seeking control over The Corporate Zone. The Empire wanted to rule the entire galaxy. At the very least, it was a sovereign entity, and this is likely to be seen as being merely temporary. It will be amazing to see what happens in Andor episodes 1 to 3, resulting in the Empire pushing for an active presence within the Corporate Zone – and, in the event that it does, what the consequences could be for galactic political issues.
