In Andor season 2 episode 5, we really get to see what makes the most rebellious of Rebels, Saw Gerrera, tick. Played by Forest Whitaker (the one-and-only Oscar winner in the Andor season 2 cast) the character originated in animated series The Clone Wars, during which he tried to protect his planet, Onderon, from Separatist forces.

Now fighting against the Empire, he’s a thorn in the sides of both Imperial forces and the nascent Rebel Alliance, thanks to his uncompromising approach and insistence on doing things his own way. Here we explain who Saw Gerrera is and what he’s up to in Andor season 2 episodes 4 and 5.

Spoiler alert! Proceed with caution if you’re yet to watch Andor season 2 episodes 4, 5 and 6

Where have we seen Saw Gerrera before he turns up in Andor season 2?

Saw Gerrera first appeared as a young man in animated Star Wars show The Clone Wars. Set during the era of the prequel movies, the seven seasons depicted the conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems (Separatists), all orchestrated by future Emperor Palpatine as an excuse to create the Empire.

Gerrera was part of the army fighting to liberate his home planet, Onderon, from Separatist droid invaders when Jedi representatives Anakin Skywalker (latterly Darth Vader), Obi-Wan Kenobi (latterly the star of his own TV show) and Ahsoka Tano (also latterly the star of her own TV show) travelled to the planet as advisors.

Their efforts to free Onderon were briefly successful but that joy proved short-lived when the Republic became the Empire. Gerrera continued to take the fight to the galaxy’s new oppressors, quickly finding his way onto the Empire’s most wanted lists. He also helped Galen Erso (the scientist who’d subsequently create the exhaust port defect that allowed for the Death Star’s destruction, played by Mads Mikkelsen) and his family to escape from Imperial capital Coruscant. Gerrera later adopted Erso’s daughter Jyn (the lead character in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, played by Felicity Jones) after Director Orson Krennic tracked the family down on Lah’mu.

Does that mean Saw Gerrera is a hero of the early Rebel Alliance?

Far from it. Gerrera’s extreme, whatever it takes methods mean he’s regarded as something of a loose cannon by other Rebels who see his guerilla tactics as doing more harm than good. That said, spymaster Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) realises that Saw can be useful to the cause, and dispatches mechanic Wilmon Paak (Muhannad Bhaier), a friend of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna)'s from Ferrix, to help him handle some dangerous rhydonium.

What is rhydonium?

It’s a starship fuel whose volatility and explosiveness makes it extremely difficult to transport safely. Its fumes can be extremely bad for your health, and in extreme cases render anyone who breathes in too much mute. Even so, Saw has a bizarre fascination with this lethal cocktail.

Why has Wilmon been assigned to work with Saw Gerrera in Andor season 2 episode 4?

Because Saw needs someone to train his team of rogue Rebels to use a complex device used to process and transport rhydonium – useful as both a fuel and a weapon. In fact, this is so important to Saw that he’s reluctant to let Wilmon return home – understandable in hindsight, perhaps, seeing as the man Wilmon’s been instructing, Pluti (Marc Rissmann), has been identified as an Imperial spy and is subsequently executed.

Where is Saw Gerrera’s base in Andor season 2 episodes 4 and 5?

Saw and his followers are hiding on D’Qar, a world in the Ileenium system that will be familiar to anyone who’s seen the Star Wars sequel movies. This is the site of the Resistance base which narrowly avoids destruction from Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens, and is hastily evacuated at the start of follow-up The Last Jedi.

The retired RAF base at Greenham Common in Berkshire provided the real-life location.

What will happen to Saw Gerrera after the events of Andor season 2 episode 5?

As with so many of the characters in Andor, Saw Gerrera’s life expectancy is a little on the short side. At some point between this episode and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (set around three years later – we already know there won’t be an Andor season 3), Gerrera will lose a leg and develop breathing difficulties (maybe related to his rhydonium habit) that require him to make regular use of a ventilator built into his suit. He will ultimately lose his life when the Empire tests out its brand-new Death Star on Jedha, a world being mined for the kyber crystals that power its superlaser.

In the Star Wars timeline‘s interim – here’s how the Andor season 2 story fits into the wider Star Wars chronology – he also joins forces with Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren (principal characters in animated show Star Wars Rebels) on a mission to intercept kyber crystals bound for – not that they know it at the time – the Death Star. From this moment on Saw becomes obsessed with learning more about the Emperor’s weapon of mass destruction, but – proving once again why he’s not trusted by the Rebellion’s top brass – abandons Bridger and Wren to fight for themselves.

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