The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live sees Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) going up against the CRM — a group that was teased in The Walking Dead season 1.

The sixth spin-off in AMC’s post-apocalyptic zombie franchise, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live sees Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) going up against the Civic Republic Military (CRM) — the army that protects (and runs) the Pennsylvania-based Civic Republic. Although the group takes center stage in The Ones Who Live, the CRM was actually set up in The Walking Dead season 1. While the group is led by Major General Beale (Terry O’Quinn), the series drops clues that Rick will take over the CRM at some point during the spin-off’s run.

With The Ones Who Live focusing on Rick, the franchise’s long-time protagonist, and Michonne (Danai Gurira), it would only make sense to tie together threads, like the CRM, from the shows’ pasts. The premiere episode of the spin-off chronicles what happened to Andrew Lincoln’s character since he exited The Walking Dead in season 9. Captured by the CRM, Rick is forced to embark on dangerous missions in order to access the supposed utopian community as a full-fledged citizen. Of course, Rick wants no part in the hidden city or the CRM, so he’s continually plotting escape plans.

Okafor’s Story Means The Walking Dead Has Been Setting Up The CRM Since The Beginning

Although Michonne kills The Walking Dead‘s Lieutenant Colonel Okafor

 (Craig Tate) in “Years,” the antagonistic CRM officer still plays a crucial role in The Walking Dead at large. In fact, in The Walking Dead season 2, episode 5, “Chupacabra,” viewers then-unknowingly glimpsed the first signs of Okafor’s handiwork. The opening scene flashback depicts Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), Rick’s ex-wife, and Shane (Jon Bernthal), Rick’s former best friend, escaping to a refugee center. During the chaos of the epidemic’s onset, the couple watch as military helicopters fly over Atlanta and drop napalm on the city.

As a pilot, Okafor napalmed Los Angeles and Atlanta…

A former pilot for the U.S. Air Force, Okafor was married to a Marine named Estelle. Okafor and Estelle were both part of the U.S. military’s Operation Cobalt — a contingency plan the military enacted after losing control of the viral outbreak. As a pilot, Okafor napalmed Los Angeles and Atlanta, while Estelle and her fellow Marines “liquidated” the survivors of the bombings. When they were ordered to bomb Philadelphia, Estelle encouraged Okafor to attack the Marines’ holding area instead. While Estelle and 4,000 Marines were killed, Okafor’s actions gave rise to the Civic Republic of Philadelphia.

The Walking Dead’s CRM Setup Truly Began In Season 1

Although the season 2 flashback plants the seeds for the CRM’s existence pretty early on, The Walking Dead actually teased Okafor’s story in its first season. In The Walking Dead‘s pilot, Rick Grimes catches sight of a helicopter flying overhead. At the time of the chopper’s appearance, the viral outbreak had been unfolding for roughly two months, so it isn’t surprising that a lingering military helicopter was scoping out the situation from above. While the season 1 helicopter isn’t directly linked to the CRM or its aircraft, it was likely flown by Okafor or one of his Air Force comrades.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live contains just 6 episodes.

The Walking Dead’s Long Setup Makes Its CRM Story The Franchise’s Biggest Yet

Since The Walking Dead‘s pilot episode aired in 2010, it could be argued that the franchise planted the seeds for the CRM and Okafor 14 years prior to The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. Of course, the series wasn’t intentionally setting up the CRM over a decade ago, but, in effect, it played out pretty well. For years, viewers wondered if the rogue helicopter was a dropped plot, but Okafor’s backstory and the CRM’s existence provide some answers — even if the franchise connected those dots as a result of its own missteps.

Okafor even seems to be priming Rick to follow in his footsteps…

When Okafor meets Rick, there’s a kind of full-circle element to the whole premise. Lori and Shane saw Okafor’s regrettable actions up close years before; Rick himself may have spotted Okafor piloting a chopper above Atlanta. In The Ones Who Live, Okafor is responsible for the CRM keeping Rick alive despite his many attempted escapes. Okafor even seems to be priming Rick to follow in his footsteps and root out the corruption within the CRM. Although the franchise didn’t necessarily plan its years-long CRM story, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is certainly benefiting from it.

New episodes of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live air on AMC and AMC+ on Sundays through March 31, 2024.