The Walking Dead Star Reveals Big Franchise Mystery Will Be Fully Explained in The Ones Who Live

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is a major event in The Walking Dead Universe – and it goes beyond the obvious central focus of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) finally being reunited. 

The Ones Who Live will be finally bringing viewers into the ranks of the Civic Republic Military (CRM). The police force of the Civic Republic, and the community they are protecting, are some of the most (if not THE most) advanced groups in the post-apocalyptic world, denoted by the iconic mystery helicopters that have appeared in Walking Dead TV shows. 

The CRM also has the most comprehensive knowledge of the world since it fell, and the most complete record of history, as well. That kind of intel no doubt includes answers to some of the biggest questions and or mysteries that Rick Grimes and co. have been hoping and searching for – ever since visiting the CDC in the Season 1 finale of The Walking Dead. 

When ComicBook.com attended the press junket for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, we got to ask actor Craig Tate (who plays CRM Lt. Col. Donald Okafor in the show) about a particular piece of exposition his character gets to share, which will be a big answer to a lingering Walking Dead mystery: The CRM Classification system. 

“Look, a guy like Okafor and a guy like Rick Grimes, you put us in the exact same room – outside of the circumstances we’re faced with – and I think they find a really beautiful commonality outside of their forced circumstances. But if you let them get a beer, well these guys are best friends! They have a lot to connect on, right? But as it stands right now, I think that Okafor does see and feel many similarities in a guy like Rick Grimes, who has suffered immense loss in this world where death in itself is a main character, no longer a supporting character. And it’s one of those things – it’s the orphan syndrome – where a guy like Rick, for example, is afraid – and not even afraid,  but so unwilling to allow himself to feel at home in this place, because essentially… his family’s his home, right?” 

And then, even outside of that, they’re nomads! When or if he does get back to where or who, what, he calls family, their world is characterized by a phase of… [nomadic life],” Tate continued. “So you know, civil authority, structure, all those pre-apocalypse things no longer seem like the ‘normal.’ So he tries to run from that.” 

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premieres February 25th on AMC and AMC+, with new episodes airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.