Summary
Last week, duringDisney’sD23fan showcase, Diego Luna took to the stage in Anaheim Ca to give an audeince of thousands ofStar Warsfans an update on the upcoming second season ofAndor. While no official release date has been confirmed, the prequel series, from writer and head showrunnerTony Gilroy, is expected to premiere in early 2025. Season two ofAndorwill be itslast – completing Cassian Andor’s arc from a morally ambiguous, untrustworthy rogue, to a full-fledged rebel leader who will come to sacrifice his life for the good of the galaxy far, far away inRogue One.
Luna’s update confirmed several key pieces of new information for fans ofRogue One: A Star Wars StoryandAndoralike. Andor season two will explain the origins of Cassian’s partnership with fan-favorite, re-programmed Imperial security droid K-2S0 (Alan Tudyk). The new season will also see the return of Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelson), the power-hungry Imperial military director responsible for the construction of theDeath StarinRogue One. Luna also treated the D23 audience to an exclusive behind-the-scenes video on the making of season one, and revealed the first teaser trailer for season two. The trailer includes an unmistakable shot ofEzra Bridger’stower fromStar Wars Rebels,accompanied by a voice-over from Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård), who says, “With Ezra Bridger’s speech, we have the opportunity to bring the rebel troops together.” The final moments of the teaser feature an ominous reveal of none other thanAnakin Skywalkerhimself; Darth Vader.
Disney has confirmed that season two will follow a similar release schedule to Season 1, with 12 episodes released in four installments of three episodes each. But in season 2, each trio of new episodes will encompass one year in Andor’s life. Luna spoke about the structure of the upcoming season at D23 saying, “This second part to our story will follow Cassian over the period of four years as he grows into the rebel hero that we see fulfills his destiny with the ultimate sacrifice in Rogue One… In this season the stakes are greater, the enemies are more organized, and the clock is ticking”.
The Tone ofAndorSeason One
In its first season,Andorestablishes a distinctly mature tone that no other Disney+ Star Wars show has even attempted thus far. The show contains a twisted romance between a pair of deeply unlikable but painfully Imperial officers (Syril and Dedra), morally compromised rebel leaders like Luthen who professes to, “burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see”, an Imperial prison labor camp with electrically charged floors, among other subversive elements that fans have simply never seen in Star Wars before.
Andor still delivers many of the traditional hallmarks thatStar Warsfans have come to expect: a lovable Droid (B2EMO), a scrappy group of rebels aspiring to take down the empire, and even some recognizable faces of beloved supporting characters like Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly). ButAndoris at its heart, a true-blue dramatic spy thriller set in space. Characters inAndor,on both sides of the galactic conflict, operate through means of deception, sabotage, and subterfuge. The Empire mercilessly dominates its subjects not just through military might, but through propaganda and constant psychological warfare. The rebels fight dirty, make immoral decisions, wear disguises, and move cautiously in public spaces where the suspicious eyes and ears of the Empire may be lurking.
In the season one finale “Rix Road”, Cassian witnesses the true power of collective rebellion in action, when Maarva (Genevieve O’Reilly) delivers a rousing, posthumous plea for her people to stand up and fight their oppressors, (via B2EMO’s hologram projection) in the town square. Her moving, electrifying speech inspires the humble people of the outer-rim planet Ferrix, into a full-blown uprising. By the end of the episode, Cassian surrenders himself to Luthen, and delivers the final line of season one, “Kill me. Or take me in.” Forever changed by the season’s events, Cassian is now fully committed to the cause. He will no longer be working alongside the rebels as a means to a financial end. In season two, Cassian Andor will begin his service to the galactic rebellion.
One Way Out For Season 2?
But with all this information now revealed, so many questions still remain for fans: how willAndor season two directly set up the events ofRogue One? Who will survive season two? Outside of characters that appear inRogue One(Cassian, K-2SO etc.) and familiar faces from the original trilogy (Mon Mothma), every other character inAndorcould be dead by the end of the season. Will Cassian finally find his sister Kassa? If the two are reunited, why doesn’t Kassa appear inRogue One? With the return of Krennic, will characters like Galen andJyn Ersoplay a role in season two? Will Andor do what Luthen says is necessary in his epic monologue from episode 10, “One Way Out”, to destroy the malignant force that is the Galactic Empire?
One thing is for certain, Tony Gilroy and company are not returning to finish Cassian’s story so they can sell merchandise for Disney, or to set up any future spin-off shows in the Star Wars universe. Fans ofRogue Onealready know the fate Cassian is inexorably heading towards. So how willAndorseason two continue to make fans of the character invest deeper in a story that they already know the ending to? Of course, only time will tell. But for now it’s safe to say, that after watchingAndorseason two, fans will understand where Cassian Andor came from, how many people he has lost along his journey, and how much he has changed as a man by the time we first see him gun down a rebel informant in the dusty backstreets of Jedha, inRogue One. Season two ofAndorwill complete the portrait of rebel hero Cassian Andor’s journey to self-realization. If the first season is any indication, than the events of coming in season two will give Andor’s ultimate sacrifice inRogue One: A Star Wars Storyeven more dramatic resonance than it already had.
