The Disney+ original series Andor is setting up an exciting mini trilogy for the Star Wars universe focused on the Rebel Alliance. A prequel to 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Andor follows Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor through his formative years in the Rebellion. Initially planned as a five-season endeavor, the show will now instead run for two, 12-episode seasons. The series is meant to be a more intimate look into the Galaxy Far, Far Away, shining the spotlight on some of the universe’s more grounded inhabitants and their efforts to fight back against the Empire.
Prior to its various spinoff films and television series, Star Wars was characterized by its trilogy-based structure, with its main saga being broken down into three trilogies. The structure has been relatively phased out in recent years with the release of offshoot features like Rogue One and Solo and TV projects like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Andor, however, could represent a return of sorts to the franchise’s roots by becoming the final piece in a three-part narrative.
Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy revealed in an interview (via The Playlist) that Season 2 would lead directly into the events of Rogue One, which itself ends at the beginning of A New Hope. As such, when watched in sequential order, the three projects will make up an unofficial, Rebel-focused trilogy chronicling the development of the Rebel Alliance. While Episode IV deals with Jedi and the Force, it is still relatively grounded—at least, in comparison to its increasingly fantastical successors. Part of the film’s grounded nature is owed to its focus on the Rebellion, allowing it to fit thematically with Andor and Rogue One.
What We Know About Andor Season 2
The Star Wars saga is characterized for its secrecy regarding upcoming projects, but Tony Gilroy has been quite forthcoming about what to expect from Andor‘s second season. During Disney+’s panel at the Television Critics Association (via Deadline), the showrunner explained that Season 2 will be split into four, three-episode storylines, effectively functioning as small trilogies. Each trilogy will jump forward one year, compensating for the five-season story the series was initially envisioned as. Season 2 will then end five days before the events of Rogue One and follow Cassian, as Gilroy detailed, “walking across the tarmac to get in the ship to go to the Ring of Kafrene” to meet the informant he killed in the 2016 prequel.
That will tie Andor directly into the events of Rogue One, making the two a seamlessly continuous story. Such continuity is important, given that it has the potential to improve upon two main aspects of the film. Firstly, there is the characterization of Cassian Andor. One of the character’s most interesting aspects in the movie was his gray morality. He was an individual with good intentions who employed reprehensible methods to achieve his goals. His hint at a traumatic past provided some context for his questionable morals, but Andor will expand on that by detailing the events that forged him into the unwavering Rebel fighter he was. Delving into the character in such a way will likely give more impact to his portrayal in Rogue One and, perhaps more importantly, make his death at the end of the film a more meaningful conclusion to his arc.
Secondly, there is the exploration of the grittier, more grounded side of the Star Wars movie and TV universe. While the 2016 film touched on it, it didn’t have the opportunity to fully delve into that facet of the franchise. Andor, on the other hand, will be able to do it given its focus on the evolution of the Rebellion and on the individuals who served as the building blocks for the events of the original trilogy. That focus could, in turn, allow the Rogue One scenes that offered a glimpse into that corner of the galaxy to feel more developed and real. Andor‘s intimate and grounded look at the Galaxy Far, Far Away may not only impact Rogue One, however. It could also greatly expand the franchise’s scope, potentially positioning the show as a standout in the ever-expanding Star Wars tapestry.
