Andor is the recently announced spin-off series to the epic Star Wars prequel, Rogue One, which is returning to theaters in celebration of the new series. Every day brings us closer to its release date, and we’re all finding it hard to wait.
Rogue One is a lot of fans’ favorite Disney-era Star Wars film. It had the appeal of showing us all that had happened in the story of Star Wars right up to the minute that A New Hope began. But Rogue One had a lot of Rebel leaders and other big characters that have their own backstories to explore. And though Rogue One is very much the story of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) was a show-stopping character willing to do anything for the Alliance.
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The first season of Andor will take a look at the early life of Captain Cassian Andor, a Rebel spy and would-be assassin for the Alliance. He is obsessed with ending the Empire to the point where he gave his life for a chance to do so. But what could have made him so zealous? And how did he become ruthless in his devotion to the Rebel cause? Andor will give us his biography, plus let us know how the Rebellion was first incited.
Here’s why you should get hyped, not just for Andor’s backstory but for a few other characters as well.
Andor’s First Season
Disney+
Andor will be released on September 21st with the first three episodes of a 12-episode series. And those 12 episodes are only half of what Disney has planned for the show. This first season of Andor will show us Cassian’s life, telling us the story of how he was first motivated to join the Rebellion. In the trailer, Cassian tells us, “to steal from the Empire, you just walk in like you belong.” And we see a poor boy in a yellow tunic wearing what looks like somewhat improvised shoes. If this is indeed a young Cassian, then it seems he may have spent his early years surviving by stealing from the Empire’s excess. In Rogue One, he says he’s been fighting the Empire since he was six. We can expect Andor to tell a story of true poverty. One that looks almost similar to parts of our world today.
Cassian Andor seems to be a man of many regrets but is filled with a tenacious hope that those regrets might mean something. If these first 12 episodes are to explore his life, then we might not only get a look at his childhood desperation but some of these regrets as well. The show is meant to begin five years before the events of Rogue One, and “those [first 12] episodes will take us one year closer.” So, it’s likely we’ll see the real elements that made the man of Cassian Andor as he grew from thief to revolutionary spy.
That frame of time was given by Tony Gilroy, as quoted by Rotten Tomatoes, who helped write Rogue One and is now going to be the showrunner for Andor. Certainly, it will be a blessing to have someone so intimately involved with the character in charge of making the entire series possible.
Other Things to Get Excited About
Lucasfilm Ltd.
As we can tell from the trailer, Cassian Andor will not be the only subject of the series. Forest Whitaker will return as Saw Gerrera, the violent Rebel fanatic that raised Jyn Erso in Rogue One. We’ve seen the character before in Rebels, but it will be interesting to see him again as a paramilitary leader based out of Jedha.
We’ll also see Stellan Skarsgård (Erik Selvig from the Thor movies), who shows up quite often in Andor’s official trailer and is rumored to be some type of Rebel leader that will inspire Cassian. A character played by Adria Arjona (Good Omens, Morbius) is also set to appear, but her role is still a mystery.
The show will also focus on Mon Mothma, the leader of the Rebel forces that first appeared in Return of the Jedi and who had an executive appearance in Rogue One. It seems she is likely to be developed quite a lot as well, as we see hints of her struggle as a Republic Senator. In these late years of the Galactic Senate, Mon Mothma seems to be walking a thin line between participating in government and building a Rebel Alliance. Her story is certainly going to be an eye-catcher. Genevieve O’Reilly will be reprising her role as a chief speaker among the Alliance.
O’Reilly was initially cast to play a younger Mon Mothma in Revenge of the Sith, but her scene was cut. Despite never being seen, she was cast again 11 years later in Rogue One. And now, her experience with the character seems to be paying off as the role of Mon Mothma grows in the extended canon. It will be exciting to watch her character charm imperial governors while secretly fomenting a rebellion.
