The director of the recent Star Wars series, Andor, on Disney+ spoke about why he chose to avoid talking about Jedi or lightsabers in the show's first season.
One of the more unique aspects of Lucasfilm's recent project is who and what the story focuses on. There's the average citizen, such as Cassian Andor, Mon Mothma, the senator, an unethical work camp for prisoners, and more—the point being, this isn't the average Star Wars tale.
Despite the presence of Empire occupation, there has not been a single Jedi or Sith. For once, this isn't about either of them. The force itself might as well be an urban legend to most involved in this story.
But why did the creatives choose this direction?
Avoiding the Jedi & Lightsabers in Disney+'s Andor
In an interview with Collider, director and producer Tony Gilroy talked about avoiding the Jedi and their lightsabers while crafting the story of Andor Season 1.
When asked if the people on Ferrix (the second home planet that Cassian was forced to flee from) know anything of lightsabers, Gilroy noted that "most people don't know" and that it was "one of the first things I asked:"
“That’s one of the first things I asked. And you know what? Most people don’t know. I don’t think anybody on Ferrix knows anything about it. I don’t think so.”
He went on to say that he "think[s] knowledge of the Jedi and the lightsaber is a pretty small number:"
“I don’t think they know about the royal family. I don’t think they pay much mind to that. I mean, how many beings are in that gigantic galaxy? I think the vast majority of all of the creatures and beings and sentient things that are in the galaxy, I think the knowledge of the Jedi and the lightsaber is a pretty small number.”
As for when the show might air Season 2, with production starting up this week and filming concluding in August 2023, it is unlikely to release next year. Instead, 2024 is a better assumption.
But might it arrive sooner than expected? Gilroy doesn't think so, noting that "the only place you can accelerate the processes is in post," which the filmmaker says is "very, very, very expensive:"
“The only place you can accelerate the processes is in post, and the only way you can accelerate in post is with money, and money is tight. So, I don’t really know, there would have to be some serious motivation next May or June or something. Someone would have to say, 'Wow, we really need this, and we’re willing to pay X.' Rogue One proved, if you throw money at it, you can do post really, really fast. It’s just very, very, very expensive.”
Will There Be Lightsabers in Andor Season 2?
It's not a completely new notion to avoid touching upon the Jedi. The Mandalorian's first season managed to steer clear of them almost entirely, while The Book of Boba Fett was nearly void of them as well, depending on how much one categorizes the Dark Saber. Rogue One, the movie that Andor was spun out of, basically does, too.
But due to how prevalent they always are in most Star Wars stories, it always tends to feel fresh when a story comes along and doesn't focus on the Jedi or their ways.
But could Season 2 of Andor switch things up and involve a lightsaber-wielding force user? It's certainly possible—after all, Ahsoka Tano is currently active as the Rebel contact Fulcrum, as seen in Star Wars: Rebels. There aren't many other options, but if Tony Gilroy and company wanted to, they could easily find someone that suited their needs.
No matter what ends up happening, it seems clear that the creatives behind the scenes know what they are doing. So whatever it is they choose to do with the story going forward, audiences might be wise to trust their choices.
Andor's first season is streaming now on Disney+.
