The Disney+ exclusive Star Wars content just keeps chugging away! Having just released its well-received six-part series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Lucasfilm now sets its sights on Andor. The twelve-episode first season will see the return of Cassian Andor, Diego Luna's Rebel Alliance intelligence officer whom audiences first met in 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Cassian notably died at the end of Rogue One when a blast from the Death Star hit the planet Scarif. But Andor, being a prequel to the film, will take viewers back in time to five years prior and tell the story of the title character's spy-thriller adventures leading up to his demise. Plot details are being kept largely under wraps, but a trailer for the series has been released.
The series doesn't premiere until August 31, but a second season is already deep in development. The existence of Season 2 was first revealed by star Stellen Skarsgård earlier this year.
Now, the show's creator has revealed just how Season 2 will be laid out.
Tony Gilroy Explains Andor Season 2
Speaking to Empire, Andor creator Tony Gilroy revealed that Season 2 of the Star Wars series will feature several time jumps, eventually leading viewers closer to the events of Rogue One.
Gilroy explained that Andor is developed in "blocks of three episodes," and Season 2 will see the series "move a year closer [to Rogue One] with each block:"
“The scale of the show is so huge. Directors work in blocks of three episodes, so we did four blocks [in Season 1] of three episodes each. We looked and said, ‘Wow, it’d be really interesting if we come back, and we use each block to represent a year. We’ll move a year closer with each block. From a narrative point of view, it’s really exciting to be able to work on something where you do a Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and then jump a year.”
Additionally, series lead Diego Luna, who plays Cassian Andor, hyped up the show and its structure, noting that it answers the question, "How did we end there [in Rogue One]?:"
“Rogue One is more about an event than the actual journey of [the] characters. It’s quite amazing to start a show where it’s not about where we can end – it’s about, how did we end there?”
Also revealed was this new still from the show, featuring Diego Luna's Andor and Stellan Skarsgård's Luthen:
There's Good Reason To Be Hyped for Andor
Fans have cause to be excited about Andor. Season 1's trailer looked quite unique, and with a twelve-episode run, audiences can settle in for a nice, long-watching experience over several weeks.
Of course, glaringly absent from the first season will be Cassian's sarcastic droid pal, K-2SO. In Rogue One, K-2SO was played by Alan Tudyk, with the actor providing motion capture for the towering robot character whilst also delivering his voice. Tony Gilroy, however, has all but confirmed that Tudyk will eventually join the cast as Andor's droid companion. In canon, it's established that Cassian didn't meet K-2SO until closer to the events of Rogue One, so Lucasfilm has some breathing room when it comes to re-introducing him.
Speaking of the timeframe of the series, it leaves the door open to a multitude of Star Wars characters who were active in that era. Hera Syndulla and the Ghost Crew from Rebels, Cal Kestis, or even Darth Vader himself could all potentially crop up during the show, especially considering the second season will cover multiple years.
Star Wars: Andor will officially premiere on August 31, only on Disney+.
