Star Wars: Cassian Andor Disney+ Show Rumored to Feature Original Trilogy's Imperial Officer

With the next wave of Star Wars films currently at a standstill due to numerous delays, it's clear that the future of the franchise lies on the upcoming slate of series that will be featured on Disney+. The hit streaming platform will look to provide quality content centered on the galaxy far, far away, and one of the shows that will debut is a series centered on Rogue One's Cassian Andor. 

Cassian Andor will follow the story of the titular character prior to the events of Rogue One, with the Rebel spy taking on "daring missions to restore hope to the galaxy." Diego Luna will reprise his role as Cassian, and he will also be joined by other generational Star Wars characters from the films.

Plenty remains unknown about the series, but it has been teased that it will have a similar vibe to that of The Empire Strikes Back. That said, it seems that another legendary character from the original trilogy of the Skywalker saga will reportedly make an appearance in the series. 

RUMOR

During an episode of Kessel Run Radio, Corey Van Dyke and Noah Outlaw of Kessel Run Transmissions revealed that Grand Moff Tarkin will appear in Cassian Andor in some capacity. It's unknown who will be portraying Tarkin or what type of role he will have in the show.

You can watch the episode below, and the scoop was shown at the 2:57 mark.

WHAT THIS MEANS

Grand Moff Tarkin was an important Imperial figure during the original trilogy, serving as the commander of the Death Star. In a way, Tarkin appearing on Cassian Andor makes sense since the series will dive into the Empire's rule as well as the early days of the Rebellion. It remains to be seen if Tarkin will serve as the show's main villain, but it's safe to say that the Imperial commander will at least be the one pulling the strings to make Cassian's life difficult in the series. 

Despite the death of original Tarkin actor Peter Cushing, Rogue One managed to bring the character to life with the use of CGI and a stand-in, Guy Henry. With the series still set to release next year along with the production delay, the lengthy process of incorporating the visual effects to a character like Tarkin could spell trouble. However it seems that this gamble is a risk worth taking for the studio. If anything, adding a character like Tarkin should introduce another interesting layer to the narrative while also elevating Cassian's character arc in the process. 

There's no word if Darth Vader will be featured in the series in some form, but the presence of Tarkin should further establish the menacing threat of the Empire at the height of their power.