Why Star Wars Fans Should Be VERY Excited for the Upcoming “Andor” Series
By all accounts, the 2016 Star Wars film, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” was a smash hit. The film which stars Diego Luna and Felicity Jones, grossed over one billion dollars at the box office, was nominated for two Oscars and received great reviews both critically and commercially.
Although the film follows a group of rebels that unfortunately meet their demise by the end of the film, there was no denying that the fans felt an attachment to this group of characters. This all led to Lucasfilm eventually announcing a “Rogue One” Spinoff series to be released on Disney+.
On December 10, 2020, Disney held their annual “Disney Investor Day” where we finally learned a bit more about this series. It was on this day that Kathleen Kennedy discussed a total of 10 Lucasfilm projects coming soon to Disney+ including the Rogue One prequel titled, “Andor.”
“Andor” follows the adventures of rebel spy Cassian Andor approximately five years before the events of Rogue one. Diego Luna is set to reprise his role and the series is described as a “Rousing spy thriller” set during the height of the empires reign. Rogue one fans are obviously excited for the project but out of all the upcoming Disney+ shows, Andor seemingly gets less “hype” or ongoing excitement compared to other projects.
However, this truly should not be the case. Fans are overjoyed and excited about future Mandalorian seasons as well as the Obi-Wan Kenobi series and rightfully so.
Yet, Andor has somewhat slipped under the radar despite having a lot going for it. Let’s go into some of the reasons why fans should be very excited about this upcoming project.
Tony Gilroy and the Creative Team
One simple reason that fans should be excited for Andor is Tony Gilroy returning as lead writer and showrunner. Gilroy wrote Rogue one and if fans enjoyed that film, it is safe to say that you will enjoy the series as well. He also boasts an impressive resume having written the Bourne trilogy as well as Armageddon.
The Bourne trilogy should stand out especially being that this show will be a spy thriller and that those films are widely regarded as some of the best spy films of all time. The creative team also boasts more impressive creatives including Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler), Beau Willimon (House of Cards) and Stephen Schiff (The Americans). Its simply a crew filled with a lot of talent and when it comes to making well reviewed content, that is where it all starts.
The Time Period
Star Wars has leaned heavily into telling stories between two large gaps of time within the Skywalker Saga. The first being the 30-year time gap in between Episode six “Return of the Jedi” and Episode seven “The Force Awakens.” This is where “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” and the upcoming “Ahsoka” series all take place.
The other gap and the one in which this series takes place during, is between Episode three “Revenge of the Sith,” and Episode four, “A New Hope.” This gap of time is nearly twenty years and we have seen several projects both live action and animated take place during this time.
So why should Star Wars be excited to adventure back into this time period? Well, to put it simply, this time period is chalk filled with amazing characters, locations, and possibilities. “Andor” will take place five years before the events of “Rogue One” and “A New Hope” which means that the Empire will be at the top of its reign.
This gives us the possibility of seeing Darth Vader again as well as The Emperor, Moff Tarkin, and many other infamous Imperial characters.
This all gives us the chance to see lots of rebel characters again such Bail Organa, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Leia Organa and more. Some of these characters are more likely to show than others but the possibilities are there. In fact, we have already received the news that Genevieve O’Reilly will reprise her role as Mon Mothma after playing the part previously in “Rogue One.”
The Show Length
The popularity of both the Marvel and Star Wars Disney+ shows have been undeniable. However, a very select few have been given second seasons and many of them have been six-episode main event stories.
There is nothing wrong with this, however, Andor does not look to be heading down the same path. For starters, it’s been widely reported since last year that the upcoming season is 12 episodes long. That would make the first season the longest out of the Marvel and Star Wars Disney+ shows.
Beyond the probability of a long season, we may also get multiple seasons like “The Mandalorian.” As stated previously, the show takes place five years before the events of “Rogue One.” This gives the possibility of five seasons or more bridging the gap of time between the projects.
Overall, there are lots of reasons to be excited for Andor. We didn’t even get into the fact that Alan Tudyk is returning as fan favorite droid “K-2SO” or some of the other new cast members like Stellen Skarsgard or Fiona Shaw.
This show has a lot going for it and there is a lot to be excited about if you are a Star Wars fan. It was confirmed that Andor will be arriving to Disney+ at some point in 2022. Although we do not have a direct release date quite yet, we will be waiting in anticipation for it. In the meantime, we will just have to watch “Rogue One” a few dozen more times.