Lucasfilm has released the first full-length trailer for season 2 of Andor. Set before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the critically acclaimed Star Wars series sees Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) becoming an intricate part of the Rebellion as the horizon of war against the expanding Galactic Empire draws near.
One of my favorite things about Star Wars is how it embraces diversity, cultures, and accents. So, a show like Andor is a reflection of that, with Luna taking on the lead role in the title series. Having that representation in a show about marginalized people trying to survive in a world where a regime oppresses them speaks to many, especially now.
The new season of Andor picks up where it left off, in a galaxy rife with political intrigue, danger, tension, and high stakes. It is meant to serve as a prologue to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which portrays a heroic band of rebels who steal the plans for the Empire’s weapon of mass destruction, The Death Star, setting the stage for the events of the original 1977 film. It sets the clock back five years from the events of Rogue One to tell the story of the film’s hero, Cassian Andor, and his transformation from disinterested, cynical nobody into a rebel hero on his way to an epic destiny.
Creator and executive producer Tony Gilory, who was largely responsible for the rewrites and edits for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, helps bring a different perspective to the Star Wars universe by focusing more on the rebellion itself and the characters who are willing to sacrifice themselves for a cause. While there may be some threads that connect it to the larger mythology, the spinoff helped inspire other series to explore outside the Skywalker saga.
“One of the great thrills of making Andor is the scale of the story and the number of characters we’re able to meet — ordinary people, Imperial overlords, passionate revolutionaries,” Gilory said. “They are real people making epic decisions, all of them staring down questions with terrifying consequences. Cassian’s journey is the soul and spine of our story, but it’s the choir that makes the show. I’m so excited for audiences to see where we go in Season 2.”
The trailer, which uses Steve Earle’s “The Revolution Starts Now” sees the return of Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) working at different angles of the Rebellion, while Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) offer their services to the Empire. Adria Arjona reprises her role as Bix Caleen, a mechanic and black market dealer as well as Andor’s fried. Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, and Elizabeth Dulau also return. Rogue One stars Alan Tudyk, with Ben Mendelsohn and Forest Whitaker reprise their respective roles as K-2SO, Orson Krennic, and Saw Gerrera.
The final season will unfold over 12 episodes broken down into four chapters of three episodes each. The first chapter will premiere April 22, with subsequent chapters debuting each week. The directors for the series are Ariel Kleiman (Eps. 1-6), Janus Metz (Eps. 7-9), and Alonso Ruizpalacios (Eps. 10-12). Tony Gilroy wrote the first three episodes, with Beau Willimon writing episodes 4-6, Dan Gilroy penning episodes 7-9, and Tom Bissell putting pen to paper for episodes 10-12.