The first three episodes of Andor season 2 premiered on Disney+ earlier this week (you can read our recaps here), expanding on Cassian Andor's first year as a Rebel and a mission gone awry after he steals a TIE Fighter from the Empire.
While it's no secret that the series will lead us directly into Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by the time it ends, we don't expect the show to deliver too many cameos (Andor has never been that type of series). However, with Director Orson Krennic making his return and plenty of political intrigue, could we see Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine?
Talking to Rolling Stone (via SFFGazette.com), Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy confirmed he never considered bringing the former Anakin Skywalker into the series.
"No, that was never on my agenda," he said of the Sith Lord. "Writing for Darth Vader is really limiting. I’ve done it. He doesn’t have a lot to say."
We're sure not all of you will agree with that, but what of the Emperor? Could we not see him in the Senate? "He was too big a piece of meat for me to introduce. It was too heavy a lift. I thought about it at one point, but it was too heavy a lift."
"One of the fascinating things that I realized when I started the show in the very beginning is how many billions of beings are in the galaxy. Nobody knows about the Jedi, nobody knows about the Sith," Gilroy continued. "It’s just a tiny percentage of people that have any notion of it at all. It’s not in the culture. And I remember being really surprised as it was explained."
He added, "I thought it was something that everyone knew about, but no, it’s very secretive and small."
The writer and producer was also asked about the surprise introduction of Yavin in the three-episode premiere. "It’s a rebel hideout that certain people know about the way pirates used to have a certain island or something like that," Gilroy explained. "Cassian Andor is a bit like Zelig in a way. Not that he’s invisible or anonymous, but he’s in all these places where things happen."
"And no one had ever done the origin of Yavin. And the only thing they really know is there were these beasts there. That’s already in canon. The beasts are canon," he said. "I don’t know, it just felt like a cool thing to do. Why not?"
While Andor is certainly finding interesting ways to expand the Star Wars franchise, it's a shame in many ways that Gilroy isn't more of a "fan" because it would have been immensely satisfying to see Vader and Palpatine show up. That certainly hasn't hurt the series, though, as season 2 is "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with 96%.
The second season of Andor takes place as the horizon of war draws near and Cassian becomes a key player in the Rebel Alliance. Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound.
Andor 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 a disinterested, cynical nobody into a rebel hero on his way to an epic destiny.
The first three episodes of Andor season 2 will premiere on April 22.