"It Would've Been Lame": ANDOR Showrunner Tony Gilroy Explains Jyn Erso's Season 2 Absence

"It Would've Been Lame": ANDOR Showrunner Tony Gilroy Explains Jyn Erso's Season 2 Absence

Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy has explained why Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso didn't make an appearance in season 2 of the Disney+ series and shares his regrets over not further exploring the Rebels on Yavin.

By JoshWilding - May 19, 2025 10:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Cassian Andor
Source: SFFGazette.com

While there's no denying that Andor was a phenomenal series, it doesn't seem unfair to say there were also some missed opportunities. Showrunner Tony Gilroy has already explained why Cassian and K-2SO's bromance didn't get more screentime, but what of Jyn Erso? 

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story established that she was raised by resistance fighter Saw Gerrera, and while he was repeatedly featured in the series, Jyn didn't even get a passing mention. 

For Gilroy, it boiled down to not being able to find a place for the future Rebel in the story he was telling across seasons 1 and 2 of Andor.

"When I was building season 2 after season 1, I was looking at everything," he told Backstory Magazine (via SFFGazette.com). "Felicity [Jones] is just a fantastic actor and a really great person, and I know how much love there is for her online and how many people were begging for that to happen. If I could have thought of a way that didn't tip everything upside down, I don't think Lucasfilm would have had a problem."

"But I could never...once you start it, what do you do with it? You got to go all the way," Gilroy continued. "Is she some connection to Saw, and then you get into that, but then you go back, and what does he say in Rogue One? It just never pulled together."

Original plans called for Andor to run for 5 seasons, with each of them devoted to a year in Cassian's life. Lucasfilm and actor Diego Luna baulked at the idea, which is why years two, three, four, and five only received three episodes each rather than twelve. 

Had Andor got a longer run, there's no doubt every chance that Gilroy would have found a way to tell more of Jyn's story before she met Cassian. However, in a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said, "In the end, I realized if people didn't absolutely have to be there, they shouldn’t."

"And it would've been lame to bring Jyn back as a cameo. That would've been really disrespectful in a way. I'd rather honor Rogue and keep it straight."

Elsewhere in the conversation, Gilroy also addressed his decision to only touch briefly on how the Rebel Alliance chose Yavin as its base.

"I think there were probably more ambitions in the beginning to show a little bit more development of Yavin," he confirmed. "The story of Yavin is interesting and probably slightly undernourished in the story, not because we don't know what it is, or I think each time we dropped a needle we're showing a progression and we're showing you how it's moved forward."

"You make the most out of the little moments we have, when Wilmon shows up and all of a sudden they're asking people to check in and go see the doctor, and you know intake officers, you see Vel. So we're making the most out of every moment that we have, but we don't have a lot of real estate for that, you could probably do more with that, but I don't miss it."

Gilroy had limited room with Andor season 2, so it was inevitable that some ideas would fall by the wayside. Many fans have also questioned why neither Emperor Palpatine nor Darth Vader appeared; in a separate interview with Deadline, Gilroy simply said, "If I’d needed them, I would’ve brought them in."

The Andor showrunner didn't appear keen on using any character who wasn't grounded in the same level of reality as the series' lead. Still, it's a pity that Darth Vader never made his presence felt in the ISB, with Palpatine's absence from the Senate another shame.

You can hear more from the showrunner on the Star Wars series in the player below. 

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Vigor
Vigor - 5/19/2025, 10:16 AM
Every interview this guy does.. he makes excellent points for the choices he made. I will keep an eye on their future

Honestly, like a virus, andor has stayed in my conscious since I finished the series last week. This might be my favorite show of all time. That's INSANE for me to say. It just hit all the right beats for me and is exactly the level of quality I want all things marvel and stars wars to be going forward
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/19/2025, 10:51 AM
@Vigor - he’s a renowned screenwriter who has worked on The Bourne series ,Michael
Clayton etc.

Obviously it helps he had a strong team around him too that worked on the likes of House of Cards ,Nightcrawler etc.
Steel86
Steel86 - 5/19/2025, 11:12 AM
@Vigor - It's was done excellently. It adds so much to Rouge One and A New Hope. And eventhough I do enjoy most of the Disney+ shows this one works, doesn't rewrite history and doesn't over stay its welcome. The Mandalorian is my favorite but Andor imo is the best written executed
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/19/2025, 11:18 AM
@Vigor - agreed. It rarely happens I'm so invested in what went into making the show. Really says something about how great it's writing was.

It added so much depth, and that for a show of which I initially said "do we really need a spin-off from a spin-off?" I happily eat my plate of crow now.
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 5/19/2025, 10:17 AM
Hooah.
WEAPONXOXOXO
WEAPONXOXOXO - 5/19/2025, 10:17 AM
I loved Rogue One. I love how the whole movie was about making sense of "Why would the Death Star just blow up from this one shot in this spot?"

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ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 5/19/2025, 10:19 AM
@WEAPONXOXOXO - But it didn't explain how Luke or Vader survived. Look at that explosion. Smither[frick]inreens. And they were both dead bang at ground zero.
Vigor
Vigor - 5/19/2025, 10:29 AM
@WEAPONXOXOXO - a self destructing drone with invisible tech could have done the job easier 💁🏾‍♂️
Humby
Humby - 5/19/2025, 10:22 AM
You might have been able to get away with having a younger Jyn Erso with Saw Gerarra during one of his appearances in Season 1, as long as it was subtle. But in season 2 she would have already been abandoned for sure, and trying to cram in both a story for her and the necessary context - there's just not enough time.
itzayaboy
itzayaboy - 5/19/2025, 10:55 AM
This series was very high quality but it was also very very boring at times. In S2 I found myself skipping ahead through scenes that only had dialogue and nothing else.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/19/2025, 11:14 AM
@itzayaboy - think the strength of this show lies in the dialogue and slow scenes, as they really add depth to the narrative.

If it were just really long lingering close up shots like The Bear, I'd definitely agree in skipping forward.
TheBlueMorpho
TheBlueMorpho - 5/19/2025, 3:14 PM
@itzayaboy - The dialogue was great. I could watch a whole show of just ISB meetings.
Wahhvacado
Wahhvacado - 5/19/2025, 10:59 AM
Her back story is in Rogue One. It wouldn't have made sense/been needed
HegoD
HegoD - 5/19/2025, 11:41 AM
@Wahhvacado - And the book "Rebel Rising"
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/19/2025, 11:12 AM
I agree with his comments tbh…

Jyn had nothing to do with the Rebellion at this point aside from her connection to Saw which was severed when she was a teenager as we learned in RO so to have her in this would be needless fan service imo.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/19/2025, 11:13 AM
That's a great approach to using characters. Works with K2 too. He didn't had to be there, because he's just too OP to have running around on missions.

As for the Rebellion growing, I think they did a great job. Each arc it grew a little more organized and in size. Good example of show don't tell imo.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/19/2025, 11:27 AM
@bkmeijer1 - yep

It’s why I enjoyed seeing Cassian with the initial Rebels on Yavin since it showed the contrast between the disorganization of the Rebel Alliance then and what it becomes
Ha1frican
Ha1frican - 5/19/2025, 12:17 PM
Glad he thinks that way although I wish he applied that to Bail Organa. If you couldn’t get Jimmy you shouldn’t have had him appear
Timerider
Timerider - 5/19/2025, 12:26 PM
@Ha1frican - I agree with that, should have waited and made his scenes later, shooting it a certain way where they could add the shots in at a later time with editing.
Timerider
Timerider - 5/19/2025, 12:23 PM
In the end credits, I would have had Emperor Palpatine dissolving the Senate and then have him call up Tarkin, as they talk about the Death Star being almost completed.
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 5/19/2025, 1:19 PM
@Timerider - Yeah I just watched Rogue One a couple days after finishing Andor and there are definitely still some things that dont exactly line up with Andor 100%. Like the open sequence of the movie Cassian is talking to the guy in the alley and he seems surprised when the guy tells him they need Kyber crystals for a weapon.
dagenspear
dagenspear - 5/19/2025, 4:45 PM
I think it would've worked more to establish how they know where Jyn is, and that she's Jyn Erson.
TheAdmiral
TheAdmiral - 5/21/2025, 5:51 PM
I'm still trying to figure out what was the point of this show. They wasted money on characters that we already died a horrible death on Scarif.

This story would have made more sense if we saw the series and then Star Wars: Rogue One.

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