What to expect from the Andor series

As excitement continues to build for Friday’s debut of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+, there is another show in the works gaining some traction of its own: Andor.

Set five years before the events of Rogue One, the story will take us back to Cassian Andor’s early days before becoming a hero of the Rebellion, in which he was a dangerous spy on the run from a world devoured by the Galactic Empire. Viewers will learn more about just who Andor was, his backstory and what he was fighting for before sacrificing his life as a hero of the Rebellion.

Leading man Diego Luna, showrunner Tony Gilroy and others recently peeled the curtain behind the making of Andor to Vanity Fair, giving us just a little taste of what to expect.

1. A New Perspective on the Rebellion

The version of the Rebellion seen in A New Hope and throughout the original trilogy is that of a beacon for good. It was fighting for the right side of things, and ultimately, saved the galaxy from the threat of the Galactic Empire.

“Rebellion? Right vs. wrong? ‘In the beginning of it all, he couldn’t give a shit about any of that.” That’s exactly how Tony Gilroy describes Andor where we pick up his story. “He’s a thief. He’s a ducker and a diver. He has a lot of anger about his childhood, and about the Empire, but he has no place to put it. He just doesn’t believe in anything at this point.” Clearly, this rebel hero is a bit different than most.

Signs of Andor’s battered past were laid throughout Rogue One, too. Gilroy, with a strong history of filmmaking within the spy genre, references one particular moment that emphasized this complexity within him.

"You know he’s been fighting since he was a child, right? He says that. You know he’s been a guerrilla fighter. You certainly know he’s been an assassin. He kills an ally in the very first scene …  That was a big gulp on Rogue One, to see who would swallow that. He’s morally complicated in a really dark way."

Andor will take us inside how that character got there and how far he is willing to push the moral boundary to escape a world being “radicalized” around him. It will be fascinating to get a new perspective on just what a hero can look like, and how people’s opinions change about the character as a result of it.

2. A lot more of Mon Mothma

Gilroy often describes Andor as an ensemble cast. There will be new faces, legacy cameos, some characters integral to the story and others merely existing in the background. One person, though, who will prove pivotal to Andor’s story and the larger one of the rebellion is Mon Mothma.

First appearing in Return of the Jedi, Mothma was a pivotal leader throughout the Galactic Civil War, ultimately seeing her fight through with the destruction of the second Death Star. Following those events, she became the first Chancellor of the New Republic.

Despite how significant of a figurehead she has become, very little is really known about just who Mothma is. Her story was flushed out a great deal in The Clone Wars, and even further in Rogue One, yet there has always been a shroud of aura about how Mothma came to power and what she is willing to do with it.

Again, Andor will make viewers question their assumptions. While Mothma and Andor may not physically cross paths much in the first season, their stories will be closely intertwined. It sounds very much like she’ll be the star of the series, too, with Gilroy saying, “I bet that when episode 104 plays, when Mon Mothma finishes the episode, that there’ll be people tweeting about Mon Mothma.”

3. A Story that Stretches Beyond Star Wars

One of the strongest themes in hearing Gilroy, Luna and others discuss Andor was their desire for it to appeal to any Star Wars fan. Specifically, Gilroy hopes to see the show resonate with either the most devout viewer or someone who is entering the Star Wars universe for the first time.

Much of that is because of Andor’s relatable story, which ultimately revolves around being a migrant. He was forced to flee from his home at a young age, and the show positions us inside what becomes his adopted home. That, too, is being taken over by the Empire. In a sense, Andor is constantly living a life on the run, a story that many people can sympathize with, including Luna himself.

“It’s the journey of a migrant, which to me is everything I come from … Not being able to be where you belong and how that shapes you as a person, how that defines you in many ways and what you are willing to do.”

Beyond that, Andor is also a story about becoming exhausted from running and deciding to take a stand, with a theme of power and hope that can inspire others to take action in their own lives. Luna powerfully reflects this, saying,

"I believe science fiction and stories that happen in a galaxy far, far away are a great tool to comment on our world—on your life and my life and the way we interact … We need to explore the revolutionary we can become to change things, to stop war, to make this world a livable place. So Andor talks about that. I think it can inspire a lot of people on how much you can do by yourself."

4. 12 Episodes and 2 Seasons

One of the common complaints against Disney+ shows, whether Star Wars or Marvel, is the limited runs they often have. In a surprising twist, Andor’s season one will become the longest yet at a total of 12 episodes.

Beyond that, there is already another season in the works regardless of how the first performs. Gilroy refers to Andor as just one half of a novel, saying, “This first season is about him becoming a revolutionary, and the second 12 episodes take him into Rogue One.”

And for fans hoping to see the appearance of Alan Tudyk’s K-2S0, we’ll just have to wait until season two at best. Even if that arc never pops up, plenty of others will. It seems that Andor has a clear vision ahead that Disney is wiling to give Gilroy the time and space to tell.

Andor is set to premiere later this summer on Disney+. Keep up with news and trailers and stay tuned for episode recaps and more right here on Dork Side of the Force.