Will Kino Loy return in season two of Andor?

I have a long-standing rule when it comes to movies and tv shows. That rule is that if you didn’t see the body, they aren’t dead. No body means no proof. Because of that rule, I don’t believe Tech from Star Wars: The Bad Batch is dead. We only saw his glasses, not his body. It’s because of that rule that I am not sure that Kino Loy from Andor is dead. We never saw him die; we just changed scenes.

Could Kino Loy still be alive? Absolutely! Just because he was left behind doesn’t mean that he is dead. And as Andy Serkis was recently quoted as saying, “All that we do know is that he survives. I mean, we don’t see him die. We see him left for a further life of the character.”

There are several plausible explanations for what could have happened to him. Let’s go over a few ideas.

Was he captured?

To me, this is the most likely scenario. He was stuck in a water-locked facility and unable to swim for his own freedom. We are given the impression that the majority of the able-bodied men who were housed at that facility were able to escape alongside Cassian. Kino Loy, however, couldn’t swim. He was left behind at a facility with those who were incarcerating him, and with only the elderly and ill most likely left behind, along with those like Kino, who couldn’t swim, he would have no way to fight them all off. Remember that there were reinforcements inbound to assist in fighting the prison break there on Narkina-5. So if we do see him again, it will most likely be how he’s still in prison, with years added for his part in the prison break.

Does he escape?

This is the second most likely scenario. It is very possible that Kino Loy may have waited for the reinforcements to come in while in hiding somewhere in Narkina-5. He was young, strong, and resourceful enough to get himself in a position to find a way to escape. It is possible he could have stolen a small transport ship or something along those lines to get him off-world.

Although this is the second most likely scenario, it is the one I am hoping for if we get to see Kino Loy again. His story, his selflessness, and his sacrifice deserve more screen time. Not to mention, it allows an amazing actor such as Andy Serkis to have more time on screen in Andor.

Does his living lessen his sacrifice?

Absolutely not! He had the passion for freedom and a life worth living reignited in him. Kino Loy was a lost man when Cassian first comes to Narkina-5. Over time, Cassian helps him reignite those flames and look towards a life of some kind outside the four walls of that prison.

His continued life, inside the prison or out, does not take away from the power and emotion of that episode. All the words he spoke and the emotion he showed are the things that helped to inspire and motivate people to action. Without those, would as many have escaped? Possible, but likely not. Just like in real life, many people sit on the sidelines of life until motivated to move. In Andor, Kino Loy was their motivation. He was the spark these folks would have needed to stand up for themselves and take action when the time arose.

That scene and his speech retain all the power and emotion of when it first aired.

When is Andor season 2?

Showrunner Tony Gilroy has been said to have completed the writing of season 2, and filming began in November of 2022.  Andor is now slated for a fall of 2024 release schedule, but those dates may have become a bit more unstable with the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Gilroy said he left the set and production during the strike.

So when will it come? No one can say with any real certainty.

But we’ll know if we see the body…