In a few short weeks’ time, Star Wars fans will welcome back the second and final season of critically acclaimed action espionage series Andor, starring Diego Luna as the titular thief turned rebel hero.
The series has widely been regarded as the very best of Star Wars on television, as well as one of the best series of the 2020s thus far. Despite this, showrunner Tony Gilroy has confirmed (multiple times) that Andor will not be returning for a third season or having a continuation of any kind. And that’s okay.
To be clear, Andor has not been cancelled. A trend that is all too common with modern television. The series was always planned to be a limited production and indeed the structure of the show has clearly been built around this idea.
Many series that stick it out for season after season can end up collapsing under their own weight and become cumbersome, even to the most dedicated fans. One of the worst things that can happen to a story, on TV or otherwise, is when fans start to recall when the plot “used to be good” and thus create an artificial demarcation between a supposed golden past and a dull, lesser present. In the age of social media, this line of thinking is susceptible to spread like wildfire.
Television is particularly susceptible to this as it is the most adaptable to continuous serialisation. If the ratings are looking good (for the most part), the show must go on.
What’s really interesting is when the exact opposite happens. One of the most beloved television series of the 21st century is without a doubt Joss Whedon’s Firefly, famously cancelled after one season. The show was indeed fantastic, but it is the short-lived nature of the show that truly elevated it into cult-like regard. Audiences were tantalised about the possibility of what ‘could have been’ and so imaginations are allowed to run wild, only increasing the mystique of a show that ended before being encumbered with time.
Andor will suffer no such fate. The show will only go on for as long as there is a meaningful story to tell and not a moment longer. Perhaps the writers are aided in the regard with the end of Cassian’s story having already been told, but instead of stretching out the intervening years with eight seasons worth of content, as well could have been the case, Gilroy and team have chosen a different path, and Star Wars is all the better for it.
Andor has clearly been given some significant leeway by the executives and Disney and Lucasfilm, and the show is greatly strengthened for it. Although it will be sad to see it go, the best thing for the show is to not overstay its welcome.
Season two of Andor releases April 22 on Disney +.