Andor Season 2 will not feature as many Rogue One: A Star Wars Story characters as Tony Gilroy and fans would've wanted.
ANDOR creator Tony Gilroy confirms that a Star Wars legacy character is recast in Season 2.
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Gilroy also confirmed that scheduling and financial issues prevented them from bringing back some characters they wanted on Yavin at the end.
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Via ComicBook, Gilroy told The Hollywood Reporter that his desire to bring Rogue One characters, including legacy characters, back for scenes on Yavin 4 hit a snag during production of Season 2, and "There’s probably a couple people that we wanted to have in Yavin at the end, who are in the beginning of Rogue, but we just couldn’t get them because they were busy.”
Gilroy further explains that Lucasfilm never pressured him to emphasize nostalgia by bringing back legacy characters. However, he had plans to get Rogue One characters back for scenes on Yavin 4, but factors such as scheduling conflicts and financial constraints prevented that. He adds, "If anything, legacy characters are really tricky to bring back. They’re very, very expensive."
Ultimately, scheduling issues forced Gilroy to recast one legacy character who likely has scenes on the Rebel base on Yavin 4. Although the character's name hasn't been revealed yet, fans have already begun speculating on who this might be. This has to be a character present on Yavin at the beginning of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which means they're likely a member of the Rebel Alliance. It could be someone like General Dodonna, played by actor Ian McElhinney, or someone more important like Bail Organa, portrayed by the iconic Jimmy Smits.
Andor Season 2 will feature the return of important Rogue One characters, including Director Orson Krennic, Saw Gerrera, Ruescott Melshi, K-2SO, Mon Mothma, and Cassian Andor, but there's still room for others. Tony Gilroy can effectively include familiar faces to connect Andor to Rogue One without being accused of fan service, as the entire series has been building up to the movie. Unfortunately, not everyone was brought back, but whether this will impact the show remains to be seen.
Hopefully, the recasting will work for the show, and fans will accept the new actor, but that could depend on whether this is a major or minor character. Even though scheduling didn't allow everyone Gilroy wanted to return, his willingness to bring any character back for narrative continuity between Andor and Rogue One is a positive sign for the show, revealing his flexibility as a creative.
As for returning Rogue One characters, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Galen Erso and Jyn Erso pop up during this season. Could others like Grand Moff Tarkin, General Draven, and Bodhi Rook appear? It won't be long before we find out.
Andor Season 2 premieres April 22 on Disney+.