Sith Lords might be Obi-Wan Kenobi's "specialty", but they're not Tony Gilroy's. Andor Season 2 will feature the return of many characters from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but Darth Vader isn't one of them.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, creator Tony Gilroy explained why Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine will not appear in Season 2. When asked if he considered including Vader this season, Gilroy said that he never thought about it because writing for the Sith Lord is "limiting".
Gilroy says, "No, that was never on my agenda. Writing for Darth Vader is really limiting. I’ve done it. He doesn’t have a lot to say." He also revealed that, unlike Vader, he did consider bringing the Emperor back for Season 2, but decided, "He was too big a piece of meat for me to introduce. It was too heavy a lift. I thought about it at one point, but it was too heavy a lift."
Darth Vader appeared in Rogue One and shared iconic scenes with Director Orson Krennic, which contain a few of Vader's most memorable dialogues. The oft-quoted "Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director" is one of Vader's best lines from the movie, but it's easy to see why Gilroy isn't interested in writing more. Although he's always been respectful towards canon and believes fans should respect all genres within the franchise, he's admitted he's not a huge Star Wars fan.
In Season 1, Gilroy was praised for writing Luthen Rael's soul-stirring monologues, Kino Loy's motivational speech, and Karis Nemik's inspiring anti-Empire manifesto. Darth Vader doesn't deliver long speeches, but I don't think writing for Vader is limiting. Even with a handful of dialogues, Vader is a character who can create a lasting impact. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, lines like "You didn't kill Anakin Skywalker, I did" created the emotional impact needed in that moment. Because Vader says so little, fans tend to hang on his every word.
Andor treats the Emperor as more of a politician on the show than a Sith Lord, which Gilroy attributes to the fact that most people in the galaxy don't know anything about the Force or Jedi Knights. While Gilroy ultimately decided against bringing Palpatine on the show, it would've been interesting to see how Andor would present a character like him. Gilroy has shown his skills as a writer of political drama, and he could've tackled Palpatine's manipulative and political side.
With Palpatine and Darth Vader confirmed not to be in Season 2, fans are curious to see who will appear in the remaining episodes. Possibilities include more members of the Rebel Alliance, as Gilroy says the show will explore Yavin 4's origin.
Andor Season 2 is streaming on Disney+.