We probably won't see Darth Vader in Andor Season 2

We are under a month from the first episode of Season 2 of Andor, and as with many Star Wars projects, half the excitement is in the build-up. The show has confirmed the return of old villains like Director Krennic and Dedra Meero, while we look forward to paths crossing as the Alliance to Restore the Republic comes into formal being. While some details are still rumors, there is a strong case to be made that Darth Vader will not appear in Season 2.

What do we know about Andor Season 2 and the Sith?

Let's first say that the theory about Darth Vader being in Andor Season 2 didn't come out of nowhere.
Star Wars Holocron's Twitter shared a posted wondering if Dedra Meero is being Force choked in the latest trailer.

This post has been seen more than 300,000 times, liked 2,000 times, and reposted nearly 200 hundred times at the time of this writing. It does bring to mind the scene in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope where Darth Vader punished Admiral Conan Motti for his disturbing lack of faith, so it's understandable that this idea is popular. Liz Declan of ScreenRant pointed out that the Force choke is Vader's "signature move" and that his presence in the story "would make sense, given Vader appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, for which Andor is a spin-off."

However, the article goes on to say that we have a source for why a Vader appearance is unlikely. In 2022, The New York Times spoke to Tony Gilroy in an article, and the showrunner had this to say about using the same characters for every project:

"The galaxy is enormous. It would be like if you tried to tell the whole history of 20th-Century England just through 'The Crown.' 'Oh, there's only this royal family, these seven people, their lineage and... that's all that matters.' We will not be dealing with the royal family of 'Star Wars.' When we have legacy characters return, or when we touch on things that are familiar, we don't want to do it in a way that would be perceived as fan service. We want it to be protein."

Tony Gilroy

This perspective is, in my opinion, a great one to keep in mind with the storytelling of Andor.

I became a Star Wars fan at the moment that Darth Vader stepped on board the Tantive IV in A New Hope, and he is still one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. I also agree with Declan. She says, "It feels nearly like a matter of respect that Andor season 2 not crowd out the stories of characters like Cassian Andor and Bix Caleen with the franchise's most attention-grabbing characters." She further argues that "this show is meant to focus on the everyday people... particularly as Andor season 2 is all about fighting the Empire, Darth Vader would feel out of place."

Each three-episode arc will cover one year of the fight against the Empire, and I am personally looking forward to the victories and defeats on both sides of the conflict that culminate Cassian Andor's role in stealing the Death Star plans.

Andor Season 2 will premiere on Disney+ on April 22