After 3 long years, Andor will finally return to our screens with the second season of the hit Star Wars show. The first season of Andor, which aired in late 2022 didn’t quite hit the highest highs of The Mandalorian in viewership, but was far more critically acclaimed than almost any other Star Wars project, bringing a high level of accolades and a sense of importance and grandeur to Star Wars television and what it could be and say.
The second season of Andor is set to hopefully continue its critically acclaimed run with another 12-episode season brought to us by creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy. Mainly following Cassian Andor, the rebellion general from Rogue One, Andor follows the rise of the Rebellion through the eyes of its leaders as well as the Empire. The second season of Andor will take audiences from 4BBY (4 years before A New Hope) right up until Cassian Andor leaves for his ship, which will take us to his introduction in Rogue One. But what else can audiences expect? Read on to find out…
A look forward to Andor season 2: the details
Andor season 2 will begin April 22 with a 3-episode premiere, followed by another 3 weeks of 3-episode drops. The season will take place over 4 years, with every 3 episodes jumping forward one year to explore more of Cassian’s life and the rise of the Rebellion. There are returning writers from season 1 of the show, which will hopefully bring that higher caliber of writing that gave us some of the best monologues and moments from TV. The writer and director combos are as follows:
- Episodes 1-3, dropping April 22nd, are written by Tony Gilroy and directed by Ariel Kleiman (Yellowjackets).
- Episodes 4-6, dropping April 29th, are written by Beau Willmon (House of Cards) and directed by Ariel Kleiman.
- Episodes 7-9, dropping May 6th, are written by Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler) and directed by Janus Metz (True Detective).
- Episodes 10-12, dropping May 13th, are written by Tom Bissell (Uncharted 4) and directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios (Narcos: Mexico).
I wanted to take the time to explain the writers and directors of Andor season 2 as it is just as talented behind the screen as it is in front of the camera. We can hope to expect the same level of care and attention as we got in season 1, especially when there are returning writers. In addition to the writers and directors, the brilliant Nicholas Britell will be returning to score the season, he describes on an Apple podcast that he wants the score to be inspired by Rogue One as we head towards that film.
As well as the talented crew, the amazingly talented cast will also be returning for Andor season 2, including new additions to this season but not new to the franchise. Ben Mendelsohn and Alan Tudyk will both be reprising their roles as Orson Krennic, the Death Star chief architect, and K2SO, Cassian Andor’s sassy droid friend. Both these additions reflect the shift from season 1 into season 2 and how we are slowly getting closer and closer to Rogue One and Cassian’s death and the birth of the Rebellion.
The road to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
As previously mentioned, Andor season 2 is heading down the path to Rogue One where Cassian takes his last mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. We know what characters are still alive by the time of Rogue One, and we know which characters are in Andor’s second season, so a big question from fans is just who will survive these next 12 episodes.
The beauty of Andor is how it turns such a fantastical franchise full of lightsabers, spaceships, and aliens. Yet, it puts a lot of that on the back seat to tell us a riveting, engaging, and politically relevant story. Season 2 will carry on this and increase the tension greatly, the Empire looms even more and according to the synopsis for the upcoming season, “Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices, and conflicting agendas will become profound.” so fans can expect plenty of major character moments and development in this second season.
Of course, with the show being called Andor, we will see just how Cassian turns from being a small-time rebel by the end of the first season to leading his own squad and being a major part of the Rebel Alliance by the time of Rogue One. With the inclusion of other Rogue One characters in the show, such as K2SO, we will finally get to see more of Cassian’s journey over the years, and how he develops such a special relationship with his droid companion.
All the characters in the show revolve around him and his arc, such as Bix and Brasso, who had to leave the safety of Ferrix at the end of season 1. They’ll be reunited with Cassian by the second season. We’ll also see Luthen Rael, one of the main instigators of this early rebellion, and how he is training Cassian to be a ruthless, cunning Rebel leader in his own right. How season 2 will develop Cassian and the group of characters that surround him will be great to see as the fight against the Empire becomes ever more desperate and violent.
Locations new and old will also be present within Andor season 2, we will be heading back to Yavin IV, the location of the Rebel Base during Rogue One and A New Hope, you can see this in the trailer as Cassian can be seen walking across the base, and we see several shots of the large temple-like structures that make up the skyline of the planet.
We will also be returning to Ferrix to see the fallout of the end of season 1 and where we catch up with Cinta Kaz (played by Varada Sethu). As well as Coruscant for a look into the Empire and the ISB. We will see how Dedra Meero will continue her hunt for rebels across the galaxy, but also how she comes into play with Orson Krennic in the show and just what he will want out of the Empire and potentially the ISB. One more rather interesting planet, Ghorman, will also make an appearance. I’ll talk about that more below as this location will mark a pivotal moment for several characters and may well be a big part of the show.
From the trailer and the new special look, it appears that Mon Mothma will be one character who will become essential to the show in the second season. In the wider Star Wars franchise, she does become the leader of the rebellion, but as of the end of season 1, is still an imperial senator trying to do good on the senate stage. It is very much her journey that matters just as much as Cassian’s as they both need each other to help each other become the best leaders of the rebellion they can be. It will be interesting for fans to see how Cassian’s relationship with Mon develops throughout, as they get to know each other more, with both being so prevalent in the early rebellion.
The Ghoman Massacre
Teased in Star Wars Rebels and taken directly from the Legends continuity, The Ghorman Massacre is the catalyst that forces Mon Mothma out of the imperial senate after blaming Emperor Palpatine directly for the attack. It also marks her officially forming the rebellion in 2 BBY.
The massacre, at least in Legends, refers to the killing of peaceful protestors by the Empire on the planet Ghorman. We know this event will be happening in Andor as some subtitles in the special look trailer refer to some protestors as “Ghor”, hence expanding on something only teased in canon before now. I think this will be an incredibly powerful episode(s) due to its impact on the formation of The Rebellion, and by the looks of the footage, which characters are there to see the massacre happen and the fallout from that.
Not only this, but I think it will be handled with great care politically and emotionally, as plenty of real-life peaceful protests have often ended in disaster. Out of all the arcs in Andor, I strongly believe we will look back on this one the most.
Andor season 2 returns to Disney+ on April 22nd!
Season 2 of Andor will hopefully be just as interesting, well-developed, and critically acclaimed as the first season. It appears there will also be a lot more action, such as with the new TIE Avenger prototype fighter blasting imperials that we see in the trailer, alongside more spaceship goodness with the return of the U-Wing and several X-Wings. The formation of the Rebellion and the rise of Cassian to a leader of the course will be very interesting to see over the 12 episodes and four-time skips we will have.
The rest of the cast, as well, will bring their elevated acting and nuance to their roles, getting to expand on their characters and bring them to their conclusions throughout the series. Whether or not these side characters get happy endings will be a big concern leading up to the show as many of them have become fan favorites, but in the world of Andor and knowing what they can do with the ending of Rogue One, it will be interesting to see just who ends up where.
Are you excited for Andor season 2? Let us know what you think of the series on social media @mycosmiccircus or @TheCosmicCircus.com on Bluesky!
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