Messenger (Andor)

''Andor'', also known as ''Star Wars: Andor'' and ''Andor: A Star Wars Story'' for its second season, is an American dystopian science fiction political spy thriller television series created by Tony Gilroy for the streaming service Disney+. It is part of the ''Star Wars'' franchise and a prequel to the film ''Rogue One'' (2016), which in itself is a prequel to the original ''Star Wars'' film (1977). The series follows thief-turned-rebel spy Cassian Andor during the formative five years leading up to the events of the two films, exploring how he becomes radicalized against the Galactic Empire and how the wider Rebel Alliance is formed.

Diego Luna reprises his role as Cassian Andor from ''Rogue One'' and serves as an executive producer. The series also stars Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgård, Fiona Shaw, Genevieve O'Reilly, Denise Gough, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, Elizabeth Dulau, Ben Mendelsohn, Benjamin Bratt, and Alan Tudyk. Lucasfilm announced a series focused on Andor in 2018, with Luna attached and Stephen Schiff hired as showrunner. Schiff was replaced by ''Rogue One'' co-writer Gilroy as creator and showrunner in April 2020. Filming took place at Pinewood Studios in London and on location around the UK, with Neal Scanlan returning from ''Rogue One'' to provide practical effects. The first season, which tells a year of Andor's story when he first becomes a revolutionary, was filmed from November 2020 to September 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second season covers the next four years leading up to ''Rogue One'', and was filmed from November 2022 to February 2024 with breaks and delays due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. Nicholas Britell composed the series' original score for the first season, while Brandon Roberts composed for the second season.

''Andor'' premiered on September 21, 2022; episodes of the season were released weekly through November 23. The second and final season premiered on April 22, 2025, with three episodes released weekly until May 13. The series has received widespread critical acclaim for its writing, performances, characterization, cinematography, production values, themes, and its darker, more mature and grounded tone compared to other ''Star Wars'' properties. The first season was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Drama Series.

Premise

''Andor'' represents a detailed view on how the Galactic Empire's government operates and the everyday consequences of its actions upon its citizens. Beginning five years before the events of ''Rogue One'' and '' A New Hope'', the series employs an ensemble cast of characters to demonstrate how a Rebel Alliance forms in opposition to the Galactic Empire. Central to the cast is the eponymous Cassian Andor, a thief who becomes a revolutionary and eventually joins the Rebellion.

Cast and characters

Starring

* Diego Luna as Cassian Andor: A thief and scavenger whose home planet, Kenari, was rendered uninhabitable by the Galactic Empire. The series begins with Andor as a "revolution-averse" cynic and explores how he becomes "the most passionate person who's going to give themselves to save the galaxy" in ''Rogue One''. Gilroy has described him as a natural leader who manipulates people, adding that he is "really a perfect kind of spy, warrior, killer." Antonio Viña portrays a young Cassian, when he was known as Kassa.
* Kyle Soller as Syril Karn: A Deputy Inspector for Preox-Morlana (Pre-Mor) Authority, a corporate conglomerate in charge of a trade sector. Syril works for Pre-Mor's security services and is determined to capture Cassian after learning he killed two Pre-Mor security employees.
* Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen: A mechanic and black market dealer who is Cassian's ally and close friend, and has been romantically involved with him on and off. She cares for Maarva in Cassian's absence.
* Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael: A key player in the nascent rebellion, known only as "Axis" by Imperial agents. He is Bix's contact for selling stolen equipment, and hires Cassian on his first mission as a Rebel operative. Luthen poses publicly as an eccentric antiques dealer from Coruscant. In the second season, Cassian's relationship with Luthen has grown strained.
* Fiona Shaw as Maarva Andor (season 1): Cassian's adoptive mother who took him from Kenari with her husband Clem.
* Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon Mothma: An Imperial senator representing the wealthy core world of Chandrila, who tries to navigate the politics of the Empire while secretly helping fund the fledgling rebellion from her family fortune. O'Reilly reprises the role from prior ''Star Wars'' media.
* Denise Gough as Dedra Meero: An ambitious and strategic supervisor for the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) who is deeply absorbed with hunting and eliminating a rebel leader code-named "Axis". She is later seen in a relationship with Syril.
* Faye Marsay as Vel Sartha: A Rebel operative working for Luthen who leads the raiding mission on Aldhani, and Mothma's cousin. She is in a relationship with Cinta.
* Varada Sethu as Cinta Kaz: A Rebel on Aldhani who has lost her family to Imperial occupation. She is a medic and in a relationship with Vel.
* Elizabeth Dulau as Kleya Marki: Luthen's assistant at his antiques store, who plays a critical part in his Rebel circle as a covert communications officer. April V. Woods portrays a young Kleya.
* Ben Mendelsohn as Orson Krennic (season 2): The director of advanced weapons research for the Imperial military. Mendelsohn reprises his role from ''Rogue One''.
* Benjamin Bratt as Bail Organa (season 2): An Imperial senator representing the world of Alderaan and adoptive father to Leia Organa. Bratt replaces Jimmy Smits, who portrayed the character in previous ''Star Wars'' media, due to scheduling conflicts.
* Alan Tudyk as the voice and motion-capture of K-2SO (season 2): A former Imperial enforcer droid who is reprogrammed to serve the Rebellion. Tudyk reprises his role from ''Rogue One''.

Recurring

* Joplin Sibtain as Brasso: Cassian's co-worker and friend.
* James McArdle as Timm Karlo (season 1): Bix's co-worker and boyfriend.
* Rupert Vansittart as Chief Hyne (season 1): Syril's Pre-Mor superior.
* Alex Ferns as Sergeant Linus Mosk (season 1): A Pre-Mor officer.
* Gary Beadle as Clem Andor (season 1): Maarva's partner and Cassian's adoptive father. Cassian uses his name as an alias.
* Kathryn Hunter as Eedy Karn: Syril's mother.
* Alastair Mackenzie as Perrin Fertha: Mothma's husband, who is unaware of her anti-Imperial activities.
* Anton Lesser as Major Lio Partagaz: Dedra's commanding officer in the Imperial Security Bureau.
* Alex Lawther as Karis Nemik (season 1): An idealistic Rebel on Aldhani who has written an anti-Empire manifesto.
* Sule Rimi as Lieutenant Gorn (season 1): An Imperial officer on Aldhani who is secretly one of Vel's Rebels.
* Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Arvel Skeen (season 1): A mysterious Rebel on Aldhani.
* Gershwyn Eustache Jnr as Taramyn Barcona (season 1): A Rebel on Aldhani who is a former Stormtrooper.
* Stanley Townsend as Commandant Jayhold Beehaz (season 1): Gorn's Imperial superior on Aldhani.
* Ben Miles as Tay Kolma: A banker and Mothma's childhood friend from whom she seeks help.
* Andy Serkis as Kino Loy (season 1): A prisoner and floor manager at the Imperial factory facility on the moon Narkina 5. Serkis previously portrayed Supreme Leader Snoke in the sequel trilogy.
* Duncan Pow as Ruescott Melshi: A labor worker and inmate at the Imperial factory facility on Narkina 5 who later joins the Rebel Alliance alongside Andor. Pow reprises his role from ''Rogue One''.
* Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera: A veteran of the Clone Wars and the leader of a militant insurgent group, the Partisans. Whitaker reprises his role from previous ''Star Wars'' media, including ''Rogue One''.
* Richard Dillane as Davo Sculdun: A shady businessman whom Mon Mothma enlists to unwittingly help her embezzle funds for the Rebellion, in exchange for a betrothal between his son Stekan and her daughter Leida.
* Muhannad Bhaier as Wilmon Paak (season 2; guest season 1): A young Ferrix resident, who worked alongside his father Salman at the Repaak Salyard and eventually joins the emerging rebellion following Salman's death at the hands of the Empire.
* Pierro Niel-Mee as Erskin Semaj (season 2): Mon Mothma's aide in the Galactic Senate and in her rebellious affairs. The character first appeared in the animated series ''Star Wars Rebels'', voiced by Josh Brener.
* Sam Gilroy as Gerdis (season 2): A member of the Maya Pei Brigade, a rebel cell on Yavin IV.
* Benjamin Norris as Bardi (season 2): A member of the Maya Pei Brigade.
* Robert Emms as Lonni Jung (season 2; guest season 1): An ISB supervisor who is secretly a rebel informant who reports to Luthen.
* Jacob James Beswick as Heert (season 2; guest season 1): An assistant to ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero. He is later promoted to ISB Supervisor himself and assigned by Major Partagaz to take over the investigation into "Axis".
* Richard Sammel as Carro Rylanz (season 2): A Ghorman elected official and leader of an emerging rebel group known as the Ghorman Front.
* Thierry Godard as Lezine (season 2): A male human and outspoken critic of the Galactic Empire's occupation of the planet Ghorman.
* Alistair Petrie as General Davits Draven (season 2): A rebel leader on Yavin IV. Petrie reprises his role from ''Rogue One''.
* Jonjo O'Neill as Captain Kaido (season 2): An Imperial Army officer and crisis specialist, deployed to Ghorman to oversee the tactics of instigating rebel dissent to warrant an Imperial response.

Dave Chapman voices Maarva Andor's droid B2EMO. Chapman was assisted in B2EMO's performance by Matthew Denton and Lee Towersey. Aidan Cook reprises his ''Rogue One'' role as Two Tubes, a loyal soldier in Saw Gerrera's partisan fighters. Bronte Carmichael appears as Mothma's teenage daughter Leida.

Ben Bailey Smith, Michael Jenn and Lucy Russell portray Imperial Security supervisors Blevin, Lagret and Grandi, respectively. Other Imperials include Lee Ross as Exmar Kloris, Mon Mothma's driver and a spy for ISB; Wilf Scolding as Vanis Tigo, captain of Imperial garrison on Ferrix; Nick Moss as Keysax, Tigo's lieutenant; Noof Ousellam as Corv, Imperial spy on Ferrix; Joshua James as Dr. Gorst, an ISB scientist who specializes in torture; and Kurt Egyiawan as Grymish, Dedra's attendant on Ghorman.

Other residents of Ferrix include Abhin Galeya as Salman Paak, a salvage shop owner who runs the Repaak Salyard; Kieran O'Brien as Pegla, a sentry for Zorby's Western Shiplot, the starship lot; Raymond Anum as Nurchi, a junk dealer; Victor Perez as Rashi, a grappler; Zubin Varla as Xanwan, the head of the transport business; Neil Bell as the "Time Grappler" who signals the time in the bell tower by banging his anvil; and Pamela Nomvete as Jezzi, a member of the Daughters of Ferrix.

Christopher Fairbank, Clemens Schick, Brian Bovell, Tom Reed, Josef Davies, Rasaq Kukoyi and Mensah Bediako appear as Ulaf, Ham, Jemboc, Taga, Xaul, Birnok and Zinska, respectively, all of whom are prison inmates on Narkina 5. Rosalind Halstead and Finley Glasgow appears as Davo Sculdun's wife Runai and son Stekan. Claire Brown and Laura Marcus appears as Mina-Rau resident's Talia and Beela, respectively.

Alaïs Lawson appears as Enza Rylanz, a member of her father's rebel group known as the Ghorman Front. Théo Costa-Marini, Abraham Wapler, Ella Pellegrini, Caroline Vanier, Ewens Abid, Alex Skarbek and Stefan Crepon appear as Dilan, Samm, Dreena, Leeza, Tazi, Capso and Thela, respectively, other rebels of Ghorman Front. Raphael Roger Levy appears as Dasi Oran, a senator that represented the planet Ghorman on the Imperial Senate.

Malcolm Sinclair appears as Colonel Wullf Yularen, a character from various ''Star Wars'' media, who was previously portrayed by Robert Clarke in '' A New Hope'' and voiced by Tom Kane in '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' and ''Star Wars Rebels''. In the final episode, Jonathan Aris, Sharon Duncan-Brewster and Eric MacLennan reprise their ''Rogue One'' roles as Senator Nower Jebel, Senator Tynnra Pamlo, and Private Tenzigo Weems respectively. Stephen Stanton reprises his voice of Admiral Raddus from ''Rogue One'', while performed by James Henri-Thomas where the character was previously performed by Paul Kasey in ''Rogue One''.

Additional guest stars include Belle Swarc as Andor's sister Kerri; Lee Boardman and Stephen Wight as Kravas and Verlo, the Pre-Mor officers who are killed by Andor. David Hayman appears as the Chieftain of the Aldhani natives; and Nick Blood as Kimzi, a corporal in Aldhani. Adrian Rawlins appears as Rhasiv, a prison medic on Narkina 5. Alex Waldmann appears as Lieutenant Krole, a low level Imperial officer carrying out crop audits on Mina-Rau. Marc Rissmann appears as Plutti, a member of Saw Gerrera's Partisans and Imperial spy. Josie Walker appears as a Force healer on Yavin IV.

Sam Witwer provides the uncredited voice of the shoretrooper who arrests Andor on Niamos. The Keredian brothers Dewi and Freedi Pamular are performed by Matt Lyons and Liam Cook, and voiced by Mike Quinn and Damian Farrell respectively. The narration for the "Welcome to Ghorman" video was provided by Wally Wingert. The alien Strang who attended Davo Sculdun's party is performed by Aiden Cook and voiced by Claire Roi Harvey. Senator Den Gane and Senator Nico are both performed by Caitlin Nicholas and voiced by Colin Purves.

Episodes

Season 1 (2022)

Season 2 (2025)

Production

Development

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced in November 2017 that Disney and Lucasfilm were developing live-action ''Star Wars'' television series for the new streaming service Disney+. One of these series was revealed a year later to be a prequel to the film ''Rogue One'' (2016). The series was described as a spy thriller show focused on the character Cassian Andor, with Diego Luna reprising his role from the film. Production was expected to begin in 2019 after Luna completed filming the second season of '' Narcos: Mexico'' (2020). Jared Bush originally developed the series, writing a pilot script and series bible for the project.

By the end of November 2018, Stephen Schiff was serving as showrunner and executive producer of the series, whose working title was ''Pilgrim''. Tony Gilroy, who was credited as a co-writer on ''Rogue One'' and oversaw extensive reshoots for the film, joined the series by early 2019 when he discussed the first story details with Luna. Gilroy, having received an earlier version of the script, compared Andor's relationship with K-2SO to that of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and felt it was "totally limited and claustrophobic". As such, he had sent a letter to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy explaining his vision for the series. By the next year, Kennedy had contacted Gilroy to ask if he was interested in joining the series. In July 2019, Rick Famuyiwa was in early talks to direct several episodes after doing the same for ''The Mandalorian'' (2019–2023), the first live-action ''Star Wars'' series. Gilroy's involvement was revealed that October, when he was set to write the first episode, direct multiple episodes and work alongside Schiff; Gilroy had officially replaced Schiff as showrunner by April 2020. Six weeks of pre-production for the series had taken place in the United Kingdom by then, but this was halted and production on the series delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-production had begun again by September ahead of a planned filming start the next month. At that time, Gilroy, who is based in New York, chose not to travel to the UK for production on the series due to the pandemic, and was therefore unable to direct the series' first episode. Instead, the UK-based Toby Haynes, who was already "high on the list" of potential directors for the series, was hired to direct the first three episodes. Gilroy would remain executive producer and showrunner. Kennedy announced the series' title, ''Andor'', in December 2020, along with its 2022 release date. Luna was revealed to be an executive producer on the series, which was set to consist of 12 episodes. In February 2021, Ben Caron and Susanna White were set as additional directors. Sanne Wohlenberg and Michelle Rejwan also executive produce.

In February 2022, star Stellan Skarsgård indicated that the series would have a second season, with filming for it beginning in late 2022. That April, cinematographer Adriano Goldman said there had originally been plans for the series to last five seasons, but he believed those had changed and that it was now expected to last three. At ''Star Wars'' Celebration a month later, Lucasfilm confirmed a 12-episode second season. Gilroy explained that the original five-season plan was deemed to be "physically impossible" due to the series' scale, and instead they realized that they could end the series with one more season that led directly into the events of ''Rogue One''.

Documentation submitted by E&E Industries (UK), the subsidiary responsible for ''Andor'', shows a total of $344.6 million spent by November 2022. This includes the costs of season 1 (/$271.6 million to November 2021), as well as subsequent season 1 costs and pre-production on season 2, likely mostly the latter (/$80.2 million). With a /$70.9 reimbursement, net costs to November 2022 reduced to approximately $273.7 million. 3782 crew were used on season 1 as of April 5, 2021. Season 2 had a reduced 1067 crew as of April 5, 2023.

Writing

In addition to Gilroy and Schiff, writers for the series include Beau Willimon and Gilroy's brother Dan. Gilroy urged his writing team to put aside their personal reverence and nostalgia for ''Star Wars'', fearing that such an attitude could change their behavior and work. Gilroy wanted the series to be accessible to all viewers, not just ''Star Wars'' fans, with the hope that those fans would be able to watch the series with their friends and family who are not interested in the rest of the franchise. He had also wanted to ensure the series was grounded in reality and had identified the main "navigational ''Star Wars'' piece of information" as being the calendar. During the first writers' room meeting, Gilroy had prepared a 100-page outline for the series, as he had already planned the structure of the series. Willimon and Dan Gilroy were present, in addition to executive producer Sanne Wohlenberg and production designer Luke Hull, calling Hull his "primary creative collaborator on the story". They had discussed the story for five days. Luna expressed his excitement at being able to explore the character of Andor further in the series after making ''Rogue One'', in which he originated the character.

Since ''Andor'' is a prequel to the film, Luna said it was "nice to go into a story f whichyou already know the ending. Now you can lesh outthe nuances and the layers. I think it's fun to do something that isn't just about getting to the end. It's about delaying that." Luna was able to suggest elements of the character's backstory that he had thought of during the filming of ''Rogue One'', and was grateful that Gilroy made the character a refugee. He explained, "It's the journey of a migrant, which to me is everything I come from. That feeling of is behind this story very profoundly". Luna felt that because of this, it was "difficult to find out where he comes from", and felt that Andor wanted to "find the opportunities, the freedom, the chances they don't find where they're born". He had also felt that Andor's character was important to members of the Hispanic and Latin American community, and wanted the "energy" of Mexico–United States relations to be represented in Andor's journey. Gilroy wanted to expand upon Andor's backstory, and had used a dialogue said by him in ''Rogue One'', "I've been in this fight since I was six years old!", as a starting point. In the development process, Gilroy had labelled it "The Education of Cassian Andor". From there, he had created the planet Kenari as his childhood home, where he had lived with other children and no adult supervision. Gilroy had compared it to being a "''Lord of the Flies'' (1954)-like tribe", with Andor's separation from the tribe also serving as an introduction to Maarva and Clem Andor, desiring to introduce the audience to the Ferrix culture early on as the writing team had spent time creating its social structure. Towards the beginning, he had described Maarva as loving Andor "as much as she could possibly love him", though in the beginning of the series, she had been disappointed by the direction of Andor's life. As the series had progressed, Gilroy wanted to develop the emotional connection between them.

The first season begins five years before ''Rogue One'' and tells one year of Andor's story when he first becomes a revolutionary. The next four years are then covered by the second season, which leads directly into the events of the film. Gilroy approached the two seasons as two-halves of a novel and described the show beginning as "a very simple, almost film noir situation for a thief ndor A skeevy kind of guy gets in big trouble, tries to sell something he has to save his ass". Luna said the series was about the building of a revolution, and said it was important to explore "the revolutionary we can become to change things, to stop war, to make this world a livable place" which he felt was relevant to real-world issues. Gilroy stated, "This guy gave his life for the galaxy, right? I mean, he consciously, soberly, without vanity or recognition, sacrificed himself. Who does that?" He wanted to explore that idea in the first season, beginning with Andor "being really revolution-averse, and cynical, and lost, and kind of a mess". The season shows the destruction of Andor's homeworld when he was a boy and is then based on Andor's adopted planet, which becomes radicalized against the Empire.

Luna and Gilroy said the series was also about "how the disenfranchised can stand up to effect change". Gilroy had not intentionally written the show to create political commentary and rejected the notion of being influenced by contemporary events, but said that it had come "instinctively", as his primary priority was characterization and serving the story. The writing team had used history as a "catalog" for the story with Gilroy further explaining that people can interpret the characters however they wish, but the main intention was for the audience to connect to them. Co-star Fiona Shaw described Gilroy's political commentary in the scripts as a "great, scurrilous akeon the Trumpian world", adding that "our world is exploding in different places right now, people's rights are disappearing, and ''Andor'' reflects that. n the showthe Empire is taking over, and it feels like the same thing is happening in reality, too". Meanwhile, Gough has stated that her character arc in the series deals with gender politics, while Gilroy explained that "We have a very, very, very deep dive into the Imperial side of the story". Gilroy had written Gough's character, Meero, with the intention of making her relatable to the audience as she had been putting genuine effort into doing her job and "fighting her way up in a male environment". After starting with Andor's story in the first three episodes, the fourth begins to expand the scope of the series to include the rest of its large ensemble cast, such as Rebel leader Mon Mothma, whose path will cross with Andor's in the second season. Gilroy felt ''Star Wars'' fans would see Mothma in a new light after watching the series, and added that there were key characters and events in the series that would be different or "more interesting" than fans previously realized: "What you've been told, what's on Wookieepedia... is really all wrong".

Tony Gilroy, Dan Gilroy and Beau Willimon returned to write for the second season, and were joined by Tom Bissell. The final three episodes of the second season cover the three days prior to the start of ''Rogue One'', with Gilroy saying "it'll be, like, four or five days, and then we'll jump a year, and then there'll be another four or five days, and then we jump a year", with the final shot leading into ''Rogue One''. While developing the season, Gilroy briefly considered to include Palpatine, but ultimately felt he was "too heavy to lift" into the plot. Likewise, Gilroy never considered including Darth Vader in the story as he feels that writing the character is "really limiting". For K-2SO's introduction in the season, Dan Gilroy originally wrote an entirely self-contained story for the season's ninth episode that played like a horror film, with a KX unit hunting over a huge tanker ship in Yavin with K-2SO involved in the scenario, but budget issues meant the show's crew couldn't afford its production and consolidated things instead, so they opted to move up Mon Mothma's Senate speech one episode, as it had been originally slated to occur in the tenth episode. Genevieve O'Reilly provided Tony Gilroy with input when writing Mothma's speech denouncing the Empire's role in the Ghorman Massacre in the ninth episode of the second season. While Gilroy had initially only written sections of the monologue which were to be spliced into a bigger montage, O'Reilly convinced him to write an entire speech. According to O'Reilly, filming for the scene occurred in May 2023. Gilroy expressed that after gaining confidence in Dulau's acting abilities from director feedback during the production of the first season, he did not want to leave the relationship between Kleya and Luthen ambiguous or explained by other creators, leading to the creation of the flashback scenes in "Make It Stop", depicting their relationship, which was inspired by the road movie '' Paper Moon'' (1973).

Design

Luke Hull served as production designer on the series, and described it as "very cinematic". Neal Scanlan provided the creature and droid effects after doing the same for all of Disney's ''Star Wars'' films, including ''Rogue One''. He said his team was treating the series the same as they did the films, and due to Gilroy's involvement the series would fit within the same "pocket of 'Star Wars''history" as ''Rogue One'' with a "slightly harder edge" than other ''Star Wars'' projects. Scanlan added that unused creatures developed for the films could be brought back for the series, alongside newly created creatures. An outdoor city set, which co-star Adria Arjona estimated to be three to five city blocks long, was built practically for the series.

Casting

Diego Luna was confirmed to be reprising his role as Cassian Andor from ''Rogue One'' with the series' announcement in November 2018. In April 2019, Alan Tudyk was announced as also reprising his ''Rogue One'' role of K-2SO. A year later, Stellan Skarsgård, Kyle Soller, Genevieve O'Reilly, and Denise Gough joined the cast. O'Reilly reprised her role of Mon Mothma from ''Rogue One'' and other ''Star Wars'' media. Adria Arjona joined the cast in August 2020, and Fiona Shaw was revealed to also be appearing in December, when Tudyk was not included in an official cast list. A month later, Tudyk confirmed that he would no longer be appearing in the first season due to Gilroy's story changes but he could appear in potential future seasons; he ultimately appeared in season 2. Robert Emms was cast in a supporting role in June 2021, when Skarsgård revealed that Forest Whitaker was reprising his role as Saw Gerrera from ''Rogue One''. In February 2022, David Hayman confirmed that he had a role in the series after being spotted by fans during filming. The first season has over 200 named cast members and over 6,000 extras.

Luna, Skarsgård, O'Reilly, Soller, Arjona, Gough, Marsay, Sethu, Elizabeth Dulau, Whitaker, Emms, Anton Lesser, and Muhannad Bhaier reprise their roles in the second season, among others. In March 2023, set footage revealed that Benjamin Bratt had been cast for the second season in an undisclosed role, later revealed to be Bail Organa, replacing Jimmy Smits in the role. In June 2024, Ben Mendelsohn was revealed to be reprising his role as Orson Krennic from ''Rogue One'' in the second season. Tudyk appears in the second season.

Filming

Filming began in London, England, at the end of November 2020, with the production based at Pinewood Studios. The series was filmed under the working title ''Pilgrim'', and was the first live-action ''Star Wars'' series to not make use of the StageCraft digital background technology. This was done because the scripts were more suited to being filmed on locations and large sets, and Luna noted that taking a different filming approach for the series made it similar to ''Rogue One'', whose filming style was distinct from other ''Star Wars'' films. Toby Haynes directed the first three episodes, with Benjamin Caron, Susanna White, and Haynes each directing another "block" of three episodes. Jonathan Freeman and Adriano Goldman served as cinematographers. The series was previously reported to begin filming in 2019, and then June 2020, but was delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both UK and U.S. COVID-19 protocols were followed on set, including daily temperature checks and tests for COVID-19 three times a week. Filming at Pinewood Studios was expected to end in July 2021.

By late January 2021, a large village set had been built on the grounds of a former quarry in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire, not far from Pinewood Studios, with filming expected to last there until April. Filming in April also took place at the Coryton Refinery in Corringham, Essex, and in East London at Canary Wharf where the plaza under the bridge to the Elizabeth line station served as the entrance to the Imperial Security Bureau on Coruscant. Canary Wharf had also been a filming location for ''Rogue One''. The concrete walkways of the Barbican Centre were used to represent buildings on Coruscant. Several days of filming occurred in Cleveleys on the Fylde Coast of Lancashire in early May, with the town's promenade and beach area dressed as an alien location, later revealed to be the resort planet of Niamos followed by another several days filming in the disused Winspit quarry in Dorset. Second unit and location filming began for at least a week at the end of May in Black Park, a country park in Buckinghamshire near Pinewood Studios which was also used for filming Disney's ''Star Wars'' films. By the end of May, main production on ''Pilgrim'' had moved to Glen Tilt in Perthshire, Scotland, and was expected to continue there until late June. Around 500 crewmembers traveled to Oban, Scotland, for filming at the nearby Cruachan Dam. This started by June 18, with sets built around the dam and filming also happening in its tunnels. From June 22 to 24, filming took place at Middle Peak Quarry near Wirksworth, Derbyshire. Production was expected to wrap in mid-2021, and Luna confirmed that it had finished by September 27.

The second season began filming on November 21, 2022, and was expected to last until August 2023, with Gilroy anticipating a year for post-production as with the first season. Episodes were once again filmed in "blocks" of three episodes at a time, with each block moving the story a year closer to the events of ''Rogue One''. Gilroy stated he would not direct in the second season because of his commitments as showrunner. Ariel Kleiman, Janus Metz, and Alonso Ruizpalacios directed episodes of the second season, with Kleiman directing six episodes. In March 2023 Season 2 was revealed to be filming in Xàtiva and Valencia with director Metz among the cast and crew including actor Benjamin Bratt indicating he had joined the series. In April 2023, filming was suspended in Winspit Quarry, near Worth Matravers in Dorset due to landslip concerns. The next month filming was suspended again due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. By that June, production had been approximately halfway completed. In June 2023, filming took place at Hever Castle in Kent. In July 2023, filming was cut short for the duration of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, with plans to resume production after both strikes concluded. Filming resumed in early January 2024 and wrapped on February 9, 2024.

Music

Gilroy contacted Nicholas Britell about composing for the series in 2020, before filming began so he could compose source music that would be played on set. Gilroy and Britell, who are neighbors in Manhattan, first met for the project in August 2020. Kennedy and Gilroy wanted the series to have a unique sound, and Britell said it would be "orchestral-plus" with a "wide range of sounds" including some that he had created. He added that the large scope of the series meant that "every episode has new demands, new music, and new ideas. It's important that as the story evolves, the music should evolve too." Britell was publicly revealed to be the series' composer in February 2022, and was still working on it that May when he said they had been "working nonstop for months, actually years, at this point". Recording was underway by then at AIR Lyndhurst studios in London, with a full orchestra. Britell was unable to travel to London due to the pandemic, but had a team in place there that also worked with him on other television series.

For season two, Britell did not return to score due to scheduling conflicts. He was replaced by Brandon Roberts. Britell did however write a limited amount of music for season two and is credited as the main composer of episodes four and five.

Marketing

A sizzle reel featuring behind-the-scenes footage of pre-production and filming was released during Disney's Investors Day presentation in December 2020, when the series' title and cast was officially announced by Kennedy. Gilroy, Luna, and O'Reilly promoted the series at ''Star Wars'' Celebration in May 2022, where they revealed the first teaser trailer. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' Aaron Couch said it showed the "gritty side" of the ''Star Wars'' universe. Daniel Chin of '' The Ringer'' felt the series had a unique identity in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, with a darker tone, and said the teaser "paints a picture of the formative years of the rebellion against the Empire". Ryan Scott from ''/Film'' felt the teaser gave the "most comprehensive view at the show up to this point". He said the series could explore the morality behind the Rebels, writing that while they are usually seen as heroes there is also "much gray area in there to be explored". Writing for '' CNET'', Sean Keane felt the trailer did not give much away but gave an "intriguing taste of the show's espionage tone".

Luna promoted the series and debuted the official trailer on ''Good Morning America'' on August 1. Hattie Lindert from ''The A.V. Club'' highlighted the action scenes in the trailer, saying "In addition to the epic scale and darker tone, the series also promises intense fight scenes created with limited green screen use" and also noted Gilroy's experience with action films due to his work on the ''Jason Bourne'' films. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' James Hibberd enjoyed Andor's increased screen-time in the trailer compared to the teaser, and felt the series was a "welcome scenic change from the company's previous ''Star Wars'' shows". At CNN, Scottie Andrew felt it "reveals a bit more about Andor's evolution from common thief to galactic martyr". Luna and Kennedy promoted the series at the 2022 D23 Expo, with ''CNET''s Keane writing "The trailer paints a pretty grim setup for revolutionary fighter Cassian Andor and his pals, as fighting the Empire and row upon row of Stormtroopers looks like a one-way ticket to death". Meanwhile, ''Collider''s Rachel Leishman felt the trailer "gives us a bit more of a look at where the rebellion is and who is fighting back against the Empire" and was excited for the portrayal of the Empire in the series, writing "Seeing these little missions and the feelings that the rebels have towards the Empire feels so perfectly align with what we know about Cassian that this trailer really just has us excited for what is to come with the series".

Footage from the second season was shown at ''Star Wars'' Celebration London in April 2023. A trailer for the second season was shown at the 2024 D23 Expo. The official teaser trailer for the second season was released on February 24, 2025.

Release

Streaming

''Andor'' premiered on Disney+ on September 21, 2022, with the first three episodes being released. The rest of the 12-episode first season was released weekly, until November 23, 2022. The series previously was expected to debut in 2021, before production was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was originally set to premiere on August 31 with two episodes. In November 2022, Disney announced that the first two episodes of the first season would air on ABC on November 23, on FX on November 24, and Freeform on November 25, and be available on Hulu from November 23 through December 7. A similar move was to be also replicated across various countries in Europe, including Portugal, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands, with the first two episodes airing on Fox, on November 24 or 25, depending on the country.

The second season, also consisting of 12 episodes, was expected to be released in August 2024, but because of delays in production due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, it premiered on April 22, 2025, with three episodes releasing weekly until May 13.

Home media

The first season of ''Andor'' was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on April 30, 2024, with SteelBook packaging, concept art cards, and bonus features, including featurettes.

''Andor: Season 1'' had 59% of its sales come from the 4K Ultra HD version, which helped it secure the No. 1 spot on the 4K chart. It also ranked No. 3 on the Blu-ray chart for the week ending May 4, 2024.

Reception

Viewership

Season 1

Whip Media's TV Time, which tracks viewership data for the more than 25 million worldwide users, reported that ''Andor'' was the second most-anticipated new television series for September 2022. It was the third most-streamed original series in the U.S. for the week of October 16. It subsequently became the top original series every week from October 23 though November 27. JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 20 million users around the world, stated that ''Andor'' was the most-streamed series in the U.S. for the week of September 25. It remained in the top ten from November 7–20. The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which tracks real-time data from 5 million U.S. users for original and acquired content across SVOD and AVOD services, announced that ''Andor'' was the most-watched program for the week of September 28. It remained in the top ten from October 5 to November 11.

Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on certain U.S. television screens, estimated that the series was watched for 356 million minutes from October 3–9. It was subsequently watched for 418 million minutes from October 17–23, according to Nielsen. Streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol, which monitors daily updated VOD charts and streaming ratings across the globe, reported that ''Andor'' was the ninth most-streamed series on Disney+ in 2022. According to the file-sharing news website ''TorrentFreak'', ''Andor'' was the tenth most-watched pirated television series of 2022. ''Andor'' generated over $300 million in global streaming subscriber revenue for Disney+ from its debut in September 2022 through the end of 2024. It surpassed the performance of other ''Star Wars'' live-action series like ''The Book of Boba Fett'' and ''Ahsoka''.

''Andor'' experienced lower viewership compared to other ''Star Wars'' series. ''Time'' attributed this to factors such as "franchise fatigue," insufficient fan service, competition from other fantasy and sci-fi shows, and the "lackluster ''Obi-Wan Kenobi''" miniseries. ''MovieWeb'' noted that despite some initial reports suggesting lower demand, ''Andor'' still managed to perform well, with audience demand significantly higher than average streaming shows. Parrot Analytics, which looks at consumer engagement in consumer research, streaming, downloads, and on social media, reported that ''Andor'''s audience demand was 34.1 times higher than that of the average TV show, with ''The Mandalorian'' close behind at 34 times the average demand, from October 15–21, 2022. Parrot Analytics later announced that ''Andor'' was the most in-demand United States breakout television series, referring to shows that have premiered in the past 100 days, from November 12–18, 2022. It had 37.7 times the average demand of all other series in the United States.

Season 2

Parrot analytics revealed that ''Andor'' led Canadian demand among digital original series for the week of April 20–27, following the April 22 premiere of its second season on Disney+. The show achieved a demand average of 46.1 times the market average, placing it at No. 1 on the Top 10 Digital Originals chart in Canada. It also ranked No. 3 overall across all TV shows in the country (including linear, pay TV, SVOD, and AVOD), with a demand average of 46, behind ''The Last of Us'' and ''Saturday Night Live''.

Whip Media announced that ''Andor'' was the top streaming original series in the U.S. for the week ending April 27, as well as for the week ending May 18. Reelgood stated it was the second most-streamed series in the U.S. for the week ending April 30. Justwatch reported that ''Andor'' was among the five most-streamed shows in the U.S. from April 28 to May 4, before moving to the top three between May 5–11. It reached first place during the week of May 12–18.

Analytics company Samba TV, which gathers viewership data from certain smart TVs and content providers, revealed that ''Andor'' attracted 1.2 million U.S. households who watched the first episode within the first six days. This figure matches the viewership for the premiere episode of ''Andor'' Season 1 over the same time span in September 2022. Nielsen Media Research estimated that that the series was watched for 721 million minutes in the U.S. from April 21–27. Approximately 65% of ''Andor''’s viewing total during the measured period was attributed to the first three new episodes, suggesting that some viewers were also revisiting Season 1. The series was also the most male-skewing title of the week, with 67% of its audience identifying as male. ''Andor'''s viewership later increased to 821 million minutes from April 28 to May 4. It further rose to 830 million minutes from May 5 to 11. Luminate, which gathers viewership data from certain smart TVs in the U.S., said that ''Andor'' Season 2 demonstrated strong viewership growth due to its unique release strategy—dropping three episodes per week over four weeks. This approach defied the typical audience drop-off seen in other ''Star Wars'' series such as ''Ahsoka'' and ''Skeleton Crew''. While those series peaked in their second week, ''Andor'' built momentum steadily, culminating in its highest single-day viewership—171 million minutes—with the release of its final batch of episodes. Audience retention between episodes remained stable, with only a 20% drop from episode 3 to episode 4, compared to a 31% decline for ''Ahsoka''. Season 1 had already shown long-term appeal, growing its total audience by 46% over a year, outperforming ''Ahsoka'' (20%) and ''The Mandalorian'' Season 3 (21%).

Critical response

Season 1

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 96% with an average rating of 8.55/10 based on 609 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A gritty adventure told from the ground perspective of the Empire's reign, ''Andor'' is an exceptionally mature and political entry into the ''Star Wars'' mythos – and one of the best yet." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 74 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

''Andor'' was considered one of the best TV series of 2022, and was praised for its differences from other ''Star Wars'' shows. NPR's Mandalit del Barco summarized that ''Andor'' was "being hailed as the most complex, mature story in ''Star Wars'' lore". In a four star review, Jack Seale of ''The Guardian'' called ''Andor'' "the best ''Star Wars'' show since ''The Mandalorian''". Caroline Framke of ''Variety'' was positive towards ''Andor''s departure from other ''Star Wars'' projects with a "story of people who have nothing to do with Solos, Skywalkers or Palpatines, but whose lives matter nonetheless". Similarly, Nicholas Quah of the ''Vulture'' called the show "a breath of fresh air" and praised the "utter confidence of its storytelling", "richness of its political ideas", score, production design and dialogue.

Simon Cardy of ''IGN'' praised the characters and character development, calling it "one of the very best things ever to come out of the ''Star Wars'' universe" in a 9 out of 10 review. The characterizations were criticized by Mike Hale of ''The New York Times'', who considered them thin and unfulfilling.

Season 2

Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 97% with an average rating of 8.95/10 based on 185 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Investing startling conviction and gravity into the ''Star Wars'' sandbox, ''Andor'' superb second season lights a fire of rebellion that heats up the screen." Metacritic assigned a score of 92 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Writing for ''Collider'', Maggie Lovett wrote that "the only flaw in the entire series is the fact that it's over now. Luckily, it is an end worthy of one of the most impactful characters ''Star Wars'' has ever created, with this grand finale a triumph for both Gilroy and Luna." Writing for ''Vulture'', Nicholas Quah wrote that " 'Andor''ssecond season doesn't just cement the show's standing as the best ''Star Wars'' project ever made. ''Andor'' reorients that fantasy in the service of something greater than itself. ''Andor'' is a miracle, and we'd be so lucky if we see something like it ever again."

In a review for ''Empire'', Sophie Butcher wrote the second season was "beautifully made, cleverly structured and genuinely moving", and "solidifies Tony Gilroy's spin-off as one of the greats. This is ''Star Wars'' — and small-screen storytelling in general — at its best."

The sexual assault of Bix Caleen by Imperial officer Lieutenant Krole in the third episode "Harvest" attracted a mixed reception from some viewers and fans. Other fans defended the scene for highlighting the plight of undocumented migrants, the evil of fascist regimes or compared it to the Princess Leia "slave bikini" costume in ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983). During an interview with ''The Hollywood Reporter'', showrunner Gilroy defended the scene, arguing that shying from sexual assault was not authentic for a war story. He said: Caleen's actor Adria Arjona also defended the scene, stating: Arjona confirmed that she worked with director Ariel Kleiman while filming Caleen's confrontation with Krole, stating that she gave input into a scene showing her character breaking free of Krole by backhanding him.

The death of Cinta Kaz in the sixth episode "What a Festive Evening" received mixed reactions from critics and fans. Some critics called her death a "misstep", a "slap in the face" which furthers the "emotional arc of her white counterpart", furthers "regressive tropes" like bury your gays, reinforced the franchise's bad track record for LGBTQ characters, and said that fans were "rightfully upset", while calling inclusion of Cinta Kaz and Vel Sartha a "step forward". ''PinkNews'' and ''Den of Geek'' reported that fans were "rightfully upset" with the death of Cinta, with a "mixture of heartbreak and rage", and asserting that the series was deploying negative tropes in the process. Other critics and commenters said that the death of Cinta was a "painful reminder of how rarely our stories are allowed to be fully told", and was heartbreaking, following a trend of how "queer relationships often get written in Hollywood" by fridging the Vel/Cinta couple.

Critics for ''Gizmodo'', ''TheGamer'', and ''Polygon'' gave a different view. They argued that the death of Cinta did not follow negative tropes, but that treating queer characters as full characters requires "sometimes...putting them at risk" and has queer characters being "treated the same as straight ones", with her death treated with weight rather than pure "shock value", with no character safe from death in the series. These critics acknowledged that the franchise has work to do when it comes to "introducing prominent LGBTQ characters", criticized the queer representation in Star Wars as "incredibly bleak", called her death "bitter", "retrograde", and praised Vel's speech to the one who killed Cinta. During an interview with ''TVLine'', showrunner Gilroy said he treats the kiss between Vel and Cinta as "a regular thing" and described their relationship something which connects to bigger themes "about revolution and what it costs you to be involved in it, and the kind of courage it takes" and defended the death of Cinta, saying that if people don't die, "it would really be disingenuous", while adding that calling for Cinta to die was "tough decision to make, tough phone calls to make to the actors."

Varada Sethu, who plays Cinta, told ''Variety'', in an interview, that she was glad to see that "people cared about Cinta in the way that I care about her", calling it heartwarming, and saying Cinta's death was "cleverly done and...truthful in how people experience death", while saying it is "shocking", she predicted that Cinta would "die in the rebellion", and adding that if Cinta and Vel had survived, they would dream of going "into hiding somewhere if they could" but would actually "end up staying in the rebellion." In an interview with ''Elle'', Sethu said that the death of Cinta "made perfect sense" while tragic and clever, adding that she could "fangirl about this show forever" noted that the kiss scene between Vel and Cinta was "a bit...off-the-cuff" and called the relationship between Cinta and Vel as a real and flawed which is a "mirror into the world".

Accolades

''Andor'' was critically acclaimed and consistently ranked first in the top ten on numerous publications' "Best of 2022" lists for television series, including that of ''IGN'', ''Polygon'', ''USA Today'', ''Vulture'', and ''Empire'', among others. Numerous publications also considered ''Andor'' the best ''Star Wars'' TV show, including ''The Times'', ''The Guardian'', and ''Vulture''.

Notes

References

External links

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