‘Andor’ Season 1 Ensemble Teases Where Their Characters Are Heading Next
The cast of Andor recently hyped up the second season of the show in a set of interviews with Screen Rant. They continued to praise the writing of the show, and in particular, some of them shared their excitement for their characters’ arcs in the new episodes.
Diego Luna kicked things off by sharing the status of his character in season 2. During the convention, showrunner Tony Gilroy confirmed that Cassian Andor has now joined the Rebellion, and he’s done it for good; there will be no backpedaling on his decision in season 2, he said. But that only means there are some exciting moments ahead for him as he tries to integrate into this new structure, as Diego Luna described it:
“He’s ready to join, but he doesn’t know what he’s getting into. He doesn’t speak the language. He has to learn a new language; he has to understand many things. He has to witness and meet some people that are going to be crucial in shaping him to become the man that is willing to sacrifice everything for the Rebellion.
There’s still a lot that needs to happen, and it’s gonna be exciting. This structure is quite cool. It’s four blocks, and each block is one year. But between each block, there’s a time just. It’ll be challenging for audiences in a good way, and maybe it’ll be exciting and different from season 1.”
He added that he’s moved on from being a guy trying to survive to become a full-time spy for the nascent Rebel Alliance. As we know, a key player in how the Alliance evolved from a bunch of isolated, Empire-defying cells into a full-fledged operation is Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma. The character had a very specific arc in the first season, and she stayed out of the main picture for the most part. Season 2 must show us how she steps into that leadership position, and that will be easier now that we understand her well, as the actress told Screen Rant:
“I think in season 1, we set her up. You understand that world. I think in season 2, Tony really digs down [into] what the cost is of her choices. What it costs, for her in particular with her ideals, to have to navigate the Empire not just at work but at home as well.”
The teaser trailer that was shown to audiences at Star Wars Celebration didn’t provide many details or clues about the second season, but it did show Mon Mothma (along with many other returning characters) with a brand-new look that is likely a reflection of her new position.
That teaser also showed us the return of Kyle Soller as Syril Karn, who we can confirm is still eating cereal. Soller hyped up the second season during his conversation with Screen Rant, and also teased the season-in-the-making alliance between Syril Karn and Dedra Meero:
“Season 2? I mean, it pops off in season 2. They’ve turned it up to [11]. What can I say? Where you leave Syril in season 1 is in that little Star Wars cover with Dedra in the middle of the riot. There’s so much potential from that moment. They both want the same; they both want Cassian, and they both realize that they can be stronger together. There can be some union involved here, but they don’t know what that is.
You’ve got all these time jumps in season 2. It’s a year gap before we start, and then there’s three more because we’ve got to get up to the beginning of Rogue One. And as a result, there’s all these incredible moments happening. I’ve always thought of Syril as an adolescent in [terms of] who he is. He doesn’t really know who he is, actually. In season 2, he finds out what his truth is, and he knows how to get what he wants. And it kicks off, man. It kicks off.”
He added that we will see a lot of Dedra and Syril in season 2, but we will also get some time alone with his character. Said Soller:
“Yeah, there’s a section where you find Syril on his own. And it’s in a very, very, very different way from season 1. I think in the time jumps, there’s just such a cliffhanger from where he’s going and what’s going to happen near the end of season 1. Who’s this Dedra person? There’s something going on there. I really wanted to find out whether he was going to move out of his mom’s house, and then what was going to happen to Dedra. And you get answers to both of those things.”
Also returning for season 2 is Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen, a character that had a rough time during the tail end of season 1. She is very much a changed person now, and she will be carrying that trauma into season 2, as she explained to Screen Rant, and will culminate in a “powerful” arc:
“It really set her up in a loop. I think Bix, from the second you meet her to the end of the season, is a very different woman. I think she’s really gone through it. And towards the end, what does that mean for season 2?
For me, those are all my questions the second I wrapped the show. Does this make her vengeful? Does it make her weak? Is she going to take a step down because she’s afraid now? Is this going to affect her psychologically? How is she going to get over this? It was all these questions, and Tony was like, ‘You’ve gotta relax. I will get there.’ Because her journey in this next season is pretty powerful.”
A character we still don’t know for sure is returning for season 2 is Andy Serkis’ Kino Loy. Lucasfilm seemingly confirmed his return in a press release following Star Wars Celebration, but as we argued in our story, it could have very well been a mistake, as his involvement has not been acknowledged anywhere else or at any point during the convention. However, Screen Rant did have a chat with the actor about the first season and his character’s last moments. Serkis summed up his character’s entire arc as follows:
“The backstory of the Kino Loy character is that he was once a worker, but also a union representative. He was very powerful; he galvanized people. Therefore, the authorities saw him as a bit of a threat. He was incarcerated in Narkina-5, and he completely went against his principles and just wanted to survive.
He didn’t think about others; just wanted to get through his sentence, believing that he would get released. He becomes quite selfish, actually. As long as he’s hitting his targets, in terms of the construction within what they’re making on the production line, then he’s fine.
Until the arrival of Cassian, who reignites his spirit and brings him back to himself. He sees himself, and that enabled him to help others to a point where he finally self-sacrifices. It’s an incredible arc, and I love playing every second of it.”
Production on Andor season 2 is currently underway in the UK. It is targeting an August 2024 release on Disney Plus. Production will wrap this August. The entire cast is back, as are the season 1 writers, with the addition of Tom Bissell. The directing roster is completely different now, with Ariel Kleiman (six eps.), Janus Metz (three eps.), and Alonso Ruizpalacios (three eps.) working on the second season.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as movies from Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
