‘Andor’ returns with final season

Andor returns Tuesday for its second and final season, continuing its darker, more mature take on the Star Wars universe.

Creator Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote Rogue One and penned The Bourne Identity, brings a grounded approach far from the usual Disney tone. That sensibility was evident in Rogue One, which Andor leads into.

“Everything is emotionally charged,” said star Diego Luna. “We’re getting close to Rogue One.”

Disney reportedly spent $645 million on the 12-episode series, per Forbes. Season 1, which ended in 2022, earned a 96% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

“It’s about how one of those characters gets there,” Luna said, contrasting Andor with Rogue One's focus on sacrifice.

The show explores the moral complexity of both rebels and the Empire. Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård plays a key rebel operative.

Originally planned for five seasons, the story was condensed.

“There’s no physical way to do it,” Gilroy said.

Luna added, “The episodes are more intense, more complex in every possible way.”

Season 2 debuts Tuesday in the U.S., and Wednesday in Europe.

Revolutionary themes

Alongside shows like The Mandalorian, Andor has stood out for its realism and political weight.

“All this crazy stuff I’ve learnt about... the Russian Revolution and... the French Revolution, and Thomas Paine and Oliver Cromwell and the Haitian Revolution and the Roman Revolution and Zapata,” Gilroy said. “I mean, it’s all in there.”

Season 2 spotlights propaganda and the planet Ghorman, shaped through deep world-building.

“I loved that show... I had some of those actors in my head,” Gilroy said of his inspiration from A French Village, set during WWII.

Though some themes may resonate with current events, Gilroy said that wasn’t intentional.

“The sad truth is that history is... rinse and repeat,” he said. “We so commonly feel, narcissistically, that we live in unique times.”

Technology might change, the rhetoric might alter, "but the dynamic of oppression and resistance are a Catherine wheel. It just keeps going. I think it's timeless, sadly."