Credit: Inside the MagicProduction on Season 2 of the critically-acclaimed Star Wars spinoff, Andor, is currently underway. The show’s creator, Tony Gilroy, recently shared some new information on the series’ sophomore season and explained how, and more importantly, when audiences can expect to see events unravel in future episodes.
Airing on Disney+ from August to November 2022, Andor established the structure of telling story arcs in three-episode blocks throughout its first season. In each of these arcs, which led to its action-packed conclusion, viewers saw Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) slowly evolving as a character until he eventually chose to join the Rebellion.
Season 2 will almost certainly see the eponymous hero joining forces with Stellan Skarsgård’s Luthen Rael to fight back against the Galactic Empire. We’ll also get more backstory on how exactly Cassian became the skilled Rebel spy audiences were first introduced to in Rogue One (2016).
Why story specifics remain unknown, Gilroy recently shed new light on what fans can expect to see in Season 2 during an Andor FYC Emmy event, which included a Q&A with the showrunner and some of the cast.
During the panel, he revealed that, similarly to Season 1, Season 2 will also comprise “three-block chunks,” covering three days each, spanning four years. The final episodes will then lead directly into Rogue One. Read Gilroy’s full quote below:
What we’re doing now for the second season, to finish, is we have four years to cover. Because we break down in these three block chunks, each block of three will be a year; we’re going to jump a year. When we come back for the second [season], we’ll come back [and] a year will have evaporated, and it’ll take place over a Friday, Saturday, and a Sunday. Then we’ll jump a year, and we’ll do the same thing again. We’ll do it four times. The last tranche will be the [three] days before Rogue One, and then we’ll walk you into the movie.
Considering that the second season of Andor will feature multiple time jumps, this opens the possibility of a faster evolution for Cassian, who will become increasingly entrenched in working for a bigger cause over these mini-arcs. We’ll also see Cassian getting his hands dirty as a Rebel operative in the months leading to his guilt-fueled, heartbreaking sacrifice in Rogue One.
It is interesting that each three-episode block will only follow a few days, meaning they will cover specific, key moments in the growth of the Rebellion rather than following one serialized story arc. Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) will also likely get her chance to shine in one of these arcs, along with Adria Arjona’s Bix Caleen and maybe even Cassian’s trusty droid, K-2SO (Alan Tudyk).
With Andor‘s second and final season set to end right before the events of Rogue One, it’ll be interesting to get a closer look into Cassian’s mindset leading up to his decision to go on a suicide mission to retrieve the Death Star plans.
Andor Season 2 is expected to arrive on Disney+ in August 2024.
What do you think of Andor Season 2 featuring multiple time jumps and three-episode arcs? Share your opinions the comments below.