‘Andor’ star describes the ‘Star Wars’ spinoff as the ‘journey of a migrant’

Lucasfilm

Diego Luna confirms that the Star Wars series Andor will be about the experiences of a migrant. Andor is a spinoff prequel from Star Wars: Rogue One and the actor will be reprising his role as the heroic Cassian Andor, delving even deeper into his backstory.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Luna calls the series a refugee story in the face of the overwhelmingly oppressive Empire.

“It’s the journey of a migrant. That feeling of having to move is behind this story, very profoundly and very strong. That shapes you as a person. It defines you in many ways, and what you are willing to do.”

In Rogue One, Captain Cassian Andor joins a group of resistance fighters tasked with stealing the Death Star plans for the Rebel Alliance. He’s a resourceful spy and assassin who inspires the people that he leads with his cool-headedness, and when he learns about the “planet killer,” he knows that something must be done.

Rogue One was an undeniable success at the box office, making over $1 billion dollars worldwide, so it makes sense that Disney chose to green light this series. It’s one of the Star Wars stories that isn’t completely focused on Jedi, but on major events in the Star Wars universe, and based on The Mandalorian’s success, it’s a formula that works.

Series creator Tony Gilroy also described the series as a story about selfless sacrifice, and how Cassian’s transformation will take place.

“This guy gave his life for the galaxy, right? I mean, he consciously, soberly, without vanity or recognition, sacrificed himself. Who does that? That’s what this first season is about. It’s about him being really revolution-averse, and cynical, and lost, and kind of a mess. His adopted home will become the base of our whole first season, and we watch that place become radicalized, Then we see another planet that’s completely taken apart in a colonial kind of way. The Empire is expanding rapidly. They’re wiping out anybody who’s in their way.”

The story will begin with the destruction of Andor’s birth world and will be set five years prior to the events in Rogue One during the formative years of the rebellion. Reportedly, Andor has been confirmed for a season two and stars Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, Alan Tudyk, Genevieve O’Reilly, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Fiona Shaw.

Andor season one is expected to release on Disney Plus sometime in 2022.