Everyone who’s been on board withAndorsince the beginning has known that all roads would lead toRogue One: A Star Wars Story, where its titular character first debuted, but no one could have predicted just how much this prequel TV series would change theStar Warsmovie that’s since been named Disney’s best in the franchise thus far. WithAndorseason 2 leading directly intoCassian Andor’s first scene inRogue One, the two were destined to be tied closely together.
Andorseason 2’s impact, however, goes far beyond joining these two pieces of media together, as star Diego Luna has emphasized himself. Speaking toStarWars.com, Luna discusses how the big reveal at the end ofAndorseason 2 has changedRogue Oneforever. Becausewe get to see “what he’s capable of leaving behind,“we won’t ever “think about Cassian [the same way] ever again.” It’s a very emotional, and very realistic, kind of impact.
Diego Luna: I don’t think you’ll think about Cassian [the same way] ever again, not just because of what he’s capable of in the film, but because of what he’s capable of leaving behind. What he’s not going to have. I think it’s powerful and it’s very strong. It’s a beautiful way of reminding you what’s behind change: people that probably wanted to have a family, people that probably just wanted to be happy next to those they love. And I think it reminds us how lucky we are if we’re capable of having that in our lives.
What Andor’s Impact On Rogue One Means For Star Wars
It Proves Something Important For The Franchise
Although it was already considered by many as thebest DisneyStar Warsmovieto date,Rogue One’s legacy has improved even more thanks toAndor, particularly season 2 - especially for everything Luna states in the above quote. Like the speech Luthen Rael gives to Lonnie inAndorseason 1, episode 10 “One Way Out,“Cassian literally burns his life to make a sunrise he’ll never see.
He dies knowing he could have had a chance to reconnect with Bix, and we as the audience know that he could have become a father with a child he never knew they had together. It’s a very real look at how rebellions work in real time, and how sacrifices like this often have to be made in order to give more people the kind of life that rebels like Cassian himself always wanted for themselves.
In terms of theStar Warsfranchise itself,Andor’s everlasting impact onRogue Onemeans something valuable, too. It showshowStar Warscan continue to enrich existing storiesin such a way.
It Takes Something Greater & Makes It Even Greater
Image via Disney+
Andorhas become a masterclass in how to use a prequel story to enrich something that already exists.Andorstands strong enough on its own, as doesRogue One, but it has forever recontextualized both the story and its characters in a way thatmakes both extremely more valuable.
We live in a world where prequels can often start to feel unnecessary and, in certain cases, even harmful to the original material, butAndorseason 2 proves how a perfect prequel ought to function. Cassian’s sacrifice inRogue Oneis now even more meaningful, and because of what we see him give up inAndor, we know that many other rebels like him more than likely sacrificed the same things - making the Rebellion’s ultimate victory inReturn of the Jedithat much more powerful.
