‘Andor’ at TCA: Two-Year Saga Will Walk Audiences ‘Right Into’ ‘Rogue One’

Disney and Lucasfilm’s “Andor” will be a two-season television event, but showrunner Tony Gilroy has clarified how the series will cover the five years between its start and “Rogue One.”

During Wednesday’s TCA panel for the series, Gilroy shared that “Andor: Part 1” will cover one year in the life of the rising rebel Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). “Part 2” will divide up the remaining four years before Andor meets his “Rogue One” rebel squad, with different directors helming three episodes at a time that cover a different year in Andor’s life. He also confirmed that the series finale “will walk you right into ‘Rogue One.'”

Gilroy also discussed the show’s relationship to the wider Star Wars canon, particularly a graphic novel in which Andor meets the droid K-2SO. K-2SO does not appear in “Andor: Part 1,” which Gilroy explained is directly related to where Cassian is as a person. According to Gilroy, the character we meet at the start of “Andor” is not nearly bold or experienced enough to reprogram an imperial droid like K-2, let alone roam freely with it drawing attention to him. Gilroy’s comments also tie back to concerns that Star Wars fans had with “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” most of which were tied up by series’ end.

“We’re telling the story that we want to tell and we’re not violating the grand canon, let’s put it that way,” he said.

“Andor” premieres September 21 with three episodes on Disney+.