The prequel to the prequel show Andor recently debuted its first three episodes on Disney Plus, and fans were impressed to find a show that wasn’t about a bounty hunter or a messiah figure with laser sword. Now show creator Tony Gilroy says we haven’t seen anything yet.
Gilroy recently spoke with IndieWire about what’s in store for future episodes. Turns out that the show has an intentionally slow start to illustrate how Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) goes from being a nobody to someone that helps bring down a Death Star.
“How does a nobody, absolute nobody, forgotten, careless nobody, become this incredible person? I’m not going to call him a messianic character, but there is an aspect of it that is a journey of someone who has a destiny,” Gilroy said.
The point was to take someone who has burned all their bridges and redeem them. “He’s just f*cked it all up. He’s that guy that nobody really wants to see coming down the street anymore. Nobody wants to give him their keys to their apartment. He’s just that guy you don’t trust anymore. We all know people like that.”
Andor follows the rebel’s life for about five years, which will translate into two already planned, self-contained seasons. This means that there’s quite the journey ahead for the hero. When asked what fans should expect from the show, Gilroy was more than happy to share his thoughts.
“I think they should expect a major journey, an odyssey for Cassian Andor, and I think they should demand of us that we better the emotional response. I think they should hold us to the standard that we start in the first three, four episodes.”
It is refreshing to hear a showrunner talk about an emotional and narrative arc, especially when you realize this is the same universe where Jar Jar Binks became a senator. Gilroy’s comments bode well for the future of the franchise, even if we have to take Gilroy’s optimism with a grain of salt considering his bias as showrunner.
“Emotionally, viscerally, action-wise in every way, we plan on delivering and bettering that all the way through the whole show. That’s our plan. That’s our goal. We’re really going somewhere by Episode 12 — which is so fantastic, it’s the night before Thanksgiving. If what we’re doing works, that should be a very potent moment.”
The first three episodes of Andor are currently streaming on Disney Plus. Subsequent episodes release every Wednesday.