The Andor season one finale is now in sight, with the show already cementing itself as by far the best Disney Plus Star Wars show. The second run of episodes are about to start filming, which will take the title hero’s story right up to where we first met him in Rogue One. As it turns out, fans are so on board with what showrunner Tony Gilroy has created, they’re hoping he sticks around to tackle one of the most complex characters in the franchise:
Grand Admiral Thrawn got his start in the early 90s in the old Legends continuity, but made the jump to the Disney era in Star Wars Rebels, and has since received two trilogies of novels by creator Timothy Zahn. He’s an Imperial military leader, one distinguishes himself from the rest of the Empire with his tactical genius and ability to inspire loyalty in his soldiers. This makes him quite different from the likes of Darth Vader, whose military style is all about overwhelming force and creating a culture of fear.
We will likely see Thrawn in live-action in Ahsoka next year, though his backstory and rise through the ranks would make for an interesting show. Supporters of the idea say the Andor team has shown they have the intelligence and ability to tell this story:
Give them all the time in the world:
If they did choose to do it, they’d nail it:
There are some pointed opposing views, to be fair. Most practically, Gilroy has said he’s done with Star Wars once Andor wraps up (even if Lucasfilm parking a dump truck full of money outside his house may make him reconsider), and fans point out that one of the big reasons his show has worked so well is that most of the characters are original creations:
We can also easily see Gilroy moving on to other things after Andor:
Is Andor succeeding precisely because it doesn’t care about fan service?
Andor has now set an incredibly high bar for other Star Wars shows to clear. It’s going be jarring when The Mandalorian returns for its third season in early 2023, and we’re suddenly expected to care about cowboy-in-space Darksaber shenanigans after 12 episodes underlining why the only way to combat a fascist state is via armed revolution.
So, while we wouldn’t blame Gilroy for taking a break from Star Wars after Andor, we’re hoping he won’t stay away for good.