Season 2 of the Andor series, which serves as a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, will have several time jumps of varying lengths across its 12 episodes, as explained by the show’s creator, Tony Gilroy. Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, joins the Rebel Alliance in its early days of fighting the Galactic Empire in this Disney+ series. After an incident that forces Cassian to flee from his adoptive home of Ferrix, he attracts the attention of Rebel agent Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard). He becomes involved in a number of events that not only show him the true tyranny of the Empire but also mark some of the first incidences of Rebellion against the Imperial government.
Gilroy discussed the time leaps in season 2 of Andor with Deadline after the season 1 conclusion, explaining how the show will eventually lead into the events in Rogue One. According to the showrunner, the second season will pick up with Cassian a year after the Ferrix rebellion in the first, and time jumps in subsequent episodes would range from a few days to a year. Read on for Gilroy’s entire statement:
“So, when we return for our second half, it’ll be a year later. An entire year will have gone on. All kinds of things will have happened, and we’ll pick up the show; sometimes we’ll do a week, we’ll do three days, we’ll do four days, whatever, and then we’ll drop a year in between.”
Season 2 of Andor will start four years before the Battle of Yavin, in 4 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), and will lead directly into the events of the original trilogy prequel. Whereas season 1 concentrated on a series of closely linked events leading up to the Ferrix revolt in the season finale. Including time leaps may cause viewers to reflect on the divisive choices made in the first season of the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, which saw the same characters portrayed by different actors throughout 19 years of history in just 10 episodes. Season 1 of House of the Dragon was able to convey a condensed plot, thanks to time jumps. However, some viewers claimed that the format prevented them from connecting with the characters because important moments were glossed over.
Some viewers may be concerned that the planned second season of Andor, which must cover events like the expansion of the Rebel Alliance and Cassian’s first meeting with Alan Turdyk’s K-2SO, may suffer from the same problems that plagued the first season of House of the Dragon. Season 2 of Andor, on the other hand, may be able to avoid similar criticisms because it will have to cover a shorter time period, which means that the series will not only have to condense fewer events into 12 episodes but will also not have to recast any of its major characters. In addition, season 1 of Andor had a narrative structure in which most episodes could be grouped into distinct arcs; if season 2 follows a similar format, spectators can readily comprehend how each episode leads into the next.
The time jump between seasons 1 and 2 of Andor has fans wondering how the show would depict Cassian’s growing involvement with the Rebel Alliance in the wake of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The series is ready to incorporate more identifiable Star Wars aspects with the news that the planet of Yavin 4 will be featured, and K-2SO will be introduced. There are more things to address in Season 2, but Gilroy’s response demonstrates that the season’s structure has been well thought out.
