Andor is the newest of Disney+'s Star Wars shows, but its roots connect back to one of the earliest scenes in the franchise. The series dives into the backstory of Cassian Andor, who was first introduced in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and played a pivotal role in obtaining the Death Star plans Leia has at the start of A New Hope.
Diego Luna reprises his role as Cassian in Andor, and he also serves as an executive producer. The actor is joined by other characters from Rogue One as well as the animated show Star Wars Rebels, giving the latest entry into the expansive canon several connections to other media. At the same time, several new characters will be introduced and unexplored corners of the galaxy will be brought to light.
Luna spoke to Screen Rant about what sets Andor apart from other branches of the Star Wars franchise, and how much his character's backstory lines up with the headcanon he invented while filming Rogue One.
Screen Rant: While you were filming Rogue One, how much time did you spend thinking about Cassian Andor's backstory, and did this line up with what you imagined?
Diego Luna: Yes, definitely. Essentially it does. When Tony Gilroy pitched me his idea for the season and for the story, we were in tune. It's there in essence, obviously. And I thouht a lot about the background of Cassian and created my own stories, in order to have an answer and to make sure that there was some logic applied to every choice of my character. There are so many questions that I wanted answers [to], but that audiences don't have.
Rogue One is a film pretty much about an event, and now we're gonna get to tell you who this character was. Who's around this character, who matters to him, what happened in his childhood, what strengths he has, what weaknesses he has, and what does he carry on his shoulders? He always talks in Rogue One about a dark past, a difficult past—now we'll get to know what that is.
As an executive producer on the show, what do you think Andor does that Star Wars hasn't explored yet?
Diego Luna: I wouldn't say it that way. What I would say is that under is the most grounded Star Wars you'll get. This is about the people. There s no Jedi is around, and it's very dark times in the galaxy. It's when the people have to come together, articulate a response, and work in communities because the Empire is growing and control is everywhere. People have been marginalized, and there's no freedom. You have these communities having to react.
It's the most human that the experience of Star Wars can get. This Star Wars is about regular people like you and me, and I think that connection is going to be special. It's the most realistic—if you can say realistic, because obviously, they live in a galaxy far, far away. But it should feel realistic to you, because we want that proximity. We want you to reflect [on] yourself with these characters on this journey.
Genevieve and I were just talking about this, so I want your opinion. There's this famous line, where Mon Mothma says, "Many Bothans died to bring us these plans." Do you think it's a bunch of Bothans, or one man named Manny Bothans, who brought the plans?"
Diego Luna: Yeah, I think it's a bunch of them, no? [ Laughs]
Andor Synopsis
Andor will explore a new perspective from theâ¯Star Warsâ¯galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.â¯
Check out our other interviews with Andor stars Adria Arjona, Genevieve O'Reilly, Kyle Soller and Denise Gough.
The first three episodes of Andor premiere September 21 on Disney+.