In the Andor finale, Maarva's funeral speech was initially too explicit for a Star Wars show on Disney+, but actress Denise Gough reveals what almost made it into the episode. Andor debuted earlier this year and quickly proved to be a worthy new addition to the Star Wars franchise. The consensus, both with fans and critics, is that Andor was able to respect what came before while also having a new approach to the Star Wars universe that distinguished the show from most entries/ Andor's more mature tone and dramatic underpinnings may have been a hard sell for longtime fans used to the bombast of the franchise, but it ultimately paid off with the show's emotional and chilling season 1 finale.
Now, during an interview with Empire, Dedra actress Denise Gough recalled the day she shot Maarva's funeral speech scene on the Andor set and revealed that there was a version that would've made it even more affecting. Gough recalled Maarva actress Fiona Shaw's voice being all over the Ferrix set while shooting the scene. She revealed that, on the day Maarva's funeral monologue was shot, actress Fiona Shaw (who plays Cassian's mother) actually dropped an F-bomb while rallying the Ferrix residents against the Empire. The speech was a great moment that showed the importance of the rebels in Star Wars. Gough finished by revealing that everyone behind the scenes on Andor was excited about that specific line, but it just wasn't meant to be. Check out Gough's full quote below.
“Fiona’s voice was over all of us. Except, at the end, she didn’t say, ‘Fight the Empire!’ She said, ‘F-ck the Empire!’ Which we were all really excited about. But we weren’t allowed to keep it, obviously.”
Andor Has Repeatedly Pushed The Boundary For A Disney+ Star Wars Show
Andor showed during the series' first season that new Star Wars projects have the opportunity to be very different from what fans have come to expect from the franchise. Like every long-running franchise, Star Wars needs a fresh perspective in order to remain compelling and the work done on Andor pushed the universe in exciting new directions. Andor has made the Rogue One ending better with its strong narrative that will bridge the gap with its second and final season. Being pitched primarily as a drama, Andor felt at times more similar to shows such as House of the Dragon or Star Trek: Discovery than recent Star Wars releases Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett.
The choice to go for a more mature tone set Andor apart from the action-adventure-oriented shows and movies from the Star Wars franchise. The focus on world-building and character relationships made Andor season 1 a compelling peak into what's happening behind the scenes of the rebellion in its formative years, presenting the rebels in a way that makes audiences connect with them in a level that hasn't happened in Star Wars too often as of late.
What To Expect From Andor Season 2
Andor season 2 will change the show's format drastically, with every 3 episodes covering one full year over its 12-episode run before leading directly into Rogue One. Andor season 1 only covered a year through its 12 episodes. Knowing that Andor's endpoint has to be Cassian's start in Rogue One, audiences can deduce a few things that should happen, including the debut of droid K2SO during Andor season 2. The Andor season finale also teased that the show's Death Star connection will play a huge part in season 2, as expected given Cassian's ties to the weapon.
Source: Empire