Kyle Soller, star of Disney+'s Andor, originally had doubts about the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story prequel series before reading the scripts. The latest Disney+ Star Wars series stars Diego Luna as Cassian Andor and chronicles his journey from lone smuggler to battle-hardened Rebel spy dedicated to dismantling the tyrannical Galactic Empire. Soller stars as Syril Karn, the former Deputy Inspector for Preox-Morlana who was fired after a failed attempt to apprehend Cassian and the Rebel leader Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård).
Screen Rant now catches up with Soller, who admits that he had reservations about the new Star Wars show. The actor explains that he did not have high confidence in the premise of a "prequel of a prequel," but after he read the scripts, Soller found the story "refreshing." Read more of what the actor says below:
When the project first came around for me, what I read on paper was amazing. It was not at all what I was expecting. Before I had read the scripts, I was having misgivings about launching into another origin sort of story in Star Wars. It was like, "I don't know. It's a prequel of a prequel. What does that mean?" Then I read the scripts. I was like, "Oh, wow!"
I say this in the best way, because it's true, but it was so not what I was expecting. It was not what I had thought Star Wars was going to try to be doing at that time. The fact that they were branching out into a realm of a socio-political thriller that's also a family drama, that's also a space opera story, that's also paying homage to the Star Wars universe, but making it very real and human and conflicted. Everybody is existing in this messy gray area where they're like, "Are you good, or are you bad?" and making questionable decisions for the sake of the rebellion or for the Empire. It pulled back a lot of the fabric on what I grew up with thinking about the Empire, thinking about the Rebellion, and that was just so refreshing and unexpected that once I started reading the scripts, I was like, "Oh, well, this is a no-brainer."
How Andor Has Justified Its Place In The Star Wars Universe
Although Andor does not feature Jedis, Sith Lords, or Mandalorians, the new Star Wars series manages to be one of the more important entries in the entire science-fiction franchise. Set five years prior to the events of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Andor depicts how the authoritarian regime helped create the Alliance to the Restore the Republic through its harsh policies and neglect of its people. The show examines the growth of various resistance movements through the eyes of the Empire's agents, such as Karn and ISB supervisor Dedra Meero (Denise Gough). Andor also looks at the perspectives of those affected, such as the industrial workers of Ferrix, imprisoned citizens, and Cassian himself. In other words, the series has a unique cast of Star Wars characters.
The series does not just tell Cassian's origin story, but sets up the political unrest that provides the foundation for Lucas' original trilogy that captivated audiences in the 1970s and '80s. Andor features the growing discord within the Imperial Senate, seen through the eyes of Mon Mothma (Genevieve Reilly), a future leader of the Rebellion. Although Andor will depict Cassian's turn against the Empire, setting up his anti-Imperial passion seen in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it importantly shows Mon Mothma's journey from dissenting senator to insurgency financier.
Series showrunner Tony Gilroy has taken delicate care when crafting Andor's overarching narrative while expanding Star Wars' vast science-fiction lore. Andor's audience numbers were low at the start of the series, but through word of mouth and high critic ratings, the show has now reached The Mandalorian's level of demand on Disney+. Due to its positive reception, Andor has garnered a Fresh rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. With only two more episodes remaining in Andor season 1, audiences do not have to wait much longer for the show's exciting conclusion.