Andor season 2 is going to tackle House of the Dragon season 1's biggest problem, and it must avoid making the same time jump mistakes. After the first season focused on a year in the life of Cassian Andor, the next season will cover substantially more ground. It is confirmed that there will be multiple time jumps in Andor season 2 to account for the show leading viewers directly up to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The new format will be a big departure compared to how the excellently reviewed first season told its story, which presents Andor season 2 with a potentially massive challenge.
The confirmation of Andor season 2's multiple time jumps comes on the heels of House of the Dragon season 1 frequently taking massive jumps forward in its narrative. The Game of Thrones prequel show was mostly well-received, but many viewers were left confused by how fast the story progressed forward, the frequent recastings, and the major events happening off-screen. These all contributed to House of the Dragon's time jump problems and understandably could make viewers wary that Andor season 2's story will succumb to similar pitfalls. If it does, Andor season 2's time jumps risk hurting the show's momentum and goodwill with fans.
Why Andor Season 2 Has So Many Time Jumps
The reason that Andor season 2 has so many time jumps is a change in the plan for the series. It has been revealed that Tony Gilroy's original Andor plan was to make five seasons of the show, with each season dedicated to telling a year in Cassian's life. While Andor's quality of storytelling might have fans yearning for this plan to return, Gilroy and Diego Luna eventually came to understand that they did not want to commit to this plan for various reasons. As a result, the decision was made to compress the story and fit four years of Cassian's life into Andor season 2.
The multiple time jumps planned for Andor season 2 will now allow viewers to experience the full story that Tony Gilroy wanted to tell. It might not be as lengthy as the original ideas, but introducing time jumps every few episodes can work. It allows the show to focus directly on very important periods in the Rebellion story and then take a jump forward to show viewers how much it has changed and grown since they last saw it. This will also give Andor season 2 the ability to cover all the important parts of Cassian's life and make the next batch of episodes even more thrilling than the first season.
How Andor Season 2’s Time Jumps Can Work
House of the Dragon season 1 might not have handled time jumps perfectly, but Andor season 2's time jumps can work if it avoids having too many important developments happen off-screen. It could be a bit coincidental for some viewers, but the periods of time that are focused on in Andor season 2's story should be jam-packed with the most notable parts of the characters' lives. Andor season 1 included several small time jumps but did not have anything significant happen off-screen, indicating Gilroy already understands this. That should be a good sign for Andor season 2's time jumps and how he will handle them.