Cassian Andor was the first Mexican Star Wars character. Played by Diego Luna, the actor used his real accent when he starred in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. His portrayal was important to many fans who weren’t used to seeing themselves represented onscreen in major blockbusters such as the Star Wars series.
Known by several aliases, including the title Fulcrum, Captain Cassian Jeron Andor was an intelligence officer who joined a doomed Rebel mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. Although the pilot perished along with the rest of his crew, Luna is set to reprise the role in an upcoming live-action Rogue One prequel series due in 2021. The Disney+ show will be the second Star Wars project to air on the streaming service after The Mandalorian.
So, not only is Cassian Andor the first Mexican Star Wars character, he will be starring in his own series too. Luna has been open about the importance of Rogue One’s diverse cast, which was part of a huge shift for the franchise - both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi have made great strides as well. Luna’s character really resonated with viewers, leading to some pretty touching stories that even had the actor getting emotional.
The original trilogy’s lack of diversity was, unfortunately, indicative of the time it was created. James Earl Jones’ powerful voice was there, but under Vader’s mask, the character was just as white as everyone else. Thankfully, Lando was introduced in The Empire Strikes Back, but there’s no denying the films were lacking in this area. The prequel trilogy featured a lot more diversity amongst the cast, though the majority of the major players were still white. And sadly, although those movies proved more progressive than their predecessors, The Phantom Menace, in particular, will always be remembered for some pretty terrible racial stereotypes.
The original trilogy’s casting choices may have been reflective of the time period they were made, but the more recent Star Wars films are striving to better reflect the world audiences are living in now. Times have changed and it’s the responsibility of movies to evolve too. The massive success of Into the Spider-Verse, Black Panther, and Wonder Woman proves viewers are ready for more varied stories to unfold on the big screen. Now, fans will have the opportunity to learn a lot more about the ruthless Rebel spy when Cassian Andor’s as yet untitled Star Wars series finally arrives.
