Spoilers for Andor Season 2
Andor’s second and final season is over. When Mr. Rosie and I were watching the last set of three, I sobbed uncontrollably at the end of the tenth episode, “Make It Stop.” (We will absolutely get spoilery in a minute.) Andor’s arc was originally planned to take place over five seasons. The series starts at 5 BBY, which is five years before the Battle of Yavin takes place at the end of A New Hope. Each season would take place over the course of one year. These plans quickly changed, however, and the series was shortened to two seasons that was broken up into three-episode blocks, with each set a year before we got to the events of Rogue One.
Since Andor has gotten so much critical acclaim, a lot of fans have found it odd that they would choose to limit themselves to two seasons. After all, there is a lot of story to tell. Well, there were several reasons why production decided to do a truncated series, but they involved cost, production time, and the emotional labor of telling a story about fighting facism.
The scale of it all: Andor was conceived as a five-season story, but due to the “scale of the show,” series creator Tony Gilroy revealed they had to rethink how to tell Cassian’s story with fewer episodes. Fans might want more Andor, but in a May 2022 interview with ComicBook.com, Gilroy said, “I think when the show comes out everybody will forgive us for not doing that. The show is huge and it’s just physically impossible. So then we were like, ‘What are we going to do?’ And then the answer turned out to be incredibly elegant and perfect because we knew where we wanted to go. Every now and then you get really lucky and the solution turned out to be really fortunate for us.”
It’s expensive to make: Andor is also an expensive show. According to Forbes, the two seasons cost Disney at least $645 million to make. Ratings-wise, for the week of May 1-8, 2025, Andor was the second most-watched original series on streaming, per Variety.
A unrealistic timeline: Andor was initially envisioned to have five installments. The first season was set five years before Rogue One, with each follow-up taking place over a subsequent year, leading into the events of the 2016 prequel movie. But after coming to terms with Andor’s long production schedule — the first season took two years to make — Gilroy realized it wasn’t a realistic timeline for the series.
“You just couldn’t possibly physically make five years of the show,” he told Variety in August 2022. “I mean, Diego would be, like, 65. I’d be in a nursing home. We were panicked. We can’t sign on to this forever.”
Diego Luna’s thoughts: In March 2023, Luna confessed that filming season 2 of Andor was “bittersweet because every day I know I’m a day closer to the end. It was really nice to approach a series knowing there’s an ending,” he explained at an event, per Variety. “It doesn’t happen!”
Diego’s mental health: That same month, the actor spoke with the outlet and revealed that the show only have two seasons was “really important for my mental health … Knowing this is the end, I want to enjoy it and get the best out of this experience.”
Genevieve O’Reilly’s thoughts: As for Genevieve O’Reilly, who played Senator Mon Mothma, she recalled that the cast and crew knew season 2 was “going to be our last shot.”
“So this might sound strange, but the collective ambition of everyone on, particularly, season two was palpable,” she told Vanity Fair in May 2025. “That collective ambition—I could see it there, and I felt deeply proud to be a part of that. I could see that magic that everyone was reaching for.”
Spin-offs? No Andor spinoffs have been announced, but actress Adria Arjona, who portrayed Bix on the series, said she would be open to reprising her character someday. “I feel like a big spinoff could be later in my career,” she told Variety in May 2024. “I got a tattoo for Bix. My makeup artist from the show did it in my trailer.”
A Bix/Cassian spin-off? When asked if he would return for a movie centered around Cassian and Bix’s relationship, Luna told The Hollywood Reporter, “I would love to tell the story of these two characters during the year we don’t see between season one and season two. “This moment of history in a galaxy far, far away is at its darkest, and to have the opportunity to see a love story … could be so beautiful and unique,” he added.
I have a lot of thoughts and would love to hear what others think. As far as the Season 2 format goes, I think it’s a mixed bag. I thought they did a spectacular job with what they were working with. Do I wish we’d gotten more fleshed out storylines for characters like Bix, Saw Guerra, Cinta, Vel, and Wilmon? Yes! But I understand the production constraints and think they did a great job despite them. I’ll start with my most controversial opinion: I honestly did not hate Bix’s ending. That said, it would have really served the character much better if she hadn’t been relegated to stay-at-home-girlfriend for much of the season. The truncated series did Bix a disservice. Elizabeth Dulau should win an Emmy for her outstanding and nuanced portrayal of Kleya, and shoutout to Robert Emms as Lonni. That Kleya/Lonni scene in the gallery took months off of my life. I also thought that it was such powerful symmetry that Syril spent his career hunting Cassian only to have him ask, ”Who are you?” during their confrontation, while Luthen’s response to Dedra revealing that she’d spent years learning his identity was, ”And I’ve known you all along. Hardly seems fair.” Just so, so good.
While Andor is incredibly good TV, it’s also so timely. It’s about normal people finding their place in a rebellion against fascism. It just feels deeply personal. One of the biggest lines that’s being quoted from Season 2 is Luthen’s very poignant, “I think we used up all the perfect.” It’s a great line, but I think the incredible reuse of Nemik’s Manifesto was just so powerful. I will never not get shivers hearing the reminder that ”There will be times when the struggle seems impossible…” Rogue One and A New Hope are going to hit different from now on.
Photos credit: Sue Andrews/Avalon, Lounis Tiar/Avalon, Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com/Avalon, Justin Ng/Avalon
Such an amazing show. I’m doing a watch through of Season 1, 2 and Rogue 1 over the coming week.
I haven’t seen the series yet but planned too. This is why I don’t like tv anymore it seems they make something good and then kill it due to costs. I hate committing to shows because of it.
Since we knew it was only going to be 2 seasons early on, i am good with it (i hate when they cancel shows without allowing for any kind of closure or epilogue).
And i feel like expanding the show- while it could have been excellent, just would’ve given corporate disney more time to give “notes” and screw it up.
Also, as we know, the show ends, and Rogue One immediately starts, and Rogue One ends in the same scene that starts the original movie.
It is 2 seasons of really intense, timely, anti fascist television.
I hope you like it.
I have friends everywhere.
I have friends everywhere!
I have friends everywhere
👏🏼
Really love that line.
My husband was chatting with his boss about that, boss said his kids’ high school has an anti-bullying campaign in place and yesterday the students wanted to make that phrase their new motto. Perhaps in time for the 2025/2026 school year. If there are copyright issues they would adjust the phrase slightly.
Incredible show. The emotional impact is remarkable.
Do I wish they’d gone the fully fleshed out 5 seasons, of course. But I 100% understand that the scope of this made it nearly impossible. I’m just so happy we got to see what we did. And what a beautiful ending.
I was Ok with Bix’s ending too, very much so. It was tricky in the truncated story because moving her past her trauma that quickly would have been jarring and glossing it over. She has what peace she can have, she will mourn and go on to a full life with…well…I won’t spoil it, but that reveal worked for me. Hope.
Is it weird that as bittersweet and hopeful as our last glimpse at Bix was, what i really loved in that scene at the farming community is that B got a droid friend. It was so sweet. I thought about B being left behind all season after the first arc.
I loved that we got to see B doing well.
🥹
This season definitely felt prescient. Mothma’s speech about the loss of objective truth, the planned downfall of Ghorman, the use of obvious propaganda to manipulate everyone and, of course, the dead-eyed evil of the Imperials is jarring because we now know how it isn’t just fantasy, but how real fascism grinds everything underfoot.
That is fascinating, because the story was written back in 2022 or 2023.
I have loved this show so much- and it always seemed like no one was talking about it…… until this week.
The fact that the actress who played Kleya was fresh out of drama school, and she gets hired by disney, to do star wars, and her scene partner is Stellan Skarsgard!! And she was BRILLIANT. Her origin episode (the young actress is also amazing).
Dedra and Syril- such weird energy- also brilliant performances.
Though i’ve seen people say they feel bad for dedra at the end.
she never thought the leopards would eat *her* face.
The show is so damn timely. I wonder if that is why it is staying with so many of us.
The brilliant performaces- the gorgeous world building of characters and sets.
Luthen’s speech at the end of season 1- i burn my life for a sunrise i’ll never see.
I loved loved loved the whole series.
I’m sorry it is over, but it was kinda perfect.
and literally Cassian leaves the rebel base to meet with the guy and Rogue One starts with him… going to meet the guy. It is nearly seamless.
I’ll take anti fascism any way i can get it these days.
Though for the life of me, i’ll never understand why racist incels think star wars is for them.
Bless their hearts.
24 episodes of amazing television.
Some people say it was slow in parts, i (an old person) say- we’re too used to quick quick quick- sometimes a story needs time to breathe.
Watched Rogue One the next night, plan to watch Star Wars (the original) the this weekend, which means i may have to watch empire too- as a 70s-80s kid- how do you not watch the beginning Hoff battle with the imperial walkers.
Sorry- geeking out, which is usually not me, but, loved it.
Geek out all you want! These are such great points. Dedra really didn’t think the leopards would eat her face and now she’s probably gonna be building Death Star parts in prison.
That scene with Krennic and Dedra was superb.
@IdentityThief Yes! That finger to the head part!
I’m ok with 2 seasons, it was a really great ride. Off to watch Rogue 1
Does anyone know why Jimmy Smitts wasn’t in it? Benjamin Bratt actually didn’t look too bad as his replacement but I was still disappointed.
Apparently Jimmy had scheduling conflicts that they couldn’t resolve.
Loved every minute of it. My kids are old enough now to watch it, so we watched season 1 with them leading up to the release of season 2. We’ll watch Rogue 1 with them this weekend. Great family conversations have stemmed from viewing all Andor content as a family and I love that, too.
It was hard keeping spoilers at bay because we could not watch all 3 episodes in one sitting. I had unintentionally seen a spoiler about Bix’s ending and kept that to myself. My son had also seen a spoiler but didn’t share it with any of us. My kids teachers had a no spoiler rule at school this week 😁 I think the students were promised viewing sessions at the end of the school year if they collectively agreed to keep quiet. My son said Rogue One is one of the movies his class requested to view the last week of school.
I liked Bix’s ending. Sad about Luthen, but knew we were heading that direction all along. Would’ve liked more screen time for Cinta. Also for Krennic, I know he’s the villain but Ben M plays that weasel of a character so well I cannot get enough of him.
As always, I appreciated the diversity of the characters and the casting. Star Wars has been doing that part of things well for a long time. I noticed that as a young girl.
Everyone involved in this series deserves awards.
The expenses involved in Andor were well spent because every detail of this series has been superb.
My partner is a life long SW nerd and it’s so fun watching Andor with him. He’s just continually remarking with every episode “This is SO well done!”