The banter between Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk’s K-2SO was easily one of the best parts of Rogue One. So when Lucasfilm announced its Andor prequel series on Disney+, many fans were excited to see their characters reunite on the small screen. Unfortunately, the story behind their initial meeting will have to wait, as the show’s first season will primarily focus on Cassian’s earliest missions with the Rebel Alliance. K-2SO will then make his big return to the Star Wars universe in season 2. And during a stop on the Television Critics Association’s latest press tour (via The Hollywood Reporter), showrunner Tony Gilroy discussed why he and his co-writers structured the story this way. Saving K-2SO
Tudyk’s involvement with Andor was announced back in 2019. But in 2021, Tudyk confirmed that his reprogrammed Imperial droid wouldn’t show up in the first batch of episodes. Gilroy explained that this all boils down to the logistics of having the two characters share every scene together.
“From a storytelling point of view, there are multiple reasons,” said Gilroy. “I would say, ‘Wait and see.’ It’s a story we are eager to tell. It’s difficult to carry an Imperial droid around with you and not draw all kinds of attention. It’s a difficult piece of luggage. When we do it, we’ll do it in a spectacular fashion as opposed to presenting it and ignoring it, or presenting it or hiding it, or the bad versions we would have been forced to do.”
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Luna, who joined Gilroy on the TCA panel, offered his own explanation for K-2SO’s absence. Because the show takes place five years before Rogue One, viewers are expecting to see Cassian experience growth over time. But Luna says if he and K2 knew each other back then, “there would be no journey to go through.”
Each of Andor’s two seasons will be comprised of 12 episodes. But while the first season only covers one year in Cassian’s life, season 2 will cover the next four. Additionally, Gilroy teased that the series’ finale will “walk the audience directly into Rogue One and directly into the first scene of Rogue One.”
Andor will premiere its first three episodes on Disney+ on Wednesday, September 21.
Will it be strange to see Cassian Andor go on missions without K-2SO tagging along? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
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