For most of it's run, The Mandalorian avoided dabbling in lightsabers and Jedi, even with the revelation that Grogu was a Force user that survived Order 66. But Season 2 changed everything when it brought Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) into the plot, which even changed the trajectory of The Book of Boba Fett. There was also no way to avoid the obvious in Obi-Wan Kenobi, which the titular character is one of the franchise's most famous Jedi Masters and his friend-turned-adversary is Darth Vader.
One series, which has been completely disconnected from the Skywalker family drama, and the lightsabers and Jedi connected to them, has been Tony Gilroy's game changer Andor. While characters like Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) and Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) have worked alongside (and against) the Jedi during the Clone Wars, and Emperor Palpatine is an oft-spoken of presence in the senate, there are no glowing swords or space monks anywhere to be found, and Gilroy doesn't think Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) or his friends on Ferrix even know about them.
In the lead-up to the Season 1 finale, Collider's own Steve Weintraub caught up with Tony Gilroy to discuss the series, and one of his biggest questions was about whether or not Cassian and the folks on Ferrix are aware of the Jedi and their lightsabers. The industrious and self-sufficient people of Ferrix have managed to avoid drawing the attention of the Empire, until Cassian makes a pretty serious mistake in the premiere that causes long-lasting ramifications for his community. With how far afield they are from the Empire, it's no surprise that Gilroy doesn't think they're that aware of them. When asked, Gilroy answered, "That's one of the first things I asked. And you know what? Most people don't know. I don't think anybody on Ferrix knows anything about it. I don't think so."
Gilroy's longer answer makes a lot of sense too, considering the size of the Star Wars universe. While previous shows have felt very small-world, with extended periods of time spent on Tatooine or with characters running into characters in the most random places, Andor has really opened up the universe and made it feel much larger. While characters are interconnected within the rebellion, and everyone is obsessively looking for Cassian Andor, it doesn't have the same feeling as The Mandalorian or Obi-Wan Kenobi. The people of Ferrix are largely insulated and only focused on their own community. As Gilroy went on to say:
"I don't think they know about the royal family. I don't think they pay much mind to that. I mean, how many beings are in that gigantic galaxy? I think the vast majority of all of the creatures and beings and sentient things that are in the galaxy, I think the knowledge of the Jedi and the lightsaber is a pretty small number."
With the knowledge that Season 2 is headed to Yavin, there is room for Cassian to become aware of the Jedi and their lightsabers, or at least encounter characters who are closely tied to the Skywalker family, like Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) who also appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. But, of course, the likelihood of running into Jedi is slim to none. For now, we'll just have to enjoy Luthen's Haulcroft slicing and dicing things up.
Who Will Return for Andor Season 2?
With the events of Rogue One on the horizon, it's safe to assume that Season 2 will see the return of Diego Luna, Genevieve O'Reilly, and Duncan Pow, with likely appearances from Forest Whitaker. The new season will also likely see the return of Stellan Skarsgård, who was the first to reveal that the series would return for a second season. The season finale will decide whether or not Adria Arjona, Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, Elizabeth Dulau, Faye Marsay, and Varada Sethu will return for the final act of the story, though it would make sense for some, if not all of them, to continue their stories into Season 2. On the production side of things, Ariel Kleiman, Janus Metz, and Alonso Ruizpalacios are set to join Season 2 to direct blocks of episodes, with Dan Gilroy and Beau Willimon returning to write alongside newcomer Tom Bissell.
The jaw-dropping finale of Andor arrives this week, exclusively on Disney+. For the first time ever, you can also catch the first two episodes of the series on ABC, Freeform, FX, and Hulu this week. Check out local listings to see where you can tune in. Check back for our full interview with Tony Gilroy later this week, but in the meantime watch our interview with Andy Serkis below: