[This article contains spoilers for Andor's Season 1 finale]Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) is one of the most fascinating characters in the Star Wars galaxy, and he has appeared in a number of projects, ranging from animated series like The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, and Rebels to the video game Jedi: Fallen Order, and most notably Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. With Tony Gilroy's critically acclaimed series Andor, Whitaker had the opportunity to return to the role and explore more of his complex role in the slow-burning rebellion. Both of his pivotal scenes involved conversations with Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) which established that the two rebels have had a somewhat long-standing line of communication between them, and Collider's own Steve Weintraub asked Gilroy to clarify just how long they have known each other.
Ahead of the season finale, Weintraub had the opportunity to chat with Gilroy about a variety of topics and naturally Saw Gerrera came up. While the series hasn't defined how long the two rebels have been working with each other, Gilroy shared a guestimate for how long they've likely been providing each other with information and taking action against the Empire. He explained, "I don't have a fixed date. I would assume, I'll say six years. I don't really know. I'd be making it up. But, I think it goes back a bit." While the answer might end up changing once Season 2 starts coming together, the six-year estimate would see the two men beginning their partnership a few years after the events of Revenge of the Sith. This would also line up with how long Luthen has had Lonni Jung (Robert Emms) embedded in the ISB, which could symbolize when Luthen's activities with the growing rebellion hit their peak.
It will be interesting to see if Whitaker returns for Season 2, as the penultimate episode highlighted that Saw's paranoia has really begun to reach its fever pitch. By the time that Cassian (Diego Luna) meets him in Rogue One, Saw has fully transformed into a dangerous and determined revolutionary who is willing to blow up everything and everyone, so long as it hurts the Empire. This is a sentiment that Luthen might actually buy into as well, considering his willingness to let Anton Kreegyr and his men die to ensure the rebellion's secrets remained intact.
Will Stellan Skarsgård Return for Andor Season 2?
When asked directly if Skarsgård would be returning for Season 2, Gilroy coyly answered that, "Everybody who lives that we care about has got to come back." Considering Skarsgård was the first to reveal that the series would return for a second season, it's safe to say that we haven't seen the last of Luthen Rael, especially after that final scene between him and Cassian. Gilroy also assured us that he won't be killing anyone off-camera when Episode 13 arrives with Season 2's first-time jump following the season finale. Based on the survivals, it looks like Genevieve O'Reilly, Duncan Pow, Adria Arjona, Joplin Sibtain, Elizabeth Dulau, Faye Marsay, and Varada Sethu will all return as well, though nothing is confirmed yet.
The entire first season of Andor is streaming now on Disney+. While you wait for more information about Andor, tune into our interview with Andy Serkis below: