In his grand return to Star Wars, Andy Serkis earned a spot in fans' hearts as Kino Loy in Andor. Originally popping up in Episode 8, the Imperial factory facility foreman turned prison break leader goes through a memorable arc following his meeting with Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). Once he realizes the Empire has no interest in ever letting him off of Narkina 5, he becomes a key role in freeing thousands of prisoners from the water-locked facility, revealing more layers to the character as his arc progressed. He couldn't join his fellow inmates in the rebellion, however, as he didn't know how to swim and thus was seemingly left doomed to never leave the prison. When speaking to Collider's own Steve Weintraub at Star Wars Celebration, however, Serkis gave a sliver of hope that Kino survived.
Andor is slated for a second season in August 2024, continuing with a story that spans four years of Cassian's life in 12 episodes. Since Kino didn't die on-screen in Episode 10, there's been some speculation that the character could bump into Cassian down the line after hatching a plan to get off Narkina 5. Considering he already Series creator Tony Gilroy apparently told Serkis that it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. "Well, put it this way, Tony Gilroy said to me, 'He’s still alive!' Serkis said. "That’s what he said to me. So, that seems to me like there’s some sort of …there’s a possibility that he might be alive."
Serkis has been effusive in his praise for how Kino Loy's arc is written and, like Andor fans, he hopes that the prisoner has one more escape left in him:
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, if a character becomes popular, sure, sure. I seriously hope that is going to manifest because I really do love the character, and I love playing the character so much. He’s so complex and flawed and human and brave. I really love the arc of the character, and I think there’s definitely– I’m just imagining him sitting at Narkina 5 at the moment, on his own, perfecting his backstroke.
Serkis Was Touched By the Amount of Love Kino Received in Andor
Andor wasn't Serkis's first Star Wars rodeo. In the modern Star Wars trilogy, he stepped in as Supreme Leader Snoke, a new threat to the galaxy who met his end in Star Wars: The Last Jedi much to Serkis's dismay. With Kino, however, it only took him three episodes to become beloved all over again by the fandom. Serkis was overwhelmed by the universal love for the character despite his relatively short time on-screen in the Star Wars universe:
"It was amazing. When we were leaving that panel and they were chanting, “One way out!” it was mind-blowing. It really exemplifies what is so extraordinary about the Star Wars universe, the fans, the storytelling, and the world. Because it’s kind of like this cyclical– when you think about the original films and the series, now the TV series are driving younger audiences back to the movies, and it just feeds itself. Because there’s an inherent belief system that everyone finds …and gives them hope."
Season 2 of Andor may be far, far away, but a Star Wars Celebration exclusive trailer is already inspiring the rebellion in us all as Cassian continues his work amidst a world torn by war. Luna returns alongside Adria Arjona, Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, Faye Marsay, Faye Marsay, Genevieve O'Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Elizabeth Dulau, James McArdle, and Muhannad Bhaier.