‘Andor’ writer confirms Palpatine would have played a role if show had continued

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It is commonly understood that the series “Andor” was initially conceived to span five seasons, but following discussions between Diego Luna and Tony Gilroy, it was determined that such a length would be excessively demanding. Initially, Diego Luna portrayed Cassian Andor in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” which premiered in 2016. Maintaining the same age for Cassian across five seasons could have required Luna to remain visually consistent with his appearance from that movie over an extended period.

Luna firmly rejected the concept, leading to the decision that Andor would wind down following its second season. Numerous narrative threads had to be compressed or abandoned to fit within just two seasons, and the possibility of delving into Emperor Palpatine’s whereabouts prior to the original trilogy was among the concepts left unexplored.

In an interview with Script Apart, Dan Gilroy – the author of ‘Andor’ and the brother of Tony Gilroy – admitted that the return of Palpatine might have been unavoidable if the series was extended to five seasons, implying a potential continuation of his character’s influence.

Over a span of five years, it’s hard to imagine we wouldn’t have encountered the Emperor by then. I believe our journey would have led us closer to his world. I suspect we would have delved further into the current political landscape, focusing more on the powerful factions and institutions within it. It seems likely that we would have dug deeper into these influential circles, aiming to understand their inner workings better.

Fans of the show Andor take pride in its originality for avoiding characters such as Palpatine and Darth Vader. On the contrary, filmmaker Dan Gilroy believes that it would have been logical for the storyline to delve into Palpatine’s backstory, specifically his role prior to the incidents portrayed in Rogue One and A New Hope. Such an approach could have added intrigue and suspense as fans speculate how the creators of Andor might have approached a character like Palpatine. If included, this character may have showcased Palpatine’s political machinations and the widespread terror of the Sith Lord within Imperial Institutions.

Though Palpatine isn’t personally featured in Andor, his influence permeates every strategic move made by the ISB, and he’s even mentioned by name occasionally within the series. This suggests that any Star Wars story set during this imperial era would find it challenging to exclude references to the Emperor, given that he was essentially the mastermind behind the Empire. In other words, it seems nearly impossible for a narrative situated during the Empire’s reign to entirely avoid acknowledging the architect of such a powerful and dominant regime.

At present, Lucasfilm hasn’t revealed intentions for additional tales focusing on the Rebellion, which means that the series “Andor” might be our last glimpse into the Rebel Alliance and Yavin 4 for a considerable period. The upcoming Star Wars live-action projects include “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” followed by “Ahsoka” Season 2. While filming for the Mando movie was finished several months ago, “Ahsoka” is still being filmed in London.

Andor is streaming on Disney+.

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2025-08-30 17:22