The final season starts now

The second season of Andor, which premieres on the 24th, faces several challenges, the main one being condensing a story originally thought for three seasons of 10 episodes (or more) into a final season of 12. In times when the average season is six to eight episodes, having 12 hours is still a sign of prestige, and Andor is no less: it is the best series of 2025

“It is the best dramatic series of the year and one of the best in the Star Wars universe.”

This statement already considers the fever of The White Lotus and the success of The Last of Us, but I still stand by it. It is the best dramatic series of the year and one of the best in the Star Wars universe.

The weight of a coherent story

Although I am not alone in this opinion, it is far from unanimous. I consider Rogue One the best film in the saga since The Empire Strikes Back, and I deeply regret that the other spin-offs and sequels of the original trilogy have practically destroyed iconic characters such as Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, emptying them of their internal logic and even their uniqueness.

Suddenly, there are Jedis everywhere, rebels and villains who have never been mentioned before. It is as if the showrunner were Yoda: everything is said backwards, without much coherence. And that is exactly why everything that revolves around Cassian Andor becomes even more relevant.

How the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story came about

Rogue One was born as part of Lucasfilm’s strategy, after its acquisition by Disney in 2012, to expand the Star Wars universe with stories parallel to the main episodes. The idea was to create standalone films that would delve into events, characters, and conflicts that had only been mentioned in the original films, offering new perspectives to the audience.

The idea for Rogue One came from the mind of John Knoll, a visual effects supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and a veteran of the franchise. He had long wondered how the Rebel Alliance had gotten hold of the Death Star plans—the starting point for A New Hope (1977).

Knoll proposed a film centered on a group of unknown rebels, without Jedi powers, on a desperate mission. The script was developed by Gary Whitta, reworked by Chris Weitz, and later reworked by Tony Gilroy—a key name in the final version.

“The dark tone, the final sacrifice, and Vader’s scene in the hallway made ‘Rogue One’ an instant classic.”

With a box office return of over a billion dollars, the film’s success paved the way for Andor.

Andor: tragic and moving

For those who don’t like spoilers, be warned: Andor challenges all paradigms. The film ends with the death of all the protagonists, including Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). Cassian was a war-hardened rebel spy, someone who had already done “terrible things in the name of the cause” — an enigmatic line that piqued the interest of both fans and Lucasfilm creators.

“Andor’s greatest strength is not counting on Jedi to solve problems. Here, actions have consequences.”

Lucasfilm saw this as an opportunity to tell a more intimate and mature story. The series premiered in 2022, with Diego Luna returning to the role and Tony Gilroy at the helm as creator and showrunner. Gilroy brought his experience from the Bourne franchise and applied a more realistic, political, and dramatic approach to the series.

Where everything hurts (and shines)

Andor‘s greatest strength lies precisely in the absence of magic or lightsabers: actions have consequences, innocent people die, good guys kill. The series shows us how the oppression of the Empire affects the common citizen, and how the rebellion begins with small acts of disobedience.

Despite the initial strangeness caused by the slower pace and the multiplicity of parallel stories, characters such as Luthen Rael, Mon Mothma, Syril Karn, Dedra Meero, and Bix Caleen were acclaimed for their psychological realism.

“It set a new standard of quality for Star Wars — one that most other productions have not achieved.”

The announced farewell

In the second — and final — season, we advance in time with year jumps every two episodes. The narrative gets closer and closer to Rogue One, and the viewer feels their heart ache as they already know the fate of each character.

At some point, you may think that certain plots will be abandoned, but trust us: everything finds its place. And it is exciting.

“After watching Andor, we will never see Rogue One the same way again. It becomes even more heroic. And sadder. And more hopeful too.”

As Diego Luna has already warned: get ready. Andor is not just a series. It is a legacy within a franchise that desperately needed to remember why it.