Disney+’s Star Wars: Andor is bringing the world of the Empire to life, prior to the rise of the Rebellion. There are whispers of those who want to fight back, but it isn’t the group of Rebels and their numbers that we knew from the original trilogy, or even what we end up seeing in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, with the series being a prequel to that movie. And with the series comes the important of journey of Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor to become the Rebel spy we know and love.
One thing about Rogue One that was so fascinating was that we got a lot of new characters mixed in with the leaders of the Rebellion. And while Andor does include Genevieve O’Reilly’s return as Mon Mothma at a time in her journey we have never seen before, there are many new characters (much like Rogue One). So let’s talk about some characters I hope we get to see throughout the series!
Bail Organa
Bail Organa is one of the most fascinating characters to me in Star Wars because he does get to see the world prior to the rise of the Empire and where it leads to, all before he is a victim of Darth Vader’s wrath. We know that he, eventually, knows the Rebels that Cassian is with, so this show could be our look into his connection with him prior to Rogue One.
He would also know Mon Mothma from the Senate, so it wouldn’t be that surprising that the two would see each other in the series, either.
Saw Gerrara
We already know that Saw Gerrara is known around the galaxy at this point, and while Cassian can’t meet Jyn Erso yet (since they first meet in Rogue One), we can meet those around her and see where Saw Gerrara is when the Rebellion is just forming.
Saw has been in other Star Wars properties and made an appearance in The Bad Batch, and having Forest Whitaker back feels like a dream come true, so why not hope we get to see Saw again? (And yes, I know he is in the trailer but I want him to be here sooner rather than later.)
Bodhi Rook
Look, I know anyone from Rogue One is really a long shot, but seeing our friends prior to meeting Cassian and being thrown into this fight would be really cool, and Bodhi Rook, at this time, was an Imperial cargo pilot—meaning that we could briefly see him in passing, or it could be something that Bix is working on that brings Bodhi into the fold.
The point is that there are ways that you could bring Bodhi Rook back that wouldn’t mess up the timeline of when he saw Cassian for the first time or his own connection to the Empire, and it would work. Plus, why not have Riz Ahmed back!?
Baze Malbus
Baze Malbus is an assassin. While Cassian is becoming the spy we know him to be in Rogue One, and while they meet Jyn and Cassian on Jedha and continue to help them in their fight against the Empire, that doesn’t mean that Baze has to just sit on Jedha for the entire time. He was a member of the Guardians of the Whills so maybe he left for a minute, too. Who is to say?
Either way, I think we could easily get a glimpse at what Baze was up to. Maybe even give us more of his relationship with Chirrut?!
Galen Erso
Again, I want to point out that I don’t think we’ll get any Jyn Erso content given how Rogue One is set up. However, that doesn’t mean that Galen can’t play an important part of the series. Galen Erso is someone that the Empire forces to work and makes use of his skills to create the Death Star. But in his act of Rebellion, he puts a failsafe there that the Rebels use to take down Darth Vader’s creation. So he is working with both sides, despite what Krennic thinks.
That means we could see him working with the Rebels sooner than we thought in Rogue One, because even then, there are still whispers of who is on whose side.
Orson Krennic
Come on! It’d be fun for the dramatics. Orson Krennic was a thorn in the Erso’s sides as he forced Galen to do his bidding and was the reason that Jyn was separated from her father. And he’d fit right in with the Empire figures that we’ve met so far in Andor.
Krennic thinks he’s more important than he is, which is a sickness within the Empire as a whole, but I do think he’d work with with characters like Syril Karn, and it’d be interesting to see where he is in the middle ground between Jyn when she’s very young and where Cassian is now in Andor.
Chirrut Îmwe
If Baze Malbus is going to be there, then of course Chirrut is going to be there. And they had better be smooching. I love my married couple so much. Will Star Wars acknowledge that they’re married? Who is to say? But it would be nice to have Chirrut back because he, like us, loves this world so much.
A man who would have been a Jedi had the Jedi Council still existed, Chirrut is someone who believes in the myths. He’s convinced that the Jedi and the Force were real and he longs for it. Having him in the story of Andor would work if it were someone other than Cassian who ran into him. Cassian doesn’t have to be there; it could be anyone else in his life, and it would be wonderful.
K-2SO
Cassian and K-2SO need to meet somewhere! By the time we end up at Rogue One, the two have been together for a while, and series creator Tony Gilroy did say that the series was going to end right where Rogue One started, so K-2SO is a must have. He’s Cassian’s best friend and droid, and right now, it does feel like Cassian is missing a part of him (not in a bad way but in a “I miss K-2SO” way).
Voiced by Alan Tudyk, the droid was sassy and funny and did hit Cassian in the face at once point, but he was an Imperial droid that was reprogramed for the Rebels, so maybe we’ll get to see that take place and how he and Cassian came to be together.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Okay now time for my long shot hopes. One being that of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Look, I know that he’s hanging out on Tatooine and becoming the Old Ben Kenobi we know and love from the original trilogy, but that doesn’t mean he just sits there the entire time. Luke doesn’t know that much about him when they’re talking about Ben, so he could hop around and maybe Bail and Mon Mothma go to see him in hopes that he has advice for the budding Rebellion.
This is simply because I was given a taste of Ewan McGregor back as Obi-Wan, and now I want more.
Leia Organa
Less galaxy-brained is Leia Organa. We see her at the end of Rogue One and Bail says that he trusts her, so we could return to Alderaan and see a teenage Leia. She was 10 years old when we saw her in Obi-Wan Kenobi, and she’s roughly 19 years old when we see her in A New Hope (and also then Rogue One), so this would be our first time seeing a 14-year-old Leia and what she is like at the age her mother was when she was Queen of Naboo.
If you bring Bail in, there’s no reason that Leia couldn’t also be involved is all I am saying.
Han Solo
Alright, look, hear me out: Give me Alden Ehrenreich back. There is truly no reason why Han Solo can’t be bopping around the galaxy in these stories, and we already know that he had a run-in with the Empire thanks to Solo: A Star Wars Story, so bringing him back into the fold a bit and seeing where he is prior to meeting Luke and Ben in A New Hope would be fun.
And you know that Cassian would either absolutely hate him or they’d be best friends with no in between, and I’d like to see it.
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If they wanted to surprise me and include Jyn Erso in some way, I would cry, but she was away from Saw Gerrara for a number of years prior to Rogue One, and she hadn’t met any of the crew before, so it just doesn’t seem likely. Again, if they want to surprise me, then I am here for it, but alas. If any of these characters show up, I’ll cry.
(featured image: Lucasfilm)
Published: Oct 4, 2022 12:36 pm