The new Disney+ TV show Andor has aired its first 10 episodes to critical acclaim, and has shaken up the formula we’ve come to expect from the Star Wars universe. One notable difference in Andor is the lack of alien characters that typically play prominent roles in other Star Wars films and TV shows. Series creator Tony Gilroy explained the change to The Hollywood Reporter:
"There’s already so much politics in the show to begin with, and we’re trying to tell an adventure story really. So adding strong alien characters means that all of a sudden, there’s a whole bunch of new issues that we have to deal with that I don’t really understand that well or I just couldn’t think of a way to bake them into what we’re doing. You’ll see more as we go along, but it’s a legit question and one we’ll be answering as we go along. There is a more human-centric side of the story and the politics of it. There’s certainly no aliens working for the Empire, so that kind of tips it one way, automatically."
The lack of alien characters is especially noticeable in the three-episode arc where Cassian is imprisoned in an Imperial facility, where the hundreds of other prisoners we see are all human. It’ a bit odd given how many aliens are usually running around the Star Wars universe. But I wouldn’t expect many aliens to show up at this point.
Star Wars: Andor is about sacrifice
The human characters make up for it by being extremely compelling. Take Stellan Skarsguard’s character Luthen, who gives a tragic monologue in Episode 10 about the sacrifices he’s made for the rebellion. “Luthen is a chess player, man,” Gilroy said. “He’s sacrificing a castle to protect his queen. So I don’t think the Kreegyr story is over yet. Luthen is in a very tough spot, and his position over the next five years is only going to get more complicated. You’re seeing the begining of those issues in episode ten. That’s also one of the major food groups that we’ll be dealing with in the second season.”
We are seeing how Rebellion is being built on the sacrifices of characters like Luthen and Mon Mothma, the latter of whom was presented with a tough dilemma of her own in Episode 10. While trying to secure new funding for the Rebellion, Mothma was told that she must essentially force her daughter to marry the son of her financial backer Davo Sculdun. While Mothma is disgusted by the request, Sculdun calls her bluff and points out that she is thinking about accepting the deal.
Gilroy seems to be hinting that sacrifices like this will become even more prevalent in season 2 as the rebellion grows to the size it is in the original trilogy. Up until this point, Cassian has not seemed willing to fully dedicate himself to the cause. But now that he has experienced the horrific labor camp conditions, perhaps he will seek out Luthen and pledge his loyalty. The last time we see Cassian, he is fleeing the prison with Melshi, a character who appears as a rebel soldier in Rogue One.
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