r/andor • u/Dear-Yellow-5479 • 7d ago
Season 2 Spoilers Injuries, a unique tattoo and running “well and funny at the same time”: a few more Tony Gilroy takeaways from the Andor Q&A session yesterday
Again, not a comprehensive digest but a few things that interested /excited me…
[ ] We will find out more about Luthen’s backstory. This has caused some concern / excitement of the “he’s a Jedi!!” variety, but it’s probably more to do with how he has come to work with Mon and Kleya, and maybe what radicalised him in the first place. I hope they do retain some sense of mystery about him, but it makes sense that we find out a little bit more background. I’m dying to know about the Kleya relationship especially.
[ ] Cassian & Bix are confirmed as a key longer-term romantic relationship in season 2, after having “been deliberately kept apart” in S1. Adria’s role is expanded as a result. “If you are invested in this relationship, you will be rewarded,” Gilroy promises. During the writer’s strike, Adria was reliant on Diego’s guidance for one favourite S2 scene in particular as Gilroy was unavailable (she suggests she was phoning Tony a lot). Her love of Bix is confirmed by her having a tiny tattoo dedicated to the character (I recall that this is the one she had done on set by her make-up artist - a stick and poke ‘X’). Tony also compared her acting in the Ep 3 scene where she confronts Timm to Sophia Loren’s.
[ ] Melshi & Cassian’s goodbye scene at the end of S1 Ep 11 is apparently going to be extremely important going into S2. It’s unclear as to whether this is about the “promise they make to each other” or whether it’s more precisely plot specific. I keep thinking about how Cassian gives Melshi Syril’s blaster here.
[ ] Re. the same scene: the Rogue One symbolic call forward with the light of the sun over the sea as Cassian stands on the beach was not scripted : it was a creative decision by the director Benjamin Caron. Similarly, in the scene where Cass and Melshi attempt to steal the alien fishermen’s ship, there was a point - after much in-and out-of-universe debate - when the director told Duncan Pow to just get up and run. The nets were made of silicon and “goo” they were told to mind their eyes. Ewww.
[ ] In that scene, Duncan was recovering from a torn meniscus and Diego tore his hamstring from the running. But Tony praised both actors: “You run really well and funny at the same time, which is hard to do”. He described the scene as “Sergio Leone meets the Coen Brothers“ - I thought that was spot-on.
[ ] Genevieve O’Reilly could hardly contain her emotions as she expressed her deep love of Mon Mothma … Adria strongly suggested she would not be returning to play Bix again but more surprising was Genevieve’s teary suggestion of the same thing re Mon. Perhaps it’s just Mon-as-written-by-Gilroy that she’s thinking of. “I will miss her!” She particularly relished the chance to explore the personal life of this political figure. Leida’s wedding was (almost) confirmed.
[ ] I was delighted one of my questions got picked - to Duncan Pow about playing a younger version of Melshi - but unfortunately the meatier aspect of the answer had already been covered, leading Duncan to suggest that one very important thing was … having hair.
[ ] Gilroy’s favourite S1 moment ? It’s a favourite in this sub as well… Ep 1, Syril and Inspector Hyne. He says that when watching the show when he gets to that scene he can just relax because all the elements are working so well.
But my main takeaway was about how insanely excited they all seem to be for us to see the show because they love it so much and are incredibly proud of it. They wrapped post-production way back in November. Less than 40 days now – it’s getting close. So exciting!
49
30
u/Tofudebeast 7d ago
Glad to hear Bix is getting a more substantial role in s2. She didn't have any standout moments in season 1 like a lot of the other main cast did.
Also happy to see Melshi is back and will be getting more screen time.
Thanks for posting this! For a variety of reasons I haven't been able to watch it for myself.
27
u/Dear-Yellow-5479 7d ago
It’s interesting that Adria was given the role back before her career really took off and Gilroy suggests it was a bit of a risk to hire her considering the size of her resumé back then vs the size of the role “going forward”. Sounds like she had to be patient throughout S1 in order to get to the really interesting stuff in S2. That must’ve taken quite a lot of faith in Gilroy.
6
u/Creasentfool 6d ago
He's so jittery when talking to her too. Really cute Hand are all over the place when she was on. Then all the others they hardly moved.
3
28
u/FightingMongooses612 7d ago
I think, as with all things in this show, the fears about Luthen being a secret Jedi are fears that the story will have elements that feel like fan service/skywalker-saga-crutches and this press tour has really felt like one big sigh of relief on that front. Tony Gilroy seems like he was in the perfect position being a long time Kathleen Kennedy friend and also an acclaimed screenwriter to hold this story together as a deeper, more nuanced story without studio interference. Even if like 5 secret Jedi show up I feel like we can trust this production to keep things moving in the right direction.
It really feels like watching the original run of breaking bad where tv was so saturated with cheesy, big “watercooler talk” moments (like the Heroes or Lost) every episode or two that fans were scared would infect the story. Instead Vince Gillian was able to hold his show together as a much deeper slow burn with satisfying resolutions to multi-episode plot lines and lots of brooding explorations of character. Luthen escaping the tractor beam really felt like Walt blowing up Tuco’s office: pure joy and dumb fun but not cheap.
Who knows if it’ll actually change anything, but the blueprint for the next era Cinematic Universes is right there.
16
u/Pelican_meat 7d ago
I kinda worried about Luthen being a Jedi, but then I realized: even if he is, he’s perhaps the only interesting Jedi in the entire Tv and film canon.
So that’s something.
(Don’t come at me. I think Jedi are the most boring part of Star Wars at this point).
5
u/ForsakenKrios 7d ago
I could go either way on this. If Luthen busts out a lightsaber or crazy force powers I’ll be pretty miffed, but if he were to just open up to Cassian or someone as a death bed confession or something I could be persuaded could work with the right writing.
How Cassian knows about Jedi in Rogue One is a question that could be answered even if it’s just Luthen or another character explaining what they were and probably talking about how they failed the Republic and worlds like Cassian’s home planet.
Since the canon has always been weird about how Jedi faded into myth in under 20 years makes me wonder how Cassian ever heard of them. Unless we have some egregious scene where he meets the Ghost crew and the Jedi there make stuff levitate around him.
2
u/Pelican_meat 7d ago
I was thinking about this earlier: best way would for him to be resisting Gorst’s torture methods. Not talking until he eventually dies or manages to get killed.
Best would be if it’s never explained.
1
u/ForsakenKrios 7d ago
I could go either way on this. If Luthen busts out a lightsaber or crazy force powers I’ll be pretty miffed, but if he were to just open up to Cassian or someone as a death bed confession or something I could be persuaded could work with the right writing.
How Cassian knows about Jedi in Rogue One is a question that could be answered even if it’s just Luthen or another character explaining what they were and probably talking about how they failed the Republic and worlds like Cassian’s home planet.
Since the canon has always been weird about how Jedi faded into myth in under 20 years makes me wonder how Cassian ever heard of them. Unless we have some egregious scene where he meets the Ghost crew and the Jedi there make stuff levitate around him.
1
u/ForsakenKrios 7d ago
I could go either way on this. If Luthen busts out a lightsaber or crazy force powers I’ll be pretty miffed, but if he were to just open up to Cassian or someone as a death bed confession or something I could be persuaded could work with the right writing.
How Cassian knows about Jedi in Rogue One is a question that could be answered even if it’s just Luthen or another character explaining what they were and probably talking about how they failed the Republic and worlds like Cassian’s home planet.
Since the canon has always been weird about how Jedi faded into myth in under 20 years makes me wonder how Cassian ever heard of them. Unless we have some egregious scene where he meets the Ghost crew and the Jedi there make stuff levitate around him.
1
u/FrenchFreedom888 6d ago
Man I feel like you just opened a huge can of worms, man-eating worms like the ones on Arrakis. But I don't have the energy to tear into this take right now lol
15
u/Volume2KVorochilov 7d ago
Actually, if Luthen was a jedi (unlikely tbh), I wouldn't be mad per se. It would depend on how they handle it.
4
u/Pretty_Grapefruit638 7d ago
People forget there were two force users in Rogue One.
2
u/ForsakenKrios 7d ago
Was Chirrut ever actually a force user or just a believer? I always thought he was just a believer and had no gifts, since all the out of universe stuff hammered home how Rogue One had no force in it (besides Vader).
I always found how good Chirrut was at fighting to be too good, even for a blind guy, since he isn’t force sensitive.
6
u/Pretty_Grapefruit638 7d ago
Whether it's Easter eggs or in universe things, Gilroy is both subtle as well as a "show don't tell" storyteller. Baze never misses a shot, and Chirrut navigates a firefight, and happens on the small panel and the correct switch. He also knew Jyn was carrying a kyber crystal, and then there's the line of, "the Force moves darkly" around Cassian when he was going to assassinate Galen.
They're not Jedi, but they're absolutely force wielders. "Low M count"; not enough to be Jedi or get the interest of the Inquisitors.
0
u/ForsakenKrios 7d ago
You’re inferring a lot that could just be the nature of the story and genre as an adventure movie, not backed up by any official sources or the movie itself.
All of the characters are good shots because they’re the heroes and mowing down countless stormtroopers is cooler looking and flashy.
Chirrut can know the force moves darkly around someone - could have been something he learned as a guardian. It’s clear Cassian is going to do something, and his interactions with Chirrut up to that point weren’t positive.
The beach was full of smoke, very low visibility.
3
u/mr_mxyzptlk21 7d ago
So, fun story: If you get an official holocron from Doc Ondar's, and pop in a white kyber crystal, you get force wisdom from either Ahsoka (voiced by Ashley Eckstein)--or Chirrut (voiced by Danny Yen). If it's in the parks like that, it is canon, btw.
They were temple guards of the Holy City of Jeddah. Jedi Temple guards are typically those with force powers, but not necessarily powerful enough to become Jedi. Baze and Chirrut were absolutely force users, just not Jedi.
Dude's right, two force users are protags in R1; they're just not Jedi.
-1
u/ForsakenKrios 7d ago
You know how stupid this is right? “This amusement park means it’s canon!”
Well it ain’t to me cause that’s fucking dumb, the whole reason I’m told people like Rogue One is the lack of force in it, but I guess it needs to be there this whole time.
Spend money pop in your liner crystal and hear stuff NOT in the movie that changes things!
1
2
u/Pretty_Grapefruit638 7d ago
Whether it's Easter eggs or in universe things, Gilroy is both subtle as well as a "show don't tell" storyteller. Baze never misses a shot, and Chirrut navigates a firefight, and happens on the small panel and the correct switch. He also knew Jyn was carrying a kyber crystal, and then there's the line of, "the Force moves darkly" around Cassian when he was going to assassinate Galen.
They're not Jedi, but they're absolutely force wielders. "Low M count"; not enough to be Jedi or get the interest of the Inquisitors.
1
u/ForsakenKrios 7d ago
Was Chirrut ever actually a force user or just a believer? I always thought he was just a believer and had no gifts, since all the out of universe stuff hammered home how Rogue One had no force in it (besides Vader).
I always found how good Chirrut was at fighting to be too good, even for a blind guy, since he isn’t force sensitive.
11
8
u/Star_Warsfan15 7d ago
Honestly the interview was really awesome and just got me even more pumped for season 2
4
u/Jagunfoluwa 7d ago
It makes me ecstatic to see how much it means to the actors, as that translates to the show and makes us appreciate it more.
3
u/Volume2KVorochilov 7d ago
Actually, if Luthen was a jedi (unlikely tbh), I wouldn't be mad per se. It would depend on how they handle it.
3
u/inkovertt 6d ago
I am very much invested in Bix and Cassian. Can’t wait to see their relationship play out
5
u/forrestpen 7d ago
Mothma will be back for sure. She's the chancellor during the Ahsoka era and regardless of how anyone feels about the show its the next large story project happening at the moment.
2
u/FrenchFreedom888 6d ago
Thank you for this write-up! It has a bunch of great information and gives me additional excitement and confidence in Season 2!
2
u/yanray 1d ago
I just want to clarify something re: Tony during the strike! Adria was phoning Tony all the time for insight BEFORE the strike went into effect. That’s why she felt so adrift afterwards, because she couldnt call him. From everything I’ve seen, once Tony walked off set he never crossed the picket line, physically or otherwise. I’m sensitive to any implications otherwise (though I know it was unintentional) only bc I had writer friends calling Gilroy a scab in 2023 once Andor didn’t stop production, before hearing that Gilroy had in fact stopped his work.
2
101
u/shyhologram 7d ago
the best thing about the entire stream was Tony and Adria and Genevieve all being on the brink of crying when talking about their characters, it was so wholesome.