ROGUE WARRIOR

ROGUE ONE WAS THE END OF CASSIAN ANDOR’S STORY. NOW IT’S TIME FOR THE BEGINNING, THE MIDDLE AND MUCH MORE WITH THE GRITTY, TWISTY ANDOR ON DISNEY+. THE BAND OF REBELS BEHIND THE NEW MAXISERIES REVEAL WHY IT’S A STAR WARS SAGA LIKE NONE YOU’VE EVER SEEN…

- MATTHEW LEYLAND

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story gave us answers to several burning questions. Who were the brains behind the OG Death Star? Who were the Rebel spies who stole those secret plans? And how, exactly, did the Empire’s ‘ultimate weapon’ end up with, to quote Family Guy, “a pretty big design flaw”?

But Gareth Edwards’ 2016 blockbuster also left a few posers dangling in its apocalyptic lash-hopeful wake. Take the case of Captain Cassian Andor, the Rebel intelligence officer who signs up for the daring databank raid, ultimately paying a hefty price for his heroism. “There’s a moment [earlier on] where he says, ‘I’ve been part of this fight since I was six years old,’” recalls Andor star and co-executive producer Diego Luna. “And you’re like, ‘What does that mean? Since you were what? Who put you there? What did you witness? Who were you in your early years?’ Those aren’t questions that get answered in Rogue One. So it’s great now to have this long format to explore them.”

Set five years before the events of Rogue One, Andor’s first season (of two - more on that later) will dock on Disney+ on 21 September, comprising 12 episodes that cover a 12-month time period. “It’s a gigantic project,” says Luna. “It’s been three, four years since we first started talking about it. It’s been a long journey. And when Covid happened, that pushed us to come up with different solutions to keep things going. Obviously, everyone’s safety was the first [