- Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Series creator Tony Gilroy opens up about the powerful Andor finale, Bix’s emotional twist, K-2SO’s late entry, and how the show reshapes our view of ‘Rogue One’.
By: Vibhuti Pathak
When Andor launched in 2022, Tony Gilroy promised fans that the Star Wars prequel series would end right where Rogue One begins. True to his word, the Andor finale leads Cassian (Diego Luna) to the Ring of Kafrene, where he’s about to receive intel on the Death Star — the scene that kicks off Rogue One. But the journey there was far from predictable.
One of the most emotional twists comes in the finale’s revelation that Bix (Adria Arjona) was pregnant — and that Cassian had a son he never knew. Gilroy admits this was intentional to deepen the tragedy. “It does exactly what you said — I think it makes his sacrifice much more bitter,” he said. He also wanted the show to end on a hopeful note, tying it to the iconic line “Rebellions are built on hope,” now cleverly attributed to a humble hotel clerk, not Cassian himself.
Interestingly, that hope-filled line nearly didn’t make it in. Gilroy credits his Star Wars-fanatic son for noticing its origin gap in Rogue One, prompting him to insert it organically into the show. “My son really saved my ass on that,” Gilroy laughed.
The finale also saw Dedra (Denise Gough) face an ironic downfall, relegated to a backwater post on a Narkina prison planet. Gilroy confirmed she’s part of the broader collapse of the ISB, which was “definitely going to go down” after multiple intelligence failures.
Syril (Kyle Soller), meanwhile, emerged as a character with unexplored potential for rebellion. “He’s a romantic and fantasist,” Gilroy explained. “There is a scenario under which he might’ve taken an entirely different path.”
Fans hoping to see Kino Loy (Andy Serkis) or Cassian’s long-lost sister were left hanging — intentionally so. “All it does is minimize that moment,” Gilroy said of Kino’s famous “I can’t swim” line. As for the sister subplot, Gilroy noted that her absence serves as a defining void in Cassian’s life, fueling his need to save others.
And what of Mon Mothma’s daughter’s arranged marriage? Gilroy offered a tongue-in-cheek reflection: “She’s living a very comfortable country club life on Chandrila. I don’t know how happy she’ll be.”
One of Gilroy’s favorite moments came from a quiet visual: an ISB officer’s off-screen suicide, seen only through stormtroopers’ startled flinch. “It was a beautiful bit of visual storytelling,” he said, crediting actor Michael Jenn.
K-2SO’s long-awaited appearance also arrived later than expected — a creative and logistical decision. Gilroy revealed that carrying the towering droid through scenes was always a challenge. “He’s a very visible, troublesome piece of story gear,” he said. Alan Tudyk’s performance, however, made it worth the wait.
Some planned ideas didn’t make it to screen, including a “ripping” Episode 9 draft by Gilroy’s brother Dan that introduced K-2SO in a different way. “We couldn’t afford it,” Gilroy admitted.
As for how Andor changes Rogue One? Gilroy hasn’t rewatched the film yet, but fans already feel the shift. Cassian’s arc now comes loaded with deeper context, heartbreak, and purpose — a layered prequel that redefines sacrifice in a galaxy far, far away.
