Star Wars announced today that we are getting a Rogue One prequel series following spy Cassian Andor during the formative days of the Rebellion. Usually, I would try to have a catchy lead-in here, but as my coworkers can attest, I am too excited about this news to bury the lede. Rogue One is my favorite Star Wars movie, Cassian is one of my favorite male characters in the series, and the timeline is hitting that sweet spot right where I most care about the franchise. It’s too good to be true.
The official announcement from StarWars.com reads:
Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced today that Lucasfilm is in development on a second Star Wars live-action series for Disney+, the Company’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service. The series, which will go into production next year, follows the adventures of rebel spy Cassian Andor during the formative years of the Rebellion and prior to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Diego Luna will reprise the role of Andor. “Going back to the Star Wars universe is very special for me,” said Luna. “I have so many memories of the great work we did together and the relationships I made throughout the journey. We have a fantastic adventure ahead of us, and this new exciting format will give us the chance to explore this character more deeply.”
The rousing spy thriller will explore tales filled with espionage and daring missions to restore hope to a galaxy in the grip of a ruthless Empire. A release date for the series has not yet been announced. Stay tuned to StarWars.com for the latest updates.
There is literally nothing I do not love about this. We already had a comic miniseries about Cassian and droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) on their early adventures, but most of Cassian’s early life has been shrouded in mystery. The character has a painful backstory: he tells Jyn in the film that he has been fighting against the Empire since he was six years old. The visual dictionary states that even during the Clone Wars, he and other kids were fighting back against the clones when they arrived on Cassian’s homeworld of Fest. The show will be even more tragic in light of the fact that we know that Cassian perishes during the rebellion’s attempt to steal the Death Star plans from Scarif.
Fans loved Cassian, and Luna’s portrayal; he is probably the most popular Rogue One addition to the canon. Star Wars teased more stories with him with the VR experience Secrets of the Empire, but given his onscreen fate, I assumed they would just resign him to the novels if we saw any more about him. This is perhaps the most welcome surprise this hell week could bring.
First off, it’s really important to stress that Cassian being the main star of the project means he will be the first character of color to be the confirmed primary protagonist of a Star Wars live action project, as Finn and Rey are co-protagonists. This is incredibly groundbreaking for a franchise that tends to solely focus on white men and white British brunettes, and the importance of Cassian as a lead cannot be understated.
Second, the time period gives them so much opportunity to explore beloved characters who might not make the leap to the big screen. Bail Organa and Mon Mothma will most likely be present, as will a younger Leia. We’ll probably get some more Saw Gerrera. Ahsoka Tano, fellow Fulcrum agent, could make her live action debut (sadly, I don’t want them to bring in other spy Kallus, as David Oyelowo wouldn’t be able to portray him). Personally, I hope Cassian frequently teams up with the mysterious Enfys Nest and her Cloud Riders. I also hope a recurring villain is Captain Rae Sloane, because she’s my favorite Star Wars villain and she can kick Thrawn’s ass and you can’t change my mind!
This is the perfect way to bring in an anthology element to Star Wars television. A Cassian series allows them to explore different elements of the Star Wars universe on a broader scale, without the constraints of a two hour long movie. It will allow more characters to appear, new stories to be told, and will really dive back into the idea of the Star Wars universe being large and expansive. I cannot freaking wait, everyone.
(Author’s note: previously, this article stated that Luna was the first actor of color to play the primary protagonist in a Star Wars live action project. Given that we still do not know the actor playing the titular character in The Mandalorian, this might not be the case and the article has been amended accordingly.)
(via StarWars.com; Image: Lucasfilm)
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