Star Wars: Andor premiered on Disney+ on September 21, 2022, and has proven to be one of Star Wars‘ darker and grittier tales. However, it has worked well for the series as it has received a largely positive reception. The show serves as a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and follows the tale of how Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) joined the Rebellion.
In Rogue One, we met a group of rebels who banded together to steal the Death Star plans from the Galactic Empire. Now, Andor is going way back to where the rebellion first took root. It tells the tale of how planets and people formed a burgeoning Rebellion that produced rebel heroes like Andor. Not only that, but it also follows Andor’s personal journey to understanding the difference he can make and the evolution of his perspective on the Rebellion.
The series has brought back several recognizable characters from the Star Wars franchise who played big roles in the Rebellion. However, it has also introduced a slew of new characters, as well, some of who are Rebels and some who serve the Empire. Here are all the cast and characters in Andor so far.
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor
Leading the series is, of course, Luna, reprising his role as Andor. His role in Andor marks his second appearance in the Star Wars franchise. His only other role was in Rogue One and the film concludes with him sacrificing himself for the Rebellion. This means he may not boast the same fanbase and history in the Star Wars franchise as some other characters might. However, he certainly was likable enough in Rogue One. He is smart, capable, and versatile, though he has been significantly hardened by war. While he did die as a hero, he also committed numerous questionable acts in the name of the Rebellion.
Andor seeks to flesh out Andor. It provides a very detailed breakdown of who Andor was, how he changed, and why he changed. As the series starts, Andor is a hot-headed petty thief and criminal who frequently finds himself in trouble and in need of someone to help cover for him. However, as time goes on, we see him very slowly evolving into someone interested in the Rebellion. By the time the season ends, he will likely be far more reminiscent of the Andor in Rogue One.
Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma
Genevieve O’Reilly reprises her role as Mon Mothma in Andor. Her reprisal isn’t surprising considering her extensive history as the character. She has portrayed Mothma in Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One and even voiced the animated Mothma in Star Wars Rebels. Andor gives Mothma a little more backstory as it tracks her early work as a Senator for the Empire while secretly serving the Rebel Alliance. She is making a name for herself in the Rebellion as she recruits allies and seeks funds. However, her commitment does come with a cost as she finds herself alienated from her husband and daughter who do not support her. She is as capable, strategic, and ambitious as ever, but also a little bit more personal and relatable in Andor.
Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen
Adria Arjona stars in Andor as Bix Caleen. She is Andor’s ex-girlfriend, but still one of his biggest allies and supporters. Caleen is also a very practical, ingenious, and independent woman who makes a living for herself on Ferrix by working as a mechanic and selling tech scraps on the black market. She also has off-world connections, such as Rael, who she connects with Andor. While she isn’t quite a part of the rebellion, she certainly doesn’t support the Empire. Her number one loyalty is always to her friends and her home planet, Ferrix. She’s mostly just concerned with getting by, but her perspective may change throughout the series and see her join the rebellion, too.
Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael
Stellan Skarsgård stars in Andor as Luthen Rael, a leader of the resistance. Rael is the one who recruits Andor into the rebellion in the first place. He is also partially responsible for the ambush on Ferrix. Rael is an intelligent and strategic man who cleverly hides his involvement with the Rebellion by posing as an antique collector. However, he has donned multiple identities and disguises over the years, keeping the Empire off his tracks. He is fully devoted to the Rebellion and has ambitious plans to continue growing it.
Faye Marsay as Vel Sartha
Faye Marsay stars in Andor as Vel Sartha, a Rebel leader on the planet Aldhani. She is a determined and fierce woman who is on a mission to infiltrate the Empire on Aldhani. Her ambitious mission included stealing a portion of the Galactic Empire’s payroll through their stronghold in Aldhani. However, things are complicated when Rael asks her to bring Andor along for the mission, though he withholds Andor’s real identity from her. Still, she manages to get Andor up to speed and the mission is successful.
Afterward, though, when she learns of Andor’s true identity and that he knows Rael’s identity, she becomes fearful he could leak important Rebel details. As a result, she sets out on a hunt to find him and kill him.
Denise Gough as Dedra Meero
Denise Gough stars in Andor as Dedra Meero, a sharp and ambitious young woman who works for the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) as a lieutenant. Meero is fiercely devoted to the Empire and has been a formidable enemy of the Rebels. She was first introduced in episode 4 where she insisted to the Bureau that the Rebel Alliance was involved in the ambush on Ferrix. While she wanted to further probe the incident, she faced opposition from her colleagues. However, throughout the series, she manages to persuade them. She has a knack for identifying any signs of resistance and continues to be a threat to Andor and the Rebels as she cracks down on Ferrix.
Gough is a talented actress in theatre, film, and television, and has done a fine job of portraying Meero’s intensity, fierceness, and keen intelligence. Before Andor, she most recently starred in Under the Banner of Heaven alongside Andrew Garfield.
Kyle Soller & Kathryn Hunter as Syrill & Eady Karn
Kyle Soller stars in Andor as Syril Karn a Deputy Inspector for the Preox-Morlana. Karn is introduced in the first episode when he becomes intent on capturing Andor who he suspects killed two of his fellow employees. However, he fell off of Adnor’s trail after the ambush of Ferrix, which resulted in Karn being fired in disgrace. Meanwhile, Kathryn Hunter appears as his mother, Eady Karn, who he is forced to return to after losing his job. Eady is exceedingly strict and enjoys emasculating her son. While he does end up landing a new position with the Bureau Of Standards, his future is a bit unpredictable. Given all the injustices and humiliations he has faced, he could end up defecting to the Rebellion.
James McArdle as Timm Karlo
James McArdle stars in Andor as Timm Karlo, Bix’s boyfriend. Karlo isn’t the fan-favorite of the season, but that’s mainly because McArdle masterfully portrays him as the unlikeable, jealous boyfriend. Karlo is suspicious of Bix’s friendship with Andor and decides to report him to Pre-Mor Security. This leads to Andor having an arrest warrant on his head. Of course, this only succeeds in putting Bix’s life in danger, too, due to her association with Andor. Karlo doesn’t have a huge role in the series, but he does succeed in making Bix’s and Andor’s lives a lot more complicated.
Fiona Shaw & Gary Beedle as Maarva & Clem Andor
Fiona Shaw and Gary Beedle appear in Andor as Maarva & Clem Andor, respectively, Andor’s adoptive parents. Maarva and her husband, Clem, discovered a young Andor on the planet Kenari where they were scavenging. Fearing for his safety, they brought him with them to their home planet of Ferrix and raised him as their son. Maarva was a highly revered and respected member of the Ferrix community. She and Clem would scavenge other planets to bring back technology to their home. Plus, Maarva was also a member of the Daughters of Ferrix who helped maintain the moral standing of her home planet.
Sadly, by the time we meet her in Andor, Maarva is widowed and retired after her husband was killed by the Empire. Beedle only appears as Clem through flashbacks. Even in retirement, though, Maarva is a pillar of the Ferrix community and refuses to leave it. Also, although she doesn’t always agree with Andor’s risk-taking and rebellious streak, she does always come through to help him when he needs her.
Varada Sethu, Alex Lawther, Sule Rimi, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Gershwyn Eustache Jnr, & Sule Rimi as Aldhani Rebels
The Rebel group that operates under Sartha on the planet of Aldhani includes Cinta Kaz (Varada Seth), Karis Nemik (Alex Lawther), Arvel Skeen (Ebon Mass-Bachrach), Taramyn Barcona (Gershwyn Eustache Jnr), and Gorn (Sule Rimi). Each Rebel member has a different story or a different role they play in the group. Kaz is the group’s medic and she later joins Sartha in her hunt for Andor. Nemik is a passionate Rebel who is even in the process of penning a Manifesto to capture his anti-Empire thoughts. Skeen is a Rebel who is more preoccupied with self-interest than rebellion. Barcona is a Rebel who used to be a Stormtrooper. Lastly, Gorn is a double agent, serving as an Imperial Officer who is secretly a part of the Rebellion.
While this full group of Rebels joined Vel on her infiltration of the Empire on Aldhani, not all of them made it back. Some members of this group are true heroes, willing to give up their lives for their beliefs.
Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera
Forest Whitaker reprises his role as Saw Gerrera in Andor. Whitaker previously portrayed the character in Rogue One. While he started out fighting in the Clone Wars, he later became a resistance fighter against the Galactic Empire. Many saw his tactics against the Empire as bordering on extremism, but he still managed to build up and lead a team of Rebels. So far, he has only had a brief cameo in Andor, when he meets with fellow leader Rael. During their meeting, the two argue about their vastly different philosophies on the rebellion which foreshadows Gerrera being labeled an extremist later in the Star Wars franchise.
Ben Miles as Tay Kolma
Ben Miles appears in Andor as Tay Kolma, an old friend of Mothma. Kolma is a banker on the planet Chandrila and an old school friend of Mothma who is reunited with her at a dinner party. Mothma strikes up a conversation with him, mentioning some family funds she can no longer access and requesting his help. She claims the funds are for a charity event, but they are actually to fund the Rebellion. Kolma has been involved in some resistance movements himself, though not to the extent that Mothma has. Mothma decides that it’s better not to share additional details with him about what the funds will be used for.
Not much else is known about Kolma besides his friendship with Mothma. If he does help her secure the funds, though, he’ll be involved in the Rebellion in a more significant manner. There are also some small hints that he and Mothma may have had a romantic relationship in the past. Given Mothma’s troubled marriage, the return of an ex-lover who is helping her with the rebellion would make things quite interesting.
Elizabeth Dulau as Kleya Marki
Elizabeth Dulau appears in Andor as Kleya Marki, who works as Rael’s assistant. Not only is she his assistant at his antique shop, but she also assists him on his Rebel missions. Like Rael, she cleverly hides her Rebel involvement behind her work at the antique shop. However, her devotion to Rael puts Andor on her radar. Believing that Andor can’t be trusted with Rael’s true identity, she convinces Sartha to hunt him down and kill him.
Andy Serkis and Duncan Pow as inmates
Andy Serkis and Duncan Pow both appear in Andor as prisoners in Narkina 5. Serkis portrays Kino Loy, an inmate who supervises the labor of other prisoners in his unit. Serkis’ appearance in Andor was especially interesting because he has appeared in the franchise before. He portrayed Supreme Leader Snoke in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. It remains to be seen if Serkis’ role was just a creative cameo, or if Loy will play a bigger role in the series later. Meanwhile, Pow is another familiar face. He portrayed Ruescott Melshi in Rogue One as a sergeant in the Rebellion. Before he got involved with the Rebellion, though, he was a prisoner as seen in Andor.
Ben Bailey Smith, Robert Emms, and Stanley Townsend as Imperial Officers
Ben Bailey Smith, Robert Emms, and Stanley Townsend all appear in Andor as Imperial officers. Smith portrays Blevin, an ISB supervisor who has a pretty intense rivalry with fellow ISB supervisor, Meero. Meanwhile, Emms portrays Lonni Jung, another ISB supervisor who seems to walk the straight and narrow. However, rumors suggest that he is a Rebel in disguise and that Andor will unveil his betrayal. Lastly, Stanley Townsend portrays Jayhold Beehaz, the supervisor of lieutenant Gorn. Gorn manages to aid the Aldhani Rebellion under Beehaz’s nose and the Rebels take him and his family hostage during the Aldhani mission.
Alastair Mackenzie as Perrin Fertha and Bronte Carmichael as Leida Mothma
Alastair Mackenzie and Bronte Carmichael appear as Perrin Fertha and Leida Mothma in Andor. Fertha is the husband of Mon Mothma while Leida is their daughter. Their appearance came as a surprise, as little to no mention of her family is made in the Star Wars franchise. Sadly, neither Mothma’s husband nor her daughter supports her. Her husband sides with the Empire while Leida sides with her father. Leida even accuses Mothma of doing what she does just to get attention.
It remains to be seen what happens to Fertha and Leida. However, given their tense dynamic with Mothma and their lack of prominence in the franchise, Andor could be gearing up to give them a not-so-happy ending.
Anton Lesser as Major Partagaz
Anton Lesser appears in Andor as Major Partagaz, a high-ranking officer in the ISB. Partagaz is another character who is devoted to the Empire and who seeks to crush all stirrings of rebellion. As one of the leaders of ISB, he is often seen holding meetings, settling disputes, and assigning duties and posts to his officers. It was Partagaz who ultimately chose to give oversight of Ferrix to Meero. Lesser portrays Partagaz well in Andor as a calculated villain with authority and power.
Joplin Sibtain as Brasso
Joplin Sibtain appears in Andor as Brasso, a close friend of Andor who works on Ferrix. Brasso is a kind, honest, and hardworking man who spends most of his days working as a miner. He is always willing to help out Andor when he needs him and checks up on Andor’s mother frequently.
(featured image: Disney)
