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Cassian Andor is one of the most unexpected breakout characters of latter-day Star Wars. Admired by both fans and critics alike from his stellar appearances in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and his subsequent spinoff show, Andor, Andor is a wonderfully unifying character in a fandom haunted by its menaces within. With the release of Andor season 2 just around the corner, Diego Luna took to the stage at Star Wars Celebration in Japan to discuss how playing the character in the spinoff show on Disney+ has led him to understand his arc on a deeper level. 

"I think Rogue One is a film about an event, right? We built characters for that event, we arrived as actors with a backstory and knowing who our characters were, but the film is not exactly about that. There’s a lot of mystery around those characters. And Andor allowed us to tell the story of who they are, what’s behind the decisions they made. It’s like approaching a historical event or a historical character, right? We all know what he did, what he’s capable of. We know the big sacrifice he made, but we don’t know why. What is he leaving behind? This story is about that," Luna began. 

The actor continued, "I like establishing a parallel between Cassian and myself, because I built a family, I built a community, through Andor... All of that transformation, all of that journey that I took, it does make me a different person today. All of that, I could use for Cassian, you know? I learned a lot about the community, I learned a lot about the decisions he makes. That sacrifice he makes…? It’s because he belongs now, and we get to see that through this second season, what is he leaving behind and what is he fighting for. I keep saying, behind a revolution, there is pain, there is anger, injustice, a lot of loss… but there’s also something very romantic behind every revolution. It’s love. It’s love, belonging, it’s family. That’s what Cassian is fighting for."

Rogue One hinted at the larger, grassroots apparatus of rebels fighting against the Empire, and the Andor show has fleshed this out even more through characters like Stellan Skarsgård's Luthen. It truly takes a village to pull off something as vast as taking down the Empire. 

Andor season 2 premieres on Disney+ April 22. 

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