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Why we cared about Cassian Andor despite knowing he was doomed to die in Rogue One: A Star Wars story, according to showrunner Tony Gilroy
Tony Gilroy isn’t concerned by people who say Star Wars: Rogue One robs Andor of its stakes
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From the moment Andor premiered, we knew how Cassian Andor’s story would end. The character had been introduced in the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, where he sacrificed his life to help the Rebel Alliance steal the Death Star plans. The Disney+ series Andor chronicles Cassian’s early adventures with the Rebellion, leading up to his final mission.
How do you create suspense in a series when the audience already knows how the story ends? That’s a question that Tony Gilroy is tired of hearing. Gilroy co-wrote Rogue One, and was the showrunner for Andor, and he has the perfect response to this recurring question.
“I have a glib answer that kind of came out over being asked some questions like this,” Gilroy says during a panel at PaleyFest 2025. “How can you do it when you know he’s going to die? The answer is, I think we all know we’re going to die, and we get up and do our laundry. There’s some innate evolutionary suspension of disbelief that we have.”
“I mean, why would you watch a movie the second time? This question kind of answers itself in a way. In a practical sense, it never gets in the way. As long as you just keep moving and keep it interesting.”
Well, Rogue One definitely kept things interesting, even if we never had an episode about Cassian doing laundry.
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