It turns out that even in galaxies far, far away, there are production delays. The next Star Wars series, Andor, was set to premiere at the end of August. But its first full-length trailer reveals that fans will have to wait an extra three weeks to check out the Rogue One spinoff.
Andor stars Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a thief called in to join the Rebel Alliance in the fight against the Galactic Empire. Set in the period of time between Episode III and Episode IV, it’s a dark time for the Star Wars universe; the downbeat, dramatic trailer serves as a great reminder of that.
“The Empire is choking us so slowly, we’re starting not to notice,” Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) tells Andor, as the trailer opens. “What I’m asking is this: Wouldn’t you rather give it all to something real?”
The previously apathetic Andor says yes, and he joins the fight. His teammates include Rebel leader Saw Gerrera (Forrest Whittaker), and Mon Mothma (Genevie O’Reilly), a senator secretly helping out the Rebels while working for the Empire. Both of them return from Rogue One as well. Surprisingly, there’s also a quick cameo from someone resembling Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o) the 1,000-year-old space pirate, who first appeared in Episode VII.
What we’re set to see is a thriller full of intrigue, subterfuge, and high-stakes space battles. What we’re less set to see for the first time in a minute: Jedi. (It’s probably because the Jedi are all in hiding during this period. If you forgot about that whole thing, you can go watch Obi-Wan Kenobi, also on Disney+.)
Appearing on Good Morning America Monday to unveil the trailer, Luna also previewed what’s to come.
“It’s quite unique, because we know what Cassian is capable of, but we’re going to meet him when he doesn’t know he’s capable of that,” he said. “We’re going to meet him when life is tough. It’s a very dark and interesting life, because it’s just a regular guy that suddenly has to become part of something bigger, has to become part of a community that rises. It’s the beginning of the origins of a revolution, and it’s a beautiful story because it reminds us what we are capable of, what we are all capable of. There’s no Jedis around—it’s people having to take control.”
There will surely be much more drama keeping Andor going over its 12-episode first season, the longest in the Star Wars TV canon to date. And this is only season one, mind you; Andor has already been renewed for a second, final season.
Maybe that’s to make up for the delay. Originally scheduled for an August 31 premiere, Andor will now debut on Disney+ September 21. The first three episodes will drop that day, with subsequent episodes released weekly..
