Star Wars: Andor showrunner explains why K-2SO isn’t in the first season

The Star Wars franchise has introduced plenty of droid characters who have become beloved. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story gave us K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial security droid with a darkly sarcastic personality. Given K-2SO’s close relationship with Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), it’s only natural that he would appear in the upcoming Rogue One prequel series. Although Alan Tudyk will reprise the role of K-2SO for the Andor series, he won’t be appearing in the first season, and showrunner Tony Gilroy has explained why.

“From a storytelling point of view, there are multiple reasons,” Tony Gilroy said at the Television Critics Association’s press tour. “I would say, ‘Wait and see.’ It’s a story we are eager to tell. It’s difficult to carry an Imperial droid around with you and not draw all kinds of attention. It’s a difficult piece of luggage. When we do it, we’ll do it in a spectacular fashion as opposed to presenting it and ignoring it, or presenting it or hiding it, or the bad versions we would have been forced to do.” Gilroy added that the story of Star Wars: Andor begins so far ahead of Rogue One that Cassian Andor isn’t anywhere close to being “the person who would know how to — or be motivated to — reprogram an Imperial droid.” Looks like we’ll have a bit of a wait until K-2SO enters the scene in Star Wars: Andor, but I can’t wait to see what the series has in store for us.

We know that Star Wars: Andor will consist of just two seasons, but there’s an awful lot of story to be told over the course of those 24 episodes. The first season will cover one year in the life of Cassian Andor, with the second covering the next four years. “Our last scene of the show, our 24th episode, will walk the audience directly into Rogue One and directly into the first scene of Rogue One,” Gilroy said.

“Andor will explore a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make,” reads the official synopsis. “The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.” The first season of Star Wars: Andor will debut on Disney+ with three episodes on September 21, 2022.