While Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a prequel heavy with fan service and cameos, its own prequel, Andor, is the complete opposite. Sure, the series focuses on Rogue One alum Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and a handful of other characters from the film, but it deploys its cast with surprising restraint. Part of that has to do with its dedication to proper storytelling: showrunner Tony Gilroy has been vocal about resisting the urge to make distracting references, so that this tale of the Rebellion can stand on its own.
Andor keeps major figures like Leia Organa off-screen, and that’s for the best. But what about the Rogue One characters many fans expected to see, or even hear mentioned, like Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso? While Jyn’s dad, Galen (Mads Mikkelsen), earns a name drop in the final episodes of Season 2, Andor avoids any mention of Jyn, skirting over questions fans have had for years. Even Cassian’s trusty droid companion, K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), plays a drastically reduced role in the series, a far cry from the relationship established in comics and novels. Rogue One diehards might take some issue with Gilroy’s choices, but to hear Gilroy tell it, he had Rogue One’s best interests in mind when crafting a satisfying end for Andor.
