Draft:Andor season 1

Andor
Season 1
Showrunner	Tony Gilroy
Starring	Diego Luna Kyle Soller Adria Arjona Stellan Skarsgård Fiona Shaw Genevieve O'Reilly Denise Gough
No. of episodes	12
Release
Original network	Disney+
Original release	September 21 (2022-09-21) – November 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)
Season chronology

The first season of the American television series Andor is part of the Star Wars franchise and a prequel to the film Rogue One (2016), which in turn is a direct prequel to the original Star Wars film (1977). The season begins five years before the events of those films and shows how a thief, Cassian Andor, is radicalized against the oppressive Galactic Empire. It also explores how the wider Rebel Alliance is formed and efforts by the Empire to stop this. The season was produced by Lucasfilm with Tony Gilroy serving as showrunner.

Diego Luna stars as the title character, reprising his role from Rogue One. Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgård, Fiona Shaw, Genevieve O'Reilly, and Denise Gough also star. The series was announced in November 2018, with Luna attached and Stephen Schiff hired as showrunner. By April 2020, Schiff was replaced by Rogue One co-writer Gilroy as creator and showrunner. Filming began at the end of November, with Gilroy unable to direct as planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming took place at Pinewood Studios in London and on location around the United Kingdom, and wrapped by September 2021.

The season premiered on the streaming service Disney+ on September 21, 2022, with its first three episodes. The rest of the season's 12 episodes were released weekly until November 23. A second season was confirmed in May 2022.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Kassa"	Toby Haynes	Tony Gilroy	September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21)
Five years before the Battle of Yavin, Cassian Andor searches for his sister in a brothel on the industrial planet Morlana One. He is antagonized by two Pre-Mor security officers, leading to an altercation in which Cassian accidentally kills one and then murders the other. Returning to his home on Ferrix, Cassian attempts to create a cover story with his adopted mother Maarva, her droid B2EMO, and his friend Brasso. He asks his friend Bix to connect him with a black market buyer, hoping to sell a Starpath Unit—a valuable piece of navigation technology—that he has stolen from the Galactic Empire. Because the security officers were not supposed to be in the brothel, Morlana One's chief inspector elects to cover-up the murders. However, his deputy Syril Karn is determined to solve the case and identifies Cassian's ship, tracing it to Ferrix and learning that the fugitive is from the planet Kenari. In flashbacks, a younger Cassian—known as Kassa—lives on Kenari with a group of orphaned children. He joins some of the older children to investigate a crashed ship, leaving his younger sister at their encampment.
2	"That Would Be Me"	Toby Haynes	Tony Gilroy	September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21)
Bix's boyfriend Timm, who is suspicious of her relationship with Cassian, learns that Pre-Mor Security is searching for a Kenari man on Ferrix; having learned that Cassian was born on Kenari from Bix, Timm reports Cassian. Karn partners with Sergeant Linus Mosk, another Pre-Mor officer who is determined to solve the murder case, to arrest Cassian. Other citizens on Ferrix also learn of the search, and rumors begin to spread about Kenari which is considered toxic due to a mining disaster that killed all of the workers there. B2EMO warns Maarva of the search details and she berates Cassian for revealing his true home world rather than using the planet Fest as they had agreed. Cassian asks Bix to help him flee Ferrix but she tells him that her buyer, Luthen Rael, is on his way to obtain the Starpath Unit. In flashbacks, Kassa and the other children find the crashed ship near an abandoned industrial strip-mining operation. When one of their own is killed by a crew member of the crashed ship, the children kill the attacker and quickly leave the site. Kassa decides to stay behind and explore the ship.
3	"Reckoning"	Toby Haynes	Tony Gilroy	September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21)
Luthen arrives on Ferrix and meets Cassian in an abandoned factory. Karn and Mosk also arrive with a dozen security officers. They confront Maarva but she refuses to cooperate. Intercepting a transmission from Cassian to B2EMO, Karn pinpoints Cassian's position. Cassian wants to sell the Starpath Unit and then go into hiding, but Luthen tries to persuade him to join his network of rebel cells due to Cassian's repeated success at stealing from and sabotaging Imperial ships. When Karn's officers raid the factory, the two men escape to a speeder hangar and subdue Karn. After learning of Timm's betrayal, Bix rushes to aid Cassian but is stopped and injured by the officers. Timm attempts to help her and is killed. The ship that the security officers arrived in is sabotaged and destroyed by Brasso, allowing Luthen and Cassian to escape the planet in Luthen's ship. In flashbacks, Maarva and her husband Clem scavenge the crashed ship on Kenari and find Kassa. Maarva decides to take him with them, fearing his fate if he is discovered there by the Galactic Republic—the precursor to the Empire.
4	"Aldhani"	Susanna White	Dan Gilroy	September 28, 2022 (2022-09-28)
Luthen takes Cassian to the planet Aldhani where a small group of rebels are planning to steal the payroll of an Imperial sector from a local garrison. Cassian agrees to help them with their mission in exchange for payment, and takes on the pseudonym "Clem" to protect his identity. Vel, the leader of the group, is unhappy with the last-minute addition but reluctantly accepts Cassian's help. She introduces him to the rest of the group: Nemik, Skeen, Taramyn, and Vel's lover Cinta. On Coruscant, the galactic capital, Luthen poses as an antiques dealer and meets with Senator Mon Mothma who is secretly funding Luthen's attempts to form a united rebellion. They note that Mothma has been assigned a new driver who is likely spying on her for the Empire. Following the failed attempt to arrest Cassian, Pre-Mor Security is taken over by the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) and Karn is fired. He reluctantly goes to live with his mother, Eedy, on Coruscant. ISB lieutenant Dedra Meero believes the incident on Ferrix is part of a wider pattern of rebellion but is refused authority over the sector by her superior.
5	"The Axe Forgets"	Susanna White	Dan Gilroy	October 5, 2022 (2022-10-05)
On Aldhani, Cassian hides his past from the rest of the group and is met with distrust from most of them, including Imperial officer and double agent Lieutenant Gorn who is secretly aiding them. While traveling to the Imperial garrison to begin the heist, Cassian reveals to the others that he is only helping them because he was hired to do so, disappointing Nemik who is a strong believer in the rebel cause and has written a manifesto setting out his beliefs. On Coruscant, Eedy expresses disdain for Syril's failings and demeanor and suggests he get help with future career prospects from his well-connected uncle. Mothma establishes a new charitable foundation as a cover for funding the rebellion while managing increasingly tense relations with her husband and daughter, who are unaware of her allegiance to the rebels. ISB supervisor Blevin takes control of Ferrix and establishes a new ISB headquarters in a local hotel. Meero continues her research, despite being ordered not to, and concludes that someone is coordinating a series of heists of Imperial weapons and technology, including the Ferrix incident.
6	"The Eye"	Susanna White	Dan Gilroy	October 12, 2022 (2022-10-12)
Using the celestial event known as "The Eye of Aldhani"—when many meteors pass over the planet—as cover, the rebels pose as an escort squad for Commandant Jayhold Beehaz, Gorn's superior, and infiltrate the garrison. They take Beehaz's family as hostages and force him to open the payroll vault. While loading the credits onto a freighter, they are discovered by Imperial forces who kill Taramyn and Gorn. Cassian, Vel, Nemik, and Skeen escape with the payroll while Cinta is left behind to cover their tracks and make her own way off world. During takeoff, Nemik is crushed and severely injured by an unsecured load of credits. As Nemik receives treatment on the planet Frezno, Skeen proposes to Cassian that they flee and split the payroll between the two. An enraged Cassian kills Skeen and explains what happened to Vel, confirming his intention to take only the payment that he was promised and leave. Nemik dies from his injuries, and Vel gives his manifesto to Cassian in accordance with Nemik's dying wishes. On Coruscant, Luthen hears news of the successful theft and quietly celebrates.
7	"Announcement"	Benjamin Caron	Stephen Schiff	October 19, 2022 (2022-10-19)
On Coruscant, Karn starts a new job at the Bureau of Standards. Colonel Wullf Yularen announces that the ISB has gained new surveillance powers and punitive authority in response to the Aldhani heist, and Meero uses this to access Ferrix data without asking Blevin. He challenges her on this, and she persuades her superiors of the potential coordinated rebel threat. Meero is assigned oversight of Ferrix. Luthen's assistant Kleya instructs Vel to find and kill Cassian because he knows Luthen's identity. Mothma asks Tay Kolma, an old friend, for help with her funding. Cassian returns to Ferrix and settles his debts. The presence of stormtroopers reminds Cassian of how his adoptive father, Clem, was executed by Imperial clone troopers during a protest on Rix Road. Maarva refuses to leave Ferrix with Cassian, wishing to oppose the Imperial presence there, and tells him to stop looking for his sister. Cassian travels to the tropical tourist planet Niamos and adopts the name "Keef Girgo". While out walking he is incorrectly accused of "anti-Imperial activity", arrested, and sentenced to six years of imprisonment.
8	"Narkina 5"	Toby Haynes	Beau Willimon	October 26, 2022 (2022-10-26)
Cassian is brought to a prison on Narkina 5. Surrounded by water, the prison is a labor camp where prisoners on each level work day or night shifts to construct machine parts as part of a competitive system to earn flavor in their food and avoid being punished through the electrified floors. Cassian's shift is overseen by floor manager Kino Loy, an experienced prisoner who encourages the others to follow the rules and focus on their work. Vel and Cinta travel to Ferrix to search for Cassian. When Maarva falls ill, Bix attempts to contact Luthen to ask where Cassian is, but Luthen does not answer out of concern for being exposed to anyone monitoring communications. He leaves Coruscant to meet with Saw Gerrera, the leader of a rebel cell. Luthen wants Gerrera to act as air support for a raid on an Imperial power station at Spellhaus organized by a different rebel leader, Anto Kreegyr, but Gerrera refuses to work with another group. Meero questions Karn, who has been filing request for information on Cassian, and tells him to stay out of the investigation. She travels to Ferrix and apprehends Bix for questioning.
9	"Nobody's Listening!"	Toby Haynes	Beau Willimon	November 2, 2022 (2022-11-02)
Meero and Dr. Gorst, an Imperial scientist, torture Bix by forcing her to listen to the screams of dying children. They do not learn anything from her about Luthen, but determine that Cassian may have been involved in the Aldhani heist. The ISB capture a member of Kreegyr's rebel group and learn of the plan to raid the Spellhaus power station. Mothma reunites with Vel, who is her cousin, and encourages her to keep a low profile while maintaining the facade of a rich and politically uninvolved young woman. Mothma and Kolma continue working to covertly gather funds for rebel activities. Meanwhile, an older member of Cassian's prison work crew named Ulaf is euthanized by a prison medic when he suffers a stroke and can no longer work effectively. The medic reveals to Cassian and Kino that a prisoner who had completed his sentence was accidentally sent to work on a different level instead of being released, and the prison guards killed all of the prisoners on that level in an attempt to cover up the mistake. Cassian and Kino realize that they will never be released, convincing Kino to help plan an escape.
10	"One Way Out"	Toby Haynes	Beau Willimon	November 9, 2022 (2022-11-09)
Cassian and Kino reveal their escape plan to the rest of their shift. Cassian breaks a bathroom water pipe, flooding the work room and shorting out the electrified floor. When the guards enter with a new prisoner, replacing Ulaf, the prisoners overpower the guards and escape from the room. They begin freeing other floors of the prison while Cassian encourages Kino to speak to everyone using the prison's intercom system. Kino's speech helps motivate all of the prisoner's to escape, but he chooses not to leave with them because he cannot swim. Cassian and another prisoner, Melshi, reach land together. Kolma organizes for Mothma to meet Davo Sculdun, a shady businessman who offers financial help in return for arranging a meeting between her daughter and his son, an initial step towards marriage in their Chandrilan culture. ISB supervisor and secret informant Lonni Jung meets with Luthen to tell him that the ISB is aware of Kreegyr's plan. Luthen chooses not to tell Kreegyr so as not to reveal that he has an ISB source and makes Lonni understand the need for sacrifice to defeat the Empire.
11	"Daughter of Ferrix"	Benjamin Caron	Tony Gilroy	November 16, 2022 (2022-11-16)
Maarva dies and the citizens of Ferrix begin planning her funeral. Meero encourages this in the hopes that Cassian will attend. Karn learns about the funeral plans from Mosk and decides to attend himself. Luthen again visits Gerrera, who has decided at the last moment to assist Kreegyr's attack on Spellhaus. Luthen advises against this, revealing that the ISB knows about the impending assault and Kreegyr is being sacrificed to protect Luthen's ISB source. Gerrera is surprised, but agrees that this is an appropriate tactic during a time of war. While returning to Coruscant, Luthen is captured by an Imperial patrol but is able to escape their tractor beam and destroy several TIE fighters using his advanced ship. With help from some local fishermen who dislike what the prison has done to the Narkina 5 ecosystem, Cassian and Melshi escape from the planet and travel to Niamos. Cassian recovers his belongings, including Nemik's manifesto, and then attempts to contact Maarva. Learning of her death, Cassian parts ways with Melshi; the latter intends to publicly expose the Empire's unjust prison system.
12	"Rix Road"	Benjamin Caron	Tony Gilroy	November 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)
Mothma accuses her husband of gambling away their money, knowing her driver will report this to the ISB. She then organizes a meeting between her daughter and Sculdun's son, securing the funding. The ISB stop Kreegyr's attack but leave no prisoners, angering Meero who wanted to question them about the wider rebellion. She plans to capture Cassian during Maarva's funeral while Luthen plans to kill him. At the funeral, B2EMO displays a recording of Maarva who rallies the citizens of Ferrix to fight the Empire. During the ensuing riot, Cassian rescues Bix from the hotel while Karn saves Meero from attackers. Meeting B2EMO, Brasso, and several others at a ship, Cassian convinces them to take Bix and get to safety, promising to find them. Cassian then confronts Luthen on his own ship. Knowing that Luthen is there to assassinate him, Cassian offers Luthen the choice to either kill him or take him in as a now-committed rebel, and Luthen smiles in response. In a post-credits scene, the machine parts produced by the Narkina 5 prisoners are used in the construction of an Imperial superweapon.

Cast and characters

• Diego Luna as Cassian Andor:
  A thief and scavenger whose home planet, Kenari, was rendered uninhabitable by a mining disaster. The series begins with Andor as a "revolution-averse" cynic and explores how he becomes "the most passionate person who's going to give themselves to save the galaxy" in Rogue One. Gilroy had described him as a natural leader who manipulates people, adding that he is "really a perfect kind of spy, warrior, killer." Antonio Viña portrays a young Andor, when he was known as Kassa, and Lucas Bond plays a slightly older Cassian.
• Kyle Soller as Syril Karn:
  A Deputy Inspector for Preox-Morlana (Pre-Mor) Authority, a corporate conglomerate in charge of a trade sector. Karn works for Pre-Mor's security services and is determined to capture Andor after learning he killed two Pre-Mor security employees. Soller described his character as having "an extreme sense of need to impress, and fill a hole in himself. And so that really is about ascending to the top of whatever field he's in. The field he's chosen is one of restriction and complete control, and one of domination."
• Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen: A mechanic and black market dealer who is Andor's ally and close friend.
• Joplin Sibtain as Brasso: Andor's co-worker and friend.
• James McArdle as Timm Karlo: Caleen's co-worker and boyfriend.
• Rupert Vansittart as Hyne: Syril's Pre-Mor superior.
• Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael: Caleen's dealer contact who is a part of the Rebel Alliance. He hires Cassian on his first mission as a Rebel operative. Luthen poses publicly as an eccentric antiques dealer from Coruscant.
• Fiona Shaw as Maarva Andor: Cassian's adoptive mother who saved him from Kenari with Clem.
• Alex Ferns as Linus Mosk: A Pre-Mor officer.
• Gary Beadle as Clem Andor: Maarva's partner and Cassian's adoptive father. Cassian uses his name as an alias.
• Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon Mothma: An Imperial senator for the wealthy core world of Chandrila who tries to navigate the politics of the Empire while secretly helping fund the Rebel Alliance.
• Denise Gough as Dedra Meero: An ambitious and strategic supervisor for the Imperial Security Bureau.
• Faye Marsay as Vel Sartha: A Rebel leader on the planet Aldhani and Mothma's cousin.
• Varada Sethu as Cinta Kaz: A Rebel on Aldhani who is the team's medic and healer.
• Elizabeth Dulau as Kleya Marki: Luthen's assistant at his antiques store.
• Kathryn Hunter as Eedy Karn: Syril's mother.
• Alastair Mackenzie as Perrin Fertha: Mothma's husband.
• Anton Lesser as Partagaz: The head Imperial officer at the Imperial Security Bureau.
• Alex Lawther as Karis Nemik: An idealistic Rebel on Aldhani who has written an anti-Empire manifesto.
• Sule Rimi as Gorn: An Imperial officer on Aldhani who is secretly one of Vel's Rebels.
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Arvel Skeen: A mysterious Rebel on Aldhani.
• Gershwyn Eustache Jnr as Taramyn Barcona: A Rebel on Aldhani who is a former stormtrooper.
• Stanley Townsend as Jayhold Beehaz: Gorn's Imperial superior on Aldhani.
• Ben Miles as Tay Kolma: A banker who is Mothma's childhood friend from whom she seeks help.
• Andy Serkis as Kino Loy: A prisoner and floor manager at the Imperial factory facility on the moon Narkina 5.
• Duncan Pow as Ruescott Melshi: A labor worker and inmate at the Imperial factory facility on Narkina 5 who will later join the Rebel Alliance alongside Andor.
• Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera: A veteran of the Clone Wars and the leader of a militant insurgent group, the Partisans.
• Richard Dillane as Davo Sculdun: A shady businessman, described by Mon Mothma as a "thug".

Dave Chapman provided the voice for Maarva's droid B2EMO. Other residents of Ferrix include Victor Perez as Rashi, a grappler who works with Brasso; Raymond Anum as Nurchi, a junk dealer and Imperial informant; Muhannad Bhaier as Wilmon Paak, the son of Salman who works at the Repaak Salyard; Abhin Galeya as Salman Paak, owner of the Repaak Salyard; Kieran O'Brien as Pegla, a sentry at the shipyard; Neil Bell as the "Time Grappler" who signals the time in the bell tower by banging an anvil; Zubin Varla as Xanwan, the head of the transport business on Ferrix; Kiran Shah as Granik, a dispatcher working for Xanwan; and Pamela Nomvete as Jezzi, a member of the Daughters of Ferrix who helps care for Maarva. Other ISB supervisors include Ben Bailey Smith as Blevin, Robert Emms as Lonni Jung, Michael Jenn as Lagret, and Lucy Russell as Grandi, with Jacob James Beswick and Noof Ousellam as Meero's attendants Heert and Corv. Lee Ross plays Kloris, Mothma's driver and a spy for the ISB, and Bronte Carmichael plays Mothma's daughter Leida. Wilf Scolding portrays Vanis Tigo, captain of Imperial garrison on Ferrix, and Nick Moss plays his lieutenant Keysax. Prisoners on Narkina 5 include Christopher Fairbank as Ulaf, Clemens Schick as Ham, Brian Bovell as Jemboc, Tom Reed as Taga, Josef Davies as Xaul, Rasaq Kukoyi as Birnok, and Mensah Bediako as Zinska

Additional guest stars include Lee Boardman and Stephen Wight as Kravas Drezzer and Verlo Skiff, the Pre-Mor officers who are killed by Andor in the first episode; Margaret Clunie as the hostess of a brothel; Belle Swarc as Andor's sister Kerri; Ron Cook as Willi, a chatty businessman who visits Ferrix; Nick Blood as Kimzi, a corporal at the Imperial garrison on Aldhani; David Hayman as the chieftain of the native Aldhani people; Malcolm Sinclair as Colonel Wullf Yularen, a high-ranking ISB officer; Alex Blake as Flob, an employee of the Imperial Bureau of Standards; Aidan Cook as Benthic "Two Tubes", a mercenary working for Saw Gerrera; Joshua James as Dr. Gorst, an Imperial who tortures Bix; and Adrian Rawlins as Dr. Rhasiv, a prison media on Narkina 5. Mike Quinn and Damian Farrell provided the voices of the Keredian fishermen Dewi and Freedi Pamular, who were portrayed on set by Matt Lyons and Liam Cook. Sam Witwer provided the uncredited voice of the stormtrooper who arrests Cassian on Niamos.

Production

Development

A spy thriller prequel series to the film Rogue One (2016) focused on the character Cassian Andor was revealed in November 2018. Tony Gilroy, who was credited as a co-writer on Rogue One and oversaw extensive reshoots for the film, was set to write the first episode, direct multiple episodes, and serve as showrunner by April 2020. Six weeks of pre-production had taken place in the United Kingdom by then, but this was halted and production on the series delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-production had begun again by September ahead of a planned filming start the next month. At that time, Gilroy, who is based in New York, chose not to travel to the UK for production on the series due to the pandemic, and was therefore unable to direct the series' first episode. Instead, the UK-based Toby Haynes, who was already "high on the list" of potential directors for the series, was hired to direct the first three episodes. Gilroy would remain executive producer and showrunner. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced the series' title, Andor, in December 2020, along with its 2022 release date. Luna was revealed to be executive producing the series, which was set to consist of 12 episodes. In February 2021, Ben Caron and Susanna White were set as additional directors.

Writing

In addition to Gilroy and Schiff, writers for the season include Beau Willimon and Gilroy's brother Dan. The season begins five years before Rogue One and tells one year of Andor's story when he first becomes a revolutionary, with Gilroy approaching the season as if it was the first half of a novel. He stated, "This guy gave his life for the galaxy, right? I mean, he consciously, soberly, without vanity or recognition, sacrificed himself. Who does that?" Gilroy wanted to explore that idea in the season, beginning with Andor "being really revolution-averse, and cynical, and lost, and kind of a mess". The season shows the destruction of Andor's homeworld when he was a boy, and then is based on Andor's adopted planet which becomes radicalized against the Empire. Gilroy wanted to expand upon Andor's backstory, and had used a dialogue said by him in Rogue One, "I’ve been in this fight since I was six years old!", as a starting point. In the development process, Gilroy had labelled it "The Education of Cassian Andor". From there, he had created the planet Kenari as his childhood home, which he had lived in with other children and no adult supervision. Gilroy had compared it to being a "Lord of the Flies-like tribe", with Andor's separation from the tribe also serving as an introduction to Maarva and Clem Andor, desiring to introduce the audience to the Ferrix culture early on as the writing team had spent time creating its social structure. Towards the beginning, he had described Maarva as loving Andor "as much as she could possibly love him", though in the beginning of the series, she had been disappointed by the direction of Andor's life. As the series had progressed, Gilroy wanted to develop the emotional connection between them. After starting with Andor's story in the first three episodes, the fourth begins to expand the scope of the series to include the rest of its large ensemble cast, such as Rebel leader Mon Mothma whose path will cross with Andor's in the second season.

Design

Luke Hull served as production designer on the season, and described it as "very cinematic". Neal Scanlan provided the creature and droid effects after doing the same for all of Disney's Star Wars films, including Rogue One. He said his team was treating the series the same as they did the films, and due to Gilroy's involvement the series would fit within the same "pocket of [Star Wars] history" as Rogue One with a "slightly harder edge" than other Star Wars projects. Scanlan added that unused creatures developed for the films could be brought back for the season, alongside newly created creatures.

Casting

Diego Luna was confirmed to be reprising his role as Cassian Andor from Rogue One with the series' announcement in November 2018. In April 2019, Alan Tudyk was announced as also reprising his Rogue One role of K-2SO, but in January 2020 Tudyk revealed that he would no longer be appearing in the first season due to story changes. Also starring in the season are Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Genevieve O'Reilly. O'Reilly reprises her role of Mon Mothma from Rogue One and other Star Wars media.

Robert Emms was cast in a supporting role in June 2021, when Skarsgård revealed that Forest Whitaker was reprising his role as Saw Gerrera from Rogue One. In February 2022, David Hayman confirmed that he had a role in the series after being spotted by fans during filming. The season has over 200 named cast members and over 6,000 extras.

Filming

Filming began in London at the end of November 2020, with the production based at Pinewood Studios. The season was filmed under the working title Pilgrim, with Toby Haynes, Ben Caron, and Susanna White directing. Jonathan Freeman and Adriano Goldman served as cinematographers. The season was previously reported to be beginning filming in 2019, and then June 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both UK and U.S. COVID-19 protocols were followed on set, including daily temperature checks and tests for COVID-19 three times a week. Filming at Pinewood Studios was expected to end in July 2021.

By late January 2021, a large village set had been built on the grounds of a former quarry in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire, not far from Pinewood Studios. Filming was expected to take place there until April. Filming in April also took place at the Coryton Refinery in Corringham, Essex. Several days of filming happened in Cleveleys on the Fylde Coast of Lancashire in early May, with the town's promenade and beach area dressed as an alien location, followed by another several days filming in the disused Winspit quarry in Dorset. Second unit and location filming began for at least a week at the end of May in Black Park, a country park in Buckinghamshire near Pinewood Studios which was also used for filming Disney's Star Wars films. By the end of May, main production on Pilgrim had moved to Glen Tilt in Perthshire, Scotland, and was expected to continue there until late June. Around 500 crewmembers travelled to Oban, Scotland, for filming at the nearby Cruachan Dam. This started by June 18, with sets built around the dam and filming also happening in its tunnels. From June 22 to 24, filming took place at Middle Peak Quarry near Wirksworth, Derbyshire. Production was expected to wrap in mid-2021, and Luna confirmed that it had finished by September 27.

Music

Gilroy contacted Nicholas Britell about composing for the series in 2020, before filming began so he could compose source music that would be played on set. Gilroy and Britell, who are neighbors in Manhattan, first met for the project in August 2020. Kennedy and Gilroy wanted the series to have a unique sound, and Britell said it would be "orchestral-plus" with a "wide range of sounds" including some that he had created. He added that the large scope of the series meant that "every episode has new demands, new music, and new ideas. It's important that as the story evolves, the music should evolve too." Britell was publicly revealed to be the series' composer in February 2022, and was still working on it that May when he said they had been "working nonstop for months, actually years, at this point". Recording was underway by then at AIR Lyndhurst studios in London, with a full orchestra. Britell was unable to travel to London due to the pandemic, but had a team in place there that also worked with him on other television series.

Marketing

A sizzle reel featuring behind-the-scenes footage of pre-production and filming was released during Disney's Investors Day presentation in December 2020, when the series' title and cast was officially announced by Kennedy. Gilroy, Luna, and O'Reilly promoted the series at Star Wars Celebration in May 2022 where they revealed the first teaser trailer. It was also released online, and The Hollywood Reporter's Aaron Couch said it showed the "gritty side" of the Star Wars universe. Daniel Chin of The Ringer felt the series had a unique identity in the Star Wars franchise, with a darker tone, and said the teaser "paints a picture of the formative years of the rebellion against the Empire". Ryan Scott from /Film felt the teaser gave the "most comprehensive view at the show up to this point". He said the series could explore the morality behind the Rebels, writing that while they are usually seen as heroes there is also "much gray area in there to be explored". Writing for CNET, Sean Keane felt the trailer did not give much away but gave an "intriguing taste of the show's espionage tone".

Luna promoted the series and debuted the official trailer on Good Morning America on August 1. Hattie Lindert from The A.V. Club highlighted the action scenes in the trailer, saying "In addition to the epic scale and darker tone, the series also promises intense fight scenes created with limited green screen use" and also noted Gilroy's experience with action films due to his work on the Jason Bourne films. The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd enjoyed Andor's increased screen-time in the trailer compared to the teaser, and felt the series was a "welcome scenic change from the company's previous Star Wars shows". At CNN, Scottie Andrew felt it "reveals a bit more about Andor's evolution from common thief to galactic martyr". Luna and Kennedy promoted the series at the 2022 D23 Expo, with CNET's Keane writing "The trailer paints a pretty grim setup for revolutionary fighter Cassian Andor and his pals, as fighting the Empire and row upon row of stormtroopers looks like a one-way ticket to death". Meanwhile, Collider's Rachel Leishman felt the trailer "gives us a bit more of a look at where the rebellion is and who is fighting back against the Empire" and was excited for the portrayal of the Empire in the series, writing "Seeing these little missions and the feelings that the rebels have towards the Empire feels so perfectly align with what we know about Cassian that this trailer really just has us excited for what is to come with the series".

Release

The season premiered on Disney+ on September 21, 2022, with its first three episodes. The rest of the 12-episode season released weekly. The season was previously expected to debut in 2021, before production was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2022, Disney announced that the first two episodes would air on ABC on November 23, on FX on November 24, and Freeform on November 25, and be available on Hulu from November 23 through December 7. A similar move was also replicated across various countries in Europe, including Portugal, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands, with the first two episodes airing on Fox, on November 24 or 25, depending on the country.

External links

• Andor season 1 at IMDb
• Andor season 1 on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki