What we expect to see in Andor's second season for Cassian, Mon Mothma, Kino Loy and more

After a stellar first season we're already looking forward to the return of Andor, which promises deeper character growth and stronger ties to Star Wars canon

By Scott Huver | November 24, 2022 | 2:00pm

TV Features Cassian

What we expect to see in Andor's second season for Cassian, Mon Mothma, Kino Loy and more

Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor Photo: Courtesy of Lucasfilm

Cassian Andor’s end had already been told in the powerful yet heartbreaking finale of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and as the first season of Andor comes to a rousing conclusion, the origins of Cassian’s conversion from self-serving lone wolf to self-sacrificing Rebel spy have been revealed. But we also know there’s another chapter, in the form of Andor’s forthcoming season two, to be unveiled which will bridge the gap in this detailed, nuanced boots-on-the-ground view of the developments that led up to the original Star Wars saga.

Since this gritty show is not especially given to Jedi-like prophetic visions, The A.V. Club instead will make some considered speculation on just what may lie ahead on the hyperspaceway for Andor in the next season, which is expected to tie the remaining two years of Cassian’s personal rebellion to his fateful mission to steal the plans for the Death Star for the Rebel Alliance. It’s a potentially dark road, but at least we know for sure that K-2SO’s gonna pop up along the way to add some much-welcome sass, and maybe a metallic backhand or two.

Cassian commits to the Alliance

By the end of season one, Cassian has moved beyond his self-serving impulses and is all in on his opposition to the Empire, so much so that he risks putting his fate in Luthen’s hands in order to, with apologies to Obi-Wan Kenobi, take his first steps into a larger world of rebellion. But this Cassian, embittered by his traumatic experiences at the hands of the Imperials and the loss of his mother, is still motivated largely by personal grievance. Based on where we meet him in Rogue One, Cassian is a model of cold, even ruthless efficiency in service of the cause, but also burns with deep passion and empathy to help the entire galaxy throw off the yoke of oppression. How he arrives at both places will most certainly drive the bulk of season two. He will likely face even more devastating losses—sadly among the tight-knit band of friends-turned-proto-Rebels he helped escape from Ferrix—and inspiring alliances, including getting folded into Mon Mothma’s crusade and the unification of the disparate Rebel forces. Season one showed the spark of his rebellion; Season Two will fan the flames of his hope—but not without precious costs.

Mon Mothma pays a heavy price

Speaking of high costs, it’s quite clear that Mon Mothma’s efforts from her position of great privilege and (increasingly limited) power are already requiring steep compromises and sacrifices, and we should expect things to only get more painful moving forward. Yes, her husband and daughter appear thus far to be lost causes, but her commitment to funding the Rebellion shows that lost causes are her thing—breaking from her family, willingly or by force, is going to take a tremendous toll. Yet as she becomes more and more enmeshed in the complicated, often distasteful machinations necessary to launch and enlarge the Rebellion, expect Mon to become the unlikely architect of a unification of Rebel splinter groups across the Galaxy. She’ll also take steps toward emerging as the dignified if somewhat haunted Rebel leader we’ve glimpsed in other Star Wars stories, one that earns and inspires the devotion of foot soldiers like Cassian, who get their hands dirty at her direction.

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A star-crossed romance: Dedra Meero and Syril Karn

It looks like the Empire has its own Han and Leia-like set of unlikely lovers—shall we dub them Derdrill? Syra? Now that stalker-y Syril has made a good impression on Dedra by literally saving her life during the Ferrix uprising, the couple seems poised to emerge as an authoritarian power couple working to advance their own goals within the Empire. Deedra has all the makings of the anti-Mon Mothma, someone who shrewdly recognizes the sheer scope and power of the Empire’s might and the most effective ways to harness its levers; meanwhile, Syril has been Cassian’s opposite number all along—where Cassian is pushed more and more toward the cause of the Rebellion, Syril is equally pushed toward Imperial radicalization, and where Cassian’s loss of Maarva cemented his commitment, so too has Syril’s rescue of Dedra. Best, or perhaps worst of all, we have no notion of just where these two end up by the time Rogue One’s story unfolds.

Luthen remains a wild card

Perhaps the grayest character yet in the battle between the Light and Dark Sides is Luthen. He eloquently articulated the delicate and often painful struggle he’s faced in the name of overthrowing the Empire, and it seems that he’ll continue to be Andor’s biggest wildcard. Luthen carefully governs his fiery passions, and is as resourceful and pragmatic as they come, not unlike Cassian at the outset of Rogue One. But because Luthen seems ever-prepared to break however many eggs it may take in service of the Rebellion’s greater omelet, he may ultimately cross certain lines that shouldn’t be crossed—and serve as a cautionary tale to Cassian, even as the newfound Rebel grows more and more like him.

More backstory about Saw Gerrera’s extremist rebellion

It seems wildly unlikely that Andor has seen the last of by-any-means-necessary Saw Gerrera and his volatile band of insurgents. Expect season two to bring the complete lowdown on exactly why Saw and his people followed a separate path from Mon Mothma’s allies. What’s most intriguing is that the Saw we’ve seen thus far in Andor is much in line with the Saw who rescues young Jyn Urso at the beginning of Rogue One—cautious and zealous, yes, but not nearly as blinded by rage and bitterness as the Saw seen later in the film.

The return of Kino Loy

Even in a Star Wars tale as grounded and gritty as Andor, it’s still Star Wars, which means getting to play by some pulp-storytelling rules. Given that we never actually witnessed Kino’s final fate, we can hold out hope that the Narkina V prison trustee may resurface in season two. The potential storyline is utterly ripe with possibilities: if freed, will Kino find his way to the Rebellion, bringing his powerful organizational and leader-of-men talents with him? Or will he be reclaimed by the Empire—possibly by Dedra and Syril in particular—and harnessed for more sinister purposes?

The rise of K-2SO

It’s a promise that can’t be taken back: K2 is definitely coming! And you just know the show will find a most unexpected way of introducing him, much as they slipped in that sneaky foreshadowing in season one. Don’t expect K2 and Cassian’s relationship to start swimmingly, at least until Cassian can literally get inside his head and rewire those Imperial subroutines. It’s not much of a stretch to imagine that loyal droid B4 will also play a role in K2’s conversion—in fact, the little guy’s sense of devotion may be just what the tart-tongued bruiser needs. And K2’s signature sarcasm will be a welcome jolt to Andor’s often bleak proceedings.

Connections to the bigger Star Wars tapestry

Andor has been mercifully restrained and relentlessly clever in its use of Easter eggs from Star Wars mythology, and that will likely continue—so too will overt references to Jedis, the Force, and other mystic elements of the canon. But the story will be heading into places where some added nods to previously established characters might be quite welcome, from fairly major saga players like Bail Organa to a few of the Rogue One micro-cameo players from other storylines, like Star Wars: Rebels’ Chopper, Hera and Rex. The Rebels’ connection to the underworld also potentially puts the Galaxy’s gangsters and smugglers on the table, though fans shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for Han and Chewie to cruise through. Even though season one provided a glimpse of the Death Star in the making, appearances by Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin are likely best held off, dramatically, until Rogue One. But that still leaves plenty of potential room for Orson Krennic to make his presence known.