Final Andor Trailer Reaction

Article by Kieran Burt.

At the D23 studio panel, audiences got a final look at the upcoming Andor series, and it continues to look excellent. This trailer heavily focused on the themes of the show, though there was some new footage too. 

The first segment starts off with a voiceover from Cassian from Rogue One, the explanation of what terrible things Cassian has done for the Rebellion. Throughout the marketing of the show, this quote has been revisited, with the promise that the show will demonstrate all of these terrible things. This serves as a great way to remind the audience of that again. The sombre Star Wars theme playing adds extra gravity to these words, with Cassain not regretting his actions, but showing they came at a heavy price. Fighting evil but not going too far and losing yourself is a key theme of this series, and it applies to all of the characters, not just Cassian. To this end, each time Cassian says a word, it cuts to the four main characters in the show – Cassian Andor, Luthen Rael, Mon Mothma and Saw Gerrera.  

What is shown on screen are clones marching across, presumably to take over the planet at the end of The Clone Wars. A younger Cassian is seen watching, and a clone formation near an officer of some kind later in the trailer hints that these are Imperial clones, and so this scene takes place after the end of The Clone Wars. If this does turn out to be the case, and they aren’t Republic clones, then this would be slightly disappointing. As mentioned in a prior reaction, Cassian was a Separatist during The Clone Wars, and seeing Republic clones takeover his planet would help audiences understand his perspective. However, seeing Imperial clones in live-action, would be very cool, and would help more audiences understand the transition between clones. 

And the trailer does hint that Cassian will shoot someone in the head close up, not a heroic act. This type of act will no doubt be a key feature of the show. Heroic movements often get a dirty start, the Rebellion is no different. It would be interest if this series contrasts what Andor is doing, to the terrorism that Saw engages in. How far is too far when fighting against absolute evil will be an important question the show will address, and will apply to more than just Cassian. 

Luthen explains to Cassian that no matter what he does, he will die fighting the Empire, so he might as well make it count. Again, this links in with what is already known, Andor will start off in a very different place to where he is now, being a thief, all the way to willing to die for the cause. This series is about explaining the journey to get there. Andor won’t just get this lesson from Luthen, but Maarva too. She encourages that Andor will not be alone, people are standing up. 

After this, the music switches, adding a tense feeling to the trailer, alluding that if what the main characters are doing is discovered, it will be the end of the Rebellion before it starts. The trailer again leans heavily into this being a dark period for the galaxy, along with the spy-thriller/political intrigue genre this series will occupy. This makes the show unique in the Star Wars library, as it is a genre piece through and through. 

But Andor won’t be the only one unwilling to fight the Empire. Mon Mothma appears extremely hesitant about going down the path of violence, even going so far to criticise Luthen for setting something in motion, because people will die. She doesn’t seem willing to fight in any capacity, believing that she can still do good in the Senate. It will take a realisation for her that an armed struggle is necessary. Mothma needs to learn that diplomacy cannot work all the time. 

Overall, this trailer mostly explores the themes that the show will explore, with all of the characters having to learn similar lessons. To what degrees will vary from character to character, and audiences won’t have to wait long to find this out. The first three episodes of Andor will debut on Disney+ on September 21, 2022