Sadly, Andor will not return for season 3, despite creator Tony Gilroy originally pitching the show with more seasons in mind. When it was announced that Star Wars would produce a spinoff based on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – a prequel spinoff, no less, about a character who heroically died during the Rebellion’s daring Death Star plans heist – many questioned the value it would bring to Star Wars’ overall legacy. After all, the Empire’s reign is one of the most well-documented periods in Star Wars history. Was there anything new to learn?
Thankfully, Gilroy and his team were not to be deterred, and they created not only the first mature, adult-oriented Star Wars TV series, but also one of the most impactful Star Wars stories of all time. This series, about the cost of revolution and the dire consequences of oppression, is a masterclass in writing, production, acting, editing, and so much more. It’s only normal to want a show this good to continue, but Andor season 2 truly is the end. It wasn’t always supposed to be, however. Gilroy understandably changed his mind during production for season 1.
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Tony Gilroy Originally Approached Lucasfilm With A Five-Season Show
The Creator's Initial Vision for the Series' Length
When the Rebel Alliance's tentative growth. The final season would lead straight into the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, with Cassian heading to the Rings of Kafrene to meet with an informant.
What Does BBY Mean? Andor's Star Wars Timeline Explained
Andor's narrative revolves around a few specific years of the Star Wars timeline. So, how do we know when it takes place? What does BBY mean?
With Rogue One set in 1BBY, the final year before the Battle of Yavin, when the first Death Star was destroyed in the original Star Wars movie, Gilroy’s initial five-season plan would have covered the last five years of Cassian Andor’s life, from 5BBY to 1BBY. As we now know, the show still explores all those years, but Gilroy and star Diego Luna decided to approach the show’s initial premise differently.
Why Tony Gilroy Cut Andor Down To Two Seasons
The Reasons Behind the Shift to a Shorter Narrative Arc
In a 2024 interview with Empire Magazine, Gilroy confessed that he felt somewhat trapped by his original concept while production was underway on season 1. After realizing how daunting the task he’d laid out for himself truly was, he turned to Luna, and together, over a glass of scotch, they hatched a new plan: two seasons instead of five.
“Gilroy realized he had no realistic way of pulling this off. ‘Oh my God, we are going to have to come up with another 12 hours of story?’ he re thinking, back when he needed to start work on the second season. ‘So I was already panicked. We already said we were going to do five years [of timeline], that was the concept. How do you get out of that?”
Of course, Andor’s second and final season still covers the last four years of Cassian’s life. Each three-episode block skips ahead a year, focusing on a few key moments in his life and events of great importance to the galaxy and the creation of the Rebellion, such as the Ghorman Massacre. There may be questions about what happened in the interim, but Star Wars has other means of bringing those stories to life.
With its two-season structure, Andor can at least go out on its own without forcing the cast and crew to burn out. Gilroy fulfilled his original promise on a more intimate scale.
When ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan spoke to Gilroy at this year’s Star Wars Celebration, the showrunner elaborated on his reasoning for changing the show’s original grand plan.
“I think I really have given a lot, and I think it's time for me to go do something else. I'm trying to get [a] movie off. I mean, I'll never say never, but I mean, really, it's been five and a half, six years. And then if you throw in Rogue, it goes into 10. I mean, I've tried to leave things in better shape than I've took in my five years, and I've left them in better shape than I found them. And I feel good about that. And right now I'd like to leave it like that.”
It’s not just about how much story they’d need to cover, but the practicality of producing a five-season version of Andor, too. As Gilroy said, getting even these two seasons to air took over five years, partially because of the series’ commendable dedication to practical effects, sets, and location shoots. Andor is also the most expensive Star Wars show ever produced. With its two-season structure, Andor can at least go out on its own without forcing the cast and crew to burn out. Gilroy has fulfilled his original promise on a more intimate scale.
Some Of The Actors ARE Interested In Andor Spinoffs
Potential Future Stories Beyond the Core Series
That’s not to say that none of the actors involved have expressed interest or curiosity in potential Andor spinoffs. Star Adria Arjona, who plays Bix Calleen, spoke to Variety about the potential for a spinoff in the future: “I feel like a big spinoff could be later in my career. I’m trying to give job security to myself in the future. I’m trying to elongate it. I got a tattoo for Bix. My makeup artist from the show did it in my trailer.”
The actress genuinely loves Bix’s character, and there’s still plenty we don’t know about what she experienced between seasons 1 and 2. Diego Luna has similarly expressed an interest in exploring Bix and Cassian’s missing year together, before Bix’s traumatic encounter with an Imperial officer and Brasso’s death in Andor season 2, episode 3. However, Luna also previously told People that knowing that Andor would only be two seasons was “very important for [his] mental health.”
Though Andor may not feel like any other Star Wars project produced before, it’s still a part of the galaxy far, far away, which means there are endless ways for Lucasfilm to continue Andor’s legacy without the pressure of creating a new TV series. Books and comics have long been used to fill in the gaps in the timeline. Andor season 2’s tightly-plotted structure leaves plenty of room to explore more of Cassian’s, Bix’s, Mon Mothma’s, Wilmon’s, Luthen’s, and Kleya’s brave, terrifying lives.
Editorial Note: This article originally reported that Luna had expressed an interest in a spinoff set between Andor season 2, episodes 1-3 and 4-6. This has since been edited to better reflect his comment about a potential spinoff set between seasons 1 and 2.
Andor's series finale premieres Tuesday, May 13 at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST exclusively on Disney+.
| Star Wars TV Shows | Release Date |
| Star Wars: Visions volume 3 | October 29, 2025 |
| Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord | 2026 |
| Ahsoka season 2 | TBD |
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