Recap - What We Learned from Creator / Showrunner Tony Gilroy's "Star Wars: Andor" Season 1 Live Stream

This afternoon on the official Star Wars YouTube channel, Star Wars: Andor (or Andor: A Star Wars Story, as they’re calling it for season 2) creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy took questions for over an hour alongside some very special guests. Below is my brief breakdown of what we learned.

In the embedded video below you can watch as moderator Ash Crossan (Entertainment Tonight), Tony Gilroy, Adria Arjona (who plays Bix Caleen on the show), Genevieve O’Reilly (Mon Mothma), and Duncan Pow (Ruescott Melshi) take questions from Star Wars fans about Andor seasons 1 and 2.

Watch Andor Season 1 with Tony Gilroy LIVE | Season 2 Coming April 22 on Disney+:

Before looking back at season 1, Gilroy mentioned that they finished season 2 back in November of 2024. “We’re into it. We want to get out there," he remarked. Then Adria Arjona joined the stream via her father’s house. “I can’t wait. I’m probably the most eager," said Arjona. “I’m just so excited for people to rewatch season 1 and then rewatch season 2." They then showed a clip from the first episode of season 1, with Cassian visiting Bix and needing a favor. Gilroy and Arjona provided live commentary, noting that this was the scene that Adria auditioned with. “We wanted to introduce Ferrix," observed Gilroy. “I wanted a woman who runs her own business. Every one of these salvage yards [on] Ferrix is its own business. [Bix is] a boss, and here comes her roachy old boyfriend at his roachy-est." Arjona continued, “That scene is so Bix. She’s such a Ferrixian in that scene. I hold that scene very dear to my heart. It’s one of my favorites. We had one day of rehearsal. They did such an amazing job at creating these amazing worlds and spaces for us. I’m really glad we had that rehearsal, so I could get my Star Wars fan out of the way." Gilroy concluded, “This scene is doing a lot of work. It’s an introduction to their relationship, and it establishes the MacGuffin of the show, which is the starpath unit. I think Toby Haynes really blocked that scene extraordinarily well. You want to get your money’s worth out of that set. People who are fans of directing are going to go back and watch it."

The next clip was from Episode 3, with Bix finding out her boyfriend Timm had ratted out Cassian. Gilroy: “This scene is a very vulnerable scene. Adria Arjona makes the scene work. This is actor helping writer to the maximum here. It’s also cool for us that our first betrayal in a show about rebellion is really about love." Arjona: “I was really nervous about that scene. The blocking really helped, and a million phone calls with Tony really helped. I think you’re just killing it there. This is like a Sophia Loren scene, and that’s the highest compliment I can give." Arjona: “The opportunity of being in Andor really changed my life. Tony was one of the first people in this industry to really believe in me. He gave me the shot to play Bix. I think people saw me in a different way and gave me other opportunities thanks to Bix. I remember that last day of season 2 on set– I couldn’t comprehend that I wasn’t going to be her again." Gilroy: “We’re gonna go for it. Bix has a hard road." Arjona: “I was so curious how Bix was going to rebuild. It was way more complex and way more rich than I expected." Gilroy: “People don’t realize when you work on something for this long, how much you learn. I think we all had a very educational experience."

Next they were asked about their favorite moments from season 1. Gilroy: “I’m going to pick a scene that’s a favorite of mine because it makes me feel comfortable when I’m watching the show. The scene for me is in episode 1 when Syril and Chief Hines are together– it’s the scene where I relax when people are watching the show. It’s a little bit long and shaggy, but it's what I wanted this show to be able to do, and it’s so flashy in a really cool, ‘down’ way. It’s a very random choice, but that’s what I’m going with." Arjona: “One of the things that I really loved filming [was] the torturing scene. I enjoyed digging into [that]. I have to go with something [featuring] Bix, because Tony didn’t." [laughs] Arjona: “Diego is one of the most generous actors I’ve ever worked with. In season 2 there’s a really beautiful moment between these two characters. [Diego] stepped up to be our leader while we couldn’t be in contact with Tony [during the writer’s strike]." Gilroy: “[Cassian and Bix] were kept very far apart in season 1; that won’t be the case in season 2. What happens to ordinary people and their love lives when they’re engulfed by war?" Arjona: “If you liked season 1, get ready for season 2."

After saying goodbye to Arjona, Genevieve O’Reilly joined the stream. “I went back and watched a bit [of season 1], and gosh it’s good. It’s great to watch it again having filmed season 2, and I think it’ll be a great thing for people to watch ahead of season 2. I think Andor has revealed [Mon Mothma] to me in a way that I never had access to before. She was always such a pillar of a figure within the history and the architecture of [Star Wars], but what Andor reveals is a really textured, complicated woman." They played a clip of a discussion between Mon Mothma and Luthen Rael. Gilroy: “This is my second favorite set in the whole show. This scene is about a revolutionary tactician who’s an accelerationist. That’s the term for a rebel leader who wants to make things worse to provoke change. The key line in this scene is, ‘There will be no rules going forward.’ The handcuffs are on her, and if you think of all of the binding and all of the shackles that Mon Mothma has to accumulate, it’s amazing that she can move by the time we get to where we need to go. And her character has to do everything in public. There’s more to be said, but it’s all in season 2."

The next clip was of Mothma being approached with a proposal she’s not very comfortable with. Gilroy: “If you had any doubts about her as a person, it’s vanquished here. What a gas to write for these three [actors]." O’Reilly: “I remember the excitement of getting the opportunity to film it. It’s such a juicy scene, and you really don’t get that in television. It’s such a gift to give an actor. It’s really relying on the connection and interplay between the actors, and that is rare. It’s a sheer joy to receive and be trusted with, and then to play." Gilroy: “If you pick up a theme from this, it’s such an evolving thing– a show like this. There’s an element of discovery as you’re doing it, and opportunities present themselves." O’Reilly: “I’m so excited for people to watch [season 2]. For [Mon Mothma], for so much of season 1 she had to be carved in stone. She had to hide a lot in order for her to get to where she gets to in Rogue One."

Gilroy: “The fundamental creation of this show comes from Luke Hull, the production designer, and I coming together to build the world– to build Ferrix. We realized we would have to design every single thing about this before we could start writing it. It began this infinite experience of collaboration with all these different departments. I want to single out [costume designer] Michael Wilkinson. It’s really cool what Michael pulled off." O’Reilly: “I also have to give a shout-out to the hair and makeup team. The wigs are a thing of beauty. They were working at such an extraordinary level of detail and beauty." Gilroy: “It’s just a gas to be collaborating with so many amazing people. It’s a maximal imaginative experience. I’m missing it now already." O’Reilly: “Season 2 drives to some really important work. There are moments in there that people will be waiting for. This was the most extraordinary, special, uniquely beautiful collaborative project."

The final special guest was Duncan Pow, and when he appeared on-screen Gilroy revealed he was wearing a “Narkina 5 Swim Team" t-shirt. Pow: “[Andor is] probably the biggest thing that ever happened to me in my career. It was a dream come true to actually go and visit [Melshi’s] whole story. Being asked to do it was the thing that excited me the most." They played a cllip of Melshi and Cassian having just escaped from the prison on Narkina 5. Gilroy: “This is Sergio Leone meets the Coen Brothers. I love how it turned out– it shouldn’t be this good. You guys run really well and funny at the same time. It makes me laugh every time." The following clip showcased Melshi and Cassian saying goodbye to each other on Niamos. Gilroy: “I remember watching the dailies and going, ‘Oh my god.’ I know it was cold that day. This scene has a lot to do with what’s coming in season 2." Pow: “Season 2 was a joining up of a journey that I started in 2016 and finished in 2023. I can’t wait to see it. You’ll be blown away. I learned every day that I was on the set with Diego. It really made me raise what I thought it meant to be an actor. It was a gift." Referring to the scenes in the Narkina 5 prison complex, Pow concluded, “Those were the most intense scenes I’ve ever done on anything– it was an overwhelming environment. It felt like being in prison for seven weeks. It was oppressive, for sure."

Gilroy took a question from our friends at Star Wars Explained about the unusual release schedule for Andor season 2. “I feel really sorry for the podcasters. It’s going to complicate some people’s lives. It offers the opportunity to watch any way you want, but if you want the movie– if you want to eat it all at once, it’s there for you." He also commented on what we know (and don’t know) so far about the character of Luthen Rael. “There’s a lot of things about Luthen that I didn’t know until we started writing season 2. You’re gonna learn a lot about Luthen this season. The characters are who they are. They’re all the heroes of their own stories, and we’re all the victims of our own insecurities."

The final clip was of Maarva’s eulogy speech in the season 1 finale, “Rix Road." Gilroy: “This is my favorite part of the whole show. This is Ferrix coming together in this incredibly wild, complicated community. And it’s all of our departments coming together with everything they have at the same time. This is everything we have in the bag. That’s my favorite episode because it’s just such a showcase for everybody all at once. The amount of coordination and work– that sequence is as complicated a piece of filmmaking as I’ve ever been involved with. I got involved with this not knowing what I was doing at all. Once I was in it, I regretted it terribly. When COVID happened I thought I had an out, but then it began to rebuild in a way that I could start to take control over it that I should have had in the beginning. I found what the right job for me on the show was– I didn’t have time to direct. Over time, my anxiety about what we were doing was completely eroded by the thrill of doing it. I grew to love it as we went on. It wasn’t a ‘love at first sight,’ but you can learn and you can build when you feel like it’s worth it and it’s about something."

The stream concluded with a special message from Andor star Diego Luna: “Thank you so much for tuning in to revisit season 1. I’m incredibly grateful for your continued support for this hero’s journey. I can’t wait for you to see what happens next." This was followed by the special look at season 2 that was originally released last week.

Andor: A Star Wars Story returns for its second and final season on Tuesday, April 22nd, exclusively via DIsney+.