Diego Luna Says Star Wars: Andor Will Change How Fans View…

Star Wars: Andor is already shaping up to be one of the most unique entries in the franchise, and that's saying a lot considering it's technically a prequel series. As a lead-in to 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, some might assume that it won't have all that much new to say. But according to Diego Luna, that's incredibly far from the truth.

Luna, who is reprising his role as Cassian Andor for the series, recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about what Star Wars fans can expect. Like many great prequels, it looks like this one might just entirely change how fans view the source material. "In fact," Luna explained, "we're going to challenge every idea you have, or every answer you came up with, for why or how things happened and why this character did what he did."

He went on to tell fans that they should adjust their expectations because what they think they know about Cassian Andor and the stories surrounding him may not be as accurate as they think. "Everyone who watched Rogue One thinks they have the answer," he continued. "So we're going to challenge that, and we're going to come to you and say, 'No, listen, things were not the way you imagined. They were this way. This had to happen for someone to become the person you know.'"

It sounds as though there will be some pretty dark and traumatic hardships for Cassian to endure throughout Andor's run. But while fans will likely be surprised at what they see, Luna himself had a similar shock coming back to play the character for this Star Wars prequel after years away. "I let the guy go. I mourned. I even had ceremonies to talk about him," Luna said, referring to his return as Cassian after acting out the character's death. "And then there I was, being Cassian again. But I was also coming out of the worst time of confinement during the pandemic. So it wasn't just the weirdness of going back to play a guy whose death I already played, but it was also because I was coming out of many months of being the most stationary I've been since I was a baby. I couldn’t move in the crib. (Laughs.) So, social interaction was gone in our lives, and suddenly, I was going back to a set."

Given the presence of characters like rebel extremist Saw Gerrera (played again by Forest Whitaker), it's all but certain that Andor will go places that might shock some viewers. Audiences may be taken aback by just how dark it can get for a show that's, apparently, meant to show the birth of the Rebel Alliance. Most Star Wars media has shown them as the unambiguous good guys who would never stoop to the level of villains like the Galactic Empire or the Sith. Andor is already set to challenge fans' understanding of Star Wars canon, so this feels like an extension of that idea.

But this is, at its heart, a story about war. Nobody comes out of war feeling like the ultimate hero. There's a reason "war is hell" is so oft repeated by soldiers new and seasoned, and Andor may very well offer a glimpse into why that is.

Star Wars: Andor will premiere its first 3 episodes on September 21st, 2022, on Disney Plus.