Fans of Andorra, the surprisingly high-quality Star Wars series on Disney Plus, now have another familiar face in anticipation of the show's return for a second season. In a series based on familiar faces, it shouldn't be this exciting to hear Forest Whitaker's Saw Gerrera. Yet, somehow, the character sparks discussion (and a little confusion) every time it comes up.
Andor season 2 is already in the filming phase, so any new information for fans is likely already in motion. With a very clear plan in place from the start, showrunner Tony Gilroy and his team have known how the series will go and have known for some time. That's helped by Andor, a prequel to Rogue One:'s Star Wars Story, which focuses on Diego Luna's Cassian Andor and his radicalization to become the hero of the Rebellion. Because of this, the show has a clear end and plenty of mature characters to choose from. One already appeared in season 1, and now he's back at least once more.
In a recent interview on ComicBook.com about his upcoming film Big George Foreman, Forest Whitaker provided a short and succinct confirmation that he will return in Andor season 2 as Rebel radical Saw Gerrera. When asked if it was safe to say that Saw would appear in season 2, Whittaker simply replied, "Oh, yes, so to speak." For people, this is good news. But what does this lead to?
Given that Andor season 2 will span a much longer time span than season 1, there are many possibilities for where Saw might appear in the timeline. During his time in the "Clone Wars" animated series, he started out as a freedom fighter on his home planet of Onderon, before his sister's untimely death radicalized him into an all-out destructive force. In subsequent stories, he's in many cases more focused on wreaking havoc on the Empire in the moment than thinking about the long-term impact.
This urge indirectly leads to the first major character death in The Bad Batch, when Saw shows up and sabotages the rescue operation by trying to screw up some of the Empire's high brass. This disregard for collateral damage is Saw's usual practice; whenever he's on screen, it tends to spell trouble. Interestingly, the same episode also featured director Orson Krennic, who would go on to become one of Rogue One's main villains. This provides another connection to the film. Andor isn't the only series trying to set things up retroactively.
Among other tidbits, including the suggestion that part of Andor season 2 will take place on Yavin, it's clear that there's a lot of framework being built to make the transition to Rogue One as smooth as possible. Of course, "smooth" is the last word anyone would use to describe Saw Gerrera. So it looks like things are going to get more turbulent.
Andor season 2 is currently targeting an August 2024 release on Disney Plus.
