How Star Wars series Andor raised the bar for its star Diego Luna as second season returns

LOS ANGELES – When it debuted in 2022, sci-fi drama Andor did not get huge viewership numbers compared with other Star Wars series such as The Mandalorian (2019 to 2023) or Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022).

But it became one of the best-reviewed titles in the franchise, praised for offering a more mature, grounded take on the Star Wars universe, with slow-simmering character drama and dark political intrigue.

As its second and final season returns to Disney+ on April 23, stars Diego Luna and Adria Arjona tell The Straits Times the show will continue to stand apart from other Star Wars tales.

A prequel to the film Rogue One (2016) that also sets up the events of the original 1977 Star Wars movie A New Hope, Andor chronicles the transformation of Rogue One hero Cassian Andor (Luna) from self-serving smuggler to committed rebel officer.

And as war looms in Season 2, his relationship with close ally Bix (Arjona) grows increasingly complicated as the pair become more involved in the rebellion.

In a conversation over Zoom, Luna, 45, and Arjona, 32, point to several reasons Andor is distinct from the rest of the Star Wars universe.

The first is the singular vision of its creator, Oscar-nominated American writer-director Tony Gilroy, who wrote Rogue One, legal thriller Michael Clayton (2007) as well as the first four Bourne spy films (2002 to 2012).

It also sets out to show how a political movement can take shape among ordinary people, says Luna.

“The challenge we had at the beginning became the strength of the show: How do we tell the story of regular people – intimate lives and personal journeys – and show you how a rebellion can suddenly erupt?” says the Mexican actor, who starred in the crime drama Narcos: Mexico (2018 to 2021).

Andor decided to go deep with these characters, which it allowed to be dark and messy.

“We were very committed to staying with a realistic approach to a universe that hasn’t been seen with those eyes.

“These characters live in grey areas – there’s no good and bad people, there’s just people surviving in very dark times in this galaxy – and that is what I think audiences reacted to,” says Luna.

Arjona, who starred in the romantic crime caper Hit Man (2023) and psychological thriller Blink Twice (2024), agrees.

“I think seeing those intimate moments with these characters and their day-to-day life is kind of cool,” says the American actress.

“I personally haven’t seen that much in Star Wars – and it doesn’t mean that it’s better or worse, it’s just different.

“It’s a drama that just so happens to be in a galaxy far, far away.”

The pair say the six years they spent working on the show – the first season of which picked up Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series as well as for writing and directing – constantly tested them as actors.

“Every day, every scene,” says Arjona. “Because you have this beautiful material that is so complex and specific, and everything is on the page but sometimes in certain scenes, you find yourself trying to decipher it on your own.”

“And you’re acting alongside some of the best actors in our industry,” she adds, referring to co-stars such as Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard, who plays undercover rebel mastermind Luthen Rael, and American star Kyle Soller as villainous security inspector Syril Karn.

For Luna, who is also an executive producer of Andor, the experience has raised the bar for future projects.

“As time passes, I just don’t want to waste my time. And if the next thing doesn’t excite me as much as Andor excited me, or I can’t learn as much as I learnt here, I don’t have time to do it,” he says.

“This show reminded me that the process is what matters – what transforms you, what you keep – and this process, I’ve enjoyed from beginning to end.

“So, the next thing I do, it’ll be a good choice because of this experience.”