Season 2 of Andor ended this Wednesday on Disney+. All 11 episodes of Tony Gilroy's series are available on the Mickey Mouse platform. As with the first season, Andor has met with almost unprecedented critical and popular success in the Star Wars universe. Recently, the series' showrunner addressed the aborted appearance of Leia Organa.
Leia Organa was supposed to appear in the series.
As a reminder, the series Andor serves as a prequel to the excellent film Rogue One. Tony Gilroy's series tells the story of Cassian Andor, before he joins the rebellion and supports Jyn Erso. Still played by the talented Diego Luna, Cassian Andor is further developed here, and the series chronicles his evolution within a rebellion that is increasingly present to overthrow the Empire's hegemony.
And who says rebellion, necessarily says Leia Organa. An emblematic figure of the rebel movement against the Empire, Leia was an important figure in the Star Wars universe. Portrayed by the late Carrie Fisher, Leia was an essential political and military force for the survival of the Republic, even in the post-season. However, Leia does not appear in Andor, and we finally know why.
Why this change of heart?
During an interview with ScreenRant, Tony Gilroy discussed Leia's aborted cameo in Andor. Indeed, this second season revolves around the mythology of Leia. Bail Organa makes several appearances in the show, and the series concludes on Naboo, Leia's home planet. And yet, the princess never shows up.
During his interview with ScreenRant, Tony Gilroy focused on Leia's absence. He also clarified that initially, the young woman was supposed to participate in season 2 of Andor:
We talked about it very early on. But there was so much to do. But Leia appears in some sketches. We had some ideas for a scene between Leia and Mothma. Mothma went to the Senate and met a 16-year-old Leia. There were some really cool things surrounding that sequence. But it never got past that stage. We didn't even get to the casting phase.
Ultimately, it's perhaps not so bad that Tony Gilroy didn't fall into a form of easy fan service. Leia would undoubtedly have been a source of distraction and would have thus pushed the spectators to concentrate on something other than the wanderings of Cassian Andor. And then, seeing another actress take on the role of Carrie Fisher is always a little tricky...
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