Once again, Andor Season 2 moves one year later. When the clock rolls forward to BBY 2 at the start of Episode 7, Messenger, Cassian (Diego Luna) is on Yavin itself, working with organised and rapidly mobilising Rebel forces rather than just as the mercenary of Luthen (Stellan Skarsgard). Of course, he and Bix (Adria Arjona) could not stay on Coruscant after murdering Doctor Gorst (Joshua James) in a spectacular, satisfying win at the end of Episode 6, What a Festive Evening. As personal as that mission was (skillfully masterminded by Luthen, who knew neither could turn it down), Cassian and Bix are part of something far larger than themselves and their personal histories, and regardless of whether they knew it before, now they must act it – alongside Wilmon (Muhannad Bhaier), now come into his own as a forceful Rebel organiser and fearless fighter. Clearly, radicalisation at the hands of Saw Gerrera (Forest Whittaker) and rhydonium gas has undeniably effective results.
But when Messenger begins, the hierarchy and discipline of the Rebellion on Yavin chafes at Cassian’s more rogue methods – and his desire to eventually leave this Rebel life behind him and find peace with Bix elsewhere in the Galaxy. While two years away from the Battle of Yavin, he still seems far from the soldier he will become in Rogue One. But with these clear Rogue One signifiers becoming more apparent (including some excellent introductions and re-appearances of familiar faces throughout this week’s three episodes), it is Ghorman, not Yavin, that is this arc’s anchor and centre. Under the direction of Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser), Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) is tantalisingly close to the power she craves within the imperial machine, and Syril Karn’s (Kyle Soller) efforts to provide and/or provoke an external agitator among the Ghorman Front of rebels turns out to have very surprising consequences – for him, at least.
Fans deep in Star Wars lore and the (continually re-written and re-designated) canon may have noticed that the Ghorman Massacre mentioned in last week’s I Have Friends Everywhere does not line up with the only Ghorman Massacre mentioned in previous spin-off series. Episode 8, Who Are You?, and Episode 9, Welcome to the Rebellion deliver some of the most scintillating television of 2025 so far, up there with the terrific prison break in Andor’s first season. These two episodes show two very different battlefields – one the front line of flesh, blood, and danger and the other the peril of standing up to evil within the heart of its machine. Both have their perils, and no risk is taken lightly by those standing against the Empire. The contrast of the Empire sending poorly trained, barely adult soldiers into the fray versus the passion and dedication of Rebels of all ages bitterly highlights the meaning of their bodies in the struggle for rights and freedom. Without spoilers, the title of Who Are You? encapsulates this con in purpose, power, and meaning with visceral immediacy – a stroke of genius from showrunner Tony Gilroy and the writing team. And in the speech Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) delivers in Welcome to the Rebellion, the Ghorman plight is linked to conflicts all too present in our world today (thank goodness Disney did not censor the word “genocide”).
In both its first and second seasons, Andor never forgets that it takes place in the Star Wars universe, and never has the second word of that title felt more striking and important. Who Are You? in particular has echoes of the Season 1 finale Rix Road in its up-close look at uneven violence, bricks, bodies, and the occasional Molotov cocktail against advanced weapons technology, and the bloody determination and terror in a righteous yet doomed fight. The directors of these episodes – and indeed all of Andor’s episodes – lingers on the fallen. This is less true for the Empire’s casualties, but every single person who falls for the Rebellion – whether as a true believer or merely one person pushed to the edge one too many times, whether a named presence for several episodes or merely a brief appearance in the Rebel crowd – dies with a spotlight trained on them. The camera stays on their faces with meaning, lingering to be sure no one misses their sacrifice – the ultimate consequence of their choice to stand up against the Empire whether they set out that day to revolt or not. What other mainstream franchise show gives the nameless dead this dignity?
These high stakes and confident direction form the backdrop for the series’ actors to push their already excellent performances to new heights. Luna excels as the everyman caught in exceptional circumstances, the man who will die for his friends but ultimately hopes this bad dream will pass and he can live an ordinary, unheroic life. Yet as much as Cassian protests that he is not cut out for the organised Rebellion life, Luna never plays him as a loner; his ability to find and build rapport easily and authentically shows the leadership power Cassian does not even see in himself.
In the supporting cast, Bhaier captures Wilmon’s transformation to dyed-in-the-wool revolutionary convincingly; as opposed to Cassian, he sees no future except a death on the battlefield, though he hopes and strives for others’ survival. Soller and Gough, on the Empire’s side, play two different ways the Empire can corrupt and break people, ultimately alienating them from themselves and each other (in both cases, echoing different facets of Victor Hugo’s Javert from Les Miserables – a classic stage and literary villain undone by his all-encompassing belief that the established order is the only course by which to live). And Arjona takes the third week’s arc to its heartrending conclusion, showing a woman who has transcended her past trauma to find a power beyond herself.
Cassian enters Rogue One with few of the faces seen around him in Andor; it makes sense, therefore, for the number of casualties and other departures to grow with each passing instalment, and each takes its toll on the reluctant hero who sees fewer paths ahead on his (very heroic) journey. As Andor moves towards its season and ultimate finale, its revolutionary momentum accelerates exponentially. Star Wars‘ most urgent show may retain this title two seasons running.
Andor Season 2 is now streaming weekly on Disney+.
Learn more about the show, including how to watch, on the Disney site for the title.
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