One of the most compelling Star Wars spin-offs, Andor, concluded after two seasons—but it almost had a much different story arc.
A Famous Emperor That Could Have Appeared
According to writer Dan Gilroy (yes, Tony Gilroy’s brother), if Andor had gone the distance as originally planned, it likely would’ve brought Emperor Palpatine into the narrative. The show was initially envisioned as a five-season saga charting Cassian Andor’s rise and the Empire’s growing dominance.
“I can’t imagine over five years we wouldn’t have shown the Emperor at that point,” Gilroy said, noting that deeper exploration of the “halls of power” was a natural next step in the progression of the story.
Even though Palpatine was frequently mentioned, his physical presence was always beyond reach—until now, at least in concept.
Tony Gilroy previously confirmed Darth Vader was never a narrative priority. He felt that writing Vader was creatively restrictive—Palpatine, perhaps less so, but still a weighty figure to introduce.
Why Andor Ended Early
Andor wrapped up with a dramatic second season because the scale of production became unsustainable—both logistically and financially. Instead of traversing five chronological seasons, the team condensed four years of storytelling into twelve episodes.
Despite this compression, the show didn’t lose its emotional momentum or impact—season two still landed the final moments directly into Rogue One, delivering a potent conclusion to Cassian’s story.
What This Means for Fans
This revelation sparks an exciting “what if”:
- Would seeing Palpatine change Andor’s gritty, grounded tone?
- Could an Emperor cameo have felt earned, or would it have overshadowed the human-scale resistance stories?
As fans debate, the bigger takeaway is that Andor made smart choices—even if it meant narrowing its scope for creative focus. It resisted unnecessary cameos and let story anchors like Mon Mothma, Dedra Meero, and Luthen Rael dominate the stage.
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