Listen, Star Wars fans have been through a lot. From witnessing the highs of The Empire Strikes Back to the lows of… whatever The Rise of Skywalker was trying to be, we’ve seen it all. And if there’s one thing that’s been plaguing recent Star Wars TV shows, it’s the constant barrage of familiar faces popping up just to make you go, “Hey, I know that guy!”
The galaxy far, far away is massive, yet somehow, every main character keeps bumping into each other like they all live in the same tiny village. But Tony Gilroy? He ain’t playing that game. Unlike some other Star Wars projects that feel like a highlight reel of past favorites, Andor takes a different route.
It’s a series that treats its audience like adults, telling a gripping, character-driven story rather than relying on the cheap dopamine hit of seeing a legacy character waltz in for no reason. That’s why it stood out so much in its first season because it dared to be different. And the good news? Season 2 is doubling down on that approach.
The Star Wars equivalent of sprinkling cheese on everything
Now, before the pitchforks come out, let’s acknowledge something: Dave Filoni has done great things for Star Wars. The Clone Wars? Solid. Rebels? Not too shabby. But Filoni has a… let’s call it a habit of overstuffing his shows with cameos that, at this point, feel less like world-building and more like a desperate attempt to keep audiences engaged. One fan summed it up perfectly in his Reddit post.
My one complaint with Dave Filoni.
byu/raytheslayer133 inStarWars
And they’re not wrong. Having a surprise guest star every episode doesn’t expand the Star Wars universe; it shrinks it. It makes it feel like every major event in this vast galaxy somehow revolves around the same dozen people.
Why does Ahsoka need to show up in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Rebels, Tales of the Jedi, and now have her own show? At some point, it stops feeling special and starts feeling like a Star Wars version of Where’s Waldo?
Another fan took it a step further, labeling Filoni’s shows as bland, filler-filled, nostalgia-driven drivel. Yikes. They argue that Filoni has “cartoonified” Star Wars, stripping away the depth and complexity of earlier Expanded Universe stories in favor of simpler, less impactful narratives. And while that might be a bit harsh, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Filoni’s shows often prioritize fan service over original storytelling.
Andor Season 2, the anti-cameo movement
Tony Gilroy’s approach to Andor is the polar opposite of Dave Filoni’s. Instead of relying on nostalgic callbacks, Andor is focused on making every character, every plot point, and every moment matter. There’s no Luke Skywalker showing up out of nowhere to save the day. No Obi-Wan randomly running into every single named character from the original trilogy. Just grounded, well-crafted storytelling.
In an interview with Gizmodo, Gilroy doubled down on his commitment to meaningful storytelling, stating, “We don’t have any tertiary legacy characters rolling in. Our show is not about that.” He made it clear that every Rogue One character appearing in Andor Season 2 has a legitimate reason to be there. No cheap nostalgia grabs, no forced cameos, just pure, unfiltered storytelling.
Gilroy is adamant that Andor will not be another playground for overused Star Wars characters. As he put it, “Every Rogue One character we see in Andor Season 2 will have some point story-wise. He ain’t doing nothing for fan service.” Now, that’s a bold statement in a franchise that has leaned so heavily on nostalgia that it sometimes forgets to tell new stories.
And honestly, that’s what makes Andor special. It’s not about filling episodes with unnecessary winks and nods. It’s about building tension, developing characters, and making the audience feel something. If we see a familiar face, it won’t be because Lucasfilm wanted to sell more action figures, it will be because it actually serves the story.
So, while Dave Filoni might be busy turning Star Wars into a greatest-hits album of his favorite animated characters, Tony Gilroy is out here composing an original symphony. And frankly? We’re here for it.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
