Star Wars Showrunner Defends 1 Decision That Disappointed Andor Fans

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Many fans and critics consider Star Wars: Andor to be the best Star Wars show since Disney bought Lucasfilm. The Emmy-winning series stood out for tackling complex and serious themes, offering something new to the franchise. Despite its success and awards, some viewers were left wanting more from certain character relationships. Now, the show’s creator, Tony Gilroy, has explained why those pairings didn’t happen.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, creator Tony Gilroy explained why Bix Caleen wasn’t shown accompanying Cassian Andor on a mission in Season 2, and whether budget cuts influenced that decision. He confirmed budget was a factor in some choices, explaining he moved a mission involving Bix and Cassian to ‘off-screen.’ Gilroy pointed out that the first scene at the safe house in 204 reveals they had just completed a mission where Cassian killed someone who recognized them. He emphasized that storytelling is about where you show things, not just what you show. While it would have been easy to write scenes of them working together, it was a question of finding the right place for it within the story and making it relevant. Ultimately, that particular mission happened off-screen, taking place in the year before the Coruscant safe house scene.

Andor‘s Budget Is Something Streaming Will Never See Again

While fans might have enjoyed seeing Cassian and Bix team up on a mission for the Rebellion, the show’s creator, Tony Gilroy, makes a good point about storytelling. When creating a movie or TV series, everything needs to feel connected and purposeful. Andor Season 2 has a special structure with time jumps and four distinct story arcs, meaning a lot happens that we don’t see on screen. Gilroy and the writers had to carefully choose what to show to best tell their story. Each arc in Season 2 is focused and specific, making it hard to find a natural place for a Cassian/Bix adventure. Andor doesn’t rely on simply giving fans what they want, so Gilroy wouldn’t add something like that unless it truly moved the plot forward.

It’s understandable that the team behind Andor had to make some budget cuts. While the show reportedly cost a substantial $650 million to produce (with around $290 million for Season 2 alone), Disney informed creator Tony Gilroy that streaming profitability was declining and budgets were being tightened. This meant Gilroy needed to be careful not to overspend. Although funding a potential side mission for Cassian and Bix might have seemed feasible on its own, it could have created unforeseen cost increases elsewhere in the season.

The way Andor Season 2 was structured meant each new story arc needed to start strongly, like the beginning of a movie, to quickly update viewers on the current situation. The conversation between Bix and Cassian at the start of “Ever Been to Ghorman?” shows they’ve been busy with dangerous work and are emotionally affected by it, which sets up the events to come. While we don’t see the mission itself, the episode efficiently gives us enough information to understand what’s happened and imagine the difficult experiences they’ve faced.

The series Andor was a rare success, standing out for its ambitious storytelling and the massive investment that brought it to life. Creator Tony Gilroy believes a project like this is unlikely to happen again, questioning if any studio will risk such a large budget on a streaming show in the future. He’s proud they were able to pull it off. With the streaming boom seemingly slowing down, studios are changing their plans, and Lucasfilm appears to be focusing more on movie releases. It’s doubtful Disney will spend $650 million on another TV series anytime soon.

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2026-02-22 18:15