Tony Gilroy, the showrunner of ‘Andor,’ discusses the awakening of the Force.
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Whether you love the two-season Rogue One prequel Andor (we do) or dislike it, one thing has distinguished it from all other Star Wars filmed entertainment: there isn’t a single Force user present in this increasingly dark story of the Dark Times. The Empire is ascendant, the Rebellion is threadbare, and years after the Emperor’s Order 66 wiped out the Jedi, Force users are considered a myth. Right? Wrong. As we discovered in Andor season 2, episode 7, “Messenger,” after another BBY time jump, we find Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his girlfriend Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) on the planet Yavin 4, where Rebel forces are assembling and organizing for the events of Rogue One and the original Star Wars. Cassian has a serious wound on his back, so Bix takes him to see a “Force healer” who works as a cook in the kitchens. Cassian is highly skeptical, but not only does the unnamed Force healer (Josie Walker) mend his wound, she also sees his future. Nothing precise, no looming Death Star or the plans for it that Cassian will help transmit just before his demise, but a clear sense of his destiny — that he’s a “messenger” with “some place he needs to be.” The healer is taken aback by the experience, the clearest vision of the Force she’s encountered in years.
How much is the Force with Andor? The Force “is not pervasive” at this point in the galaxy’s history, creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy shared. He learned this when he consulted Lucasfilm Story Group, the keepers of Star Wars canon. “How many beings are aware of the Force? Almost none. It’s such a rarified, small segment, but I would have felt wrong if I didn’t have it, and it fit. As I rolled into the second season, I realized that destiny was really such a huge part of what made Cassian special, and the idea of reluctant destiny is always fascinating, right? Many religions are based on that.”
Gilroy confirmed that the Force healer is not a Jedi, and that her intentions are genuine: “She has no game.” He compared her character to a role played by Whoopi Goldberg in the 1990 film Ghost — a “flim-flam psychic” who suddenly has a genuine experience of Swayze’s character in the beyond. That comparison gave the scene a sense of credibility, Gilroy noted. “She thanks him because she hasn’t felt it in a long time… That made it real, that makes it more powerful.”
The encounter with the healer served another purpose for Andor — it removed Bix from the immediate narrative. We know she isn’t in Rogue One, leading many fans to worry about her fate in the series. “Maybe you’re the place he needs to be,” the healer tells Bix. The next day, Bix departs for another world, leaving a message for Cassian suggesting they’ll reunite once his critical work for the growing Rebellion is complete. We sadly know that won’t happen. But at least we understand why phrases like “may the Force be with you” — first uttered by General Dodonna in the Yavin 4 briefing room in Star Wars — began to resonate within the Rebellion. Andor Season 2 is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes every Tuesday.
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### Topics
– Star Wars
– Streaming
