Star Wars: Andor Season 2 Bringing Back Rogue One's Ben Mendelsohn
Star Wars: Andor Season 2 has secured an appearance from Rogue One actor Ben Mendelsohn!
Andor Season 2 is going to be directly connecting the spinoff series with the events of Rogue One, and now it's been confirmed that a major villain from the film will be making an appearance in the show!
In the past week, Andor and Rogue One star Diego Luna teased fans at ACE Superhero Comic Con 2024 about Rogue One cameos in Andor Season 2, without getting specific:
"I can tell you, Rogue One is coming, so there will be characters there that you will recognize," he told the crowd. "There will be cool stuff. For those who love Rogue One, this season is going to be very special."
Meanwhile, one of Andor Season 2's directors, Alonso Ruizpalacios (A Cop Movie) went a step further by naming both Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic and Forest Whitaker's Saw Gerrera as Rogue One characters showing up in Andor Season 2 while talking to The Playlist.
All of this contradicts what Mendelsohn said back in February about NOT being part of Andor Season 2... at that time, at least: "As for being contacted by Lucasfilm for a new project, I can tell you that no, I have not been approached for something like this." So apparently that situation has changed.
Why Orson Krennic Needs to Appear in Andor Season 2
Ben Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic made his debut in Rogue One as the director of advanced weapons research for the Empire. Krennic was spearheading "Project Stardust," the top-secret construction of the Death Star. The main superweapon the Death Star housed and its power source was developed by Krennic, working from the designs of scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen).
Rogue One jumped right into the mad dash of Cassian Andor's (Diego Luna) rebel cell trying to steal the plans for the Death Star before it goes operational; Andor will be telling the longer story of Cassian's espionage mission to first discover the Death Star's existence, and chase leads that eventually put him on course to find Jyn Erso and steal the Death Star plans. That mission will include learning about the existence of Orson Krennic, and his role in the Empire's war effort. That plotline opens a door for Mendelsohn to appear in Andor Season 2 without having to play a major role – or even a role that sees him directly interact with Cassian. An episode or two of Cassian tracking down Krennic, infiltrating his ranks, and learning what he needs to know will be enough to thrill Rogue One fans, without it feeling like more Star Wars nostalgia service.
The same will likely be true for Whitaker's Saw Gerrera. Saw is one of Star Wars' biggest extremist freedom fighters (terrorists?) who was a key figure in both the Clone Wars and the formation of the Rebel Alliance; it only makes sense that his network of spies and assassins would cross paths with Cassian.
Andor Season 2 is currently in development. Season 1 can be streamed on Disney+.
