For the writers of Andor, the lack of requirement from Tony Gilroy for the writers to be completely knowledgeable in every aspect of Star Wars lore was both brave and liberating, and speaking with the Playlist writer Beau Willimon delved into this and many other topics, including his own realisation that Forest Whitakers Saw Gerrera was his favouriote character to write for.
“Tony had from the very beginning the idea that none of these people are going to make it,” Willimon said. “I mean, in ‘Rogue One,’ we know that anyone who’s still alive in the show, most of them are then going to bite the dust in the movie that you watch right after episode 12 of season two. So it’s this idea of what, who are the people that are willing to do this, to make these sacrifices, that need this, despite the fact that they’ll never see the fruits of their labor. No one, I think, illustrates that better than Saw Gerrera.”
Gerrera is a beloved character from ‘Rogue One’—relatively, anyhow, he’s a crazy terrorist, essentially—but he’s only sparingly used in “Andor” throughout the two seasons, much like the fan-favorite droid K-2S0 is only used in select moments. Willimon explained that was Gilroy’s remit from the jump.
“One of Tony’s many superpowers is exquisite narrative structure, pacing, and always this understanding of leaving them wanting more,” he said. “There’s a great William Goldman saying, which he probably stole from someone else, and we’re both students of Goldman, is “Get in late and get out early,” right? And [it means] do the most with the least. It’s as efficient as your storytelling as possible, because that’s what makes people lean in. And if you start to overdo something, you’re breaking a promise with the audience, which is, We’re not going to waste a second.” We’re always going to be giving you the juiciest, most compelling thing.”
