Star Wars just gave us our first look at Andor sesaon 2, and it seems like it could fulfill an intriguing line from the original Star Wars film. The landmark and fan-favorite Andor season 1 dealt with the establishment of the galaxy under Imperial rule. Forces like Luthen Rael’s rebel network and the Imperial Security Bureau were making stealthy moves against each other as unrest steadily grew.
While season 2 of the espionage drama series seems to be continuing this, it also brings much more into the picture, mainly the establishment and early years of the Rebel Alliance. This topic has been described, depicted, and explained in several other places, including the animated Star Wars Rebels series. One shot from the new footage, however, makes a surprising development possible.
Andor Season 2 Looks To Feature A Glimpse Of Dantooine
A Rebel Base Before Yavin
When we first meet the Rebel Alliance’s command in A New Hope, they’re based on the jungle moon Yavin 4, orbiting the large red gas giant Yavin. This is Base One, and has been seen in many Star Wars stories, including Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – and even this same teaser. Before they were on Yavin 4, however, the Rebel Alliance had other bases, one of which was on Dantooine.
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The new footage in question shows a single shot of familiar characters Bix Caleen and Wilmon Paak, alongside a new character, in a field of tall grass. Many fans have theorized that this is the planet Lothal, central to Rebels, but it’s even more likely that it’s the planet Dantooine. This planet, introduced in the original Star Wars film, has this exact environment– and would make perfect sense in a show leading up to the events of the original trilogy.
Dantooine Was Name-Dropped In The OT… But Didn’t Properly Appear Until Years Later
Knights Of The Old Republic & Clone Wars
Well-remembered fans will recall the name Dantooine from Princess Leia’s confession to Grand Moff Tarkin in A New Hope. Leia mentions Dantooine as the location of the Rebel Alliance’s base at the threat of destroying her homeworld, but Tarkin goes forward with his threat anyway. This planet was a former Rebel base, and wasn’t shown onscreen until much later.
The film that began the Star Wars franchise, Episode IV – A New Hope tells the story of wistful Force-sensitive Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who longs to leave his home planet of Tatooine to fight the evil Empire. After inheriting his Jedi father’s weapon, a lightsaber, Luke sets off under the tutelage of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) with smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) to join the Rebellion and face the evil Darth Vader.
- Release Date
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May 25, 1977 - Distributor(s)
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20th Century
- Cast
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Mark Hamill
, Harrison Ford
, Carrie Fisher
, Alec Guinness
, David Prowse
, James Earl Jones
, Frank Oz
, Anthony Daniels
, Kenny Baker
, Peter Mayhew
, Peter Cushing - Runtime
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121 Minutes
- Budget
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$11 Million
- Main Genre
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Sci-Fi
Now, though, Dantooine has been featured all over Star Wars, mainly in animated content of various forms, and comics. Notably, in Star Wars Legends, Dantooine served as a key planet in the Knights of the Old Republic games, as the location of the secret Jedi Enclave. It was also featured in Mace Windu’s iconic first sequences in Genndy Tartakovsky’s original Clone Wars animated show, and was the location of a pivotal battle in the much more recent Star Wars Resistance.
Andor’s Inclusion Of Dantooine Points To A Very Different Season
The Original Trilogy Approaches
The Dantooine Rebel base was such a good pick for Leia during her interrogation, because it had been abandoned shortly before the events of A New Hope – and Andor can show us that base in action. It appears that Bix, Wilmon, and probably Cassian Andor himself will be on Dantooine at the Rebel Alliance’s base there. This kind of connection, however, points towards a very different season of Andor than the first.
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Andor season 2 is set to take place across 4 years, leading up to A New Hope, with each 3-episode arc taking place in one year. This includes Dantooine, Yavin 4, as seen in the teaser footage, more connections to the original trilogy, and tons of connections to Star Wars Rebels. There’s a likelihood of a direct tie-in to Rebels too, with Mon Mothma’s escape from Coruscant likely being depicted this season.
Overall, the likelihood of Dantooine appearing in Andor season 2 seems high, with Yavin and more elements of Rebels probably joining the fray as well. We could see live-action Hera Syndulla and the rest of the Ghost Crew, and maybe even Princess Leia herself as Andor reaches right up to Rogue One in tying into the original trilogy. Because of this attention to detail, like Dantooine, but also the story coming in such close proximity to Star Wars‘s core, fans won’t want to miss Andor season 2.
Andor season 2 premieres April 22 on Disney+.
Diego Luna stars as Cassian Andor in Andor, a Disney+ exclusive series set five years before Rogue One. The series follows the titular character as he transitions from a humble thief to a revolutionary icon of the rebellion against the empire. Cassian, a man who tries to keep himself out of confrontations post the destruction of his world, is shoved into the central conflict as he naturally slots into the role of leader. Andor will explore the rebellion’s burgeoning days and highlight pivotal events in the Star Wars Franchise before the construction of the Death Star.
- Release Date
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September 21, 2022 - Seasons
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1
- Writers
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Tony Gilroy
, Dan Gilroy
, Beau Willimon
, Stephen Schiff - Showrunner
-
Tony Gilroy
- Filming Locations
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United Kingdom
- Number of Episodes
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12