Star Wars Jesus? Tony Gilroy Doubles Down On ‘Andor’s Controverisla Ending

For years — decades, even — Star Wars has been defined as “The Skywalker Saga.” Most of its stories are obsessed with, and practically inextricable from, the Skywalker family. Even projects that start out self-contained are eventually derailed by their presence, most glaringly with The Mandalorian.

That’s what makes something like Andor such a refreshing addition to the canon. As nice as it might have been to get a cameo from Princess Leia or a mention of Padmé Amidala’s influence on the Rebel Alliance, Andor exists completely in its own lane. It runs parallel to the events of the original Star Wars trilogy, and directly sets up some iconic events within the saga — but it centers on characters that have nothing to do with the Skywalkers themselves. Those characters have since become more beloved and way more important to the franchise than anyone could have imagined. Diego Luna’s eponymous protagonist is now a fan favorite; more than that, he might have just surpassed the Skywalkers as the most important character in the saga.

The final season of Andor has come and gone, but creator Tony Gilroy still has more insights to share about the making of the series. In a recent interview with IndieWire, he spoke about the importance of working alongside Luna — and how Andor itself might not have worked without him.

“He’s a masterful ground-up actor,” Gilroy said of Luna. “His innate decency and soulfulness is hard to hide. What do we need? We need Star Wars Jesus. I need a Messiah.”

Gilroy’s comments reinforce one of the most surprising aspects of Andor, which takes Cassian from disillusioned, cynical smuggler into a borderline savior figure. His role in the Rebellion is foreshadowed in Andor Season 2, when he encounters a healer attuned to the Force. This healer calls Cassian “a messenger,” which elevates his final sacrifice in Rogue One to mythic levels.

It’s a poetic, if slightly more direct way to connect Andor to the larger saga, but it ignores a crucial aspect of the Star Wars mythos: the franchise already has a messiah, and his name is Anakin Skywalker.

Anakin’s role as savior has been contested for nearly as long as Star Wars has existed, with plenty of challengers coming and going, so Gilroy’s claims are nothing new. The galaxy is also a big place, so there could technically be another messiah-type helping bring balance to the Force. That said, it’s strange that Cassian has been positioned as that figure.

Andor makes every effort to elevate the character into “Star Wars Jesus,” retroactively injecting events from Rogue One with a kind of divine providence. The show’s final moments ensure that his legacy will continue beyond his contributions to the Rebellion, with the child he unknowingly has with Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona). Compared to the grounded stylings of Rogue One — which acknowledged the power of the Force with a lot more subtlety, and reveled in the idea that Cassian and his teammates were ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances — the Cassian of Andor feels like a very different character.

Andor isn’t the first prequel to overtake its source material, but it’s weird to see it take so many liberties within a franchise where established lore is basically gospel. By doubling down on his mythic status and tacking on a contrived “To be continued…” onto his story, it almost feels like the franchise has found a new family to rally around. Star Wars has long needed to move beyond the Skywalkers, but there were better ways to do that than replacing one messiah with another.

Andor is now streaming on Disney+.