Ever since Andor began, creator Tony Gilroy has been absolutely crystal clear about where his Star Wars prequel series is heading: Diego Luna's Cassian Andor is on a fixed path to the Rings of Kafrene, where he will shoot Daniel Mays' informant Tivik and thus set in motion the events of Rogue One. In fact, we've even known for some time now that Andor's last three episodes will cover the three days leading into Gareth Edwards' 2016 film — Gilroy himself told us. And yet — and yet! — the tension in the newly dropped final trailer for Andor Season 2, as the still-fledgling Rebellion prepares to face the full force of the fascistic Empire, remains not only palpable, but possibly higher than we've ever seen before on screen in that galaxy far, far away. Check it out below and you'll see what we mean;
"Revolution is not for the sane," intones Forrest Whittaker's Saw Gerrera in this weighty new look at Andor's second and final season — and we don't disagree. Everywhere you look here you see a world on the precipice of something terrifying, and people on all sides readying themselves to risk it all and step into the abyss. It's there in the sound of the Rogue One sirens blaring; in the sight of Bix (Adria Arjona) and Brasso (Joplin Sibtain), Vel (Faye Marsay) and Cinta (Varada Sethu) sharing fleeting moments together as Imperial forces — namely Ben Mendelsohn's returning Director Krennic, Kyle Soller's radicalised jobsworth Syril Karn, and a hell of a lot of stormtroopers and K2 units — gather; and it's there in the alternately grim and galvanising juxtaposition of Mon Mothma's firebrand senate speech, Dedra Meero's seeming thirteenth hour panic attack (that was a panic attack, right?), and a now fully committed Cassian Andor's somehow simultaneously heroic and tragic final salvo, "Welcome to the Rebellion."
"It's a different kind of mission," says Stellan Skarsgård's Luthen Rael as Cassian readies himself to carry out his mentor's newest assignment. And while of course we know what eventually becomes of Cassian and the Rebellion, such is the nature of Andor's revolutionary take on Star Wars that we still have no idea how exactly Tony Gilroy is planning on getting us to where we're going, what this different kind of mission be, or indeed what twists and turns still await us all along the way. We'll find out though when Andor Season 2 makes its three episode premiere on Disney+ on 23 April. Until then, we're off to comb back through all the trailers and promo material to see if we can spot Kino Loy anywhere...