Beyond Good And Evil: Tony Gilroy Explains Morally Grey Areas In ‘Andor’

Cassian Andor

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Whoever said rebellions were pretty? Certainly not Andor creator Tony Gilroy, whose Star Wars based thriller goes far deeper than the surface as it showcases all sides of a galaxy at war. Understanding that lines of morality sometimes become blurred in times of large-scale conflict, Gilroy looks to show that deeming a person or act, good or evil is not so simple.

“I can’t imagine writing black and white. I mean, I have believed in every villain I’ve ever written, you know?”. This is the sentiment Tony Gilroy shared in an interview with StarWars.com. In Andor who would be the “villain” Gilroy speaks of? Given Cassian Andor is the title character you would assume him to be the hero, however, is the officer investigating the death of his two fellow officers truly a villain? Granted the two officers may have had it coming after not acting very saint-like themselves, and of course, as fans, we want and need Cassian to get away with any morally gray decisions so he can be a hero later with the rest of the Rogue One crew. It doesn’t change the fact that those decisions are just that, morally gray.

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One thing Gilroy wanted to be sure Andor shed light on is that those in the thick of war are not the only ones who feel its pressures, and in the case of a rebellion, they are not always the ones who feel them the most. “This is a chance to do a show about the ordinary people of this galaxy and these tectonic, revolutionary pressures that are being put on them from all sides.”. From the opening scenes, Andor paints a picture of an oppressed galaxy with beaten-down civilians doing all they can to get by. It’s in this setting where the heroes of both The Empire and The Rebellion will develop as characters. “Thrillers are always people under pressure. Usually, there’s an outer problem, but what’s great is all of the outer pressures that weigh down on people expose all of the other problems that they have in their lives. So if someone’s marriage is bad, whether you’re gonna inform on the neighbor across the hall puts a whole new pressure on that. It’s regular people under pressure and, in a thriller, that’s the buy-in from the beginning.”

Slated for a twelve-episode first season, Gilroy’s galactic spy thriller is but a mere halfway through, with plenty of story left to tell. New episodes of Andor premiere on Disney + every Wednesday.

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