Speaking to TechRadar ahead of season 2’s launch in late April, the pair admitted that it’s been a long time since they were first told about the Star Wars series’ last scene.
In fact, it sounds like Luna and Arjona have been aware of its ending since development began on Andor
Full spoilers immediately follow for Andor season 2 episode 12 and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story .
Hang on… is that Cassian’s child?! (Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney+)
The final scene of Andor season 2 – and, with the Disney+ show ending after two seasons, the last one we’ll ever see – reveals that Cassian and Bix, the characters that Luna and Arjona portray, have become parents.
After we watch Cassian and his android bestie K-2SO fly off to meet Galactic Empire informant Tivik on the Ring of Kafrene – a scene that directly leads into the events of 2016’s Rogue One film – we’re reunited with Bix on Mina-Rau. Viewers will remember this Outer Rim world as the place that Bix, Brasso, Wilmon, and B-2EMO fled to after Andor season 1’s finale.
Meanwhile, in season 2 episode 9 we learn that Bix made the heart-breaking decision to leave Cassian so he could focus on helping the burgeoning Rebel Alliance topple the Empire. It’s pleasing, then, that we’re reunited with Arjona’s fan-favorite character one final time before one of the best Disney+ shows ends.
Bix’s difficult decision to leave Cassian in season 2 episode 9 makes complete sense now (Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney+)
What many fans might not have anticipated, though, is that Bix was pregnant when she left Cassian. Season 2’s final scene not only confirms this because, well, Bix is cradling their child when we’re reunited with her, but it also appears old enough for months to have passed since she gave birth. Each three-episode arc in season 2 takes place a year after their forebear, which is why Bix is a mom when we meet her again.
It’s a big reveal, the bittersweetness of which is three-fold. For one, it’s clear that Bix made the incredibly tough decision to leave Cassian to keep their baby safe. Then there’s the fact that, if Cassian had learned that Bix was pregnant, he would have given up his role in the embryonic rebellion to enjoy a peaceful family life with Bix and his newborn.
The most tear-jerking part of all of this, though, is that Cassian never learns he’s become a father. After helping the Rebel Alliance to acquire the Death Star plans on Scarif in Rogue One , Cassian dies when the Empire’s now-operational, planet-killing superweapon destroys Scarif, i.e. the planet he and numerous other rebel fighters are unable to flee after the successfully steal the Death Star’s blueprints.
Armed with the knowledge that Cassian is survived by Bix and a child he didn’t know he had, fans won’t view Rogue One in the same light ever again. That’s something Luna teased at length in the lead-up to season 2’s arrival and, following episode 12’s release, now we know why he was so insistent on Rogue One being a completely different viewing experience once everyone had finished watching Andor on one of the world’s best streaming services .
“I knew [how season 2 would end],” Luna, who also serves as an executive producer on Andor , told me.
“From the beginning, we knew what the ending was going to be and we were always aiming for it. We all knew where we were going from the outset and, with this being a prequel to Rogue One , we understood the assignment. I think that’s what makes this show different – we had an ending in mind, we stuck to it, and I hope it makes people re-watch Rogue One in with an entirely new perspective.”
We knew what the ending was going to be and we were always aiming for it
Andor actor Diego Luna
As for Arjona’s worries about slipping up and revealing Andor ‘s official ending ahead of time, she said: “He [showrunner Tony Gilroy] told me pretty early on during season one’s development. It was a big secret to keep and I’m not very good at keeping them – I get a little overexcited! But, I kept this one because it’s so important to the story we wanted to tell.
“Tony gave me a very good idea of what season two’s story was going to be when I initially signed onto the project,” Arjona added. “Then, when he was writing season two, he told me it was going to end with that shot.
“Most showrunners or just people in the industry, they’ll tell you something to get you sign up to something and then not follow through on that promise. But, everything Tony told me is exactly what happened and I’m very grateful for his honesty.”
Andor seasons 1 and 2 are out now in their entirety on Disney+.
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