Star Wars fans end three year wait as Andor final season lands on Disney+
Excitement has been building among
Star Wars
fans over recent weeks as the highly anticipated second season of Andor comes after a three-year wait.
The new series drops on
Disney+
today (April 22), and the new
TV
instalment has 12 episodes to conclude the prequel to 'Rogue One' and picks up where the first season left off.
The previous season ended with Andor, played by Diego Luna, aiding his close friend Bix, played by Adria Arjona, in her daring escape from the Empire-controlled planet Ferrix. A pivotal meeting between Andor and Luthen, portrayed by Stellan Skarsgård, showcased Andor's transformation from a lone rebel to a true hero.
However,
Star Wars
fans eager to binge-watch the entire season might be left disappointed, as the new episodes will be released in batches of three every Wednesday, before finally concluding with the finale on May 14.
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Andor series two comes in twelve episodes , before it concludes on May 14
(Image: (Image: Lucasfilm/Disney))
The anticipation for the latest series has been high, with fans expressing their excitement on social media. One fan wrote: "I fear we're all going to be a mess later and by later i mean in like 12 hours." Another shared: "WHEN I WAKE UP IN 9 HOURS ANDOR SEASON 2 WILL BE OUT JWJEBDJWBSWJSB.." A third posted, "it's andor day! ! !" T
The release coincides with Lucasfilm's announcement of a new animated series, Maul: Shadow Lord, further fueling the enthusiasm among Star Wars enthusiasts.
The new announcement was made during the 20th Anniversary of Star Wars Animation panel at Star Wars Celebration 2025, where it was revealed that the new animated TV series would bring back the feared Sith villain in a storyline partially inspired by George Lucas' original vision for a sequel trilogy.
However, the new animation hasn't been warmly received by fans, with many calling on Disney to address what they perceive as years of mismanaging the Star Wars timeline.
The upcoming show, spearheaded by longtime Star Wars creative Dave Filoni, will focus on Darth Maul as he heads a crime syndicate during the Empire era.
This is the final season of the Rogue One prequel series, which fans have waited since 2022 for
(Image: (Image: Disney/Lucasfilm))
Filoni shared that Maul will mentor a dark side apprentice, a pink and red-skinned Twi'lek who bears a striking resemblance to Darth Talon, a character from the now non-canon Star Wars Legends.
Sam Witwer is set to return to voice the intimidating Sith, with the series slated to premiere in 2026 on Disney+.
An exclusive teaser clip shown at the event offered fans a sneak peek of Maul training his new apprentice, sparking immediate online debate. However, some fans expressed cautious optimism, citing the animation division's impressive track record with shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels.
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See also: Doing the impossible: How the Rural Doctors Movement started a healthcare revolution in Thailand A heist designed to shock the Empire, provoke a response, and show the galaxy that resistance is possible, it is inspired by the infamous 1907 Tiflis bank robbery orchestrated by Joseph Stalin–whom Gilroy quipped Luna's Andor looks like–and his Bolshevik comrades against Tsarist Russia. Above Yeveran Square, where the Tiflis robbery took place in 1907 (Photo: WikiCommons) The historical robbery in Tiflis (present-day Tbilisi, Georgia) aimed to finance revolutionary activities against the Russian Empire. The Bolsheviks successfully seized approximately 300,000 rubles–equivalent to roughly US$1 million at the time–by launching a precisely timed attack on a bank transport using explosives and firearms, resulting in numerous casualties. 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While hiding out on Niamos, he is falsely convicted and sent to serve time in the Imperial prison complex on Narkina 5, the sterile, electrically enforced Imperial prison complex, where inmates are reduced to little more than production units, forced to work twelve-hour shifts to assemble mysterious mechanical components (for the Death Star) under the constant threat of electrocution for failing to meet quotas. Read more: Professor Dato' Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman weighs in on drug policy reform, higher education and overcoming challenges The prison's hyper-regimented environment and systematic dehumanisation present an unflinching depiction of forced labour systems–not as aberrations, but as deliberate tools of Imperial control, while prisoners are psychologically manipulated into monitoring one another, clinging to the false hope of eventual 'release.' Above Uncomfortable parallels in Soviet gulags and Nazi conentration camps (Photo: WikiCommons) Narkina 5's meticulous efficiency and disregard for human dignity finds uncomfortable parallels in Soviet gulags–established in 1918 after the Russian Revolution, where hope was weaponised as control, and labour prisoners exploited for industrial production; before they were systematically exterminated, much like the prisoners in Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War. Andor echoes this grim historical reality through the off-screen mass execution of inmates on another level, following an accidental readmission that revealed the facility's 'recycling' system of transferring prisoners between levels instead of releasing them. See also: Behind Anora: The Oscar-winning story of love, chaos and Sean Baker's bold vision Above Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), Wilmon Paak (Muhannad Bhaier), and Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) end up as undocumented labourers in Mina-Rau (Photo: Lucasfilm) Later, when Andor's allies from Ferrix–Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), Wilmon Paak (Muhannad Bhaier), and Brasso (Joplin Sibtain)–end up as undocumented labourers in Mina-Rau in season two, the show draws a clear parallel to the modern-day plight of migrant workers. Performing essential labour while living in constant precarity, these characters mirror real-world migrants who face the threat of deportation, lack of legal protections, and limited recourse against exploitation. Above Migrant labourers routinely endure wage theft, hazardous working conditions, and systemic exploitation (Photo: WikiCommons) Much like the Empire's approach to maintaining control and suppressing dissent, these conditions reflect the lived experiences of undocumented workers in countries, such as the United States, and the Middle East–particularly in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where Amnesty International reports have recently revealed migrant workers facing serious abuses. Despite forming the backbone of key industries such as agriculture, construction, and food service, migrant labourers routinely endure wage theft, hazardous working conditions, and systemic exploitation–vulnerabilities that are magnified by their immigration status, which dramatically restricts their ability to advocate for fair treatment or improved conditions. Don't miss: Malaysian social enterprise Pinkcollar is driving ethical recruitment for migrant workers forward Protests and massacres Photo 1 of 2 Maarva Andor (Fiona Shaw) galvanising the people of Ferrix against the Empire (Photo: Lucasfilm) Photo 2 of 2 The Imperial forces were caught off guard in Ferrix's seemingly unassuming uprising (Photo: Lucasfilm) When push comes to shove for the meek and powerless, something is bound to break; and this nuanced exploration of the cycle of oppression and resistance in Andor reaches its crescendo during the finale episode of season one, when the people of Ferrix gather for Andor's surrogate mother Maarva's (Fiona Shaw) funeral. Long suffering under Imperial occupation, Ferrix citizens use the ritual of mourning as an act of defiance, catching Imperial forces completely off guard in their uprising. While the Ferrix funeral riot bears particular resemblance to the funeral of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in East Jerusalem in 2022–when Israeli forces attacked mourners carrying her coffin–this climactic sequence in the season finale resembles large-scale civil unrest, akin to crackdowns like the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre. Demonstrators in Beijing, who gathered initially with hopes for dialogue and reform, discovered that authoritarian regimes ultimately resort to overwhelming force when their authority is challenged. The Chinese government deployed tanks against unarmed students, killing hundreds to thousands of civilians–a complete death toll that remains unknown to this day. Read more: From frustration to force: activist and ecofeminist Ili Nadiah Dzulfakar on redefining climate justice in Malaysia Photo 1 of 2 Tension between the Empire and the local population escalate dramatically, culminating in the tragic and pivotal Ghorman Massacre (Photo: Lucasfilm) Photo 2 of 2 The Ghorman resistance party portrayed by predominantly French-speaking actors, evoking parallels to the French Resistance, and emphasising their role as a passionate but ultimately doomed insurgent community (Photo: Lucasfilm) Throughout season two, audiences sense the proverbial penny in the air that is bound to drop in the most brutal way when Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn, who reprises his role from Rogue One ) focuses on Ghorman–a culturally rich but politically volatile planet reminiscent of historic textile cities like Milan and Turin–due to the city-planet's abundance of kalkite, a resource tied to the construction of the Death Star. Tension between the Empire and the local population escalates dramatically over the next few episodes, culminating in the tragic and pivotal Ghorman Massacre–a dark turning point that establishes Ghorman as a symbol of sacrifice and resistance that 'will burn, very brightly,' just as Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) anticipated. This fictional massacre evokes unmistakable parallels to South Africa's Sharpeville Massacre in 1960, during a peaceful demonstration organised by the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), a splinter group from the African National Congress (ANC). The police claimed some demonstrators began stoning officers and armoured vehicles, and opened fire with submachine guns on the crowd. The allegations were challenged when notably, many victims were shot in the back, indicating they were fleeing when fired upon. See also: The nature of resilience: Jane Goodall remains steadfast in her commitment to protecting the natural world One of the most violent and pivotal events in South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle, the shooting resulted in the deaths of 69 people, including women and children, and wounded over 180 others. While the event led to increased repression in the country, it also galvanised greater international condemnation with some activists moving towards armed resistance. Casualties and catalysts Above Complex individuals whose humanity gradually erodes through systematic indoctrination (Photo: Instagram / @andorofficial) Adding another level of nuance to Andor 's storytelling is the unyielding examination of how seemingly ordinary individuals become cogs in the machinery of oppression through a lifetime of Imperial conditioning. Rather than focusing on the Empire's highest echelons, Andor offers a glimpse into the psyches and lives of mid-level enforcers. Characters like Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) aren't merely cartoon villains but complex individuals whose humanity gradually–if it hasn't already–erodes through systematic indoctrination. Above Meero (Gough) is steeped in Imperial conditioning (Photo: Instagram / @andorofficial) Above Kyle Soller portrays Syril Karn in the 'Andor' series (Photo: Instagram / @andorofficial) Meero, who reveals in a later episode of season two that she grew up in the Imperial Kinder-block, is steeped in Imperial conditioning and justifies her actions through blind adherence to protocol. Meanwhile, Karn, when an enlightening revelation strips him of his institutional identity, he wanders purposelessly through Palmo Square in Ghorman until he fixates on Andor– the one person who gave meaning to his otherwise mundane life as a deputy inspector on Morlana One at the start of the series–desperate to restore his sense of belonging. Above Front row, left to right: Hermann Göring, Rudolf Heß, and Joachim von Ribbentrop at the Nuremberg trials (Photo: WikiCommons) Above Adolf Eichmann in the glass booth during the 1961 Eichmann trial, where he received a death sentence (Photo: WikiCommons) These characters serve as chilling illustrations of what Hannah Arendt termed 'the banality of evil' in her coverage of the Eichmann trial in the 1960s against Nazi SS officer Adolf Eichmann, who was primarily responsible for implementing the Final Solution. 'A man who drifted into the Nazi Party, in search of purpose and direction, not out of deep ideological belief,' as Arendt described Eichmann–and, by and large, the many Nazi officers who claimed they were 'simply following orders' during the Nuremberg Trials in the 1940s; the historian and philosopher noted how ordinary people can commit harmful acts simply by not questioning their actions or the situations they face. Don't miss: Justice Centre Hong Kong's Lynette Nam on navigating the legal challenges in empowering refugees Above Senator Mon Mothma's (Genevieve O'Reilly) political awakening is analogous to notable world leaders following sociopolitical calamities (Photo: Instagram / @andorofficial) Yet amid this oppression, while calamity serves as a destroyer in crushing ordinary people, it simultaneously forges extraordinary leaders from them. Following the canonical atrocity that is the Ghorman Massacre, Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) is pushed to publicly denounce Emperor Palpatine on the Senate floor in front of senators who have sworn allegiance to the Empire. Catalytically, she also helps establish the Rebel Alliance that becomes the collective protagonist of the original Star Wars trilogy. Above Nelson Mandela's (left) leadership began following the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960 (Photo: WikiCommons) Mothma's political awakening is analogous to Nelson Mandela's leadership following the Sharpeville Massacre, when armed forces killed and injured protestors demonstrating against the apartheid-era passing laws to restrict their movement. Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) shifted from non-violent protest to armed resistance shortly after, recognising the limits of peaceful protest under apartheid–marking a turning point in the anti-apartheid movement. Read more: These Asian social justice champions are leading the fight for human dignity Ultimately, while Andor successfully showcases what Gilroy and many others have observed about humanity–the circadian rhythm of authoritarianism that resurfaces every few generations–it also reveals how resistance invariably emerges as part of the cyclical nature as well. Though all the bad is bound to happen again, so will all the good. That is the sliver of hope one can take away from a momentous series like Andor –and what are rebellions, if not built on hope? Both seasons of 'Andor,' 'Rogue One' and other 'Star Wars' films and series are now streaming on Disney+ NOW READ From Merdeka 118 to the Blue Mansion: Malaysia's most spectacular film locations that have captivated international cinema 8 movies that sold more toys than tickets Millennial movies: the low-key traumatic films responsible for a generation's paranoia
