A new Andor image just dropped which introduces an enormous, Mass Effect-esque alien to the Star Wars universe.
The image is one of two official stills published in a recent issue of Total Film magazine. It depicts an encounter between Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and a hulking creature that resembles a bipedal version of the Elcor race featured in BioWare's popular video game franchise. The pair is joined by another unidentified human character portrayed by actor whose identity likewise remains a mystery for now.
While any similarities between Andor and Mass Effect are almost certainly coincidental, showrunner Tony Gilroy recently confirmed that the Disney+ series does intentionally ape the Bourne franchise. Gilroy, who co-write the script for 2002's The Bourne Identity, explained that he was eager to bring the character-driven focus, relatable stakes and clear geography of that movie's action scenes to the Star Wars universe. "That aesthetic, that idea, does carry over to Andor because we are on the ground with these people, so that everything that we do has an intimacy and an acoustic nature to it within the grandeur of Star Wars," he said.
Is Andor Star Wars' First Political Thriller?
Andor and the Bourne franchise reportedly share a similar tone, too. According to star Genevieve O'Reilly, who plays Mon Mothma, the show adds thriller elements to Star Wars' established formula. "When we meet Mon Mothma [on] Coruscant, it's a high society world of intrigue and political machinations," she said. "She is trying to be a voice for diplomacy and a voice for action, and trying to gather allies against this ever looming autocracy... In order to change, she has to put her head above the parapet, which is highly dangerous, and I think that's what allows for the thriller element that runs through this season."
Despite the buzz surrounding Andor's more grounded action sequences and grittier tone, it will reportedly boast the same sweeping scope fans expect from the franchise. Recent comments by Gilroy point to the series unfolding at a much larger scale than any of Lucasfilm's previous Star Wars shows, with 190 speaking parts across its first 12-episode season. The showrunner added that Andor Season 1 will feature as many as 35 major characters for audiences to emotionally invest in, noting that after the fourth episode "the world just gets really, really wide."
The first three episodes of Andor arrive on Disney+ on Sept. 21.
Source: Total Film, via Reddit