SPOILERS for Andor season 2.Andor season 2 brought Disney-era Star Wars’ most unlikely success–a spinoff show about an ensemble character from a one-off movie–to a thrilling conclusion that was equal parts emotionally satisfying and devastating. Created by Tony Gilroy, Andor not only charted the life of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’s Cassian Andor, but also explored the rise of a rebellion through the stories of fascinating characters like Mon Mothma and Luthen Rael.

Even the series ScreenRant’s Andor season 2 review dubbed “the best Star Wars TV show” succeeds in part based on the strength of its music. The first season was scored by Succession’s Nicholas Britell, who took a large stylistic jump away from the musical world John Williams created. While Britell scored some of Andor season 2, the bulk of the work was handed to franchise newcomer Brandon Roberts in the middle of production, when Britell had to step away from the project.

ScreenRant interviewed Brandon Roberts about his work on Andor season 2. In an extensive conversation that covered the whole season, Roberts explained how he took over for Nicholas Britell to musically guide the series toward the already-established world of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Read on to learn about Mon Mothma’s existential wedding dance, a Ghorman-language aria, making the Rebel base at Yavin feel like it did in A New Hope, and more.

How Brandon Roberts Saved The Day On Andor Season 2

“No Pressure”

Brandon Roberts was not the original composer of Andor season 2. “Nicholas [Britell] had written episode 204, half of 205, and half of 206, and then, because of his circumstances, had to depart,” he said, revealing a workflow that sounds just as unique as it does challenging: “I was brought in to finish up 205 and 206, then jump back to the beginning and write 201 to 203, then jump over to 207 through 212.”

But, because this is Andor season 2, Roberts also had to contend with a nonstandard season structure that had each three-episode arc represent a different year in Cassian Andor’s life. “Each three-episode arc has a vibe–not just a story vibe, but musically,” Roberts said, adding, “For example, the second arc is about establishing Ghorman, and a lot of it is about interpersonal relationships. Then, by the time you get to seven, eight, and nine, it's all about massive stakes, massive character changes, and story changes that have consequences [both] galactically, [and] for each of the characters that we care about.”

In some ways, that made the composer’s job “a lot easier,” especially in of honoring the music Nicholas Britell did write for the season. “It’s not like I’m trying to leave anything behind,” Roberts said. “I do think I was greatly benefited by the three-episode arc structure, because after each three episodes, there’s a hint of a palate cleanser. It didn’t feel as jarring as if episode three ran right into episode four.”

On the flip side, Roberts said, “We were very aware of the music complimenting those story arcs–not just the bigger arc of all 12 episodes, or the even bigger arc of seasons one and two, or even the bigger arc than that, which is leading into Rogue One and the original trilogy, but also these little mini three-episode arcs. No pressure.”

Take A “Deep Dive” Into A Star Wars Wedding (Episode 3)

From Mon Mothma’s Viral Dancing Scene To Ritualistic Braid Cutting

Andor season 2 episode 3 invited viewers into the luxe banquet halls of Coruscant to witness a Chandrilan wedding. The most memorable moment of which, of course, is a stunning sequence in which Mon Mothma attempts to cope with an existential spiral on the dance floor. “I’m glad people are liking it,” Roberts said about that moment, adding that “Nicholas’ ‘Niamos!’ piece has been a staple since season one .. .and we got to do a fun remix of it.”

“Tony always said that you have to think of ‘Niamos!’ as this galactic hit that’s being played everywhere in variations, and so it just seems appropriate to be playing at a wedding, too.”

But Mon Mothma’s dance was one moment in a longer ceremony that contributes quite a bit to Star Wars lore. “I really appreciated seeing the whole wedding play out over multiple days,” Roberts said, adding, “and also one that’s steeped in ritual. There’s a lot of ritual in that wedding. There’s a posh element to it, but there’s also a ritualistic element to it [with] the hair braid cutting and all these various things.”

This gave Roberts a chance to musically blend Chandrilan tradition with the glitz and glam of upper crust Coruscant life. “For a ritualistic aspect,” the composer used deep medicine drums and frame drums, but paired them with strings, woodwind, and bells to achieve “a very posh, shimmery aspect.”

In addition, Roberts revealed, Nicholas Britell had written a source music piece (music that is supposed to be coming from within the actual scene) for when Leida Mothma and her husband-to-be Stekan Sculdun entered the venue.

“It is definitely a deep dive into a Star Wars wedding.”

Syril Karn Gave Roberts “Permission To Have Fun” (Episode 3)

Roberts Described The Musical Approach As “Teetering On A Knife”

Syril Karn, played by Kyle Soller, moves throughout the Star Wars galaxy accompanied by some of its weirdest music. “He’s just a fun character to write music for,” said Roberts. “There’s a stiff awkwardness to him,” the composer continued, “but there’s also this self-importance that is almost bordering on a caricature of someone. Then, he’s also got this wonderful vulnerability, and a morality that eventually appears throughout the season.”

One of the standout musical moments involving Syril Karn is in episode three, when he and Dedra Meero (played by Denise Gough) prepare to welcome Syril’s mother over for dinner. The music feels loungelike in a way completely new to the Star Wars universe–and Roberts knows it. “With a lot of these approaches that are teetering on a knife in of style,” he said, “a lot of it was discussion. ‘Can we try this? Is this okay?’”

“I know Star Wars music so well, and I’m protective of it on some level.”

Even so, when taking Star Wars to weirder places, Roberts had one thought: “This might actually work.” “It’s pushing the boundary of what, musically, could be accepted,” he said, adding, “We tried to do the Star Wars version of lounge [music]. We thought, ‘Is this going too far?’ And then we thought, ‘No, this is a really nice little fun moment that you don’t get a lot of.’”

“Everything [about] the way that scene was shot–the little movement of the fork, [and] Syril placing it just right–lent itself to a little bit of fun,” Roberts shared. “We gave ourselves permission to have fun.”

Andor Season 2 Flirts With The Force, But Doesn’t Go All The Way (Episode 7)

Why The Healer Moment Doesn’t Use An Iconic Theme, Explained

In episode 7, Andor broke its unspoken rule of “no Force s” by introducing a Force healer who is working with the Rebels on Yavin IV. Almost as surprising as the inclusion of that character was the exclusion of John Williams’ classic Force theme, which is frequently quoted during scenes of consequential Force use. “We were very observant on the healer,” Roberts said.

According to Roberts, Tony Gilroy very deliberately avoided using traditional John Williams themes in Andor season 1. And although there were discussions about whether or not to use William’s iconic piece of music, everyone “actively decided” against it for one reason: “In the end, we all agreed that [the] scene is not about the Force–it’s about Bix.”

The Force healer scene is ultimately “about what decision-making that prompts in Bix later on, that continues, obviously, all the way to [episode] 212. We wound up tying that to some of Bix’s material that comes all the way back in at the end of 212, and also when she decides to leave Cassian.”

Tony Gilroy’s Ghorman Aria, Translated (Episode 7)

The Showrunner Wrote The Libretto For An In-Universe Opera Piece

Not since Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith has opera featured as heavily in the galaxy as it did in Andor season 2 episode 7. The episode, which lumbers inexorably toward the Ghorman Massacre, ends with a haunting aria that subtly speaks to the imminent conflict.“The piece wound up being called ‘I Knew’,” Roberts shared, continuing “Tony Gilroy wrote the libretto for it, and then it got translated into the Ghorman language by the person that developed the Ghorman language.”

“It’s an aria from Ghorman, so it’s language-accurate.”

Lyrics were provided to ScreenRant courtesy of Gilroy, and they reveal how “I Knew”, on top of enriching audience understanding of the soon-to-be-assaulted Ghorman culture, was actually a very subtle piece of foreshadowing. Lyrics include “One more daybreak – one more sunset,” and “How do I live?”, which all feel very appropriate given the ultimate fate of so many Ghormans

But, as with so much of Andor, “I Knew” works on multiple levels. Lines like “When we said farewell, I knew,” “Trying not to hear the words I knew we had to say,” and “Our time has wandered, no light left on that path,” serve as a bittersweet reflection of the relationship between Cassian Andor and Bix Caleen. Take a look at the lyrics in full below:

“I Knew”

Libretto by Tony Gilroy, music by Brandon Roberts

How Brandon Roberts Made The Ghorman Massacre Sound Like Doom (Episode 8)

For K-2SO’s Introduction, The Composer Went “Full Horror”

One of the most consequential events of Andor season 2 is the Ghorman Massacre, which saw the Empire exercising its fascistic power in the most brazen way yet. That moment had to hit audiences hard, and music played a huge role. “You have a whole episode of one long build,” Roberts said, “and the idea was, ‘Why don’t we create it with this low lumbering pulse that just gets more and more intense?’”

This was a sequence where Tony Gilroy had something very specific in mind, Roberts shared: “Tony Gilroy wanted to have this dark, bendy, liquidy [sound]. He called them ‘doom bends’, and they are these low basses and synths [that are] bending, that then get expanded upon and developed as the episode progresses.”

Roberts went from doom to “full horror” with the introduction of Cassian Andor’s eventual droid companion, K-2SO. That droid was one of many KX-series security droids the Empire dispatched to brutally quell Ghorman protestors, and Roberts wanted to make sure the robots sounded as scary as they looked. This was accomplished with “incredibly dissonant strings [and] incredibly dissonant orchestral elements.” But Roberts wanted to take things a step further: “Then,” he said, “the idea was, ‘How can we bring out the industrial terror aspect of this?’”

The composer would end up taking trash cans and dropping chains on them, “so, as the thing is coming out, the percussion [section] is dropping huge chains and smashing anvils to try to add this relentless, single-track-minded droid vibe to the whole thing that would hopefully compliment the terror we’re bringing out with all the other elements.” Roberts continued, saying, “I wound up playing distorted electric bass on it, [and] there [are] all these horrible synths.”

“It’s about as close to metal as you can get for Star Wars.”

Why Andor Season 2 Waits Until The Last Moment To Feel Like Rogue One (Episode 12)

“We Were Surprised At How Long We Could Hold Off”

Musically, Andor is a big, bold step away from the world John Williams created, which is all well and good until its story butts up against the beginning of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. That movie’s composer was Michael Giacchino, not Williams, but still leaned into the traditional Star Wars feel. Roberts’ score, then, had to lead into Rogue One, but the question of where was something the composer itted “we discussed quite a bit.”

“The continuity had to be there,” he continued, “not just the continuity coming from Nicholas Britell’s season one, but also ideally landing seamlessly into the Michael Giacchino Rogue One palette.” Roberts also credited music editor John Finklea as “one of the biggest voices on this, [saying], ‘Guys, we absolutely have to make sure that this lands correctly.’”

Originally, the idea was to have the music shift into the world of Rogue One “after episode 208–after the Ghorman stuff,” Roberts revealed. “But,” he added, “what we found was, we kept pushing the palette change to a more traditional orchestra further and further back.”

“It really wasn't until episode 212 where we really pulled out a lot of the electronics,” he added. At that point, the instruments became more orchestral, “so that it could feel like it translates naturally into Giacchino’s score.” “We were surprised at how long we could hold off,” Roberts shared, “but the end of episode 212 also lends itself to a big Star Wars moment. We have them flying off–the footage was there to bias us to change the palette, so it all came together.”

Andor’s Biggest Musical Easter Egg, Explained (Episode 12)

A John Williams Cameo, From A Certain Point Of View

For all of its avoidance of John Wiliams’ music, Andor ends with a full-fledged rendition of “The Throne Room” from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. “That was John Finklea’s idea,” Roberts said, “and we were like, ‘What is everyone going to think? Is Tony Gilroy going to be okay with it?’” Funny enough, the composer shared, “When we were recording it, I don’t think anyone cared, even, if it went in the show, because having a chance to hear London musicians performing the original theme and credits [was amazing.]”

“As an added thing,” he continued, “one of the percussionists who was playing on it got the original snare drum that was played on the 1977 score–the A New Hope score. So that was there, and the level of geek-out on my end… at a certain point, I had my camera in so close, he’s like, ‘Get away from my snare drum, man.”

“All I can say is, when you record a John Williams piece, there’s no worse feeling than going back to recording one of your own pieces right after.”

In one sense, “The Throne Room” is an odd pull for the closing credits of Andor as a series. Williams’ music isn’t otherwise used throughout the show, and it doesn’t appear in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which immediately follows the events of the finale.

In another sense, “The Throne Room” is a perfect choice. The piece represents triumph and optimism, and, despite the darkness of Andor, there is much to celebrate. Behind the camera, showrunner Tony Gilroy has dedicated the past decade of his life to Star Wars, and done so without a single major creative miss. Diego Luna, Geneveive O’Reilly (Mon Mothma), Stellan Skarsgård (Luthen Rael), and the rest of the Andor cast turned in award-worthy performances through episode after episode. And composer Brandon Roberts jumped into a partially finished show to deliver one of the most unique Star Wars scores ever written.

In of Andor’s story, “The Throne Room” also represents hope. And, in Cassian Andor’s words, “Rebellions are built on hope.”

All episodes of Andor season 2 are streaming on Disney+.