Warning: SPOILERS for Andor season 2.

The broad strokes of Andor season 2’s ending were always going to be obvious, but the final batch of episodes still managed to deliver surprises up until the bitter(sweet) end. As Cassian Andor marched toward his final mission, it was revealed that Bix had mothered their child, providing a tragic bookend for the series and a spark of hope for the future. But Bix’s story arc is far from the only one of consequence in Andor’s final episodes. Elizabeth Dulau’s Kleya proved to be one of the series’ biggest unsung heroes, paving the way for the Rebels’ eventual success.

The series finale of Andor also marked the end of a roughly decade-long commitment to Star Wars by showrunner Tony Gilroy, whose contributions began with 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Although the showrunner has stated publicly that he is taking an indefinite break from the Star Wars galaxy, he has provided viewers with consistently gripping stories set in the world Lucas created. ScreenRant’s Andor season 2 episodes 10-12 review praised Gilroy for “ending Andor in the perfect way,” cementing his legacy as one of the greatest Star Wars storytellers.

ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan interviewed showrunner Tony Gilroy about the surprising Andor season 2 ending. Gilroy discussed shifting storytelling focus to Kleya in a big way in the final batch of episodes, which Original Trilogy character could have had a place in the show, and how Bix’s child was conceived–in the writer’s room, anyway. Gilroy also weighed in on which Andor characters may have gone on to have impactful futures in the Star Wars universe.

Tony Gilroy Speculates On Where Andor’s Characters Go Next

Although He Doesn’t Have “Anything Serious”

While Cassian Andor’s fate after Andor season 2 is well-documented, things are more ambiguous for most of the show’s other characters. Even Tony Gilroy isn’t one hundred percent certain about where they go, saying, “we all have our silly answers … but no, I don’t have anything serious. I feel like I’ve eaten.”

With that said, the showrunner did offer some opinions. “Dedra’s not going anywhere,” he said, continuing, “Vel… her job is pretty clearly stated. She’s a base commander at Yavin. I’m sure she’s there all during Rogue and the rest of it. Mon Mothma–obvioulsy, we know what’s happened with her.”

When it comes to Bix and Cassian’s child, Gilroy had even less: “I don’t know the sex of the child, or the name of the child, or anything.”

“I mean, let’s be honest. Disney owns that child.”

Kleya’s Ending Took A Page Out Of Rogue One

“She Realizes How Responsible She Is For Everything”

Kleya ended up being one of the most consequential characters of Andor season 2, and one of those who had to sacrifice the most. After killing her close companion Luthen to keep Rebel secrets away from the Empire, Kleya found herself at the Rebel base on Yavin, largely unappreciated by those around her. “I love the way it was delivered,” Gilroy said of Kleya’s final scenes, “because it is very hard.”

“There’s things I would’ve loved to have her say that would just be inappropriate,” the showrunner continued, “but to have her have this sort of Mona Lisa smile at the end, the tiny touch of it, as she realizes how responsible she is for everything she’s seeing all around her… I mean, none of this stuff exists if she hadn’t been the person and lived the life that she had, and made the sacrifices that she had, and no one will ever know that.”

“She’s so unhappy to be at Yavin, and it’s such a sad set of circumstances that have brought her there,” said Gilroy. He revealed that he made a special point to tell the episode’s director, Alonso Ruizpalacios, they had to “shade that take really, really carefully.”

To find the right tone for Kleya’s ending, Gilroy turned to his first Star Wars project: “For her, the instructive thing [about Yavin] was the scene in Rogue where Jyn Erso comes back and tries to convince everybody to go to Scarif, and nobody will do it. That room of all those people, [when] everybody’s arguing and nobody wants to go. That’s the reality of coalition.”

Bix & Cassian’s Child, Explained

“There Had To Be Literally Legitimate Hope”

The reveal that Bix and Cassian had a child is one of the biggest surprises of Andor season 2. Although the development makes Cassian’s story even more tragic, Tony Gilroy revealed a more optimistic reason for the story development: “I had a good idea how much mileage we were going to put on these characters, and how hard the road was going to be. There’s a shadow over the show, and I just knew–not just dramatically, but personally–there had to be literally legitimate hope at the end of this thing, or it was really… not abusive, but just wrong.”

“There has to be a candle in the window, or what’s the point of getting up in the morning?”

“I had the idea percolating,” Gilroy continued, “that that was probably my best option. Then, as we sketched her departure, when she leaves Cassian, and figuring out the through line from this destiny and the force healer … it’s a complicated idea, and it seemed like it might be a little difficult for some people to get. It turned out not to be, but I really wanted to underline it for anybody who was doubtful about it. When they get to the end, they go, ‘Oh my God, she was pregnant. That’s why she’s leaving.’”

“On the dark side,” Gilroy said, “it makes his sacrifice that much worse, doesn’t it?”

Why Princess Leia Almost Was, Then Definitely Wasn’t In Andor

“There Were Some Conversations Early On”

Andor season 2 largely strayed away from capitalizing on familiar faces from the Original Trilogy, but one major player might have made an appearance. “Initially, yes,” Gilroy replied when asked if Princess Leia had ever been a candidate for the season, adding, “There were some conversations early on.” The showrunner revealed that Leia may have made an appearance during Investiture Week on Corsucant: “I was trying to get the most out of that Investiture Week and those parties … and we were trying to find out, on the timeline, where she would be in the Senate.”

“There were some nutrients for a scene between her and Mothma,” Gilroy continued, saying, “If she was going there at 16 and Mothma had gone to the Senate when she was 16, there was some basic cool things for a scene, but it never got past that, and it never went to the casting stage, or it never got more real than that. I talking to Kathy [Kennedy] about it and talking to Pablo [Hidalgo] about it, but it never got traction, and then it became a distraction."

Also check out our end-of-season interview with Andor season 2 composer Brandon Roberts.

Source: ScreenRant Plus

Andor season 2 is on Disney+.