Summary

In Andor Season 2, creator Tony Gilroy's son inspired the Star Wars backstory behind the iconic line "Rebellions are built on hope."
The series, which premiered five years after Rogue One, reflects the beginning of the Rebellion against the Empire.
Despite only lasting two seasons, Andor was well-received for its compelling character development and storytelling.

Andor season 2 ended on May 13th, 2025, and fans are still reflecting on these 12 moving and well-crafted episodes. In a recent interview, the creator of the Star Wars series explained how he came up with one memorable moment: he got some input from his son.

Season 1 of the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story prequel Andor premiered on Disney+ on September 21st, 2022, followed by season 2 on April 22nd, 2025. Diego Luna reprises his Rogue One role of Cassian Andor, an orphan from Kenari who joins the Rebel Alliance. Other cast members include Fiona Shaw, Stellan Skarsgård, Kyle Soller, and Adria Arjona. Many feel Disney+ should focus on more Star Wars prequels, especially since Andor has been such a big success.

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By Catherine Armecin Martin

Andor Creator Tony Gilroy Explains The Important Star Wars Backstory His Son Added

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Andor creator Tony Gilroy explained that his son is the one who suggested some significant Star Wars backstory. In Andor season 2, episode 8, "Who Are You?" Thela (Stefon Crepon) and Cassian, who pretends to be a reporter, interact again. Thela says the infamous line:

"Rebellions are built on hope."

Gilroy explained that his son, who loves Star Wars, said he needed to come up with the backstory for this piece of dialogue. He said:

"One day he's there at the house and he's goofballing on me, and he's like, 'Well, who's going to introduce 'rebellions are built on hope'?"

Gilroy's son explained that Cassian says the line in Rogue One and Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) says it again. When Gilroy asked, "isn't that from somewhere?" His son said he needed to go deeper into the background of the line. Gilroy added:

"The hotel clerk is such a groovy little character. It definitely comes from my son busting me on not having it in earlier [scripts]. I was like, 'Good catch.' So that's where it comes from."

This is a charming story, and it's fun to hear that Gilroy's son, Sam, inspired such a clever part of Andor season 2. While season 1 had many memorable lines of dialogue, there's no doubt that Thela's statement is the most haunting and powerful quote from the entire series. Andor is such a successful prequel series because it builds on a beloved and familiar world and adds something special.

Sam is not only a Star Wars fan but he also played Gerdis in two episodes of Andor season 2. He has several other TV credits, including Tim on the Netflix chess miniseries The Queen's Gambit, Michael Diamonda on Billions, and Michael in three episodes of Imposters.

It's always interesting to hear about Tony Gilroy's creative process. He co-wrote the screenplay for Rogue One along with Chris Weitz, and he also penned several movies in the Jason Bourne franchise including The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and The Bourne Legacy. He also wrote and directed the 2007 legal thriller Michael Clayton and wrote the 1995 movie adaptation of the Stephen King story Dolores Claiborne. It's not every day that a writer gets to explore more of a beloved character in a prequel series, and Andor is excellent. While fans would no doubt love to watch more Andor, Gilroy told SFX Magazine that while he thought the show would last for five seasons, he decided to make two. He said, "We realized that I didn't have enough calories to do it, and Diego's face couldn't take the timing, because it just takes too long to make it."

Andor has been well-received by fans and critics, and the show fixed some problems Star Wars fans have been thinking about. While season 2 began a bit slow, it was ultimately an impressive piece of television. The Star Wars universe is richly drawn and always features surprising deaths, epic battles, and moving moments that show the internal conflicts the characters experience. While fans can continue to watch the stars of Andor in other projects, they're likely going to be thinking about this excellent prequel series for a long time.