By George & Josh Bate
Andor is widely regarded as the best live-action Star Wars series to date and is considered by many to be among the greatest television shows of all time. And yet even the pinnacle of a galaxy far, far away is not immune to criticism.
One of the (very few) complaints lodged at Tony Gilroy’s Disney+ series is that the show lacked the range of alien species and creatures found in other Star Wars projects. A stark contrast to the iconic Mos Eisley Cantina scene in A New Hope or the recently released The Mandalorian and Grogu, Andor features relatively few non-human characters and even fewer in roles with dialogue. This was perhaps best emphasized by the Narkina 5 arc in Season 1, in which all the prisoners (without exception) were humans.
As revealed by the recently released The Art of Star Wars: Andor, the creative team were well aware of this criticism in Season 1 and attempted to ameliorate it in Season 2. Neal Scanlan, known for the iconic creature workshop responsible for so many of Star Wars’ most eccentric non-human characters, remarked, “The overwhelmingly positive response of the show as a whole from the fans was so great to see, and encouraging to us that audiences pressed for more creatures and droids. And we were more than happy to oblige!”
Concept art included in The Art of Star Wars: Andor reveals how extensively Tony Gilroy considered including creatures in the series but ultimately decided not to. Concept art from the Narkina 5 prison arc, for instance, shows that one of the prisoners was intended to be a Mon Calamari, the same species that Admirals Raddus and Ackbar belong to. Other concept art shows that Heert, Meero’s assistant who goes on to receive a promotion in Season 2, was originally envisioned as a blue-skinned alien, perhaps a Chiss like Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Ultimately, we’ve always thought this criticsm was blown out of proportion. Yes, it is somewhat odd that only human prisoners occupy Narkina 5, but Andor features far more creatures and aliens that people give it credit for. Season 1 features Vetch, a towering, physically imposing alien who accompanies the character Nurchi when they confront Cassian Andor at the scrapyard to demand an overdue deposit. Season 2, meanwhile, shows The Oathkeeper use his booming voice to speak to the Galactic Senate.