Andor season 2: release date, confirmed cast cast, plot synopsis, and more news on the Star Wars show's return

Happy Andor season 2 release year, everyone! Almost three years after its first entry arrived, the critically-acclaimed Star Wars series will return to our screen on April 22.

Before it launches on Disney Plus , you'll want to engage your hyperdrive and get a lightning-quick round-up of everything worth knowing about it. In this guide, I've enlisted the aid of some Bothan spies to get the intel on Andor's second season, including its confirmed cast, plot details, and whether the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story prequel will return for a third season.

Major spoilers for Andor season 1 follow (NB: read our spoiler-free Andor season 1 review first if you haven't see it yet) so proceed with caution, rebel.

Andor season 2 release date

Andor season 2 will make its long-awaited debut on April 22 (US) and April 23 (UK and Australia). Its release date, which is a missed opportunity for the best Star Wars show, in my opinion, was announced at D23 Brasil Expo 2024. Before then, Disney only confirmed Andor season 2 wouldn't be part of Disney Plus' 2024 line-up, so all of the signs pointed towards a 2025 release.

Andor season 2 trailer: is there one?

No. As of January 20, an official trailer still hasn't been releases publicly.

We were treated to a few seconds of footage, though, as part of a 'Coming in 2025' Disney Plus video last November. Indeed, we get a brief shot of Cassian Andor at the 0:10 mark and then another 10 seconds of footage from the 1:24 mark. Bizarrely, the teaser isn't available to watch on YouTube anymore, but you can check it out via this Star Wars Leaks Reddit thread. Here's hoping a proper season 2 teaser arrives sooner rather than later.

Andor season 2 cast: confirmed and rumored

Full spoilers follow for Andor season 1 and Rogue One.

Here's the confirmed cast for Andor season 2 so far:

• Diego Luna as Cassian Andor
• Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma
• Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael
• Denise Gough as Dedra Meero
• Kyle Soller as Syril Karn
• Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen
• Ben Mendelhson as Orson Krennic
• Théo Costa Marini as Dilan
• Alaïs Lawson as Enza Rylanz

The first six actors were part of season 1's cast. After reports emerged that Rogue One villain Orson Krennic would appear in Andor season 2, a teaser seen exclusively by D23 Expo 2024 attendees confirmed Mendelsohn will reprise his role as Krennic, aka the Galactic Empire's Director of Advanced Weapons Research, from Rogue One. Per Empire magazine, he'll clash with Dedra Meero throughout the forthcoming installment.

Joining him on the season 2 newcomer roster are Marini and Lawson as Dilan and Enza who, based on the image seen in this guide's trailer section, will aid Cassian at some point this season. As for other new cast additions, Spanish site Levante (thanks to StarWarsNewsNet for the find) claims Benjamin Bratt (Poker Face) was spotted on the show's Valencia-based set. Don't be surprised if he has a role to play, then.

There are plenty of returning faces – from season 1 and Rogue One – who may be part of proceedings. Faye Marsay's Vel Sartha, Varada Sethu's Cinta Kaz, Elizabeth Dulau's Kleya Marki, Anton Lesser's Major Partagaz, and Duncan Pow's Ruescott Melshi may have supporting roles. Meanwhile, speaking to Empire, Andy Serkis didn't deny that Kino Loy will live to fight another day. Chatting to SlashFilm, showrunner Tony Gilroy also teased "we didn't see him die", so Kino may still be alive.

Where Rogue One returnees are concerned, we know Ruescott Melshi is back, with Gilroy confirming as much to Deadline. Imperial bigwig Wullf Yularen (Malcolm Sinclair), who dates all the way back to Episode IV: A New Hope, and extremist Rebel Saw Gerrera (played by Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker) also featured in season 1, so I also expect this duo to return.

K-2SO – the Imperial security droid who's Cassian’s mechanical BFF in Rogue One – was confirmed to be part of season 2 in the D23 Expo teaser, too. Speaking to Collider, Tudyk later confirmed he'd voice the droid again, before adding: "I can't tell you how much [I'm in it for], so I still have secrets and I can't say anything about it, but it was fun to be back with Diego."

Lastly, I wouldn’t be surprised if other familiar faces from Rogue One, such as Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), an Empire pilot who defects to the Rebellion and Tivik (Daniel Mays), the Rebel spy Cassian kills early on in Rogue One, make appearances. Gilroy (via SlashFilm) and Luna (per The Pop Verse and Rotten Tomatoes) have teased that other characters seen in Rogue One may pop up as well.

Star Wars: Andor season 2 plot synopsis and rumors

Major spoilers follow for Andor season 1.

Here's a brief story synopsis for Andor season 2, courtesy of a Disney press release: "Season two carries [on] the story of Cassian Andor and the emerging rebel alliance over the climactic four years that lead to the discovery of The Death Star and the events of Rogue One... season two will see relationships intensify as the horizon of galactic war draws near. Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound."

As the plot brief confirms, this 12-episode season will be split into four installments, comprising three episodes apiece, that each depict a 12-month period covering a pivotal few days of the Star Wars timeline (check out our guide to how to watch the Star Wars movies in order for more on where it'll be set). Gilroy also revealed to Collider that "a great deal has happened in the interim [between season 1's finale and the start of season 2]", so expect some plot exposition to be laid out in this season's premiere.

"In the first year, it's a story set across, like, a Friday, Saturday, and a Sunday," Gilroy told TechRadar of Andor season 2's time jumps. "Then, we jump a year and we set that story around seven days. Then, we jump another year and I think that's told across two weeks. The last block will tell a story set in the five days before Rogue One, so it's very cool. From a storytelling point of view, it's very sexy."

So, we know the beginning and end of Andor season 2, but everything in between remains a mystery. Nevertheless, we have some ideas of what to expect, based on what Gilroy and the show's cast have said.

"The beauty of this show is that even though sometimes you know what's going to happen, it hits you as though you’re learning it for the first time," star Diego Luna further elaborated in a discussion with Entertainment Weekly (EW). "You are witnessing this from the inside, from the personal perspective. You get to live it with the characters, or through the characters. Therefore, it hits you differently. It’s not about the events, necessarily, but about the choices made and the risks these characters are taking. It’s because you know them that you care like you didn’t care before."

In conversation with The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Adria Arjona also said: "When I started reading season two, I was like, “[Tony Gilroy] can’t outdo [season one].” So I started reading episode one, and I was again like 'It’s not going to be as good.' But it’s f*****g better. It’s so much better. It is. What he has crafted and created is mind-blowing."

So, what did the season 1 finale set up for its successor? In it, the titular character briefly returned to his home planet Ferrix for the funeral of his adoptive mother Maarva. After she posthumously incited an anti-Imperial riot (via a recorded hologram), he rescued ex-girlfriend Bix Caleen from Imperial torture and convinced morally flexible Rebel Alliance kingpin Luthen Rael not to kill him. Now that the previously ambivalent Cassian has a reason to take the fight to the Empire, it looks like he’ll be a fully fledged member of the Alliance next time we see him.

"Cassian’s commitment to the cause is not in doubt," Gilroy explained to Polygon. "If it was about him becoming a revolutionary, then the second half is about him becoming a leader."

Although her name isn’t in the title, Andor was as much about Mon Mothma as its eponymous thief-turned-spy. In season 2, she has to evolve from a respected senator helping fund the Rebels on the sly, to the leader we see making pivotal decisions on Yavin IV in Rogue One. So, you can expect her character to evolve further, such as her needing to turn a blind eye to the activities of the Rebel Alliance's operatives (like the aforementioned Rael) who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.

"If your business is based on paranoia and secrecy and death, how do you expand your business?" Gilroy asked in EW. "How do you go public? How do you go wide? What happens to all the original gangsters and the hardcore people who built that road? What happens to them, and how do they integrate with [a legitimate Rebel Alliance]?"

Speaking of Yavin IV, Gilroy let slip to Collider that we'll be paying a visit to the Rebel base's headquarters soon. That's just one of "five different planets" we'll visit, too, Luna confirmed in his D23 Expo chat with Rotten Tomatoes.

Elsewhere, Cassian will also be doing his best to stay ahead of Dedra Meero, the ambitious Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) agent who became obsessed with catching him. Matters may be a bit more complicated, however, now that she owes a debt to disgraced police officer Syril Karn, who saved her from rioters on Ferrix in season 1's finale.

After their surprisingly close encounter in a broom cupboard, Karn – the most intriguing, multi-layered character in the show – surely has a big part to play in the pursuit of Andor, the man who effectively ruined his career.

"The end of season 1 is so perfect for Syril," told Esquire. "He’s kept Cassian as this talisman that’s giving him fuel to stay alive, basically. It’s a receptacle to put his frustration and aggression. And he’s still living at home, so he doesn’t have any friends or a therapist. He doesn’t have a dog. He also knows that he’s right.

"Then, through his relationship with Dedra, being seen by her and feeling seen, that’s a massive indication. And so this is like, ‘Wow, it’s [Cassian’s] mom’s funeral, it’s all coming together again. It’s at the place where I f***ed up last time. I can put this right'. He sees this opportunity to swoop in. It’s not even that he views it as a hero moment. I think it’s just his obsession with Cassian, that starts to extend itself to Dedra, because she’s involved in the same obsession. He recognizes that the two of them are more powerful together than they are separately."

Given Andor season 2 directly leads into Rogue One (and, by proxy, Star Wars Episode IV), we'll eventually see the Rebel Alliance learn about the Death Star and the Empire's plan to use it. In the post-credits scene of season 1's final episode, we learned that Cassian, Kino, and other Narkina 5 prisoners had been building components for the Death Star's lazer array, meaning they had a hand in its creation.

"It [the Death Star's construction] will still be the looming threat," Gilroy told THR. "Rogue One is all about discovering what it is. [Season two is] about who picks up the final breadcrumbs that lead to the beginning of Rogue One. In Rogue One, Cassian goes to the Ring of Kafrene to meet Tivik, who is from Saw’s group, and he says 'Oh my God, it’s a planet killer'. Cassian knows some shit, but he’s looking for answers. So we’ll [cover] the breadcrumbs that lead up to that. But we have a situation where Cassian will never know that what he was building is actually the machine that’s going to kill him."

Amid all the intergalactic and political warfare, one seemingly forgotten plot thread continues to dangle in the background: has Cassian given up on finding his sister, which is what set Andor's events in motion in its premiere?

"I don't think so," Luna teased to Collider. "I don't think it's over in Rogue One, because I see that as one thing. It's like the feeling, it's one of those things that kind of follow every decision you make, or never letting [go] anymore, not again. That kind of thing. And I think that's behind the decision of that last mission, that suicide mission in Rogue One. That's for her. That's for Maarva, that's for his people, for his community. I love the arc that Tony has built, and the arc ends in Rogue One, not in season 2. I think it's going to be quite amazing to watch Rogue One after you see season 2."

What to watch while you wait for Andor season 2

With Andor season 2's release still months away, Star Wars fans new and old may want to pass the time with other shows set in Lucasfilm's iconic galaxy far, far away. If that's you, stick one of these series (two in particular are considered to be some of the best Disney Plus shows ever made) on to pass the time:

Andor season 1

Tom Power

Alright, you might think I'm cheating here, but what better way is there to prepare for Andor season 2 than by watching its predecessor? In my view, it's the best Star Wars TV show on Disney Plus – and that's not just because it foregoes lightsabers, Force wielders, or anything Jedi and Sith-related. It's compellingly dramatic, is full of political paranoia and thrilling action sequences, has a cast at the top of their game, and some absolutely gorgeous shots and visuals that wouldn't look out of place on the big screen, let alone Disney's primary streaming platform. Stick in on your watchlist ASAP.

• Watch Andor season 1 on Disney Plus

The Mandalorian

Tom Power

Billed as a space western, and set between Star Wars Episode VI and Episode VII, The Mandalorian sees Pedro Pascal's lone gunslinger becomes a surrogate father to 'baby Yoda', a juvenile of the legendary Jedi's alien race, who is apparently vital importance to a Machiavellian scheme concocted by the Galactic Empire's remnants. It's more kid-friendly than Andor is, which makes it entertaining in a completely different way. Season 3 is the weakest entry so far, but its first two installments are well worth investing in. The duo will make the leap to the silver screen in 2026, too, with The Mandalorian and Grogu - the first Star Wars movie in, by the time it's released, seven years!

• Watch The Mandalorian on Disney Plus

Star Wars: Ahsoka

Tom Power

A sequel to animated show Star Wars: Rebels that runs parallel to events in The Mandalorian, this live-action series sees the fan-favorite Togruta Force wielder reunite with her Rebels allies to thwart the return of a menacing Empire general. Narratively, Star Wars: Ahsoka can be sluggish in places and some of its cast performances come across as somewhat wooden (read more on the positive things I had to say in my spoiler-free Ahsoka review). It picks up as the show progresses, however, and the mysteries at its heart are certainly engrossing enough. You can stream all eight episodes now and then read my Star Wars: Ahsoka ending explainer to see how it sets up Ahsoka season 2.

• Watch Ahsoka season 1 on Disney Plus

Has Andor season 3 been announced yet?

No – and it won't do, either. As I've mentioned time and again in this guide, Andor season 2 will directly lead into the events of Rogue One, so there won't be a third and final chapter to stream on Disney Plus.

If you want, you can just consider Rogue One to be Andor season 3 in all but name. But, once season 2 is released, there won't be another installment to wait around for.

For more Star Wars coverage, read our guide on all of the new Star Wars movies and TV shows that are in the works. Alternatively, get the lowdown on The Mandalorian season 4, or find out why Star Wars should learn from Andor and stop making Disney Plus shows that are so obsessed with the Jedi.