It may take place in a galaxy far, far away, but the reason the first season of Andor struck so much of a chord in 2022 was thanks to how much showrunner/writer Tony Gilroy used real historical figures, battles and revolutions as inspiration for his rebellion.
Gilroy joked in interviews around that period that he was an “amateur historian”, often coming to the writer’s room having read, say, a biography on Stalin’s younger years before the Russian Revolution, desperate to find a way to incorporate many of those stories into the sci-fi drama. As the Empire tightens its grip in season two, more viewers will find themselves thinking of the historical parallels rather than how it sets up Rogue One and the original Star Wars trilogy.
For Genevieve O’Reilly, who plays Senator Mon Mothma, this political backdrop is crucial in a season spanning several years, showing how she forms an even closer bond with Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and the Rebel Alliance she’s helping to fund as the Empire censors any dissenting voices in the Imperial Senate. The actress has played the character for two decades now and knew from the first season which specific historical figures she wanted to remodel Mon Mothma after.
She told Zavvi: “As a writer, Tony really trusts us and allows us a genuine sense of creative freedom when it comes to fleshing out our characters. For the first season, I looked at a lot of different political figures across many eras and spectrums, but for this season, I was looking for inspiration a lot closer to home.
“The concept of an Empire straddles continents and cultures, and I began looking at my own historical culture within Ireland, and focused on two specific figures as parallels for Mon. Firstly, I looked at Constance Markievicz, who was a rebel in Ireland just before the Irish partition from England in 1916, and became the first woman ever elected to the British parliament, although she didn’t take her seat.
“Then, nearly a century later, I looked at Mary McAleese, the President of Ireland who welcomed the Queen in an exercise of reconciliation between England and Ireland. I purposefully chose those two women because at different times in history, we need different leaders with contrasting ideas that speak to the needs of a moment – I feel that throughout Tony’s writing, as the main thing he wants to explore.”
Andor was always set up as a two-season prequel, so O’Reilly was always prepared for a returning arc which would be more “heartbreaking” than the first, especially when it came to her relationship with daughter Leida. In the first season, she helped cover her tracks and hide that she’d distributed huge amounts of money to the rebellion via organising her arranged marriage.
“When I said that this would be more heartbreaking when promoting the first season, it was only because I had an idea of where we had to go to, and that was largely because of her relationships with her family, particularly with her daughter. That’s the most heartbreaking part for me, as it really emphasises the human cost of political alliances, and the intergenerational repercussions they can have on families – and they were inevitable, as we knew this was so important to Mon’s arc politically, so I knew long before getting the scripts this would be really painful for her.
“She has a strong core, but there are many characters in Andor who have managed to survive because of their strong cores. For me, Andor season two is about the cost of bravery, and the sacrifice that courage requires.
“It’s in the moments of our greatest fears where we must be at our bravest, and in the moments of harshest oppression where we must be our strongest. That’s always been at the heart of Tony’s writing, and it was a gift for me to play.”
Another relationship under deeper scrutiny this time around is Mon's relationship with cousin Vel Sartha (Adolescence star Faye Marsay), who long left the comforts of her prosperous home planet to fight with the rebellion. The actress told Zavvi that she remains surprised that the series is viewed as politically bold, considering that the characters and storylines are torn straight out of the history books.
She explained: “What Tony has always maintained to me was that his writing has been directly informed by thousands of years of revolutionary history, particularly the French and Russian revolutions. When I was cast as someone involved in the Rebellion for the first season, I did my own research, but there wasn’t anyone specific he pointed to – I see this as a reflection of history, and human behaviour during those turbulent periods.”
Marsay takes the same approach when it comes to discussing her character’s sexuality; she’s the first openly queer main character in this universe, and the show never sweeps this under the carpet. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see her romance with Cinta Kaz (new Doctor Who companion Varada Sethu) remaining central to her story arc, especially considering the sustained toxicity from certain sections of the fanbase, who are eager to write certain characters – i.e, female, non-white, not straight, or any combination of the three – off as “woke” pandering.
“Depicting her sexuality remains important for me, because we’re just normalising the normal, it’s a really simple one”, Marsay added. “This is a relationship between two people who love each other who just happen to be two girls – Genevieve said earlier that she finds it odd that this is something people have brought up to me as unusual, in a franchise with all these different creatures, on all these far-flung planets.
“It’s interesting some people can accept that but not two queer people existing in the same space. It’s why I view this as normalising the normal, in a galaxy this vast, people need to see themselves represented.
“In my view, the message of this show is that we’re stronger together than we are divided, and that hope is the most important thing we have. I hope that’s a lesson viewers can take away from the series.”
This all goes back to what O’Reilly sees as the driving force behind the show, and why it’s managed to resonate in a way few other Star Wars projects have recently; at its core, this is a tale of human relationships, and the ways we can trust and confide in each other.
She explained: “I think one of the most powerful things Tony does in his writing is fully investigate each relationship, be they friends, family or romantic, and make the importance of those relationships between the characters factor into their every decision. In the case of Mon and Vel, they might be two very different women despite being cousins, but they’re each other's closest confidants – being able to have someone like that is vital if they want to achieve their goals.”
This shared humanity has always been at the core of Star Wars, and O’Reilly is confident that this will continue to shine through, even if keyboard warriors decide to start turning on the series.
“I’ve met so many Star Wars fans from doing this over the years, and they’re always so positive about the message of hope this series gives, especially within Andor. I don’t spend my life online - I’m too fragile for that! - but whenever I speak to fans this is what they always respond most to; that it’s this cross-cultural, cross-gender story where everybody plays a part of this beautiful chorus, and every last one of us is vital.”
Andor season 2 premieres on Disney+ on Tuesday, 22nd April with the first three episodes.
