Andor creator credits The Mandalorian for paving the way for the series

Among critics and some Star Wars fans, Andor season 1 was considered the best show in the franchise to date even above its predecessor, The Mandalorian. Those voices grew even louder after The Mandalorian season 3 didn’t generate the positive response that the first two seasons had. Regardless, Andor creator Tony Gilroy insists that there isn’t a rivalry between the two shows. He went on to contend that without The Mandalorian, Andor wouldn’t exist.

“The success of The Mandalorian gave us the platform to jump off,” said Gilroy during an interview with Empire Magazine. “Their success is what would fuel the whole thing. I mean, no Baby Yoda, no Andor. Seriously. Don’t think that we don’t know that.”

Gilroy went on to shoot down rumors of any rivalry between himself and The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau or Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni.

“Online, [people] try to drive a wedge all the time between us, and [Jon] Favreau and [Dave] Filoni,” noted Gilroy. “It’s horrible what people say; it’s terrible. And the truth is, we don’t have a show without them. They gave us the muscle to go.”

The Mandalorian is spreading to theaters next year with The Mandalorian & Grogu, but Andor season 2 is the end of the road for this Rogue One prequel series. Diego Luna, who stars in the series as Cassian Andor, told SFX Magazine that the show’s conclusuon will flow natrually into the beginning of Rogue One.

“If you have your DVD or Blu-ray of Rogue One, you should plug it in as soon as the season ends, and you’ll see a film that will be resignified,” said Luna. “You’re going to see it differently, with so much information you didn’t have before. You knew nothing about this bunch of Rebels that got together and made this sacrifice, and then we did a show of 24 episodes about one of them. I definitely believe it’s going to change the experience because it’s now so full of answers – almost many more than you even wanted when you watched Rogue One.

Andor season 2 will have a three-episode premiere on Disney+ on April 22.