‘Andor’ showrunner wanted to use ‘Star Wars’ as the backdrop for genuine dramatic storytelling

One look at a mythos like Star Wars, and it’s hard to argue that it wasn’t built for high-flying sci-fi spectacle; with daring and lovable rebels taking stands against the Empire’s military might at every turn, to say nothing of the politics involving the franchise’s royal families, Star Wars has a tendency to aim for a scope that only a galaxy far, far away could hold.

But every now and again, our minds like to wander, and with a world as deep and rich as George Lucas’ flagship space opera, who’s to say what other, quieter, but equally fascinating stories could be going on in the lives of pedestrians? What predicaments might a fast food worker or celebrity find themselves in as the premier power struggle rages on?

Well, Tony Gilroy is going full speed ahead with this ethos in his upcoming Disney Plus series Andor, based on Diego Luna’s Rogue One character of the same name, following Cassian Andor and others in the years leading up to the formation of the Rebel Alliance.

In an interview with Variety, Gilroy expounded his fascination with the Star Wars setting and how it can be used as a site for more dramatic storytelling, which he hopes to bring with Andor.

“I wanted to do it about real people. They’ve made all this IP about the royal family, in essence. It’s been great. But there’s a billion, billion, billion other beings in the galaxy. There’s plumbers and cosmeticians. Journalists! What are their lives like? The revolution is affecting them just as much as anybody else. Why not use the ‘Star Wars’ canon as a host organism for absolutely realistic, passionate, dramatic storytelling? It’s never cynical. It’s always meant to be there. It’s always protein; it’s never icing.”

Andor will premiere on Disney Plus on September 21.