Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera Confirmed To Return For Andor

Disney Plus series Andor occupies a unique place within the Star Wars universe, in that it’s a prequel spinoff to a prequel spinoff where almost the entire principal cast ends up dead. That means the show faces a tougher task than usual in trying to create genuine dramatic stakes and any sort of tension, when fans already know Diego Luna’s title hero is doomed from the outset.

That being said, the project has been described as a “rousing spy thriller,” which isn’t a genre we’ve seen Star Wars tackle all that often. There are also going to be plenty of connections to the future events of Rogue One, with several familiar background characters having been spotted in the various set photos to have made their way online.

However, it’s now been confirmed that a big hitter from Rogue One has officially boarded the ensemble, after Stellan Skarsgård revealed during a radio interview in his native Sweden that he shared what he described as “a couple of juicy scenes” with Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera.

Of course, there’s no indication yet as to how he’ll factor into the plot, but with Andor taking place five years before the events of Rogue One, it’s safe to assume that the foster father and combat mentor of Jyn Erso will be on Jedha overseeing his Partisans faction, labeled as extremists by the Rebel Alliance due to their violent and unsanctioned military missions.

The Clone Wars established Gerrera as yet another character with ties to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, with Ewan McGregor long since being rumored for an Andor cameo, so it certainly feels as though every Disney Plus exclusive could end up being connected in at least a couple of ways, even those outside of the Jon Favreua/Dave Filoni universe.