Star Wars fans were beginning to wonder whether the Cassian Andor TV show is still happening due to the lack of official updates, but earlier this week came word that Good Omens star Adria Arjona has joined the project. Disney and Lucasfilm are yet to disclose who she’ll be playing in the Rogue One spinoff, though one Star Wars fansite claims to have figured it out.
According to Dork Side of the Force, Arjona may have been cast in the role of Sabe, Padme Amidala’s decoy from The Phantom Menace. The actress is certainly of the same ilk as Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley – who played the queen and her double, respectively, in the Prequel Trilogy – but her vague physical resemblance to them isn’t the only evidence to support this theory, or so it is claimed.
Apparently, E.K. Johnston’s 2019 young adult Star Wars novel Queen’s Shadow includes subtle hints that Sabe has joined the Rebellion as a Fulcrum agent, which could well mean that she’s about to cross paths with Cassian Andor. What’s more, Sabe is enjoying something of a resurgence in Star Wars canon, having featured in Marvel’s ongoing Darth Vader comic book series as an unlikely ally to the Sith Lord.
Buying into the idea that Arjona will be playing Sabe in Cassian Andor might require a leap of faith, but Disney and Lucasfilm clearly think the character is worth keeping around, based on the studios’ willingness to allow novelists and comic book writers to use her in their Star Wars stories. If nothing else, her inclusion in the upcoming TV show would strengthen its connections to the Skywalker Saga, albeit to the least popular installment in it.
With any luck, confirmation of Arjona’s involvement in Cassian Andor will be the first of many updates about the show as Disney’s plans for a connected Star Wars TV universe continue to take shape. The series is expected to join The Mandalorian as one of Disney Plus’ flagship offerings at some point next year.