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One Year Later (Andor)

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"One Year Later"
Andor episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 1
Directed byAriel Kleiman
Written byTony Gilroy
Featured musicBrandon Roberts
Cinematography byChristophe Nuyens
Editing byJohn Gilroy
Original release dateApril 22, 2025 (2025-04-22)
Running time51 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Rix Road" 		Next →
"Sagrona Teema"

"One Year Later" is the first episode of the second season of the American science fiction political spy thriller drama television series Andor. It is the thirteenth episode of the series overall; it was written by series creator Tony Gilroy and directed by Ariel Kleiman. Set in BBY 4[a], a year after the season one finale, the episode marks the first appearance of Director Orson Krennic on Andor, portrayed by Ben Mendelsohn, who reprises the role from previous Star Wars media.

"One Year Later" was released on Disney+ on April 22, 2025 as part of a three-episode block also including "Sagrona Teema" and "Harvest", and received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.

Plot

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In BBY 4,[a] one year after the uprising on Ferrix,[b] Cassian Andor poses as an Imperial test pilot on the planet Sienar in order to steal a prototype of a new experimental starfighter, the TIE Avenger. However, he has not been trained to fly the ship, and narrowly escapes the facility after being chased by Imperials on the way out.

On the agrarian Outer Rim world of Mina-Rau, Ferrix survivors Wilmon Paak, Brasso, B2EMO and Bix Caleen are in the undocumented employ of a local farmer; Bix suffers from traumatic dreams of Dr. Gorst, the Imperial scientist responsible for her torture on Ferrix[c]. They observe the arrival of Imperial ships on the planet, signaling an imminent inspection.

On Chandrila, the arranged wedding of Mon Mothma's daughter Leida to Davo Sculdun's son Stekan[d] begins; Mon and Vel Sartha are surprised to see Luthen Rael and Kleya Marki have been invited by Sculdun; both refuse to explain their presence at the wedding. Tay Kolma approaches Mon to set a time for the two to "catch up" on an unspecified subject.

Cassian lands the Avenger on a jungle moon where he has been instructed to hand the fighter off to another pilot; he is surprised to discover his own ship in ruins and the relay pilot missing. Upon alighting the Avenger, he is ambushed by members of a guerrilla rebel cell, the Maya Pei Brigade,[e] led by the squabbling Bardi and Gerdis. Cassian is taken prisoner as the rebels continue to fight among themselves over the best course of action.

Orson Krennic[f] holds a top-secret meeting with several Imperial officers, including Dedra Meero and Lio Partagaz, to plan an operation to gather resources for the Emperor's energy program[g] from the planet Ghorman. The planet is a single-product economy known for its high-end "Ghorman twill"; however, Krennic is in need of another material, kalkite, only found deep in Ghorman soil. He explains that the extent of the planned mining could put enough stress on the Ghorman's core so as to cause a complete planetary collapse; thus, in the event that no suitable alternative to the required kalkite is found, the gathered officers must make plans to stifle any potential resistance from the local Ghorman population in order to strip-mine the planet as needed. Several potential courses of action are brought up, including the artificial spreading of a plague and an elaborate anti-Ghorman propaganda campaign, which has already been in the works since before the shipping lanes to Ghorman were cut off[h]. When approached by Krennic, Dedra suggests propping up local Ghorman resistance movements with Imperial spies to add to the manufactured anti-Ghorman sentiment.

As the wedding on Chandrila continues, Luthen is anxious for updates on the progress of Cassian's mission; Kleya, when confronted by Vel, reveals that they have been contracted by Sculdun to provide a gift for the couple. Tay reveals to Mon that his business has gone sour, and that his wife has left him; however, he wishes instead to discuss their funding the Rebellion. Before he can continue, Mon is called away to console Leida, who is distraught over Stekan's unwillingness to hold her hand.

On the jungle moon, the conflict between the Maya Pei rebels develops into a shootout, and Cassian is taken away as several rebels around him are killed.

Production

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Development

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The episode was written by series creator Tony Gilroy, in his sixth writing credit for the show, and directed by Ariel Kleiman, who would go on to also direct the next five episodes of the series.[1][2][3] The episodes of Andor's second season, like those of its first, are split up into blocks, or story arcs, of three episodes; however, unlike in season one, each arc begins with a time skip of one year from the previous episode.[4] Gilroy decided to structure the season this way after concluding that the original five-season plan for the show was unfeasible, and needing some way to bridge the four years between season 1 and Rogue One (2016) in a single season. As proof of concept, he wrote the first and last episodes of each would-be arc, and eventually decided on this structure for the season.[5]

Writing

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The episode's title refers to the one-year time jump between the first season finale and this episode, and appears at the beginning of all three-episode blocks of the season, each time denoting a similar time jump of one year.[1] "One Year Later" marks the beginning of the first three-episode block of the season, and was the last arc to be written.[5] Gilroy finished the script for the third episode on a flight days before the start of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. The planet Mina-Rau was named after the daughter of Tom Bissell,[6] another writer for the season, who penned episodes 10-12.

Casting

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Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O'Reilly, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Faye Marsay, Elizabeth Dulau, Anton Lesser, Joplin Sibtain, Muhannad Bhaier, Alastair Mackenzie and Richard Dillane all reprise their roles from the first season.[1] In "One Year Later", marking his first appearance on Andor, Ben Mendelsohn reprises his role as Orson Krennic from previous Star Wars media, including Rogue One, in which he served as the main antagonist.[7] The roles of Bardi and Gerdis are played by Benjamin Norris and Sam Gilroy, the son of series creator Tony Gilroy, respectively. The two were cast by Gilroy himself after he observed their rowdy behavior at a family gathering and thought they would serve as good fits for the roles of the squabbling Maya Pei rebels.[8] Pierro Niel-Mee joins the series' ensemble as Erskin Semaj, a character originally seen in Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018) who serves as an aide to Mon.

Filming

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"One Year Later" was filmed in the United Kingdom, similar to the majority of the series. The first block of the season was the last to be filmed, and faced some disruptions due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, specifically in the Central England Midlands, where the crew had planted 200 acres of rye for the scenes on Mina-Rau.[9]

Music

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The original score for "One Year Later", as with nine other episodes of the season's twelve[i], was composed by Brandon Roberts, replacing Nicholas Britell, the composer for the show's first season, due to scheduling conflicts.[10] This was the first episode of the series to not feature a new opening title theme, instead reusing Britell's theme for "Kassa", the series premiere.

The soundtrack for the episode was released alongside that of the other two episodes in its block on April 25, 2025 via Walt Disney Records as part of the first of four volumes of the second season's original score.[11]

Andor Season 2: Episode 1 (Original Soundtrack)
No.TitleLength
1."Andor (Main Title Theme) – Episode 1"0:52
2."Sienar Avenger"2:08
3."Canyon Run"2:15
4."Remember Me?"1:22
5."The Wedding Begins"1:29
6."Mina-Rau"2:01
7."Jungle Breakdown"2:26
Total length:12:33

Release

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"One Year Later" was released on Disney+ on April 22, 2025, as part of a three-episode block, alongside "Sagrona Teema" and "Harvest".[12][13] The episode was also screened to select audiences at Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, a few days ahead of the season premiere. The episode was expected to be released in August 2024,[14] but it was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.[15]

Reception

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Critical response

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The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 100% approval rating, based on 7 reviews.[16]

William Hughes of The A.V. Club gave a positive review, writing "The party's kicking off, and the bolts are flying: I'm simply humming with excitement to see where Andor takes us next."[17] Mike Redmond of Pajiba also gave a positive review, highlighting that "the cinematography on this show is still off the charts".[18]

Accolades

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Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Astra TV Awards 2025 Best Directing in a Drama Series Ariel Kleiman (for "One Year Later") Nominated [19]
Best Writing in a Drama Series Tony Gilroy (for "One Year Later") Nominated

Notes

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  1. ^ a b 4 years before the Battle of Yavin, i.e the events of Rogue One (2016)
  2. ^ As depicted in "Rix Road"
  3. ^ As depicted in "Nobody's Listening!"
  4. ^ As proposed by Sculdun in "One Way Out"
  5. ^ Maya Pei was previously referenced by Saw Gerrera in "Narkina 5"
  6. ^ Previously seen in Rogue One as the Director of Advanced Weapons Research
  7. ^ The "energy program" is later discovered to be a front for the development of the Death Star
  8. ^ As referenced in "Aldhani"
  9. ^ All episodes of season 2 but "Ever Been to Ghorman?" and "I Have Friends Everywhere" credit Roberts as the main composer

References

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  1. ^ a b c Lovitt, Maggie (April 8, 2023). "Tony Gilroy on the Race to Finish His Final 'Andor' Season 2 Script". Collider. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  2. ^ "Andor (2021–2024)". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on June 9, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  3. ^ Lovitt, Maggie (November 3, 2022). "'Andor's Season 2 Directors Revealed by Series Creator Tony Gilroy [Exclusive]". Collider. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  4. ^ Travis, Ben (May 4, 2023). "Andor Season 2's Final Three Episodes Cover The Three Days Before Rogue One – Exclusive". Empire. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Hadadi, Roxana (May 16, 2025). ""Before Anyone Else Defines It, I'm Going to Define It": Tony Gilroy on 'Andor', 'Rogue One', the Star Wars Universe". Vulture. Vox Media, LLC. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  6. ^ Bennett, Tara (May 14, 2025). "Andor Season 2 Finale Postmortem with Writer Tom Bissell". Paste Magazine. Paste Media Group. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  7. ^ Perez, Rodrigo (June 24, 2024). "'Andor': Ben Mendehlson Will Reprise His Orson Krennic Role In Season Two [Exclusive]". The Playlist. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  8. ^ "Andor Trivia Guide: Week 1". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. April 23, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  9. ^ "'Andor' Creator Tony Gilroy Talks the Challenges of Following Up Season One's Rapturous Acclaim". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. April 15, 2025. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  10. ^ "Brandon Roberts Scoring Disney+'s 'Andor' Season 2". Film Music Reporter. April 11, 2025. Archived from the original on April 16, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  11. ^ "'Andor' Season 2 – Vol. 1 (Episodes 1-3) Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. April 24, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  12. ^ Brew, Caroline (November 9, 2024). "'Andor' Season 2 Sets April 2025 Premiere Date on Disney+". Variety. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  13. ^ "First Andor A Star Wars Story Teaser Trailer and Poster Revealed". StarWars.com. February 24, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  14. ^ Vary, Adam B.; Warmann, Amon (April 7, 2023). "'Andor': Lucasfilm Debuts First Look at Season 2 of Star Wars Prequel Series". Variety. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  15. ^ Lussier, Germain (December 5, 2023). "Andor Season 2 Likely Delayed to 2025". Gizmodo. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  16. ^ "One Year Later". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  17. ^ Hughes, William (April 22, 2025). "Andor is back, and it brought "Star Wars for grown-ups" back with it". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  18. ^ Redmond, Mike (April 25, 2025). "'Andor' Season 2 Premiere: Weekend at Mothie's". Pajiba. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  19. ^ Davidson, Denton (May 15, 2025). "'The Studio' leads 2025 Astra TV Awards nominations with 14, followed by 'Severance' and 'The Last of Us' with 13 each". GoldDerby. Archived from the original on May 17, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
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