Lesser-known facts about the new Star Wars series Andor

The latest Star Wars series, Andor, by Disney debuted with rave reviews from critics. As per the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator, The Mandalorian is the only Star Wars series with a higher critics score. So for today’s Now You Know podcast, we take a look at some of the lesser-known facts about Andor.

1. Andor has taken a different approach to its world-building when compared to the other Disney+ Star Wars series such as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The other shows used a technology called StageCraft or The Volume to create virtual sets and locations. However, this was abandoned in Andor in favour of practical effects and hand-sewn costumes. The decision has paid dividends as the series has won praise for both its story-driven narrative as well its production design.
2. The show’s creator, Tony Gilroy, in fact, took this a step further in creating more authenticity with the production design. He explained in an interview with Empire that they even built an entire set just for the city of Frennix. He explained that this was essential as there were long scenes set in the city, unlike the other shows which take place in different locations.
3. Diego Luna, who plays the titular character, the thief-turned rebel spy Cassian Andor, said that the cast and crew would often take extremely long walks in order to reach certain filming locations. He also confirmed that when filming took place in the mountains of Pitlochry, Scotland, they had to journey for hours on foot to reach their destination.
4. The series is a prequel to the critically acclaimed 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars. It was confirmed that the series will feature two seasons of 12 episodes each, with the final season leading directly up to Cassian Andor's first appearance in the film.
5. Fiona Shaw, who essays the role of Andor’s adoptive mother, Marvaa, confessed that she was marveled by the design and splendor of her character’s home and that she would just stare at it. Marvaa’s home is actually made from old spaceship parts.
6. For certain scenes which required a bustling market square, for instance, creating a set from scratch was not always practical. Therefore E&E Industries at Pinewood Studios was used with minor modifications so that it resembled a sci-fi world in the outer reaches of the galaxy.

Well that's the OTTplay Now You Know for today, until the next episode it's your host Nikhil signing out.

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• Written by Ryan Gomez