Usually, if the words “Star Wars” and “heresy” are being used together, it’s related to something in-universe. Like saying Rogue One proves the Force isn’t important to the narrative. But this time, we have Rogue One co-writer Tony Gilroy telling IndieWire, “What do we need? We need Star Wars Jesus.”
Tony Gilroy calls Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor “Star Wars Jesus”
“What do we need? We need Star Wars Jesus. I need a Messiah.”
(Source: https://t.co/IOtbLtvsB6) pic.twitter.com/SnfGjKcq2P
— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) August 24, 2025
Apparently, the person who embodies that ideal (according to Gilroy…) is Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor.
What Gilroy Meant
Thankfully, Gilroy wasn’t making a political or religious statement. He explained that after season two of Andor was done, he realized that “[Luna’s] innate decency and soulfulness is hard to hide.”
Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in Lucasfilm’s ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
What he didn’t make clear is if he felt the story needed Jesus, or if thinks the franchise as a whole needs saving.
Andor’s Genesis
Cassian Andor, first introduced in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, didn’t exactly give Jesus vibes. He’s an intelligence officer for the Rebel Alliance who learns about and eventually steals the plans for the Death Star. The character was generally well-received, though perhaps no more or less iconic than any number of other Star Wars heroes. Bob Iger announced at the end of 2017 that Luna was returning as Andor in a prequel series for the soon-to-launch Disney+.
(L-R): Tony Gilroy and Diego Luna on the set of Lucasfilm’s ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Gilroy, a co-writer on Rogue One, wasn’t initially involved in the prequel. But Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy sent him an early draft of the script for feedback.
“I thought it was incredibly well done. But I thought it was totally limiting and claustrophobic in a way,” Gilroy told Deadline in a 2023 interview. In October of 2019, it was announced that Gilroy had been brought on to write the pilot and direct several episodes. From there, Gilroy took the role of showrunner and led the first season of the series to garner 14 Emmy nominations.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Kathleen Kennedy attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
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But even before the season one finale, Gilroy spoke in terms of religious iconography in relation to the Andor character, telling Digital Spy, “If I want to take that person over the course of a year and walk them through the stations of the cross of radicalization and conversion, it’s really great to see a place do the same thing.”
Jesus and Cassian Andor have clearly shared a similar space in Gilroy’s imagination from the start…
A Startling Revelation
But Jesus wasn’t the only figure on Gilroy’s mind. In a November 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, Gilroy raised eyebrows when he compared Andor not to Jesus, but an infamous mass murderer.
“If you look at a picture of Young [Joseph] Stalin, isn’t he glamorous? He looks like Diego!”
Mon Mothma in Andor – YouTube, Star Wars
An event from Stalin’s life even inspired an arc of the first season, leading some to question the ideology behind Andor. Now we can also wonder what Gilroy meant by invoking both figures — a provocative comparison.
Messiah Complex
Ever since George Lucas acknowledged the influence of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces on Star Wars, people have looked for Jesus-like figures in the story (even The Babylon Bee got in on the joke). Whether that be the symbolic death and resurrection of Luke Skywalker in the trash compactor, or Han Solo’s in the carbonite, or Anakin’s role as the Chosen One, mythic elements abound. Gilroy’s comments, calling Andor “Star Wars Jesus,” however, are one of the rare instances where someone directly involved in the franchise has acknowledged a connection.
I’m pretty sure Obi-Wan Kenobi is THE “Star Wars Jesus”, not just the looks but how he’s carried himself.
Also can we PLEASE move on from Andor? It’s great as a series but everyone’s just SO STUCK glazing this show rather than trying to move onto something new for once. pic.twitter.com/cprAln0S2x
— MarthsBars (Fire Emblem and Star Wars sequel fan) (@MarthsBars) August 24, 2025
Fan reaction online to Gilroy’s comparison has not been well received, with one user on X saying, “…the pretentiousness that comes out of Andor’s staff all the time.” Another commented, “I’m pretty sure Obi-Wan Kenobi is THE “Star Wars Jesus”, not just the looks but how he’s carried himself. Also can we PLEASE move on from Andor? It’s great as a series but everyone’s just SO STUCK glazing this show rather than trying to move onto something new for once.”
No More Andor
Since there won’t be a third season of Andor, we may not hear any more thoughts from Gilroy on Andor and Jesus. That Cassian Andor is positively compared to any mythic hero — or even Jesus Himself — shows either the power of large-scale storytelling or the delusion that has taken root at modern Lucasfilm.
What do you think? Did Tony Gilroy go too far? Sound off in the comments!
Ugh. What a smarmy, douchey, pretentious, holier-than-though clown, this guy is. No wonder kennedy picked him.