The Andor Season 2 Finale Leaves A Door Open For A Surprise Character Return

This article contains spoilers for the series finale of "Andor." 

After nearly a decade of constant polarization within the "Star Wars" fandom, "Andor," a prequel series centered on one of the ill-fated heroes of "Rogue One," ended up becoming the best piece of "Star Wars" storytelling since 1980 when "The Empire Strikes Back" hit theaters. Although the majority of viewers tuning into the series already know where Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) will end up, the series' impeccable dialogue and character development in depicting the early stages of the Rebellion have become the new gold standard for long-form storytelling in the galaxy far, far away.

The final batch of "Andor" season 2 episodes came out earlier this week, concluding the Emmy-nominated series in the most fitting way possible. Much like another incredible prequel series, such as AMC's "Better Call Saul," which had viewers following the life of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) in the early years of his legal career before adopting his alter ego, Saul Goodman, as seen in "Breaking Bad," "Andor" brings viewers to the inevitable conclusion of the titular protagonist's arc before his involvement in the successful yet deadly mission to retrieve the Death Star plans in "Rogue One." Cassian's fate is predestined within the narrative, but the numerous characters that surround him in this series who are never mentioned nor seen in the film are given definitive conclusions. In particular, the series finale reveals the ultimate fate of Cassian's lover, Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona).

Season 2, episode 12 of "Andor" initially ends on a note as viewers would expect, setting up the events of "Rogue One" right before that film's first introductions to both Cassian and K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). However, this series finale ends with perhaps the biggest gut-punch possible. Back on Mina-Rau, we reunite with Bix a year after she left Cassian. She left because she believed her absence would help him prioritize the cause of the Rebellion, knowing that their relationship would be a distraction. But what's perhaps most stunning is that Bix left behind one crucial detail: She was pregnant.

In the final scene of "Andor," we see Bix with a baby in her arms as she stares off into the horizon, likely with the hopes that Cassian and the rest of the Rebellion would eventually emerge victorious against the Empire. She is also hopeful that perhaps Cassian will return to Mina-Rau to start his new life as a husband and father. Through the strongest use of dramatic irony in the "Star Wars" franchise in 20 years (since "Revenge of the Sith" explored the last stage of Anakin's radicalization into Darth Vader), "Andor" leaves on the bittersweet note of viewers knowing that Cassian gives his life to the cause, and will never know that Bix and his child were waiting for him.

The "Andor" series finale leaves the door open for Bix to survive the events of "Rogue One" and beyond. Given that the "Star Wars" franchise is continuing to explore the so-called MandoVerse through upcoming projects such as "The Mandalorian & Grogu" and "Ahsoka" season 3, it would make sense to see Adria Arjona reprise her role as Bix. Genevieve O'Reilly, whose powerful performance as Mon Mothma in the episode "Welcome to the Rebellion" should garner her Emmy consideration, made an appearance in "Ahsoka" season 1, so it would be nice to see Bix return in any capacity to honor the service of her late husband.

However, what is arguably more interesting than the possible return of Bix would be to see what becomes of her and Cassian's child. Given that "Andor" ends right where "Rogue One" begins and both of these stories directly lead into the events of "A New Hope," it's possible that Lucasfilm could explore Cassian and Bix's child as an adult. Ideally, we could meet them in the era following the rise of the First Order and the founding of the New Jedi Order. Later this year, production on Shawn Levy's "Star Wars: Starfighter" starring Ryan Gosling will begin, and it will be the first film set after the events of "The Rise of Skywalker." Not to mention, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is still tapped to direct a film centered on Rey Skywalker (Daisy Ridley) rebuilding the new Jedi Order. It is uncertain whether Lucasfilm has any plans to bring back Cassian and Bix's child in a future project, but the possibility of continuing the legacy of "Andor" into the future era of stories can help bring some much-needed goodwill, given that the Sequel Trilogy era remains polarizing for fans.

On the other hand, there is an argument to be made against incorporating Bix and/or her child into a future story. Perhaps Tony Gilroy would want to keep "Andor" so distinct from the broader "Star Wars" universe that to continue their stories in any way without his involvement would somehow detract from the narrative impact of his series. Maybe keeping their stories exclusively within "Andor" alone will help preserve the series' critical legacy, and can allow viewers to leave those characters' fates up to their imagination. While that is definitely an appealing concept, it would not be surprising to see any future storytellers involved at Lucasfilm wanting to revisit aspects of Gilroy's masterpiece of "Star Wars" television. After all, if done right, the prospect of Cassian and Bix's child being Force sensitive and potentially taking part in Rey's new Jedi Order could be a nice way to honor one of the many fallen heroes of the Rebellion, especially after that beautiful moment involving Cassian and the Force healer in the episode, "Messenger."

All episodes of "Andor" are available to stream exclusively on Disney+.