Given the overwhelming enormity of the Star Wars IP, some feel that it is absurd how much attention is perennially given to the Skywalker family and their nostalgia oversaturation. Star Wars boasts diverse races and characters among equally diverse planets in its science-fiction, but it seems as though any time a new Star Wars installment arrives, it cannot help but to include an Easter egg, reference, or cameo to iconic characters that the IP casts out as a safety net.
Andor is an example of a spinoff that looks to take great risk by delving deeper into a lesser known character, but it will likely be much richer and more intriguing as a result. The Disney Plus prequel series follows Cassian Andor, a Rebel spy who was introduced in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Andor is only one of many Rogue One stories that deserve to be told, making now the perfect time for Rogue One to receive another adaptation in games.
Rogue One is a Star Wars Spinoff with Great Games Potential
Rogue One is the most succinct Star Wars tale about the Rebellion versus the Empire because it centers on a band of unseemly and unknown characters. Their plight seems hopeless and while fans may already assume what their fates will be, it still creates a semblance of suspense and triumph. These otherwise trivial characters are responsible for the destruction of the first Death Star.
Rogue One does submit itself to having nostalgic cameos, such as a CGI’d Grand Moff Tarkin and Leia Organa, as well as an action sequence with Darth Vader leading directly into the events of A New Hope. However, the intimate and humorous moments that are shared between new characters in Rogue One buoy its charm and authenticity. Characters such as Jyn Erso, Galen Erso, Cassian Andor, Chirrut Imwe, Baze Malbus, or Bodhi Rook are all interesting individuals who could have all received a unique spin-off.
Moreover, Rogue One’s particular time period is an interesting one, as it sits between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, where the Rebels are at their lowest and struggling to survive under Imperial reign. This era has been depicted many times before, with characters from Rogue One having now popped up in other Star Wars media. For example, Saw Gerrera first appeared in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, but Forest Whittaker’s live-action Saw has now appeared in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order since.
Likewise, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order features Imperial KX-series security droids that appear as enemies, and in Rogue One, fans meet one named K-2SO that is reprogrammed and loyal to the Rebels. Rogue One does not have its own game, nor is there currently any news of an Andor game in the works.
It is unlikely at this point that Rogue One would receive a direct adaptation, considering its own popularity seems to have dissipated after its release. But Andor’s Disney Plus series demonstrates that there may still be characters or narratives to salvage from it, and the result could be games in Star Wars’ future.
Honoring Star Wars Battlefront’s Rogue One DLC
Star Wars Eclipse looks to be about the furthest thing from an Andor or Rogue One adaptation, but there is still a possibility that either Ubisoft Massive’s open-world Star Wars game or Respawn’s FPS Star Wars game could be. Even if it does not directly adapt Jyn or Cassian’s narratives, there are opportunities for untold stories to be shared through unknown characters within that same era.
Rogue One was clearly influential, but it is important to note that Rogue One has already received a truly faithful adaptation beforehand, and attempting to dethrone it would be a tall order. The spin-off movie was celebrated greatly in the Star Wars Battlefront remake, which introduced it in the DLC expansion Rogue One: Scarif.
The DLC brought in characters Jyn Erso and Director Orson Krennic as its hero and villain characters respectively with their own unique abilities and armaments. Scarif, a tropical island planet, was also introduced in the DLC, and laid the foundation for four individual maps within it as well as an exclusive game mode called Infiltration.
Shoretroopers were a distinct cosmetic addition to Star Wars Battlefront, which also featured the PlayStation VR-exclusive Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission. Therefore, Rogue One and its primary narrative and characters may already be tapped. Instead, an adaptation of the same events could show fans the perspective of other characters, for example, or provide a backstory for Chirrut and Baze. Rogue One fortunately lends itself to essentially any genre in games, and thus its potential is infinite.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Could Receive Andor DLC
The most likely Rogue One gaming adaptation to occur in the near future would be some sort of tie-in for Andor. If there was a Star Wars Battlefront game undergoing live-service development right now it may have fallen to that, but in the absence of such a game, it seems clear which game would be tasked with an Andor adaptation.
Indeed, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has the most likely chance to fill this void, especially after its own post-launch DLC introduced content from Rogue One as well as Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian and others. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was already a gargantuan game before this content, amassing almost all the seminal Star Wars media available, and a Character Pack for Andor following Rogue One would be a great choice.
Star Wars is expected to announce more gaming news at the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase this upcoming Friday, and it would be the perfect opportunity for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga to reveal Andor as its latest DLC ahead of the show’s launch later this month. If not TT Games, Ubisoft or Respawn could be there to share their own news. Either way, if there was ever a time to announce an Andor or Rogue One tie-in, this showcase would be the time to do so.