Tony Gilroy’s Andor proved that Disney’s $645 million investment in the series was well spent — it’s easily one of the most visually striking Star Wars TV series from the Disney period. The gritty show follows Cassian Andor’s transformation into the rebel who joins Jyn Erso in Rogue One, and now, with The Art of Star Wars: Andor from author Phillip Szostak set to release next month, fans can deep-dive into every step of Andor’s production from beginning to end.
Ahead of The Art of Star Wars: Andor’s release next month, Polygon had the opportunity to exclusively reveal one of the art book’s two-page spreads, featuring a phenomenal look at concept art of fan-favorite characters, as well as a shocking reveal: there used to be a lot more aliens in Andor.
The first page shows the look of one of Andor’s fiercest antagonists, the severe and cunning Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), as well as her equally sharp-edged and imposing desk at the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB). Dedra was an intimidating character throughout Andor’s seasons, so if you ask us, it makes a lot of sense that she would have a desk that looks like it belongs in an evil villain’s lair. The page also highlights ISB’s Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser), whose style is so slick that we expect fans will struggle to calibrate their enthusiasm.
However, the biggest reveal comes on page 93, which addresses one of the show’s main criticisms: there weren’t enough aliens. But according to the art book, Avril Heert (Jacob James Beswick), Meero’s assistant before being promoted to ISB Supervisor, was originally supposed to be an alien.
While the book doesn’t state which alien Heert was supposed to be, avid Star Wars fans will no doubt be drawn to Heert’s blue skin and assume he is meant to be the same species (Chiss) as another character, Grand Admiral Thrawn. If so, perhaps Gilroy and the team’s decision to pivot away from Heert as an alien stems from a desire to avoid speculation about the character’s heritage. It’s also likely more cost-effective to keep Heert human.
This was only a brief taste of what The Art of Star Wars: Andor has in store for fans. Szostak also chronicles all the hard work that went into creating Andor, including extensive interviews with showrunner Tony Gilroy, Cassian Andor himself, and star Diego Luna, as well as with the visual artists at Lucasfilm.
Fans can find out more when The Art of Star Wars: Andor is released on June 30, 2026.
