English rapper, actor, presenter and writer Jordan Stephens has revealed the amusing reason he won’t be reprising hisRogue Onerole inAndorseason 2. The first season ofAndormay have been surprisingly light on Easter eggs, but all signs are that season 2 will be very different.Andorseason 2’s character listfeatures a surprising number fromRogue One: A Star Wars Story- more than you’d expect even given it’s a prequel. But it now seems one actor won’t be returning.
Jordan Stephens made a cameo inRogue Oneas Corporal Stordan Tonc, a rebel who joined the ill-fated mission to Scarif. Surprisingly,Stephenshas taken to TikTok to reveal he was invited to reprise the role inAndor, appearing on a viewscreen. He ultimately passed on the chance to return toStar Wars, simply becausehe objected to cutting off his dreadlocks for a single scene. “It’s like six years of hair,” he complained.
Amusingly,dreadlocks are a thing inStar Wars. Jedi Master Quinlan Vos had dreadlocks during the Clone Wars. Lucasfilm presumably felt they’d be out of character for Stordan Tonc.
There’s Probably A Simple Reason Lucasfilm Didn’t Want Jordan Stephens In A Helmet
To be fair, there’s probably a good reason Lucasfilm didn’t want Jordan Stephens in a helmet.Andorseason 2explores a five-year time period ahead ofRogue One, and the Rebel Alliance had yet to be properly formed; instead, independent rebel cells were operating at cross purposes. Most of these were quite ill-resourced, meaningTonc may well have been part of a cell that didn’t yet have access to military gear and equipment.
It’s interesting to note that Stephens isn’t sure which season he was supposed to appear in. Partly this is because the story is no doubt an old one now;Andorseason 2 wrapped filming a year ago. That’s plenty of time for memory to fade.
Andor Season 2 Clearly Has A Lot More Cameos
We already knew thatAndorseason 2 would inevitably feature a lot more cameos. It’s dealing with a very different time period, one already well-established in the canon and lore; characters like Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma and Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera already feature prominently inStar Wars Rebels, meaningAndormust navigate the stories of the earlier animated show. There’s even been repeated speculation we’ll finally get live-actionStar Wars Rebels, because the Ghost Crew is too closely tied to Mon’s story.
But this is a whole different level of connectivity, one that is sure to raise hype and excitement in the fandom. Jordan Stephens played a pretty minor role inRogue One, meaning his absence doesn’t affectAndorin the slightest - and yet, Lucasfilm still wanted him in it. What other Easter eggs can we expect? Only time will tell.
