The Andor Season 2 finale left a big unanswered question: what happened to Cassian’s sister? With fans suspecting that Kleya may have been his sister all along, Tony Gilroy has explained why her fate remains unclear.
In the first season of the Star Wars series, it was revealed that Cassian was separated from his sister, Kerri, at a young age when they lived together on Kenari. Maarva and Clem Andor found him alone and took him off-world, leaving Kerri clueless as to why her brother disappeared.
The show opened with Cassian visiting a brothel in Morlana One, having been told a girl from Kenari was working there. Unfortunately, she left months before, and Maarva eventually tells him to stop looking for her – and assures him that their separation wasn’t his fault.
His sister makes a brief appearance by the end of Season 2 (in Cassian’s dream)… but that’s it. Then again, what if she’s been hiding in plain sight?
Why Kleya can’t be Cassian’s sister
While it would be a convenient reveal, Kleya isn’t Cassian’s sister. There are too many inconsistencies for them to be related, never mind long-lost siblings.
Here’s the first problem: different actresses play young Kleya and Kerri, and while you could argue they’re not necessarily the same age, there isn’t enough of a difference to justify casting someone else to play a slightly older version of one character.
Secondly, even at a young age, Kleya speaks with a completely different accent to Cassian, and it’s plain as day that they aren’t from the same place. Thirdly, if Kleya came from Kenari, there’s no way he wouldn’t mention that when he met Cassian.
Fourthly, when Luthen found Kleya, it doesn’t appear that they’re based in an environment like Kenari – it’s more urban and dusty, which would raise the question of how Kerri could get anywhere on her own.
Yes, Kleya was a name given to her by Luthen, and yes, we don’t know exactly what led her to the moment she met Luthen. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to reasonably suggest that she’s Cassian’s sister – plus, Tony Gilroy has already made it clear that it’s not true.
Why the Andor Season 2 finale didn’t resolve Cassian’s missing sister
In an interview with Deadline, Gilroy revealed that he once had a “melodramatic version” of how the story of Cassian’s sister would play out in Season 2, but he felt the series was stronger without it.
“I did it in the beginning because I’m always leaving things for myself to try to pick up on,” he explained.
“But what I found was, with the sister, when I put it in there, I didn’t know how I was going to resolve it, and at one point… but as I went along, I realized, as I got to know Cassian, a very important absence in his life; the fact that he left her behind is a hole that will never be filled.
“When you watch the show, how many times does he go back for people? In fact, Bix even says, when they take off and escape from Ferrix, ‘Cassian will find us.’ He goes back for Maarva. He goes back for Kleya.”
In Episode 12, Vel even tells Mon Mothma that Cassian should “stop saving people” because it keeps getting him into so much trouble. And that’s the thing: he can’t save everyone.
“The savior component of him is much more interesting to me than some resolution. How many things in your life are unresolved?”
Think about it: just as Bix chose the Rebellion over her relationship with Cassian, he was forced to abandon his search for his sister for the greater good of the galaxy. By the end, he’s able to make peace with that, and that’s a more satisfying ending than tying Cassian and Kleya together.
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