Why Star Wars’ 2-Part Prequel Masterpiece Was Missing Key Rebel Character Explained

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Riz Ahmed, known for his role in Rogue One, recently explained to ScreenRant why his character didn’t appear in the Star Wars prequel series Andor.

The series Andor brought back several characters from the movie Rogue One, like Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna), Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), and Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn). However, Bodhi Rook, played by Ahmed, did not appear in the show.

During an interview with ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan at SXSW, actor Riz Ahmed revealed why his character, Bodhi Rook, wasn’t included in the show Andor. He explained that he directly asked creator Tony Gilroy about the rumors – he’d heard reports that “everyone from Rogue One is doing a cameo.” Ahmed was curious and wanted to know “What was going on?”

Gilroy explained that he carefully considered the decision and ultimately decided it would disrupt the show’s established timeline and how events unfold chronologically.

Ahmed completely understood where he was coming from and called Gilroy a “good” person.

To be honest, I talked to Tony Gilroy about all the rumors that characters from ‘Rogue One’ were making cameos in his show. I asked him what was going on, and he explained that he’d considered it, but it would create timeline problems and mess up the show’s order of events. I totally believe him – Tony’s a good guy and makes smart decisions.

Surprisingly, the actor told ScreenRant that he hasn’t seen Andor, despite hearing great things about it.

“I have not [watched Andor]….I’ve heard it’s amazing.”

Released in 2016, Rogue One is a Star Wars story that happens before A New Hope. The film follows Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones, as she tries to destroy the Death Star. The cast also includes Luna, Whitaker, O’Reilly, Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Mads Mikkelsen, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, and Jimmy Smits.

In Rogue One, Ahmed plays Bodhi, a pilot who defects from the Empire to fight with the rebels, but ultimately doesn’t survive.

Because Andor takes place before the events of Rogue One, the character Bodhi Rook is still alive during this time in the Star Wars story. The Disney+ show, led by Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, follows the early days of the Rebel Alliance and its fight against the Empire over two seasons.

The show also stars Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgård, Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, Elizabeth Dulau, and Benjamin Bratt.

The movie Rogue One received a good rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with 84% of critics giving it a positive review. However, six years later, Andor did even better, earning a 96% rating from critics.

As a huge film and TV fan, I was thrilled to see Andor get the recognition it deserved during awards season! It racked up a ton of nominations and actually won Emmys for its incredible writing – seriously, the drama was top-notch. Beyond that, the show also took home awards for things like its special effects, production design, and how beautifully it was edited. It really showed that quality storytelling and craftsmanship still matter.

The show received recognition from several prestigious organizations. It was nominated for a SAG Award for its stunt work and earned a Golden Globe nomination for its lead actor, as well as a Peabody Award.

Rather than starring in Andor, Ahmed has appeared in a variety of other projects, including Mogul Mowgli, The Phoenician Scheme, Hamlet, The Night Of, and The OA. His next role is in the Prime Video series Bait, which will be released on March 25th.

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2026-03-17 21:49