Cassian Jeron Andor, born Kassa, is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, primarily portrayed by actor Diego Luna.

[4] He was impressed by Luna's background in small, character-driven productions, especially as he wanted the film to tell a more personal story than previous Star Wars installments.

[5] Luna felt that his casting—and the casting of other actors who may be non-white and/or whose mother tongue is a language other than English—in the films' leading roles reflected a "modern approach" and a world in which "racial and cultural diversity is in fact making us richer and more interesting.

"[6] In his portrayal of the character, Luna speaks with his own, natural Mexican accent—a rarity for a franchise which has mostly featured actors with American, Australian, Canadian, or British accents.

[18] Unlike most humans in the Star Wars universe, the inhabitants of Kenari do not speak "Galactic Basic", the common language of the Galaxy, explaining Cassian's accent.

[23] The series retcons Cassian's prior backstory as established in Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, which claimed that he was born on Fest.

[11] Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released in December 2016, featuring Luna in the role of Cassian Andor, a man who had been fighting in the Rebellion since he was six years old.

In the film, Cassian learns about the defection of Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook and the Death Star superweapon from Rebel informant Tivik, whom he kills to avoid his capture since he is unable to escape due to an injured arm.

[27] Cassian is later secretly ordered to find and assassinate scientist Galen Erso, who was captured by Director Orson Krennic and forced to help build the Death Star.

[30] In the first season of Andor, it is revealed that Cassian was an orphan named Kassa from Kenari, a former mining planet abandoned by the Empire whose indigenous inhabitants lead a tribal lifestyle.

ISB supervisor Dedra Meero also searches for Cassian whom she believes is connected to a mysterious rebel leader codenamed Axis, who unbeknownst to her is Luthen.

Conditions on Narkina-5 are brutal; prisoners work 12-hour shifts building components for an unknown machine, and electric shocks delivered through the metal floor are used to discipline them.

[39][40][41] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times praised Luna's "flinty charisma" in Rogue One,[42] and David Ehrlich of IndieWire wrote that the character was "a bit lost between archetypes, but he’s charming enough.

[38] Praising Felicity Jones in the role of Jyn Erso, Chris Nashawaty wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "I wish Luna had a little more personality, a little more Han Solo swagger, to match her.

[46][44] Eric Goldman of IGN wrote that "Luna projects innate charisma mixed with ongoing unease, as we see [Cassian] participate in actions he's not always proud of in service of the greater good.

Terrance MacMullan in "Rebellions are Built on Hope", describes Cassian as a "complex" but ultimately good character, whose faith in his comrades is a core part of the film's philosophy.

Sarah Odman, in a review for The Hollywood Reporter, praised Cassian's transformation "from a disenfranchised criminal to a man who looks more like the ruthless Rebel leader they remember.

[51] Shirley Li, writing for The Atlantic, commented that the series "depicts how an ordinary, disillusioned character can undergo a political awakening in just a few short years.

"[36] Critic Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone described this arc as a "hero's journey" while opining that it was the least compelling part of Andor's first season.

[39] Mike Hale, writing for The New York Times, made similar criticisms of the character, who he described as a thinly written "Humphrey Bogart-style cynical romantic".

[52] Ryan Britt, in a review for Den of Geek, wrote that the character had unclear motivations and a lack of agency in the first season that made its finale unsatisfying.

[62][63] Caroline Framske of Vox wrote that "getting to see a Star Wars hero save the day with a distinctive Mexican accent is a huge deal — especially for audiences who rarely see themselves reflected onscreen in a role that isn’t a tiny part or, worse, the butt of some joke.

She observed that geopolitical categories like Latinx do not exist in the science fiction universe of Star Wars, and wrote that essentializing the Latino experience "reduce[d] [Latin people] to a set of traits we don’t all share".

[32] In a review of the novel for New York Daily News, Sean Keane wrote that "Fans will be happy to see that [Cassian] carries the weight of his questionable actions throughout the story.