As a prequel to Rogue One, has many links to the 2016 film, yet I've found one that is incredibly smart in a variety of ways. Since the ending of Andor season 2, audiences have already begun rewatches of Rogue One. Rogue One is often considered among the least divisive Disney entries in the franchise, and thus one of the better-ranked Star Wars movies overall, yet people are finding that Andor's excellent story has only improved the film.

This primarily comes from Andor season 2's timeline and how it feeds directly into Rogue One. The final moments of Andor season 2 take place mere hours before Cassian's debut in the 2016 movie, with the story the character undergoes before that making the conclusion of his journey in the latter all the more powerful. These many Andor and Rogue One links are endless, yet I have found one that is less obvious. Not only does this link provide a perfect bridge between the two projects, but it proves something else about Andor, Star Wars, and how the two can coexist.

This link interestingly comes not in Andor season 2, episode 12's actual runtime, but during the credits. After the final scene of Andor season 2's finale is shown, a somber piece of the show's score plays. For another few minutes, Andor music plays over the credits before it transitions into some very familiar territory.

Eventually, . It is ever so slightly different from the usual fanfare but is nonetheless interesting to hear at the end of a show like Andor. As a homage to Williams and how Star Wars' credits usually sound, though, it works perfectly.

Concerning why John Williams' music being in Andor's credits is so perfect, it provides a seamless link to Rogue One. While the show does this anyway via the various aforementioned parts of the story - and, indeed, the parts I did not mention that bridge the gap between the projects - there is no denying that Andor is a very different show to most Star Wars projects, Rogue One included. The latter very much verses itself in original Star Wars trilogy iconography, be that the visual look of the film, the cameos - like Vader, Tarkin, and Leia - or Michael Giacchino’s musical score.

Andor is the same, to an extent, but many would agree with me when I say that the show distances itself from, and even transcends, the boundaries of simply being a Star Wars property. The level of writing, the standard of quality, maturity, exploration of politics, and the structure of the show are all very different from Star Wars norms, with these differences extending to exterior elements like the musical score.

Herein lies why the transition between Britell/Roberts' music and Williams' in Andor season 2, episode 12's credits works so well. Not only is it paying homage to Williams as mentioned, but it is signifying the change between a vastly different Star Wars property, Andor, and one that is more familiar, Rogue One. The jarring shift of music in the credits is symptomatic of this, with the darker, more mature, spy-oriented music making way for the hopeful, familiar fanfare of Star Wars.

The final thing that the Star Wars fanfare appearing in Andor proves is that the franchise is big and varied enough for multiple different stories to coexist. Andor is very different from anything else in a galaxy far, far away, yes, but that does not mean it feels out of place, even when placed in comparison to movies like Rogue One or A New Hope. Many would argue that Star Wars needs to remain firmly within its format and confines, which explains why so much divisiveness has been aimed at some Disney properties in the last decade or so.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, for example, tried something very different, yet received hatred for it. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker then tried to aim for familiarity and received a similar level of division. My point is that regardless of how one feels about one project or another, Star Wars is a franchise that can accommodate both. It can include a gritty political thriller like Andor while tying into a more child-friendly, animated show like Rebels. The music in 's credits proves this above all else, as the classic tunes of John Williams never once felt out of place.