One of the biggest reasons Andor is so good is one you probably don’t even think about. Sure, you can look at the gorgeous images on screen, the intense performances, and the beautiful sets, but none of that is possible without the writing. Show creator and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Tony Gilroy is the man most responsible for the writing on Andor and, a few years back, he teased Lucasfilm was going to release the scripts for season one to the public. Unfortunately, that never happened—and in a new interview, he had the perfect reason why.
“I wanted to do it,” Gilroy told Collider. “We put it together. It’s really cool. I’ve seen it, I loved it. AI is the reason we’re not.” Ah, yes. Everyone’s favorite thing: AI. It is true though; in 2023, when Gilroy mentioned releasing the scripts, sites like Chat GPT that scrape the internet to steal, uh, learn for various tasks were not a big thing. So the fact his scripts would be eaten up and spit out by the machine wasn’t a consideration. But soon after, it was.
“In the end, it would be 1,500 pages that came directly off this desk,” he continues. “I mean, terribly sadly, it’s just too much of an X-ray and too easily absorbed. Why help the fucking robots any more than you can? So, it was an ego thing. It was vanity that makes you want to do it, and the downside is real. So, vanity loses.”
Honestly, good for Tony Gilroy. Yes, it would be cool for fans to own his scripts, presumably in the form of some nice book. But literally putting out the blueprint of how to structure a perfect television show over 12 hours, complete with character arcs, twists, and turns, only for them to be copied ad nauseam in college term papers everywhere would only make his brand of talent and skill less special. Keep things secret. Keep them safe.
Gilroy is out this week promoting not just Andor season two which releases next month, but that Andor is coming to Hulu and YouTube. You can see the first three episodes for free here, watch an awesome season one recap below, and read our interview with the showrunner at this link.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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