Andy Serkis believes it was the right call to not bring his character Kino Loy back in Star Wars: Andor Season 2. In an interview with Collider to promote his new movie Animal Farm, Serkis explained his reasoning, recalling that Kino was at the center of an emotionally powerful arc during Andor‘s first season. In his mind, giving Kino a role in the second season would have been a difficult thing to pull off, particularly since Season 1 gave the character an ending that felt like a “definite and heroic conclusion.” Considering the reception to his performance as Kino Loy, Serkis felt it was best that he didn’t return.
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“I ultimately think it’s best for the character,” Serkis said. “It was such a great arc, and it had a very, very definite and heroic conclusion. I think, in many ways, to go back would be difficult because it has left a mark. I was so surprised at how emotionally effective that character was, actually, and so I think it’s way, way better that we leave him in Narkina 5, on his own.”
On Andor Season 1, Kino Loy was the day shift manager at the Narkina 5 Imperial prison complex. He oversees a group of inmates that includes the likes of Cassian and Melshi. Initially, Kino is only interested in serving out the rest of his sentence and going home, but after learning the horrifying truths of the facility, he helps his fellow prisoners organize a breakout. This is capped off by Kino’s rousing monologue in the episode “One Way Out.” Tragically, he is unable to join Cassian and the rest in freedom because Narkina 5 is surrounded by water and he can’t swim.
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Previously, Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy shared his take on why Kino Loy wasn’t brought back. He was wary of undercutting the impact of the character’s final moments in Season 1 and didn’t want to do something that was too coincidental — such as having Kino Loy be at the Rebel base on Yavin IV. Gilroy felt there was no topping the Narkina 5 arc, so he thought it wise to just leave the character alone.
As great as it would have been to see Serkis back on Andor, it definitely was for the best that Kino didn’t return for Season 2. The character is so specific to the Narkina 5 arc that it would have been tricky to find an organic spot for him in the second season, which featured several large time jumps as it built to the events of Rogue One. Even if Kino found a way to leave Narkina 5 and wasn’t just severely punished by the Empire for his role in the outbreak, there’s no guarantee he would have become part of the Rebellion. Kino obviously has no love for Imperials, but that doesn’t mean he was game to be a freedom fighter. Melshi fought alongside Cassian, but many of the Narkina 5 prisoners were likely more concerned about their own self interests.
“One Way Out” is also widely considered to be one of the best episodes of Andor across its two-season run. If Kino had come back, it would have built up an expectation that his next arc would match or exceed Narkina 5 in terms of overall impact. Even for someone as talented as Gilroy, that would have been hard to do, and Andor Season 2 had so much on its plate already, it was smart to not try to force in a role for Kino. After the character made such an impression in Season 1, viewers would have been disappointed if he didn’t have much to do in Season 2. Andor was never a show for fan service, which is part of why it’s so widely acclaimed. Perhaps Kino will be featured somewhere else in canon down the line, but Andor Season 2 wasn’t the right spot.
