Who is Porko in Star Wars: Andor? Character explored in depth 

With the arrival of the much-anticipated second season of Star Wars: Andor, the vast expanse of the Star Wars world is coming to fruition. While the sophomore season of Star Wars: Andor serves as the connecting link between the Disney+ show's debut season and the subsequent Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it also features the protagonist, Cassian Andor, finally taking the plunge and enlisting with the rebellious forces.

This is a direct consequence of the revolt that broke out on the planet of Felix. The Star Wars: Andor episode titled "One Year Later" consisted of a reference to the mysterious background character of Porko, hinting at his background and role in the development of the rebel forces, as well as calling back to a Hayao Miyazaki Easter egg.

Here's everything that we know about Porko from Star Wars: Andor.

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What all do we know about Porko from Star Wars: Andor?

At the beginning of the latest episode of Star Wars: Andor, Cassian Andor surreptitiously sneaks out in an experimental TIE Avenger aircraft. It is worth noting that the TIE Avenger has been portrayed on the Disney+ show as the precursor to the iconic TIE fighter crafts that were a prominent part of the original trilogy. Andor's motive to steal the aircraft soon becomes clear, as he is seen traveling to reach a rendezvous point located on the jungle planet formerly known as Yavin 4.

It is the same Yavin 4, which would later go on to assume significance as the base of the rebel forces in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. While Andor waits at the rendezvous point, he is suddenly ambushed by a few of the rebel members of the Maya Pei Brigade.

The situation has already gone downhill for this brigade as they are leaderless at the moment, and chaos reigns in their ranks. The name of Porko comes up at this moment, after the Rebels reveal that they had killed Porko, owing to the fact that he wasn't exactly friendly.

Since the character of Porko is already said to be dead by the time Andor mentions him, it is likely that he will never again appear on or be heard of in Star Wars: Andor. The character gave the audience a taste of what it was like during the early days of the Rebellion, during which chaos and lawlessness came to define the Rebels for the most part.

It can thus be surmised that Porko was another pilot like Andor himself and was perhaps slain while flying out to the jungle planet. This would explain his subsequent death by the time Andor arrived on the planet.

It is now being speculated that the second season of Star Wars: Andor will feature a furthering of the Alliance forces before they eventually converge four years later on the Battle of Yavin. In this sense, it is fair to say that Porko became one of the first sacrificial soldiers of this upcoming struggle.

It remains to be seen whether Andor and the Alliance would negotiate a settlement with the Maya Pei Brigade, as they need the site to construct their base afterwards. It can also be speculated that the Maya Pei Brigade might come to an understanding with the Alliance if the latter lets go of the issue of Porko's murder.

The very character of Porko itself functions as a callback to a Hayao Miyazaki character, as mentioned earlier in this article. The 1992 Miyazaki film Porco Rosso was about the life and times of an Italian fighter pilot who chased and hunted down pirates in an alternate 1929 timeline.

The character was conceived in such a way that it had the head and the physical features of a pig, owing to some curse inflicted on it. The similarities between this Porco from the animated film and the one in Star Wars: Andor are unmistakable, as both of them are pilots who fly fighter planes.

In conclusion, it should be noted that Porko is a small part of the vast Star Wars universe and serves a designated function in unfolding a set of grand events forthcoming throughout the present season of the Disney+ show.

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Diego Luna opens up about the second season of Andor

Luna recently spoke in an exclusive interview with Men's Health magazine, following the successful premiere of the second season of Andor on Disney+. When asked about taking on the responsibility of portraying a key character in his favorite franchise, Luna explained:

"I’ve got to tell you, it was very slow—the process of actually taking it in and understanding what this involvement in the universe of Star Wars meant, and what it was going to demand. At the beginning, I was invited to do a film that had a beginning and an end. That was 11 years ago. Everyone would tease me, like, 'You’re going to be doing Star Wars forever.' And I was like, 'No way—the ending is pretty definitive!' But when I was invited to do this show...I think they called at the right moment. Obviously, they wanted to do a show called Andor, therefore they needed to know I wanted to do it, right? So I was invited to explore the possibility, and that gave me time to understand what was interesting, what was going to actually bring something new to what Star Wars already has."

Luna was then asked about his inspiration and the references he looked up to while portraying the character of Cassian Andor, and he answered:

"I think it was all there in the logic behind the story. He has a speech in the first season where he talks about coming into an Imperial space facility and how petulant they are, how arrogant they are, that they don’t even think it’s possible for someone to sneak in. It’s a story about not being seen, and how that can become your best tool. I think that sticks; it’s something I’ve never forgotten. His biggest strength is that you’re not expecting that from him. In terms of reference, I think it had a lot more to do with history—real people, real stories."

Star Wars: Andor is exclusively available on Disney+.