![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ilm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/andor-star-wars-tie-avenger-ilm-1-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a>(Credit: ILM & Lucasfilm).<\/p>\nFor many Star Wars enthusiasts, the word \u201cavenger\u201d conjures up images of Captain Needa\u2019s Imperial Star Destroyer Avenger, the TIE Avenger starfighter featured in Lucasfilm Games\u2019s Star Wars: TIE Fighter (1994) video game, or even Marvel\u2019s prestigious superhero collective. The second season of Andor (2022-2025)<\/a> has now pushed its own TIE Avenger to the forefront of that list, as the epic series chronicled Cassian Andor\u2019s (Diego Luna) theft of the prototype craft from a Sienar Fleet Systems test facility. Outfitted with advanced armaments and a hyperdrive, the TIE Avenger transported Cassian to Yavin 4 before playing a key role in rescuing Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) and Wilmon Paak (Muhannad Ben Amor) from Imperial forces on Mina-Rau.<\/p>\n Industrial Light & Magic\u2019s Mohen Leo, whose resume boasts projects like Ant-Man (2015)<\/a>, The Martian (2015)<\/a>, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)<\/a>, served as Andor\u2019s production visual effects supervisor for both seasons of the series, while ILM visual effects supervisor Scott Pritchard (Star Wars: The Force Awakens [2015]<\/a>, Avengers: Infinity War [2018]<\/a>, Avengers: Endgame [2019]<\/a>) oversaw the creative output of the work across ILM\u2019s global studios in London, Vancouver, and Mumbai. Leo and Pritchard gathered alongside CG supervisor Laurent Hugueniot, modeler Owen Rachel, texture artist Emma Ellul, look development artist Renato Suetake, animation supervisor Mathieu Vig, and compositing supervisor Claudio Bassi to chart the TIE Avenger\u2019s course from conceptualization to the completed sequences seen in season two.<\/p>\n Constructing the Concept<\/p>\n The TIE Avenger prototype is first unveiled at the beginning of season two, resting in its Sienar hangar bay before being commandeered by Cassian and embarking on a dramatic escape. \u201cThe idea for the opening sequence began with [showrunner] Tony Gilroy<\/a> wanting to start season two off with a big, classic Star Wars action sequence,\u201d Mohen Leo tells ILM.com. \u201cThat initially came out of an outline that Tony gave us in 2022. Early on, a big story point became that Cassian doesn\u2019t know how to fly it, so the Avenger had to have completely unfamiliar controls, and the interior had to look different from any TIE fighter or ship that you\u2019ve ever seen before.\u201d<\/p>\n When it came to the Avenger\u2019s look and layout, Leo worked closely with production designer Luke Hull<\/a>. \u201cLuke explored various prototype airplanes, and then we played around with the idea of what the ship needed to do in terms of the chase sequence. We wanted something that wasn\u2019t just a dogfight. If he immediately jumps in and it\u2019s just a chase, it\u2019d be difficult to do something original with that,\u201d adds Leo. \u201cLuke had already decided to build a full-sized practical TIE Avenger. As far as its physical construction, the wings were inspired a bit by the TIE interceptor.\u201d While Andor\u2019s Avenger shares a name with the craft from the TIE Fighter game, it maintains its own design lineage. \u201cI don\u2019t think the previous ship was a strong influence,\u201d Leo begins. \u201cWhen we were designing our Avenger, how the ship functioned became something Luke and I reverse-engineered based on what we wanted the ship to do. That dictated the look.<\/p>\n \u201cI put together a pitch deck for the Avenger before we got into previs when the directors weren\u2019t even on yet,\u201d Leo continues. \u201cI wanted to make sure that the ship and the weaponry, in particular, were based on real weapons and felt both dangerous and aggressive. The team based the TIE\u2019s fold-out Gatling-like cannons on the United States military\u2019s M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Hull wanted the Sienar base itself to feel like a Skunk Works test facility or NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a back-and-forth between previs and Luke Hull and the art department in terms of the ship\u2019s design,\u201d Leo notes. \u201cWe\u2019d say, \u2018We need guns that fold out,\u2019 and then Luke would go, \u2018Let me see where we can fit those in.\u2019 It was almost as much driven by the necessity of the functionality as it was by the aesthetics.\u201d Once the additional armaments, including external launchers and a powerful cannon below the cockpit, were set, the team pitched the action sequence to Tony Gilroy. \u201cWe blocked the whole sequence with a temp model, and Tony generally really liked it.\u201d<\/p>\n Assembling the Avenger<\/p>\n \u201cAs the studio-side visual effects supervisor, I was involved in pre-production through to the end,\u201d Leo shares. \u201cI also guided the previs development with The Third Floor\u2019s Jennifer Kitching and collaborated with Luke Hull on how we would make the practical build service what we needed to do in the visual effects sequence.\u201d The creative dialogue between the ILM visual effects team and the production designer was vital in ensuring that the computer graphics (CG) starfighter built by ILM would be identical to the full-sized practical ship that was constructed to be used on the Sienar hangar, Yavin 4, and Mina-Rau sets.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause we had a practical version of the Avenger during the shoot, we were able to scan that and provide lots of references,\u201d Leo details. As such, the full-scale Avenger proved beneficial for Owen Rachel, the ILM modeler responsible for building the CG Avenger. \u201cMy job was to take [the practical model] and replicate it as a digital version. There wasn\u2019t much design work that we had to do other than replace some structural bits, like the Gatling guns as they come down,\u201d Rachel outlines. \u201cWe did have to create the laser cannon that comes out from underneath the cockpit. It\u2019s an intricate design because it\u2019s both delicate and powerful at the same time. It felt a bit like the inside of a watch,\u201d recalls CG supervisor Laurent Hugueniot, who was in charge of the team\u2019s 3D output.<\/p>\n Texture artist Emma Ellul tackled the job of texturing the TIE Avenger. \u201cWe had great reference images, which was super helpful. I tried to focus on real-life objects, too, such as stealth planes. They\u2019re quite smooth and angular, and I\u2019d see how specularity affects the metal. Not every sheet of metal is made the same, so it has a slightly different bend or warping to it. I incorporated that, especially on the paneling on the outside of the wings,\u201d Ellul relays. \u201cThere were a lot of nooks and crannies to look at and a lot of small decals everywhere, which I had to match one-to-one with the practical model. It was an awesome asset to texture. Who doesn\u2019t want to texture a TIE fighter? And then I had to destroy it and chuck laser blasts all over it [laughs].\u201d<\/p>\n Look development on the Avenger was handled by Renato Suetake, who asserts, \u201cAs a look dev artist, I get the model and textures so I can put them together and make the shaders. I make sure the shaders and materials react precisely like the reference we have in any situation or lighting condition. Certain shots jumped between the prop filmed on set and the CG version, so the digital Avenger had to be identical. At the same time, because the prop wasn\u2019t made of metal, we still had to make it believable as an actual spaceship that flies.\u201d From the Avenger\u2019s weapons to the hangar explosions to the collapsing ice arch, Leo also credits the effects artists who contributed to the sequence, revealing, \u201cIn general, all of those things are just massive, complex simulation work.\u201d<\/p>\n Pairing Computer Graphics and Practical Effects<\/p>\n As Andor\u2019s ILM visual effects supervisor, Scott Pritchard helmed his team at ILM\u2019s London studio, while coordinating the work at ILM\u2019s studios in Vancouver and Mumbai. When it came to the Avenger\u2019s breakout from the Sienar hangar, Pritchard observes that the production sought to use the \u201cbest tool for the job,\u201d often pairing ILM\u2019s CG expertise alongside special effects supervisor Luke Murphy\u2019s practical effects. Highlighting a shot where an Imperial range trooper takes aim at the Avenger, Pritchard beams, \u201cThere\u2019s a huge staged explosion along the back wall that was done by hanging a line of charges. They explode in sequence, so they explode outwards from the center. That in itself is impressive because it gives us some great visual reference to go on and actual practical elements to incorporate into the final comp.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a significant amount of work involved in painting out the actual charges and all the little fragments that get blown off properly, as well. It gives you such a great base to work off when you\u2019re putting together a shot like that,\u201d continues Pritchard, who then shifts focus to the Avenger\u2019s weapons blasting through the hangar. \u201cA lot of these explosions are practical, but we\u2019ve enhanced them by adding sparks and additional explosions in CG. Making all this work seamlessly is a great testament to the comp and effects team.\u201d<\/p>\n Compositing supervisor Claudio Bassi concurs, believing that the practical effects supplied ILM with valuable reference for lighting purposes. Bassi also states that, despite the presence of the practical Avenger, the TIE\u2019s wings during Niya\u2019s (Rachelle Diedericks) inspection are actually CG. \u201cThe hangar set didn\u2019t have a roof, so we often replaced the wings as it was easier to integrate the CG roof.\u201d Although the hangar set was extremely large, Pritchard highlights the fact that ILM had to extend the hangar to an even greater width, and the entirety of the front section that opens toward the snowy exterior is also CG.<\/p>\n Maintaining a Match<\/p>\n Of course, having both a practical and digital Avenger presented its own challenges when it came to assuring that the details matched, particularly regarding how much damage the CG version sustained at Sienar in comparison to the practical model that was filmed on the Yavin 4 set. \u201cWorking with the art department, we knew that the Avenger had gone through the dogfight at Sienar base and should have scorch marks where lasers had hit it,\u201d Leo remembers. \u201cWe counted the number of rockets it fired in the first sequence because there\u2019s no way for him to restock in space. We took four specific missiles off the practical build, which we then reversed in digital effects to choose the four that he fires in the opening sequence.\u201d<\/p>\n Hugueniot emphasizes that the same held true for the havoc wrought upon the Sienar hangar itself, commenting, \u201cNot all shots are worked on one after another in story order. There\u2019s a big job of keeping track of what\u2019s going on in every shot. All the scorch marks on the walls, everything that\u2019s been knocked down from the ceiling, and which lights are working in each shot. That was quite a job [laughs].\u201d Bassi agrees, divulging, \u201cWe kept track of the marks where the Avenger scratched the floor and which lights broke, and we had a system to recognize them in shot order.\u201d<\/p>\n That level of realism was reflected in animation supervisor Mathieu Vig\u2019s mission to make the Avenger look \u201cheavy and dangerous, and as if it\u2019s made of metal, not just pixels.\u201d Having the Avenger scrape along the deck helped achieve this. \u201cWe\u2019re used to seeing them [TIE fighters] flying very gracefully,\u201d Vig explains. \u201cUsually, we don\u2019t animate them bumping around, so setting the weight is harder than you might think. In a hangar setting, there are so many physical elements to consider, such as the actor in the cockpit doing specific movements that we have to take into account. All of this is a carefully interlocking puzzle.\u201d<\/p>\n Diving Into the Details<\/p>\n While analyzing the projectiles under the practical Avenger\u2019s wings to model them for its digital counterpart, Owen Rachel recognized an intriguing connection. \u201cWhen we were trying to work out how the missiles fire, we realized the design on the set was similar to those seen in Star Wars: A New Hope [1977]<\/a>, as they go into the exhaust port on the Death Star,\u201d conveys Rachel. As it turns out, the design was a one-to-one match, so Rachel subsequently modeled the Avenger\u2019s projectiles after the proton torpedoes that Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) fired at the first Death Star. Effort was also invested in preventing the Avenger\u2019s Gatling-style spray of laser fire from appearing as though it simply hovered in mid-air. \u201cWe gave them a bit of an offset and some randomness in both their position in the stream and in their x- and y-axis, so we could get more chaos into that stream,\u201d Pritchard elaborates.<\/p>\n Even the red light that flashes along with the hangar\u2019s klaxon alarm was not nearly as simple as one might assume. ILM had to maintain a perfect rhythm between the flashing lights and klaxon, occasionally analyzing where the visual effects team needed to extend or shift the red light so it all remained in sync. \u201cCompositing is basically the last step in the visual effects pipeline that ensures that all elements are integrated and the CG matches with the plate that has been shot on set,\u201d describes Bassi, who worked alongside Pritchard to successfully pitch the idea that the overall light energy of the hangar would get progressively darker and moodier as the Avenger knocked lights off the ceiling.<\/p>\n Matching the interior views of the practical and CG Avenger cockpits proved to be another challenge. \u201cILM\u2019s Vancouver studio did a hologram of Cassian in season one that was absolutely fantastic and so lifelike. We reused that for Cassian\u2019s head,\u201d Hugueniot recounts. Filming Diego Luna in the practical cockpit occurred toward the end of the shoot, as Leo clarifies, \u201cThat was the very last thing we shot on the whole project\u2014Diego in a motion base cockpit that we could move around and rattle. I think Diego had a really good time shooting those bits [laughs].\u201d<\/p>\n In Awe of the Avenger<\/p>\n With season two now streaming on Disney+, the visual effects team has been able to view the completed episodes and finally share their work on the TIE Avenger prototype with the world. \u201cI couldn\u2019t even tell which Avenger was CG and which wasn\u2019t,\u201d laughs Emma Ellul, referring to the Sienar sequence. \u201cThe blend between the hangar, the ship taking off, and the chaos unfolding is so seamless. It was such an exciting bit to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n The audience\u2019s overwhelmingly positive response to the opening scenes has been equally uplifting for ILM, as the sequence fulfilled what the team set out to do. \u201cWhen we were talking in previs, part of the idea was that it should feel breathless. Every time Cassian has solved one problem, the next problem comes up. There should never be a moment for him to relax until it\u2019s over,\u201d says Mohen Leo, who praises the sound design provided by Skywalker Sound. \u201cOne of the things that always happens after we\u2019re done but makes such an impact is the sound. The sound that Skywalker put to the engines, weapons, and all of that makes such a huge difference.\u201d<\/p>\n The TIE Avenger\u2019s action-packed escape consists of a relatively small amount of screen time\u2014but as Leo and his team have outlined, ILM imbued each facet of the Avenger and its accompanying environments with an extraordinary amount of time, energy, and expertise. So, the next time you rewatch Andor, don\u2019t be afraid to press pause amidst the thrilling moments and soak up the wonders that ILM worked to allow the Avenger to ascend to the stars.<\/p>\n Discover more about the visual effects of Andor on ILM.com:<\/p>\n \u201cLike Eating an Elephant One Bite at a Time\u201d: TJ Falls and Mohen Leo on the Visual Effects of \u2018Andor\u2019 Season 2<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cLet the Experts Be the Experts\u201d: TJ Falls and Mohen Leo on the Visual Effects of \u2018Andor\u2019 Season 2<\/a><\/p>\n Read more about the making of Andor on StarWars.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n Jay Stobie (he\/him) is a writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to ILM.com, Skysound.com, Star Wars Insider, StarWars.com, Star Trek Explorer, Star Trek Magazine, and StarTrek.com. Jay loves sci-fi, fantasy, and film, and you can learn more about him by visiting JayStobie.com<\/a> or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ILM visual effects supervisors Mohen Leo and Scott Pritchard, along with members of their talented crew, discuss the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54041,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[96,2839,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-54040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>(Credit: ILM & Lucasfilm).<\/p>\n<\/a>The practical TIE Avenger prop on set at Pinewood Studios (Credit: ILM & Lucasfilm).<\/p>\n<\/a>(Credit: ILM & Lucasfilm).<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>(Credit: ILM & Lucasfilm).<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>A live-action plate (top) was captured on the set with practical explosion elements, which were later integrated with ILM\u2019s work (Credit: ILM & Lucasfilm).<\/p>\n