In retrospect, Rogue One: a Star Wars Story was one of, if not the most well-received Star Wars stories to come out after Disney acquired Lucasfilms. So, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that Star Wars: Andor also turned out to be a great show, right? But you have to understand the context.
Star Wars TV was supposed to be its saving grace after the muted failure of the sequel trilogy, and it started off well with The Mandalorian. Then The Book of Boba Fett arrived. It was a jumbled, inconsistent mess. And then Obi-Wan Kenobi dropped, and it was an even bigger waste of potential.
No one was counting on Star Wars: Andor to be Star Wars TV’s saving grace. And it turned out to be not just that, but also one of the best television experiences of the entire year.
Andor (Diego Luna) is searching for his lost sister when he kills two officials, triggering a multi-planetary manhunt. He is soon recruited by the brilliant, manipulative Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård) into joining the rebellion. Andor’s journey takes him through a tense heist, a harrowing prison break, and finally a revolt during a funeral on his home planet. Throughout, Andor is tested on his resolve, making him realize that he can’t just put his head down and let the Empire continue abusing its power. It’s time for him to step up and truly become a rebel.
This show is definitely not your dad’s version of Star Wars. It’s gritty, noir-ish to almost a Bladerunner-like extent. Yet the story, and the stakes in the story, feel uniquely Star Wars.
Mirroring true life, at one point Andor is picked up just because he was acting suspiciously around stormtroopers, and is abruptly sentenced to six years of prison. Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), the galactic senator secretly funding the rebellion, has to figure out the limits of what she’s willing to do for the cause, to the point that she ends up framing her husband for missing family funds. And lastly, Kino Loy (Andy Serkis), the manager of a day shift crew in an Imperial prison complex, has to choose to be the spark that lights the fuse for rebellion inside the prison, even though he knows he himself cannot reap the fruits of this prison break.
Star Wars: Andor takes a very slow burn approach, the payoffs for each arc are worth it. The characters are richly portrayed, and although we aren’t inundated with their backstories, we get enough to understand who they are and the choices they make. The show is peppered with fantastic performances, from Diego Luna’s reluctant rebel to Adria Arjona’s well-meaning, but tragic Bix Caleen. Stellan Skarsgård is brilliant as the complex, duplicitous Luthen, and Andy Serkis is compelling even though he is only in the show for three episodes. Others in the cast, like Denise Gough as Dedra Meero and Kyle Soller as Syril Karn did well in humanizing the Empire and showing why certain people served the Empire and what they got out of that service.
Star Wars: Andor is filled to the brim with stunning visuals, ranging from beautifully composed shots to intense close-ups that really pull you into the story.
Every part of the show has its own aesthetic and Tony Gilroy, the showrunner, is the one responsible for tying it all together with his well-known espionage thriller style. Directors like Susanna White, Toby Haynes, and Benjamin Caron each give their own take on the look of the series.
It would be remiss not to mention the finale of the first season. Maarva Andor (Fiona Shaw), Cassian’s adoptive mother, instigates a riot from beyond the grave. Like all other people in Ferrix, her ashes are made into a brick, and in an absolutely inspired piece of poetic symbolism, her brick is used to take out an imperial guard during the start of the revolt. It’s a doomed revolt, as almost everyone is shot down or detained, but it’s enough to jolt Cassian into realizing how important the rebellion is for the people.
Star Wars: Andor isn’t just a great Star Wars show, it’s a great TV show, period.
The show was conceived to run for only two seasons, so there’s no danger of overcommitment where the show gets canceled before it can tell its story. Please give it a try, even if you aren’t into Star Wars. It’s one of, if not the best piece of content to come out of Disney+ yet.
