by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
Disney+’s newest entry into the rebooted Star Wars universe, Andor, has wrapped up its first of two seasons. Created by show runner and director Tony Gilroy, Andor tells the story of how Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a rebel soldier who helped obtain plans to the Death Star, joined the Rebel Alliance. When this show was first announced, I could not have been less interested in the concept or the character. The prequel story to a character who wasn’t even the main character of a movie in which I felt very little investment. No thank you, not with Star Wars’ current track record. But I suppose, before I dive into what I thought of this 12-episode season, I should familiarize you with my history of Star Wars. I want you to better understand where I am coming from so you can properly gauge for yourself if this show is for you.
My history with Star Wars is a long and cherished one. The franchise has been a staple in my house since before I can remember. I am told that as an infant, in my crib I would call out, “Luke,” like Aunt Beru did in A New Hope, making it my first official movie quote at the age of one. My parents had taped the trilogy off of TV during a free HBO weekend, and my dad even went as far as to record it without the commercials because, the ‘80s. Our TVs back then were 15-inch square boxes, and people were afraid of the wide screen format, so I wasn’t even seeing the movie as it was intended. But that didn’t matter to me.
I love the original trilogy. The Empire Strikes Back is officially my favorite movie of all time. In the early ‘90s when they released the “Power of the Force” toy line, I was in heaven. Every Christmas, birthday, or other gift-giving occasion, those toys were all I wanted, and my brother and I had quite the collection. Soon after, I started taking my dad’s Expanded Universe books and began to read those in addition to watching the movies on repeat. Seeing the phrase, “The official continued adventures of Luke, Han, and Leia,” printed on the back of Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire was the thrill of a lifetime for me. Although, a pretty dense read for a nine-year-old, these books were a game changer. The revelation that Star Wars existed outside of the three movies expanded the material in ways I didn’t even know was possible. From the tech, to the ships, the aliens, planets, and creatures, I had to know all of them, their names and how they all fit together. But what hooked me the most were the characters and all their adventures. Not just our core three, but the side characters from the movies, like Wedge and Rogue Squad. Or Luke’s new class of Jedi, like Corran Horn or Jaina Solo. When the prequels were released, we saw them opening night. We wore out the VHS copy of The Phantom Menace by rewatching it every weekend multiple times in a row for months. Any new Star Wars material to add to our growing collection was welcome. I had read all the Bantam published books by high school, but then when I went to college there was a comic store nearby, which opened up a new avenue of material. The publishing rights were also sold to Dark Horse around the same time, and they introduced the New Jedi Order series. From there, my hobby became an obsession, and my love of the franchise grew exponentially.
Then in 2012 the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney happened, and I was very excited for the potential of even more stories, both in print and on the big screen. For years, George Lucas had been teasing us with the idea of live action TV shows and more movies, so in my head I was already figuring out the logistics of how the sequel trilogy will fit into the EU. That is until one dark day in April of 2013 when they announced that the entire franchise, minus the six movies and Clone Wars animated show, would be erased from canon, and Star Wars was getting rebooted. I was heartbroken, not just because I would potentially never get to find out how the stories of my favorite characters would end, but because I was now the “Star Wars Guy” who everyone just assumed would be super excited about all the new rebooted Star Wars content. I had to either be polite or look like a crazy person trying to explain how what had happened was not a good thing from my perspective (I chose “crazy” more times than I’m proud of). Then there was the constant barrage of messages that, “the EU was never canon,” or “the EU was a mess and full of contradictions,” by the toxic “fan community” that popped up on the internet. I am sure you have had to deal with them, too, as recently as the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi from people who claim to love Star Wars, but never cared about the franchise and just spew out hate. I could go on forever about internet trolls, but that’s a whole other think piece. I will be honest, when it came to Star Wars, I pretty much fell to the dark side regarding anything Disney put out.
Over the last several years, I’ve been able to heal and accept that the Disney canon isn’t going away, and for now, the EU will not see any new stories. But I still hold onto hope! Timothy Zahn, the creator of Grand Admiral Thrawn, was able to write a prequel trilogy of books about Thrawn’s origins, which fits in both the Disney and EU canon, so maybe one day there can be two co-existing Star Wars universes. I have come up with a rule to stay sane while watching. As long as what I am shown doesn’t contradict the EU, I will consider it officially apart of both universes. Story and continuity are important to me, and the mechanics of how things work in a set universe are the key to creating a great one. I feel that since the Clone Wars animated show, the people behind the scenes at Lucasfilm haven’t cared much about that particular element, and it has been very apparent in the new movies as well, which is mostly what turns me off. As far as new movies and TV shows are concerned, other than John Favreau’s The Mandalorian, there hasn’t been much in terms of quality. There were some great moments from both Kenobi and Rebels, and The Last Jedi had elements reminiscent of the EU, but for the most part I have not been impressed by what has been put out as a whole. That is, until Andor.
So why did I regale you with an incredibly abbreviated version of my Star Wars life story? Because I want you to understand that I don’t say this lightly: Andor is the best piece of storytelling to come out of Star Wars since the EU’s The Fate of the Jedi book series in 2012. I am on the highest side of loved it! Season One opens by letting us know the setting is five years BBY (before the battle of Yavin), which, perked me up right off the bat, because that was a term used in the books, which had yet to be used in the movies or shows. Right away, Andor lets you know what kind of show it plans on being, as it opens with Star Wars’ first scene in a brothel. While I don’t think the show is inappropriate for kids, it is not made with kids as the primary audience — it tackles a more mature subject matter. Lucas had the idea of adding politics to the prequels as a way to entertain the adults in the audience, but where he failed, Andor succeeds and executes it perfectly. There is a political element to the show, but it isn’t bogged down with minutia; it weaves in all the behind the scenes plotting that would go into starting a rebellion as well as the Imperial perspective of trying to stop a rebellion before it starts.
For years, people have been comparing the Marvel movies to the genre they match: Winter Soldier is a spy movie, or Ant-Man is a heist movie. Well, its Star Wars’ turn, and Andor uses its format to give us a few different genres. There are four clear episode arcs, which really are four mini movies split up into 12 30-to-50-minute increments. Episodes one through three are a crime drama. It kicks off the story with Cassian committing a crime on a planet and the security force attempting to locate and arrest him. These episodes give us flashbacks of Cassian as a child, introduce many of the important characters, and set the action of the whole series into motion. The next three episodes are the heist episodes where Cassian is conscripted by a mysterious man named Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) to perform a payroll robbery on an Imperial stronghold. Episode seven is a bit of a transition episode, which leads into the next three-episode arc, where the show becomes a prison show. The amazing thing through all of these different styles is that at its core, throughout all 12 episodes, Andor still manages to have the through line of rebellion. Andor manages, even with this wonderful cast of characters, to stay true to Cassian. His relationship with authority, his relationship with his friends and family, and his place in the galaxy. Cassian was introduced to us in Rogue One as a “discount Kyle Katarn,” and didn’t really give me a reason to care much about him. Now, he feels like a fully fleshed-out character who has a clear arc, from being an aimless scoundrel just wanting to keep his head down and not get involved, to someone who sees the value and necessity in fighting against oppression.
While Cassian is off on the more adventure-centric moments of the show, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) is the ongoing B story, providing a very Game of Thrones style of politicking. For the first time, we are able to see how much the Rebellion’s main leader had to go through in order to resist the Empire. There are many scenes of absolute tension where she is conversing in public about seemingly nothing, but the undertone of the conversations are saying everything. She has to be smarter than everyone, while never knowing if she is surrounded by friends or foes, including her husband. In these moments the show turns itself into an excellent espionage thriller. Mon Mothma is just one of many characters who has to play in the “real world,” as well as in the shadows. Additionally, as the show progresses, we are privy to the inner workings of the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB), and a new character, Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), an up-and-comer in the ISB system. Meero is a character that reminds me of Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter, in that she may not be the main villain in the Star Wars universe, but her devotion to the Empire and what she is willing to do to achieve those goals is almost scarier than Vader or the Emperor himself. She believes she is the main character of the story, and this makes her Disney Star Wars’ best villain to date. On the flip side of the same coin, the show follows one other new character, Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), who is the security officer assigned to finding Cassian in first episode. Karn goes on his own journey in which he, too, thinks he’s the main character, only his story is one where nothing seems to ever go right. Karn lives in a constant state of confusion and frustration as if he has been imbibing a healthy dose of crazy pills. He believes in justice and the system, and he sees the Empire as good and right. But no one else around him seems to care as much as he does when it comes to what is right. He is blind to the corruption, even though that very corruption is what frustrates him. He is incredibly relatable for a character who walks that line where you are never sure if he will go full arch, or if he will have that revelatory moment in which he will wake up and become a rebel.
This show is not filled with as much action as one comes to expect from a Star Wars property, and that is very much to its benefit. Like the Millennium Falcon, “She’s got it where it counts.” In fact, one of my biggest praises is its ability to hold back and not go for the big, flashy battle moment. There is incredible restraint shown regarding a potential battle in which we are told about it, and there is a build up to it, but we only ever hear about the aftermath — the show allows us to sit in the results and ponder what it will mean for both the Empire and the Rebels. It’s like not showing the monster in a horror movie. Your imagination is able to do so much more when you can’t see it. Where the show saves its budget by not diving too deep into the heavy CGI action scenes, it is able to travel to real life locations and film on actual sets and environments. The Volume, which has been used in a lot of new movies and shows recently, was only used sparingly in Andor, and as a result, the show feels even more real and vibrant. The cinematography is beautiful and full of exquisite sites that are enhanced with CGI, rather than reliant of them.
I think it’s time to praise the actors and performances, which are crucial to bringing this amazing story to life. Everyone in this show is delivering outstanding work, as their characters all feel so real and made me believe that they belong in Star Wars. I won’t be able to give individual props to everyone because the list is incredibly long. Some characters are in just one or two episodes and stand out with mind blowing performances, but I do want to showcase my favorites. The standout of the season and my favorite character is Luthen. Part of why I like him so much is because much of his character shares a lot of qualities of one of my favorite EU characters, General Garm Bel Iblis. First introduced in the Thrawn Trilogy in the early ‘90s, Bel Iblis was a Correllian senator who was one of the first to form rebel cells and make offensives against the Empire. He built a network that would eventually join forces with Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, but he was always the more extreme of the three Rebel leaders. Luthen, if not a direct homage to Bel Iblis, definitely shares a ton of similarities, and Skarsgård crushes the role. It also helps that Skarsgård was my actual fan cast for Bel Iblis. He does double duty by essentially playing two characters in the show, and is able to transform himself from a gruff rebel to his cover identity of rich antiquities dealer so seamlessly. Luthen is another character who walks that line of good and evil, and for a good chunk of the show you don’t really know where he will fall. Skarsgård gives a speech at the end of episode 10, which finally gives us an insight into what drives his character and after that you will never question his resolve. His performance is so powerful and unlike anything we have seen in a movie or show in this universe. I would be incredibly surprised if he doesn’t receive awards consideration for this truly grim and heartbreaking performance.
The next performance of note comes from a surprising appearance by Andy Serkis as Kino Loy. Until he appeared in the show, I had no idea that he was even a part of the cast. Serkis does so much with only a few episodes, and he is exactly the type of Star Wars character that I could see showing up again. I wanted to know more about him because of how much determination and drive Serkis puts into his characters. This is a character I want to read books about, see show up in more shows, or even get his own show, and that is all due to Serkis.
The last actor I want to give some love is Fiona Shaw, who plays Maarva Andor, Cassian’s mother. Shaw has probably the smallest amount of screen time, but the largest impact. She is only in a few scenes throughout, but she represents the spirit of the rebellion and brings a raw, stubborn, “old woman who doesn’t have anything to lose” attitude to the proceedings. She gives her own speech in the finale, which had me in tears by the end and made me truly understand how open rebellion against tyranny can be so important to those under tyranny’s thumb. I know Shaw primarily as Aunt Petunia from the Harry Potter franchise, so to see someone who, for years, was an antagonist be such an inspiring force for good was astounding to me. Another award-worthy performance enhanced by expert writing.
Is Andor a perfect show? No, it has some problems, but not many. I could tell you all the little minor gripes I had, from technical things like starships being able to jump to hyperspace while still inside the gravity well of a planet (pet peeve of mine), or that there were hardly any aliens in the show (probably due to budgetary concerns). Or I could focus on larger issues like, how exactly does that prison system even work? (I have a huge question here, but it’s a spoiler, so if you’re curious feel free to ask me on Twitter once you’ve seen the prison arc). The only major problem I had with Andor was Disney’s release strategy. Hopefully the removal of Bob Chapek and the reinstatement of Bob Iger will right the ship when it comes to the creative decisions. The idea to release Andor as 12 individual episodes was the worst decision they have made to date regarding their shows. Having seen the whole show, I can say that the official way to watch this show is to treat episode blocks One through Three, Four through Six, and Eight through 10 as individual mini movies, with seven as a standalone transition episode, and 11-12 as the finale. An argument could also be made that you could watch them as four blocks of three-episode arcs, too, leaving you with one heck of a cliff hanger in Episode Nine as a lead into the finale (which TV shows do often). Either way, this show should absolutely never be watched as a week-to-week, single-episode experience, unless you’re the type of person who enjoys turning off movies after 40 minutes and finishing it two weeks later. I understand from a financial perspective they want subscribers to stay subscribed as long as possible, and Andor got them a solid three months of subscription fees while it was airing. But from a creative perspective, it is the dumbest way to keep people invested in your show, and creative should always trump financial.
One last gripe I have is how this show could be described to people as, “A Star Wars show that doesn’t really contain a lot of Star Wars.” I have said that I don’t like that “fans” and critics are complaining that they need to, “take the Star Wars” out of Star Wars by removing the Skywalkers/Solo clan and Jedi. But this show is the one example of how it can be done correctly. Granted, “the dark times” is known for its lack of both, so hopefully they stick to that format in this era only. My hope is that moving forward, they can implement this level of story telling and episode plotting and not be afraid to give us Han, Luke, Leia (non-CGI versions, preferably).
One last bit of praise, which is not an opinion, just a fact: B2-EMO is the most adorable freaking droid ever introduced into the Star Wars universe! He is just the most amazingly loyal, goodest boy there ever was, and he made me cry during the opening scene of Episode 11. If anything happens to him, I will start my own rebellion to save B2-EMO from the vile clutches of Darth Gilroy! I want a new droids show on Disney+ starring B2-EMO and R2-D2, as they are the two best droids ever!
If I haven’t made it clear by now, Andor is an amazing experience for anyone who enjoys good story telling, adventure, espionage, heists, or just plain old Star Wars. I hope this is where storytelling the in the Star Wars universe goes from here on out. The writing is smart and compelling, the characters are deep and engaging, and the plot for the episode blocks is well-thought-out and entertaining. The overall season arc is powerful and inspiring, with top tier acting, and the sets and cinematography are beautiful. This show gets a wholehearted recommend from me, a self-proclaimed Disney Star Wars detractor. Please give this show a chance, and if you can, follow my suggested viewing blocks, but either way, I guarantee you will have a great time.
Score: 10/10
Andor is currently streaming on Disney+
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