In recent years, Disney’s Star Wars’ cinematic works have been plagued by a consistent list of problems: namely, lackluster writing, uninspired plots, and characters as bland as poorly baked biscotti. The music has been generally unremarkable, a disappointment to the many viewers accustomed to John Williams’ near-perfect accompaniments, and each “new” world introduced feeling like a lesser version of ones from the original trilogy.
In short, they’ve been bad. Really bad.
And fans are tired of it.
With series such as The Book of Boba Fett having muddied many long-time fans’ perception of beloved legacy characters, and Obi-Wan Kenobi having been a bit of a disappointment (this one hit particularly hard for me, as Obi-Wan is my favourite Star Wars character), it’s a wonder that the franchise is still as popular as it is. I won’t even start on the sequel trilogy’s glaring faults—that’s a rant for another article.
But it seems something has finally clicked among the Star Wars executives. A new series exclusive to Disney+ has made its debut. And gosh, what a debut it was.
- The miraculous mundanity -
Andor (2022), a show centered around the secondary protagonist of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (whose name, you’ve guessed it, is Cassian Andor) 5 years before the events of the film, has given new life to Star Wars in its entirety. Without spoiling, Andor—the series, not the man—has thrown away the predictable, fast-paced nature which blocked meaningful expansion within the universe, and has instead favoured a slower, calculated, and suspenseful tone. There is still a tasteful amount of action, but not so much as to take away from character development or story progression.
The world feels lived in, the characters cynical, and the newly formed Galactic Empire’s rule of terror has left the galaxy in a gritty state of disrepair. Thematically, Andor’s atmosphere fits perfectly within the time in which it's set, giving the series a sense of maturity Star Wars hasn’t felt since… well, ever. We get our first illusion to more, ahem, “explicit” subject matter—one of the first scenes taking place in a brothel—and, unlike almost every Star Wars show before it, people stay dead when killed (which, frankly, shouldn’t be something we should have to ask for as fans, but there are only so many fake deaths one can endure). This is what Star Wars has been lacking for nearly a decade, and what Andor so readily provides.
Yet, above all else, my favourite aspect of Andor is whose story is being told.
Now, for context, my father and I discuss Star Wars quite often. He’s the biggest fan of the original trilogy I’ve ever known, and the one who introduced me to the franchise. So for years now I’ve complained to him; arguing that Star Wars needs to step away from Jedi and Sith for a while. Instead, I proposed focus should be placed on the little people—your regular Joes throughout the galaxy. And that’s precisely what Andor provides.
At the end of episode 3, you get a montage of the people affected by what happened in the story up ‘til then. All of those shown would have likely been overlooked in a mainline Star Wars movie. And you don’t only see them; you care for them, their experiences. They’re interesting, personable, even if they’re antagonists. It’s marvellous.
The best example of a regular person being given the spotlight is, however, our main character; Cassian Andor.
- Finally, no more Skywalkers -
Cassian, for nearly all of what we’ve seen so far, is nothing more than a slippery, morally grey smuggler, who really doesn’t have much to tether to. For example, here are some facts on his general character: he kills two men in the first 10 minutes of episode 1. He lies, he steals, and if memory serves, he has used at least 3 aliases since the show began (“Cassian Andor” not included).
Now, if you’ve seen Rogue One, you know that he becomes someone far more critical to the fate of the galaxy down the line. But most of his story told within the show is about your everyday scoundrel, and it works so, so well. He’s likeable, with realistic motivations, and above all else, seems normal. He’s not special, which makes him far more refreshing to see on screen than the lightsaber-wielders and esteemed dignitaries Star Wars usually highlights.
Sure, Cassian gets a job with the Rebellion for a while, but even then his group consists of only a motley crew; all but one of the operation’s 6 other members being the nobodies you’d expect to be in a small, guerrilla-type force. At this point, the Rebellion is not anywhere near the level of organization and status as in the original trilogy (the Imperials don’t even have a proper name for the insurrectionists), so I think it’s safe to assume that this doesn’t change Cassian’s status as a normal fellow in the Star Wars galaxy.
All this to say that the bar has been set high for the franchise’s writing and characters moving forward—let’s hope future works can reach it.
The fact that the show is this incredibly good, on a budget of an estimated 10 to 15 million USD (relatively small for a Star Wars project), is a testament to the care put in by the director, Toby Haynes, along with his wonderful cast and crew.
- Everything has a fault -
My only real gripe with Andor is its lack of non-humanoid creatures, as diversity of species has been a staple of Star Wars since A New Hope in 1977. That said, there are various explanations for why this could be canonically, so I feel that this complaint is minor when compared to the overwhelming success this series has found otherwise.
- Quality over quantity -
Albeit short, and with 4 episodes still left to release (only 8 are out at the time of this being written), I feel confident in saying that season 1 of Andor is the best live-action series to come from Star Wars to date (the Clone Wars, 2D and 3D animated versions together, being the best Star Wars show, period).
Yes, I’d even rank Andor higher than the beloved The Mandalorian, though I’m aware that’s a bold stance. To each their own.
I recall, as a child, feeling that Star Wars was a boundless universe; chalked to the brim with life and adventure. That the beings found within its stories were odd and entertaining, the kind of people you could listen to talk for hours and hours about anything at all. Its stories truly felt like events from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Star Wars lost that charm for a while, a charm that was sorely missed. Disney seemed to prioritize quantity (or, rather, how much merchandise they could sell from all these different shows,) over quality, an outlook all too common from larger companies nowadays.
But now, that wonder and excitement has returned. Not only for this story alone, but the franchise in its entirety. And it’s all thanks to Andor.
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