Star Wars: Andor

Wow. I just finished episode 12 of the first season of this show. As a lifelong Star Wars fan, I feel like I'm about 12 years old again. To me, the thing about the Star Wars universe that fascinated me was never the jedi, or the mysticism, or the lightsabers. All that was cool, but to me, the fascination was for the struggle. The underdog vs the world. The fight against oppression. From the original series, Wedge was my favorite character- just a regular guy doing his part.

Return of the Jedi was always my favorite, despite its flaws. The reason was the epic battle sequence at the end. Unlike basically every piece of star wars media since, ROTJ's battle focused extensively on regular 'people'. This is what the Ewoks represented- an oppressed civilisation. It's a little hokey in practice, but the message was the important thing. Likewise, the space battle was all regular pilots doing their best to survive a last-ditch battle. Green Leader going out of control and kamikazi-ing the super star destroyer, Wedge and Lando shooting out the reactor. Again, these were regular people doing their bit to fight the empire. The Rebel Alliance is built on THEIR backs, not those of some space wizard (all respect to Luke).

To me, Star Wars media lost sight of that until Rogue One. Here, they continue (or start) the tradition by focusing on Andor.

Let's be clear, Cassian Andor is not really the protagonist here. The Rebel Alliance is, and Cassian is the perspective through which we are seeing it, as a regular guy down on his luck finding his way in the galaxy despite a world of harshness thrown at him. Likewise, we see it from the perspective of its architects, Mon Mothma, a politician doing it 'straight', and Luthen Rael, a spy/terrorist playing the deeper, more violent game. We also see the Empire as the antagonist, through the eyes of those who wish for order, like Syril Karn, and a promising and talented ISB agent, Dedra Meero.

There are no jedi or lightsabers here, and surprisingly few battles and pew-pews. Almost no jokes, and (amazingly) no "I have a bad feeling about this."

What we get instead, and what I have needed from this franchise for a very long time, is incredible acting. Unbelievably good writing, and fantastic attention to detail. This is one of the most well-made shows I've ever seen. Every character's action, good or bad, makes sense here. This is Star Wars, the Real Drama, where I can simultaneously understand the perspective of a Rebel and an Imperial. I may not agree with one, or even both, of them, but I understand them.... I might even sympathise with them. It is like The Wire in the star wars universe. It really is THAT good.

I have no notes for this. There is nothing I can imagine that would make it better. It may not be for kids or for everyone. It is slow. It has relatively little action and no humor. But- if you enjoy suspense, and tension, in a Hitchcockian way.... you MUST watch this. If you're a star wars fan who enjoyed the series for those regular men and women in the background, then again, you must watch this. If you are a fan of revolutionary or antifascist history, you must watch this.

I cannot wait for Season 2.

OK- it's 7 May 2025. I've come back to make a slight edit after watching episodes 1-9.

All I can say is... I wish there would be a Season 3. I think Season 2 is forced to be just a *little* clunky in the way it skips years between three-episode arcs... but my god is that a minor critique. The acting. The writing. The production value, set design, costumes... I do not know if it is possible to make a show that is as incredibly high-quality as this.

If you aren't watching this... just watch it.

If you don't enjoy the absolute tension and drama... well downvote me because we're just not on the same wavelength.

I wish all Star Wars... hell all media.. was this good.

Didnt like the new movies and even Mandalorian was somehow boring. So I was almost going to skip Andor, glad I didnt.

This is well written, gritty and as adult as we can hope for at this point. Disney is maybe realising that there is a huge group of SW fans that are middle-age or over. It almost doesnt feel like SW made by Disney, but made by HBO.

Much more into the story line and character arcs than pim-pam-laser-fights and explosions. Casting is spot on on many roles and I have met only couple of situations where I go: "This should have been written better".

First time since long time I cannot wait next episode of Star Wars. Disney please dont mess this up for me.

This is, minute for minute, some of the best television on today. Not a ton of FX. Just a compelling story and great acting. It is certainly more adult than other CGI laden spin offs. I don't think any cute cuddly toys will emerge from the series. But the story shines.

The plight of the rebels feels real. We're drawn into the characters one by one. The acting is first class. The writing succinct. And the ever enigmatic Andor keeps the tension taught and mysterious.

Though the series seemed in no hurry to gain traction, it's totally forgivable as we approach mid season. We're drawn to the next episode as we anticipate the the rage sure to be drawn by the empire.

The writers seem merciless with the characters and Andor himself has a sharp unscrupulous edge not quite on display in Rogue One.

Big thumbs up.

Andor is why I pay my Disney+ subscription. This is Star Wars for those who have grown up with the franchise and are yearning for a more mature take on the Universe. It's hard to use the work 'realistic' when it comes to sci-fi, but everything about Andor feels real. The characters act sensibly and their actions never feel like they are purely made to drive the plot forward. I think the last time I used the term 'sci-fi that transcends it's boundary' was when talking about Battlestar Galactica. I think I can safely use that term here too. It's not a action sci-fi, so it's audience it probably smaller, so I hope it will not get cancelled. I hope Disney can find the courage to front a show based on quality and not just audience numbers. I believe that quality shows will always be good revenue earners over time as they are appreciated by more people, even if they are not the most popular out of the box.

There were a few episodes I didn't like in both seasons, but after finishing up season 2 I can say this show is truly a masterpiece. The writing and acting were phenomenal. This was an adult story that Star Wars fans always wanted. Characters that had many dimensions to them. Good and evil were blurred as they can be in real life. Almost all the characters had many different sides to them. Bad things were done by "good" characters. You felt the pain of many of these characters. You felt like the stakes were real. Appropriate humor as well. No your momma jokes or drinking blue milk from alien nipples. You felt the weight of the story. Watching this show brings so much more context to Rogue One(the only good Disney SW movie). A show like this will have lasting impacts on the fanbase. We are not toxic as Disney always claims. We just want a good story with developed characters and no Agenda being forced down our collective throats.