Reel Rating: 8.6/10 | 5-min read | Rated TV-14

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ‘ANDOR’ AND ‘ROGUE ONE’

Andor is Disney’s best Star Wars series and nobody is talking about it! Without the flashiness of Jedi’s or Baby Yoda; Andor beautifully expands the Star Wars universe and story of a character you didn’t know you wanted to know more about.

Focusing on Cassian Andor's journey to discover the difference he can make in the galaxy, Andor brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It's an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into the rebel hero we come to know in Rogue One (2016).

When Disney announced they were making this Andor show back in 2019, I will admit I was skeptical as to how intrigued I would be to check it out. It’s always interesting when studios decide to tell a story of a character whose fate has already been sealed. It feels like a situation where you need to work twice as hard to hook your audience because why should they care? Why should they invest themselves in this character and show?

For those reasons, Andor has no business being as good as it is! Diego Luna does a fantastic job leading the series, but the real beauty of this show comes from the strides it takes in building this ever-growing Star Wars universe. Giving the story more depth and also raising its cinematic potential.

What makes Andor so special?

Like many other fans, I was pretty underwhelmed by the Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) series earlier this year, and for a while, it made me ask myself, is this the best Star Wars can do?… Similarly, while I very much enjoy The Mandalorian (2018-), I never felt like that show would convince someone who isn’t interested in Star Wars to give this brand a try. This has all changed with Andor, but why?

Why did a show about Cassian Andor get so much love, while the return of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series was limited to whatever they could shoot on the Volume? That answer is still unknown to fans, yet is a significant contributor I believe to what makes this show so good.

Andor has broken the Disney Star Wars mould and is far from being a kid’s show, I doubt there is a large demographic of young people watching the series. It was obvious we were in for something different when episode 1 started in a brothel with Cassian killing an unarmed imperial officer, something I didn’t think was possible in this new Disney era of Star Wars, and a refreshing sign that Lucasfilm is looking to segment their audience and content.

AMAZING STORYTELLING: ANDOR IS STAR WARS IF IT WAS MADE BY HBO

You should know that Andor’s story is told in 4 chapter arcs each spanning around 3 episodes in length. This felt like not only a unique structure to follow but also one that would do good to sustain the impatience of Star Wars fans. 2 episodes of foundation and build-up come together in a third climactic act. Although, since this storytelling structure wasn’t communicated in the build-up to the show, and with Andor being a 12-episode season vs the traditional 6, I think fans were pretty put off by the usual lacklustre debut episodes of these Disney Plus series. With probably lots of fans abandoning Andor before the series got to show its real hand. Make sure to watch the first 3 episodes all at once to have the best experience.

Andor is a complex spy thriller set in Star Wars. It is the emotional and political beginning of the rebellion and is the most realistic the Empire has ever been, this is what tyranny is really like. There were a few complex plotlines in the show, I particularly loved the story within the imperial prison. I love how Cassian was initially arrested for no reason, they didn’t catch him for the heist, he was just wrongly imprisoned. The court scene perfectly captures the cruelty and arrogance of the Empire to the common folk. Another example of how Andor pushed to tell the story of the everyday person.

Andy Serkis was a brilliant guest star as Kino Loy, he showed us another type of person living under the rule of the Empire. I loved how when we meet him he is paned as the villain but as the chapter progresses you learn he’s just as afraid as everyone else of pissing off the heads above. The moment where he reveals to Cassian that he can’t swim after they had done all that work to escape, and with Cassian being tackled off the edge, is one of the saddest moments we’ve seen in Star Wars yet.

In a surprise post-credit scene it was also revealed that the machines that Cassian and the other inmates were building were pieces of the infamous Death Star…duh duh duh…the planet-killing weapon that eventually takes Cassian’s life in Rogue One. Now that’s just great plot development. Whether Cassian will find out about this in season 2 is a question I bet many fans want the answer to.

Even the minor details in Andor are fascinating, the intentional decision to not use subtitles for the Kenari kids was such an interesting stylistic choice, it forced you to interpret what was going on through their body language rather than relying on dialogue. I also loved how the planet and people of Ferrick’s were portrayed, lots of Star Wars projects take place on many different planets but we never get to spend any time figuring out what separates these places other than how they look. Andor did a great job at showing how rebel planets like Ferrick’s are a joined community, while planets ruled by the Empire have soured the souls of those who live under them. Further drawing that line between good and evil.

For some reason, Disney likes to wait until the show is finished to announce whether or not they will create subsequent seasons for their show, yet the content they release is paced like a multiseason story. I think this is one of the biggest things harming the success of these shows, if you just announce from the beginning that Andor will be 2 seasons long, fans will be less impatient when you use an entire episode having Cassian just walk around town.

THE SETS ARE AS GRAND AS THE STORY

Star Wars and Disney are famous for their use of a revolutionary piece of technology called The Volume; a 360-degree LED screen that allows you to generate, and manipulate digital during shooting vs using a green/blue screen. Although because of the capabilities of this tech, as any business does, recently Disney has notably started to cut corners on going to shoot out on location. This is another thing that sets Andor apart from previous Star Wars projects; the sets and cinematography were on a whole other level, the sheer scale of this show is something to behold on its own, with sets much grander and shot on actual locations Andor is breathtaking and pleasing to the eye, to say the least.

Episode 5 ‘The Eye’ features one of, if not the best-looking sequence in Star Wars to date. This series has the cinematic elegance of The Last Jedi while telling a true Star Wars story. In my opinion, this is exactly how I want Star Wars to be, at least for the content curated for people my age.

Standout Performance: Diego Luna as Cassian Andor

It would be a disservice to his hard work to not award him this Diego Luna carries the series from beginning to end, even when he’s not on screen you’re wondering what’s happening to him. Very glad to see he was nominated for ‘Best Actor’ at the Golden Globes, he deserves it.

This is not actually a show about telling Cassian Andors story, this is the story of the birth of the rebellion and they’re just using Andor as a familiar face to guide you in what is a distant departure from previous Star Wars projects.

If anything this show makes Cassian the most interesting character in Rogue One, just for how anonymously accomplished he is. During this series, he is involved in both the largest robbery in the history of the Empire, as well as the first mass breakout from any Empire prison, yet nobody is aware of this. And continuously throughout the season, Cassian is viewed as selfish for his actions, challenged by others to fight for something bigger than himself, but he never reveals that he was a key orchestrator of these events that inspired so many. This plays very well into the series intentions of establishing the foundation of the rebellion, people who are fighting for change and not notoriety.

Characters like Andor are exactly who we want to see these mini-series for; I don’t want to see origin stories told through these series, to be honest, Disney has proven to struggle in this department. I much prefer meeting these characters in a film, then going on to learn things that we didn’t know about this likeable character rather, than trying to force you to like someone in their own show. Or trying to introduce characters in other people’s shows.

What does this mean for the quality of future Star Wars projects?

I’ve always had this idea, and looked upon all these shows as part of one large Star Wars TV series. With each individual show being a chapter in a universal story. Not every character appears in every season, and characters have the ability to crossover into each other’s shows. Even though I suspect that this is how Disney is treating it, without putting a label on it, their intentions are not clear to the fans.

With large pop culture IPs, it seems almost impossible to satisfy a fan base. I was quite shocked to see the amount of hardcore fans who were dissatisfied with this show. To those fans, I simply say: “Star Wars is an eternal franchise, as I’m sure you’re well aware, it has proven time and time again that it can come back and it is one that will only improve with technology. Star Wars is not going to end anytime soon, so if you’re worried about the overall pacing of Andor, take a deep breath, and have faith that this is the way.

With Star Wars, I think more than Marvel the brand needs to focus its content on expanding the demographic and reputation amongst the public. This is something that Andor delivers perfectly, though I hope that its low viewership doesn’t cause Disney to see this show as a move in the wrong direction. I believe when you’re releasing projects that are so different at such an abundant rate; fans are confused about what they’re supposed to expect from a Star Wars series. This seems to be more of a Disney problem than a star wars specific problem as Marvel suffers from the same issues as well, and Disney is the parent company to both of these brands. Though once they start making more shows like Andor, showcasing that you’re prioritizing quality over quantity again with your content, the fans will find their way.

I recently saw that Andor was completely snubbed from Golden Globes nominations, which is a crime if you ask me. Diego Luna was nominated for Best Actor, though I doubt he’ll win because as I mentioned before, the greatness of this show isn’t all about him. Though if Disney maintains the quality of Andor in future project releases, this will be only the beginning of Star Wars being recognized as an award-worthy brand.

What to Expect from Andor Season 2: Lots of Stories to Close

One of the most shocking things about this story was how many different plot points it opened, and also didn’t close by the end of the season. Andor was renewed for a well-needed season 2 to finish off its story and it looks like its gonna be go go go from the start. Here are a few things we can expect in Andor Season 2, which will stream on Disney+ in 2024:

THE REVEAL OF THE REBELLION

During the Season 1 finale, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) makes her toughest decision yet; trading the fate of her daughter for the fate of the Rebellion. We learn throughout the season that there is a very interesting dynamic in Mpn Mothma’s family, and from what we see of her marriage, we could assume that what she is reluctantly doing to her own daughter is what happened to her. I love the layering this provides to the interpretation of the rebellion, delving into the sacrifices everyone is making beyond their literal lives. The ones that they have to live with day in and day out as they silently fight for change. So I would expect Andor season 2 to mark the official announcement of The Rebellion.

CASSIAN JOINS THE FIGHT

After that last-minute cliffhanger, we have to assume Andor goes off with Luthen to join the rebellion. Hearing Marva’s speech and Gilroy’s manifesto in the finale was definitely a turning point for Cassian, and from what he witnessed during his missions during the season, the Empire needs to be stopped. There’s this beautiful circular parallel of how Marva’s speech inspires Cassian and Marva was inspired by Cassian’s actions on Aldhani. As mentioned earlier, Cassian was unknowingly constructing the death star while imprisoned, so his discovering of the destruction he will contribute to will undoubtedly be another motivator in joining this fight.

WILL CASSIAN EVER FIND HIS SISTER?

A plot point that started this whole train of events that was left unanswered at the end of season 1 had Cassian searching the galaxy to find his long-lost sister, whom he had last seen as a child on their homeworld Kenari. We hear Marva throughout the season tell Cassian to abandon this search, and at the end of the season there’s no clear indication that this search will continue though Andor doesn’t seem like the type of show to leave these plots open,

DID KINO LOY SURVIVE???

I mean possibly the most important question answered is what happened to Kino Loy after the events of episode 10? The last we saw of him he told Cassian that he couldn’t swim, so we never really find out if he jumped into the water and escaped or not. Hopefully, he’ll reappear in some way in season 2.

Andor is one of the very best things ever to come out of the Star Wars universe. It’s a masterfully constructed political and spy thriller that allows audiences to experience the early days of The Rebellion through the eyes of a man who hasn’t fully come into his own yet. Andor doesn’t shy away from taking its time to tackle real-world issues and challenge the oppressive nature of bureaucracy, telling a beautiful story of why the everyday man and woman are risking their lives for the cause.

I hope you enjoyed this show as much as I did, and that we will see more Star Wars content like Andor in the future!