When Andor was announced in 2018, it was just one of many Star Wars series in the works for the new Disney+ streaming service. Four years later, at a time when many Star Wars come out every year, the first time Andor managed to raise the bar for the Star Wars show could be by creating his own part of the galaxy, which is real. always, but not yet. It has not been fully explored until now. It could also pave the way for Lucasfilm, showing that the audience will accept a story that goes beyond the legend of the Skywalker saga.
Before this series, audiences knew Rogue One’s Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as a dedicated rebel leader who gave his life for the one thing that could change their war: a plan for the Star Wars. The Cassian we meet at the beginning of Andor is a very different rogue. He is selfish, pessimistic, and wants nothing to do with any side of the conflict. In the first season of Andor, the audience sees Cassian’s transformation from a ruthless criminal to a man who resembles the brutal rebel leader they remember. Most importantly, viewers see what it took for Cassian to finally dedicate his life to the Rebellion — a decision he would mock at the beginning of the series. And while Star Wars often offers a complex and complex story, bringing back the level of oppression of the Empire and the sacrifice of the Rebellion, Andor gets the name in a way that works before.
In a franchise known for its solid history of good versus evil – and how the former will win the latter – Andor discovers a different kind of Star Wars story. Andor looks through the eyes of the unchosen – those who live under the oppression of the Empire day and night. People who are not related to Jedi or Skywalker or Solo. Through Cassian’s eyes, we see the Empire – and the Rebellion – for what they really are. An empire? A bigger and more common evil than a group of pointless Stormtroopers. And the rebellion? Organized efforts are more complex than just “good guys”. They are willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means sacrificing their own well-being in the process.
In the finale, Cassian gives rebel leader Luthern Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) two choices: kill him or let him join the rebellion. This brings Season 1 full circle to his character and brings him closer to Cassian Andor who stole the Death Star plans from Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). Cassian does not join the cause; he does it because he needs to. During this time, he committed murder, killed a large number of robbers of the emperors and threw him into a harsh labor prison. He spent several stints in prison, only to find his friends back home suffering the consequences of his actions. This leaves Cassian with no choice but to retaliate. It’s a very real choice, the kind of break that only comes after his life under the Empire’s thumb.
“I’d rather die trying to take them down than die giving them what they want,” Cassian tells fellow inmate Kino Loy (Andy Serkis) in Episode 10. As viewers, we know that Cassian ends up giving his life for the rebellion. This knowledge makes us lean towards Andor, knowing that one day he will be the hero of a greater story. But despite the knowledge of his destiny, the knowledge that can remove the misery from the process, the things remain high. It’s not just about whether Cassian lives or dies, it’s about the lives of the common people around him, fighting for another day they may never see.
Andor and I, Cassian’s story opens up the gameplay of Star Wars a bit. There are things in the Galaxy far, far beyond the Skywalkers and the Chosen. In fact, there is an entire world of people slowly falling under the fascism that is bent on crushing any rebellion that begins, and the brutality it carries out is the trigger. resistance itself.
“We need the help of the Empire,” Luther said in the eighth minute. We should be angry with them. We need them to come down hard. Oppression breeds rebellion. It’s an infuriating feeling – Luther was willing to let people die and suffer at the hands of the Empire to further his cause – and one that the audience didn’t really feel when they saw Luke use it. victory destroys the death star in A. A new hope. As Andor always reminds us, behind the greatest victory is the terrible cost it took to get there. Having been revealed as the real mastermind behind the start of the rebellion, Luther remains one of the show’s most important characters, and perhaps one of the most important Star Wars characters to date. In previous Star Wars stories, a character like Luther could be cast as a villain. He is cruel, cruel, paints a threatening picture and can take on the most rebellious people like Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker). But his character shows us the real work of making rebellion successful. In order to create the military stronghold that Luke Skywalker joins in Episode IV, Luther had to lay the groundwork, sacrificing everything in his life in the process.
“I have given up any chance of inner peace,” Luther said in the 10th episode. “I burn my life to create a sunrise that I know I will never see. And the money that started this fight will not have a mirror, or an audience, or the light of gratitude. So what am I chasing? All!”
Karis Nemik (Alex Lawther) writes in the Cassian Studies journal at the end of season 1, “A tyranny always requires effort.” It breaks. It’s leaking. Government is weak. Abuse is a mask of fear…Even the smallest act of rebellion continues in our ranks. And then, remember this. Imperialism’s need for control is critical because it is unnatural.
In Andor, the audience sees the Empire in all its glory. And this time, there is no Darth Vader coming or cackling, forcing Emperor Palpatine to be seen. This is a true portrait of the Empire in its cold, calculated and oppressive way. With characters like the cruel Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) or the ambitious Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), the franchise finally reveals the passion behind the Empire. These Imperial agents aren’t just Palpatine’s evil puppets. They wholeheartedly believe in the Empire’s mission – a scarier idea than perhaps the threat of the death of the Star itself. In Episode Nine, Meero says that unlike his colleagues who have a simple Imperial view, he prefers a “softer way” to protect the Empire. For Meero, her career is in danger, for that, she will risk anything. It’s an idea not far removed from that of freedom fighter Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay), rebel agent Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), or even Luthen himself. The rebellion faces not only the big government, but also those within them who feel as strongly as the rebels – not freedom, but power.
These ideas of tyranny, sacrifice and change can cause Andor to collapse under his own weight. Still, the creative vision of showrunner Tony Gilroy has made Star Wars feel complete, real, and accessible. Among the Luke Skywalkers of the world walks Cassian Andor.
When Rogue One hit theaters in 2016, it received critical and fan acclaim, establishing itself as one of the most beloved Star Wars films to date. It’s different, it’s gritty and everyone dies in the end. This makes the upcoming events in Episodes IV, V, and VI all the more important.
Andor produced such a work. Building on the dark tone of Rogue One, this series not only adds a great atmosphere to what will happen in the future, but also sets the stage for other works of the same stamp in the Star Wars galaxy. Although there will be a place for a Jedi-centric story or a love for Grogu’s beloved creation, maybe Lucasfilm is ready to be kinder, take a big step forward, or go bigger. Maybe a movie focused on Skywalker or the Marvel Cinematic Universe series is not the way to go. Perhaps the way forward is to focus more on unique standalone stories that enrich the universe in their own way. For the second season, which will conclude the series, Gilroy is working on 12 episodes that will connect Rogue One.
