If you’re someone who doesn’t like politics in your entertainment, you should stay far away from Andor. That said, with the release of the series’ second and final season, you should also be aware that you’ll be missing out on not only one of the greatest pieces of Star Wars media ever created, but also one of the best wartime thrillers to reach the small screen in recent years.
As a little context, for a short while, in the mid 2010s, custodians of the Star Wars brand decided to give filmmakers more creative freedom when playing in A Galaxy Far, Far Away. By 2018, that experiment seemed over, as evidenced by the complete overhaul of Solo, but before that, audiences were treated to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which stripped out the space wizards with laser swords and delved into the sacrifices of the grassroots Rebel Alliance in their efforts to take down the Galactic Empire. Set before the original Star Wars film, A New Hope, this was a universe where the Jedi were thought extinct, and any acts of insurrection were by ordinary people facing disheartening odds; individuals who could be killed be a single blaster shot.
Darker, more mature all round, Rogue One was massively acclaimed, and proceeded to spawn a prequel series in the form of Andor in 2022. With Rogue One’s co-writer and reshoot director Tony Gilroy – the same man responsible for writing the Bourne movies, and making Michael Clayton – at the helm, Andor explores how Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) transitions from a survival-minded thief to a key Rebel leader.
Following Rogue One’s tonal lead, Season 1 of Andor doubled down on showing the horrors of life under the Empire, which previous Star Wars popcorn blockbusters only alluded to. It’s one thing watching a planet exploded from a distance, and another to witness prisoner deportations and forced labour due to warped judicial process; the rape of planetary resources as locals and their culture are steamrolled into oblivion; and torture techniques using the screams of genocided children. And that was just Season 1.
During the space of three years in our off-screen reality, Andor has transformed from a cautionary tale to something perhaps too on the nose. And yet, the Star Wars fans who were so vocal about The Acolyte’s “wokeness” have been very quiet about a series that is so unveiled in its antifascist attitudes and representational inclusion.
Then again, Andor benefits from a kind of credibility that runs through to its core. In addition to embracing the use of real-world, tactile sets and costuming, the series doesn’t hide behind the distraction of franchise cameos and whizz bang special effects; the kind of visual dazzle seen in fellow Star Wars series The Mandalorian for example. At times, it’s easy to forget that you’re even watching Star Wars, until a squad of Stormtroopers march by, or characters jump in a spacecraft. Even alien creatures seem a minority on Andor’s homogenous planets under Empire control.
Andor continually leans into the recognisable for audiences. Until the show, did anyone know that Core World citizens in Star Wars get their news from propaganda-twisted broadcasts, and have their tradition-drenched weddings culminate with shots on the dancefloor under a disco ball? Suddenly Star Wars feels a lot more relatable.
Paired with its practical visual approach and a general sophistication in cinematography and cross-cut editing, Andor is slowburn, performance driven, and keen – in between the series’ signature, rousing speeches – to show, not tell, the complexities of its world. Andor even gives space to emotionally stunted people who might find (or think they find) their place within the Empire’s governing bodies. These include ambitious Imperial Security Bureau supervisor Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and browbeaten administrator Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), both of whom crave approval and glory, but find themselves shaken over where their goals lead them – especially once Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) appears on the scene with his top secret Death Star project. We’re all the heroes of our own story, after all.
On the good guys’ side, meanwhile, it’s not just about Cassian. Andor is an ensemble, and makes sure to spotlight the immense risk taken by Rebel organisers operating in plain sight on the city planet of Coruscant, along with the morally grey decisions they must make. Standing out here are Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael, an apparently flamboyant antiques dealer funding the Rebellion alongside idealist Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) who is forever walking a tightrope under intense surveillance. Luthen and Mon’s secret identities must hold, or else.
Arguably only one character in Andor is really done dirty, and that’s Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen, a black market dealer and mechanic, whose “development” over two seasons runs disappointingly backwards, positioning her solely as motivation for Cassian.
Speaking of seasons, Andor S2 is quite different to Season 1 structurally, despite both consisting of 12 episodes. Whereas the debut season focused on a relatively compact time period, the latest batch of episodes spans four years, jumping forward 12 months every three installments. Viewed another way, Andor Season 2 comprises four movies (it’s releasing in three-episode portions) devoted to a plot arc, before moving on.
This approach is handy for covering a lot of ground narratively, but the downside is that it can be frustrating for audience emotional investment. Some storylines are more engaging than others. While the opening chapter draws parallels with Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon, it’s the episodes devoted to the Empire’s chilling and all-too-familiar actions on the Old Europe-esque planet of Ghorman that hit hardest, and they’re in the middle of the season. After that, you might find your interest flagging.
In addition, with Andor S2 covering nearly half a decade, characters simply disappear from the story, or are denied on-screen catharsis regarding tragic events. Then again, this is the realism of Andor. No matter the feelings of those left behind, people do blip out of existence while life carries on, especially during wartime. While the Star Wars movies might deliver a heroic death set to a soaring John Williams score, in Andor characters fall silently as a result of an accident. Sometimes they’re even killed offscreen.
It’s a bold creative choice that demands reconciliation on the viewer’s part. At the same time, though, it means that the stakes are very high. Anyone can die, which means suspense is ramped up to nearly unbearable levels when characters are on high-risk missions or generally in peril. Don’t be surprised if your smartwatch gives you a stress warning in these moments.
There’s no escaping the fact that as a prequel to Rogue One, Andor needs to wrap up with its pieces perfectly placed, leading to some convolution and jarring late-stage cast additions. How the series sets up its board, though, is brave (like its isolated resistance fighters), thought provoking and relevant today more than ever. It’s Star Wars fully grown up, holding open the eyes of viewers whether they want to see or not, and is more likely than any other entry in the franchise to win over people who declare they don’t like Star Wars.
Andor Season 2 is screening on Disney+ from 23 April in South Africa. It will release with three-episode drops every week for four weeks.
This review is based on all 12 episodes of Andor Season 2, with early access provided by Disney.
