I’m not at all a Star Wars fan. I do enjoy a few of the films but none of them really got to me except for ‘Rogue One.’ It’s only ‘Rogue One’ that got me to understand and feel what it was the Rebellion was fighting for. It gave the whole franchise the meat and emotional punch that I felt was missing from that universe. All this talk of the Skywalkers and the Sith Lords and it all felt so compact and fictional. I can understand why some critics have called it a space opera. It wasn’t until ‘Rogue One’ that the authoritarianism of the Empire became palpable. It wasn’t just concepts thrown around. You could see it: the tyranny and the terror. And it wasn’t a special saviour coming to save the day. It was the everyday revolutionary who wanted change.
It’s why of all the Star Wars series on Disney+, the only ones I followed were ‘The Mandalorian’ (only until season 2) and ‘Andor.’ The first season of Andor was just pitch perfect for me. A true-blue science fiction story with great world building, memorable characters (with great performances by the actors portraying them), and a plot that detailed the challenges of putting together a rebellion while an empire slowly turns fascist. ‘Andor season 1’ gave us a in-depth look into the origins of Cassian Andor, the male protagonist of ‘Rogue One’ and how he became a part of the Rebellion. It was an origin story that showed us why one must stand up to tyranny at all costs.
On the second season, Andor (Diego Luna) is now awake and radicalized but he is also burnt out and jaded from all the horrors he has seen and been a party of. He is still doing missions for Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) while questioning his own part to play.
The 12-episode season is released 3-episodes per week. With the first 9 having already dropped, and the last 3 to be aired next week; ‘Andor’ has proven itself to be the most grounded of the Star Wars properties. Through the first 9 episodes, we see Andor try to keep his family together – Bix (Adria Arjona), Brasso (Joplin Sibtain), and Wilmon (Muhannad Bhaier) – while navigating his complex relationship with Luthen. Luthen is trying to keep the Rebellion one step ahead of the Empire working with his assistant Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau) and Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly). On the other side, Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) is given an opportunity to work on a secret project that allows her to use her new lover Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) as an agent in the contested planet of Ghorman.
Played out over four years, with each new three episodes happening one year later from the previous, what ‘Andor Season 2’ does is build from the extensive world building that was already laid out in season 1 and then shows us the full ramifications of the price and the cost of a revolution and, on the flipside, what authoritarianism can do to those who blindly follow it, until they are no longer blind and must reconcile in their own participation of tyranny.
While a lot of the later episodes of the season start to push for a narrative that Andor is meant or destined to make things happen – a bit Skywalker-ish, for my taste – it’s left ambiguous enough and just implied that it doesn’t take away from Cassian Andor’s everyman quality that makes this show so captivating. Mon Mothma is no Princess Leia. Luthen Rael is not as flashy or charming as Han Solo. And they shouldn’t be. These are the rebel fighters who are doing the dirty work day-to-day trying to keep the spirit of revolution alive so that oppression does not take over from the ruling class. The show brings us to various locations and worlds, the CGI-quality is the best I’ve ever seen from a Star Wars show, but it is also so intricate that you can pick up the commentary that it has on our everyday world. The indulgence and the lavish set up of the capital of Coruscant versus the old world and traditional designs of Ghorman or another world that is just filled with fields and fields of grain. The contrast between the corrupt city versus the outer worlds that are producing things of value who are the bearer of the Empire’s need for control.
We know that this show will lead straight into ‘Rogue One’ and we know how that movie ends but we are still left captivated by the turn of events that forces Cassian Andor to do what he does in the later film. The film is powered by what drives people to risk everything, to risk all for the freedom of all. I’m amazed at how this show can make real the desire to want real change for the world and to look at tyrants and authoritarian regimes like the Empire and call it out for its propaganda and greedy, abusive, and exploitative methods for control.
There’s a fan favourite from ‘Rogue One’ who has made an appearance at the end of episode 9, and we’ll get to see more of them in the last three episodes, as well as a fantastic look into the origins of two of the show’s most interesting characters. ‘Rogue One’ and ‘Andor’ are the two shows that makes Star Wars, and all of its films feel big and important because prior to this, the terms “rebels” and “empire” were just abstract words thrown about to determine who is good and bad. But now, in ‘Rogue One’ and ‘Andor’, we can really feel the danger, the urgency, and the hope that this franchise is grounded on. Revolutions are hard. You must risk everything, but it is worth it. ‘Andor’ makes me see this and entertains me at the same time.
My Rating:
Stream Andor Season 2 on Disney+ now and witness the gritty fight for freedom!
