When it comes to my feelings on “Star Wars”, I’m partial to fast moving adventures, imaginative creatures, alien worlds, exciting lightsaber fights, the force, giant monsters, space battles and appearances from familiar characters. With all that said, I’ve also wanted this series to challenge me and win me over without hitting the bullet points that so frequently appeal to my inner fan boy. The 2022 series “Andor” was just the thing to put me to the test and win me over for things I don’t usually look for in “Star Wars”. This is a slow burning, suspense building, character driven epic that focuses on layered storytelling, timely themes, reflective ideas, and brings in hold-over characters that don’t feel like fan service in the slightest. To get right to the point, I feel this show accomplished something incredible … it became one of the greatest “Star Wars” offerings I’ve ever seen, and it did so without relying on anything I typically want from this franchise.
Set roughly a half decade before the events of the 2016 movie “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, we follow the journey of one Cassian Andor, who starts as a simple guy trying to find his way in a galaxy that’s under the rule of a relentlessly oppressive Empire. However, one unfortunate event after another creates a domino effect that ropes in others to either act against the Empire, or for their Empyreal foes to get more aggressive in tightening their grip on the galaxy. While this wasn’t the first spin-off series to focus on the early days of rebels going against the Empire, it was the first to make it feel real, grounded and framed the Empire as the most ruthless and evil military force ever. Watching the original “Star Wars” trilogy, we always knew the Empire were the villains, but this show dives deep into just how calculating, strategic and horrible they are, along with the nuclear levels of pain and loss they bestow on others.
Through their oppression, we also get a deep dive into the common folk who lost everything … and then sacrifice even more in the name of rebellion. It’s all very heavy, dramatic and presented like a real thriller, with a quiet, yet aggressive edge. This is arguably the first “Star Wars” series that’s squarely aimed at adults and isn’t trying to pull in younger viewers. While the content at times can be aggressive, it’s mostly adult in tone and presentation.
There’s very little action, and no real fast-moving adventure
material either, as most of the conflicts revolve around character interactions,
the choices they make and how those choices affect others. Not only are the
themes and narrative grounded, but visually and esthetically … this is the most
real looking depiction of the “Star Wars” universe I’ve ever seen. Not
only are the locations and sets real, but the attention to detail and the
depictions of the communities makes the setting feel like a real time and
place, with real inhabitants who’ve lived their lives. I will admit I miss the
aliens that typically characterize this universe … but the choice to focus on mostly
human characters helps keep the real-world atmosphere consistent.
All that
said, let's take a closer look at our characters …
Cassian
Andor (Played by
Diego Luna)
While the 2016 movie “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” has remained one of my all-time favorite movies in the franchise, the movies secondary lead character Captain Andor never left much of an impression on me, and like many fans, I thought the idea of giving him his own series sounded about as desperate as they get. Fortunately, between a compelling character narrative in this series and a consistently strong performance from Diego Luna, Captain Andor has become both an iconic and well-rounded “Star Wars” character in his own right.
He’s a perfect example of the “every man” who’s trying to avoid the fighting,
and just live a peaceful life, but keeps getting dumped on by the worst of the
galaxy … namely, the Empire. While not
the grandest or most heroic hero in the galaxy, Andor feels the most relatable
and human, who has to learn the hard way that peaceful living is never an
option in the face of an evil military presence.
Luthen
Rael (played by
Stellan Skarsgard)
Naturally, Andor is recruited by an elder Rebel to fight for the cause, and it comes in the form of one Luthen Rael … who’s arguably the most unique rebel character to ever appear in this franchise. While he’s the man spear heading the fight against the Empire, he’s also something of an antagonist in his own story, as he intentionally causes problems for the Empire to retaliate from, and thus the more victims hit by the Empires vengeance, the more sympathizers will support the Rebellion.
He’s simultaneously both a hero and an evil genius, setting up
pillars, just to see them fall over and cause damage, which are harmful to both sides, but beneficial in the long
run. He’s also a man whiling to sacrifice everything, knowing he’ll never get
anything back for it in return. At the center of this well written character is
Stellan Skarsgard, who I’ve seen in a number of different movies and shows, and
I feel very safe in saying … this is my favorite role of his by far. He is so
dynamic, so layered, and so compelling, I can’t take my eyes off him.
Bix
Caleen (played by Adria
Arjona)
Introduced
as Cassian Andor’s closest ally, as well as his on and off again romantic interest,
Bix represents another everyday person put through the ringer … although,
arguably even worse than what Andor himself endures. While Andor faces physical
hurdles, Bix has mental struggles to endure and concur, from being tortured, to
attempted physical assault, to losing loved ones, but ultimately coming out
stronger than she was before. Aside from a compelling relationship with our
lead, Bix’s greatest qualities are her endurance, and lengthy healing process,
to the point where she can finally make a life for herself. She also made for a
terrific wild card, as we had no idea what her fate would be. She didn’t appear
in the movie “Rogue One”, leaving the characters outcome open for
several possibilities.
Dedra
Meero (Played by
Denise Gough)
Our lead
villain for this series comes in the form of an ambitious supervisor of the ISB
(Imperial Security Bureau). Something of an inverse of the previously mentioned
Luthen Rael, Dedra is about as ruthless and monstrous as they get, but she’s
also framed as the protagonist of her own story. She’s surrounded by officers
who don’t take their positions as seriously, and her strategic endeavors
frequently put her at odds with her peers. Thus, her main goal is to break barriers
in her path, elevate her status, show everyone around her how it’s done, and
never pay attention to all the little people she stomps into the ground along
the way. While just as inexcusable as any foe from this franchise, she’s
arguably the most human villain of this series, and subsequently more
frightening.
Syril
Karn (played by Kyle
Soller)
While the previously mentioned Dedra Meero is the shows main villain, Deputy Inspector Syril is the antagonist who sets all the main events in motion. After Andor commits his first crime killing two aggressive officers, Syril is determined to up-hold the law and see justice done. Unlike Dedra, who was a ruthless villain with grounded human traits, Syril Karn is a potentially good guy who just fell in the wrong crowd.
He really believes he’s serving the wright people, for the
right cause, and gradually over the course of the series discovers just how
wrong he is. Rather than give him a redemption arc, he becomes a sympathetic
individual, doomed to make wrong choices. He’s a unique presence in the show,
one who the audience can either root for or root against in equal measure.
Senator
Mon Mothma (played
by Genevieve O’Reilly)
The last of the main six characters I want to spotlight is Mon Mothma, a high-ranking senator in the Imperial senate, and secretly providing funding for various Rebels in their fight against the Empire. Ever sense the original 1983 classic “Return of the Jedi”, Mon Mothma has been a recognizable face to “Star Wars” fans and ever sense Genevieve O’Reilly was first cast in the role for the 2005 movie “Revenge of the Sith”, she has become one of the most frequently reoccurring character performances in the whole franchise.
However, it is here in “Andor” that I feel she achieved status as one of the all-time great characters in this series. While she doesn’t engage on the battlefield like other rebels, she arguably sacrifices just as much, and usually in very personal ways. From closing off ties to close friends, to separating herself from her family, and even using her own daughter as a means to an end.
Like so many previously mentioned characters, she too goes through the ringer and puts everything on the line for a cause she believes in. While all the performances in this show are fantastic, Genevieve O’Reilly’s portrayal of Mon Mothma is on a whole other level of class and emotional depth … truly a hallmark in a series full of high marks.
Other
Note Worthy Characters …
I honestly can’t do the whole cast of this series justice, because even outside of the six main players, this show packs some heat with an extraordinary cast of different players, both in recurring, supporting and even one-off roles. Sense this movie ties into the 2016 movie “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, we get to see some familiar faces from that film, including Ben Mendelsohn as the villainous Director Krennic, and Forest Whitaker as Rebel extremist Saw Gerrera.
It took a long minute, but it was very rewarding to have Alan Tudyk return as the voice of the reprogrammed Imperial Droid K-2SO. He was my favorite character from that film, and for the most part I wasn’t missing him in the show, but when he finally showed up at the end … it just felt so satisfying and complete.
The only major cast change is Benjamin Bratt, who replaced Jimmy Smits in his long-standing portrayal of Princess Leia’s stepfather senator Bail Organa. It was a little distracting to see a different face, but the actor played it well. In total, this show ran for two seasons and had a total of twenty-four episodes. With the characters addressed, I wanted to simplify things by highlighting my personal Top 10 favorite episodes of this series …
#10 “Make It Stop” (S2 – Ep. 22)
As we segue into the final three episodes of the show, information of the Empires secret weapon, the Death Star, has finally reached the ears of Luthen. The information is terrifying, and he aims to deliver a warning to his allies, but after being backed into a corner by Dedra, he attempts suicide to avoid interrogation. After being rushed to an Imperial hospital, Luthen’s partner Kleya sneaks into the facility, and knowing a rescue isn’t an option, she intends to make sure that Luthen won’t make a recovery. Paralleling her infiltration, we see in flashback that Kleya was adopted by Luthen as a child, and we see how the two shaped each other into the hardened Rebels they’ve become.
I didn’t mention Kleya before, as she was largely a supporting
player, but one so dynamic, interesting and portrayed with fierce devotion by Elizabeth
Dulau, to the point where the character took on a life of her own. This episode
puts her in the spotlight, and she carries the whole thing in the absence of
Cassian Andor himself, as this is the only episode our title character doesn’t
appear in. More than anything, this episode works as a “long goodbye”
instalment, as we bid farewell to one of the show’s most fascinating
characters.
#9 “Daughter of Ferrix” (S1 – Ep. 11)
Another character I have yet to mention is Andor’s foster mother Maarva, played by Fiona Shaw, who you might remember as the cruel aunt Dursley from the “Harry Potter” movies. In this series, she’s the hardened backbone and tough conscience to Andor, who at this point of the show just wants to avoid the fighting. His mother by contrast is determined to stand up against her oppressors, and encourage others to stand up for what they believe in. As the first season segues into its final arc with this episode, Maarva sadly passes away, and we see how her death impacts Andor, the community of Ferrix and several other characters.
It’s a suitable and effective calm before
the storm, but with just enough momentum to keep things exciting for what comes
next. Also, while this show doesn’t utilize space-battles as frequently as
other “Star Wars” offerings, this episode certainly has a noteworthy dogfight
in space. We see Luthen escape an Imperial patrol by destroying several TIE
fighters in an energy beam, and despite being a short sequence … it still backs
a punch.
#8 “Harvest” (S2 – Ep. 15)
After a failed mission, Andor rases home to rescue his friends on their hide out, which is about to be overrun by Imperial forces. Andor’s girlfriend Bix is in an especially uncomfortable situation involving an Imperial officer … but in the end, she manages to save herself before Andor arrives, which becomes beneficial on her road to mental recovery after all she’s endured. Despite being one of the darkest and most controversial episodes … it’s also one of the funniest, as we see both Syril and Dedra, who are both in a relationship, and are having an awkward family dinner with Syrils visiting mother.
It’s almost like something out of a sitcom, and it’s funny to see two villain characters in this kind of position. We also have Senator Mon Mothma at her daughter’s arranged marriage, which is so emotionally strenuous for her, she has no choice but to get drunk and dance through the night. Without question, this is the episode with the biggest shifts in tone, and that to me makes it stand out as one of the show's most memorable.
#7 “Reckoning” (S1 – Ep. 3)
In the shows third episode, we finally get the long built up first meeting between Captain Andor and Luthen Rael, who aims to recruit Andor to his cause, and fight the Empire as part of a Rebellion. As the two converse, the town of Ferrix is infiltrated by a lethal security team led by Deputy Inspector Syril, who’s determined to arrest Andor after he gunned down two officers in a previous episode. This culminates into an incredible laser shoot-out set piece in an abandoned factory.
While laser
shoot-outs have been a staple of “Star Wars” sense the first movie, the
energy, the ingenuity and creative use of surroundings make this shootout one
of the all-time best of the whole franchise. It also highlights the setting of
Ferrix as a character in of itself, and how the locals react to armed invaders.
While the first two episodes established the slow-burning tone of the series,
this third episode delivered the pay off, which will characterize the series
moving forward … lots of build-up, and huge payoffs.
#6 “Jedha, Kyber, Erso” (S2 – Ep. 24)
For the very last episode of the show, we lay the foundation for where the 2016 movie “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” begins. After a thrilling rescue, Kleya is taken to Yavin IV, where Andor and his team regroup and lay out their plans to unveil the Empires secret weapon. Rather than go for more action and spectacle, this final episode wisely scales things back and is a more quiet and reflective outing.
We see how all of our principal
characters have been forever changed by the events of the series, they pay
tribute to those who were lost along the way, and we get closure to most of the
main story arcs. There really isn’t too much to say, it’s all just very mature
and thoughtful in its presentation, and it’s a perfect way to close out one of
the most adult and meaningful offerings in the “Star Wars” saga.
#5 “The Eye” (S1 – Ep. 6)
After a lengthy preparation, Andor and a small band of Rebels infiltrate an Imperial garrison called Aldhani by posing as troopers in an effort to breach their payroll vault. While the concept of rebels adorning Imperial disguises and infiltrating a base has been done countless times in this franchise, this was the first to put a new spin on things, and made the formula feel unpredictable. As we initially cheer for Andor and his team, things change when we see the Imperial Commandant in charge is a regular family guy trying to do his job.
Our team then hold the Commandant and his family hostage, even threatening to kill them, and it puts the audience in a position where we don’t know who to cheer for. Tensions mount to a thrilling shootout escape, culminating in an extraordinary sequence of the team flying off into a celestial occurrence in the skyline of the planet. It makes for visually stunning imagery, and a riveting chase sequence, with its own feel separate from other space-chases in the franchise.
Even when the action concludes, the episode continues to subvert expectations, with casualties, betrayals, and it informs the audience that in this series, there’s nowhere comfortable to catch your breath when your part of a Rebellion, because you’re either fighting the enemy, or scheming against allies. While this episode delivered the spectacle one would expect from “Star Wars”, it also highlighted that this series was going to tilt the formula on its head and deliver something more aggressive and adult in both tone and design.
#4 “Welcome to the Rebellion” (S2 – Ep. 21)
After the Empire committed massacre on the planet Ghorman, and then framed the incident as an insurrection, senator Mon Mothma choses to stop aiding the Rebels from the sidelines, and elects to get into the battle zone. First things first, she’s going to make her departure known before the senate, so she delivers an empowering speech condemning the Empire for their act of genocide and manipulating the truth. What follows is a deeply thrilling escape from an armed building and no way of knowing who can be trusted as she aims to escape.
This is where she and Captain Andor meet for the
first time in the show, which is highly rewarding in of itself, but to have
it amidst this riveting political thriller is all the more special. This
episode also delivers an emotional final punch with Bix, and where her
relationship with Andor stands. For one final cherry on this episode, it ends
with our first proper appearance of K-2SO, which is great, as he and Andor are
just as special to me as Han and Chewy.
#3 “Rix Road” (S1 – Ep. 12)
Here it is, the final episode of season one, and while the series had subverted my expectations to this point, it was here in the first season finale I realized … I’m watching one of the great new chapters in “Star Wars” history. Andor returns home to pay respects to his late mother Maarva at her funeral on Ferrix, and also to help his friend Bix who’d previously been imprisoned. Little does he know that both his enemies and even allies are planning to kill him at the event, making this funeral one big death trap. However, as the people of Ferrix gather and pay tribute to Maarva’s memory, everyone witnesses a passionate message of resistance that she left behind, which inspires the masses to turn on their Imperial oppressors.
As such, even in death, Andor’s mother can lead a Rebellion. While all of our main characters are present in this episode, the real star is this whole community of people, as we see their loyalty, and their devotion to one another on full display. It dawned on me that in all my years of watching “Star Wars”, I’ve only ever been cheering for individual characters, and have never once cheered for an entire joined community in one big, exciting uprising against their oppressors … and that was something special!
#2 “One Way Out” (S1 – Ep. 10)
Back in season one, a most frustrating story arc was a lengthy series of prison episodes, in which Andor was unjustly apprehended and placed in an ocean prison, where he’s forced to work as a technician. Andor is at odds with a fellow cellmate named Kino, who’s convinced he’ll be leaving soon, and harshly treats Andor like an underling to impress his Imperial captors. Through a series of events, Kino learns he’ll never be released and puts his anger aside in favor of aiding Andor in one great big prison escape.
Upon first viewing, I couldn’t stand watching these episodes, as they were relentlessly slow-burning, claustrophobic, and I didn’t know if it would deliver anything that satisfying … but then the payoff came, and boy howdy … did this ever pay off! The whole prison escape is brilliantly staged, pulse pounding, thematically rich, and at the center of it all is Andy Serkis in his emotionally devastating portrayal of Kino. Despite being exclusive to these prison episodes, both the character and this performance are extraordinary, and it’s here in this episode that he makes a lasting impression. There’s a bittersweet twist with his character, and his fate is left unresolved, but it somehow just works.
The riveting prison escape alone made this a top-tier episode … but the big
cherry on the cake is this one final scene in which Luthen is catching up with
a fellow Rebel spy, who both reflect on the nature of sacrifice, and how their
trapped in the lives they’ve chosen. This leads to Luthen’s famous speech, that
he gave up everything he is for a sunrise he’ll never see … and just like that,
this episode is one of the great offerings of this series.
Before I reveal my Number One favorite Episode, here are some quick honorable mentions …
“Announcement”
“Who Else
Knows?”
“One Year
Later”
“What a
Festive Evening”
“Messenger”
#1 “Who Are You?” (S2 – Ep. 20)
At the beginning of season two, we’re introduced to the planet Ghorman, which contains a rare mineral crucial to the development of the Empires dreaded weapon The Death Star. Over the course of several years, we see the Empire play a long game of infiltrating the population, squeezing the locals, and all leading up to this moment in which they aim to massacre the populace. To make this act of genocide as malicious as possible, their news coverage of the event frames the Empire as victims to a relentless and violent mob that went out of control. While we saw the Empire take aggressive action in the movies … like blowing up an entire planet … this episode makes them even more sickening, as they strategically force the locals to go violent, and thus giving their armed troops the means to open fire on crowds of people.
Of all the action I’ve experienced in “Star Wars”, nothing has ever turned my stomach or got my heart racing more than being caught in this deadly riot and ensuing massacre. Not only is the sequence relentlessly brutal but the buildup to it is equally terrifying, as we the audience know everything is being set in place for his horrible event … and it’s just a matter of what’s going to set things off. Amidst all the cause is Captain Andor, and deputy Syril, who’s finally seeing the Empire as the villains they really are and has a moment to reform … but elects to take out his anger on the man who started it all.
Without going into specific detail, the ensuing confrontation between Andor and Syril is brilliantly executed, as it subverts expectations, and delivers a fitting climax to one of our prominent characters. This episode as a whole is one of the most shocking and suspenseful things I’ve experienced in a series … let alone a “Star Wars” series, and felt like it went beyond anything this franchise had ever delivered before. It’s an episode that left me breathless and is hands down my favorite episode in this excellent show.
In the end, the series “Andor” did something I feel the “Star Wars” franchise hasn’t done in a long time … it surprised me. This was a much-needed departure from the typical space-adventure formula, or reliance on legacy characters, or even big spectacles.
More to the point, "Andor" succeeds on the things that make for a great series, including a lived-in setting, compelling human drama, practical sets, meaningful themes, built-up tension, and proper payoffs. While the pacing burns a little slowly and never captures my figurative "comfort-food" of the franchise, it's still nevertheless a mature direction for expanded "Star Wars" material and can be listed as a generally great show outside of an established franchise. Another way to phrase it is comparison this show to another successful spin-off "Star Wars" series ... “The Mandalorian”, which was a mostly great “Star Wars” series, while “Andor” was a great show … that just happened to be a “Star Wars” series.
Thanks for
reading my review of the 2022 Sci-Fi saga “Andor” … and continue to
enjoy the shows you Love!
