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Andor -- a review

Looking at the reviews for Andor, the latest Star Wars series produced by and exclusively for Disney Plus, they all say the same thing: that Andor is a vastly mature TV series--and it is. But many of these reviews also appear to be a back-handed insult to the Star Wars franchise in general, by stating how Andor was made for the adults in the room, and how it lacked the dopey ‘pew-pew-pew’ action of space wizards fighting each other with their laser swords that we get in Star Wars.

And yeah, Star Wars does have its silly moments (and that’s pretty much all of Return of the Jedi). But the very best of Star Wars (the original Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back, Rogue One, The Last Jedi) strived mightily to be far more than the simple space operas they appeared to be. And even the films that didn’t have such lofty goals (Solo, SW: Revenge of the Sith) are still vastly entertaining. But it doesn’t appear that most people are really complaining about the Star Wars films being immature--instead, they’re grousing about the recent Disney Plus Star Wars TV shows, and they have a right to complain.

Because, by and large, the Disney Plus Star Wars TV series are pretty bad. Lacking the budgets, along with the solid writing, of the better Star Wars films, series like The Mandolorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Sucky Kenobi constantly fall back on the same tired clichés (Stormtroopers who can’t shoot straight, oh-so-perfect main characters who come across as un-relatable superheroes, dull and predictable plots) that it was hard for me to feel any enthusiasm for them.

After all of this, just when I was about to tap out of the whole Star Wars experience on Disney Plus for good, along comes Andor. A direct prequel to the superb Rogue One, Andor centers on Cassian Andor, who’s very well-played with subtle shadings by Diego Luna. Andor is a twelve part series that gives new meaning to the term slow burn. It basically shows how Andor gets recruited into the nascent struggle against the Empire that will ultimately become the Rebellion.

And not only are the Stormtroopers (and Deathtroopers) really good shots in Andor, but the series also manages to do the impossible: it makes the Empire a truly scary and intimidating foe. Taking a Charles Dickens-like approach to its storytelling, Andor uses a vast cast of characters who are either fighting for or against the Empire. It’s a testament to the talent on display here, both behind and in front of the camera, that such an infuriating character like Deedra Meero (marvelously played by Denise Gough) is still captivating to watch.

Andor is indeed the deeper cut into Star Wars. It lacks Jedi knights, and even Darth Vader, but it’s still an enthralling look at regular people rising up to fight a monstrous, black-hearted entity that is insidiously seeping into every aspect of their lives. It’s a series that makes you care for everybody, here. It’s so well done, so well written, that you can’t help but get caught up in this struggle. And if you’d rather not watch this, if you’d rather have your Jedi knights, that’s cool, too. Star Wars has become a giant buffet, with various delicious delicacies for everybody to enjoy. So dig in; there's something for everybody. --SF

Andor is only on Disney +. But Rogue One and the other Star Wars films are available on D+, as well as on physical media.
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