Andor Review

Lukas Hutchens, Contributing Writer

Disney’s Star Wars series has been a rough one to say the least. They went in without a plan, multiple different directors with different visions, and all around not great storytelling. But, one part that Disney has been doing much better at has been the tv shows. Mandolorian was a hit, Obi-Wan was pretty good, but then they released a new one. Andor, a character from Rogue One, got his own show. So, to switch things up for this finale article for now, I am going to review Andor.

Firstly, one of the big things Andor fixed from previous entries was a reliance on nostalgia. Callbacks to older movies, old characters returning for no better reason than to return (looking at you Palpatine), or just straight up doing the original Star Wars, but again. Andor, had none of this. Aside from Andor and Saw, no one that appeared in the show was from a previous movie or show. It was all original characters in original locations, with an original plot. It was very refreshing to see! Aside from what seems to be the now required mentioning of good old Palp.

Then the characters themselves. The characters were great in Andor. They each had their own motivations, flaws, and some actual backstory. There were even some actually sad character moments. Spoilers from here on. When Nemik died and Vel gave Andor his manifesto, it was honestly kind of sad. He really believed in the rebellion and trusted Andor. Also, when Andor’s mother gave her speech about not leaving so she could have a little more fighting with the Empire, that was a great moment too. Even some of the villains were decent, and actually somewhat competent at their jobs for once!

Then, there’s the plot. It was actually pretty good. That or modern Star Wars at this point has made basic competence look amazing. But I am willing to bet the first one. The show actually managed to make a great heist movie, and a great prison break movie, and those were just for a couple of episodes each! They did better in two episodes what many heist movies couldn’t do on their own. Also, I really liked how Andor worked with two different teams of people. It sets up some progression for him to be in a team in Rogue One. And the final episode was great too. It neatly showed how, I think at least, the rebellion started. It also brought most of the major plotlines together in one big Marvel-esque finale.  Plus, the post credit scene was great too! While Andor was locked in up prison, everyone there was building parts for something. Turns out it was the Death Star! The whole plot point of Rogue One got set up by that one plot thread.

While the show was great, it still was not completely perfect. For example, the flashbacks. In the first couple of episodes, the flashbacks seemed to be important. Then, they just kind of stop. Some are still sprinkled in here and there, but they are largely dropped. Also, what happened to Andor’s sister? The whole show started with him trying to find her, and then nothing came of it. Every time I thought they were going to make a big reveal for Andor’s sister, they just kind of didn’t. And what happened to Andy Serkis’ character? He was at the prison, was leaving, and then we never hear from him again.

It was still one of the best Star Wars shows yet. It had a nice story that was self-contained, it had great character moments and growth, and it showed the Empire near their best. They were still fairly incompetent at times, but when stormtroopers are your best security, was there any doubt? So, if you’re just waiting for the next season of Mandalorian, I would highly suggest checking out Andor. It seems like Disney is finally finding their footing with Star Wars. I mean, they couldn’t possibly get any lower after Rise of Skywalker…right?