Who knows me, knows that I’m usually late at any new release, be the artwork coming in theatres or on streaming. I don’t feel the urge to follow the others, but damn, with _Andor _I should have!
Andor is a new way of looking at the Star Wars universe. It carries a darker tone, reminiscent of a Batman movie, and does a great job at incorporating elements of the real world into its storytelling.
To use Diego Luna’s words, “It’s the journey of a migrant, which to me is everything I come from. That feeling of having to move is behind this story very profoundly”.
Yes, Diego Luna is the actor playing Andor, the protagonist, the same guy that leads the rebels to steal the Death Star plans in Rogue One.
“I’d rather die trying to take them down than die giving them what they want!”
This series shows the origin of the titular character and how the rebels formed an alliance capable to take the Galactic Empire down, eventually. Where does the Rebel Alliance come from? Who were the founding leaders? How did Mon Mothma become its supreme leader after being trapped on Coruscant for so long? How did a senator manage to hide her plans from the Emperor?
These and many other questions we’ve always had about the Rebel Alliance will be answered in this series, that is already planned to conclude in season 2, when it will be bridged to Rogue One.
Not The Usual Star Wars Stuff
But what makes Andor different from other Star Wars live action works? First of all, the photography is much darker. Forget the bright lighting of the original trilogy, or the shining colors of the prequels. Sometimes you will have the impression of watching a Blade Runner movie.
The classic Star Wars humour is out, as it wouldn’t fit here. The Empire is tightening its clutch on the entire society of the galaxy. The Emperor is passing new cumbersome regulations that make more and more difficult to move your money around freely (does it familiar?). The officials are granted to arrest anyone they have the slightest suspicion upon. There is no time to joke!
You will hear a stronger usage of language. Oh yeah, you will often words such as “bastards” or “ass”! OMG! No more fancy stuff like the poetic insults we’ve heard in The Book of Boba Fett. If you’re a long time SW fan, you might be shaken a bit! :D
But wait, because you will even have sexual tension! And it’s not about sand, I promise you! Although only hinted at, sex is quite often in the air. Andor is described as a SW Casanova and this fame sparks jealousy in Timm, Bix’s boyfriend and coworker. After a rough day, Bix shows up at Timm’s house and it is understood that they’re going to make amend with some good sex. Episodes of this kind happen frequently in the series, even when you don’t expect, in the middle of a battle, from who you don’t expect, a cold, ruthless imperial intelligence officer. She is rescued from the angry mob by an imperial fanatic eager to gain the respect of the Empire and of a crush who is as resolute as him. She will be shivering in a mix of deep fear and wonder, “I feel like I should thank you!” and his pride will reply with a smrky smile “You don’t have to…”
No spoilers, you will understand around episode 3–4 who they are… :D
That British Vibe!
The British accents are also a nice touch, adding to the sense that the British Empire shares commonalities with the Galactic Empire, starting with their strong militarism. I heard that many made jokes out of it. It’s still not clear why this choice. British is spoken by 80% of the cast, both rebel and imperial. That makes it more difficult to understand its hidden meaning, though British actors have always been a bulk presence in the franchise. George Lucas has always been fond of them and Disney simply scaled up this tribute. Indeed, the entire Andor series is filmed at the Pinewood Studios in London.
Oh about British actors, I want to congratulate Andy Serkis to be the first ever actor to play two different characters in the Star Wars universe! Though his first role, Snoke, must not be considered canon anymore… Hihihi! Who is Mr Serkis playing in Andor? I can’t spoil it. I’ll just tell you “On program!”
One of the standout features of Andor is its impressive music score, which has the courage to move away from the iconic work of John Williams and explore new sounds and styles. The decision to do this was a bold one, and it paid off handsomely, as the music is one of the highlights of the show. Nicholas Britell is a young composer who we will hear a lot about. He’s able to space from poetic Hans Zimmer vibes to electronic tunes in the style of Daft Punk from Tron Legacy.
Conclusions
Overall, the show is a refreshing new take on the Star Wars franchise and has the potential to appeal to a wider audience with its more adult themes. That was indeed the hope of the series’ creator, Tony Gilroy. He wanted a product that Star Wars fans could enjoy with their buddies who were never interested in Star Wars. I think he hit the target. Finally you can watch a Star Wars movie with your loved ones and they won’t hate you for that!
Everyone can resonate with Andor, because the story explores issues that are deeply rooted in the world we’re going through today, unfortunately…
My rating: 8/10!