Lucasfilm At its worst, Star Wars: Andor is a laid-back, PG-13 version of some of the best TV dramas of the past decade. It’s easy to see traces of The Wire, Lost and Breaking Bad in this tale of scum and villains that stand alongside Star Wars. However, as you might suspect, such subtle TV inspirations can only go so far in a franchise that regularly features chirping droids and action figure tie-ins. At his best, though, Andor plays like no other Star Wars movie or TV entry to date, and bodes well for the future of the series post-Skywalker. Andor stretches its adult ambitions to better resemble the gritty content that has made sidelines of series like comics, novels, and video games beloved. While its momentum takes a little too long to get going, enough quality coalesces by the end of the show’s first 100 minutes to make it a worthy recommendation for fans of compelling sci-fi television, let alone Star Wars devotees.
On Disney+, an initial release of three episodes speaks volumes
Enlarge / Trouble seems to find Cassian Andor a lot in his turn. Lucasfilm This series “follows” the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in the only way Lucasfilm really could: by creating a prequel to the likeable anti-hero Cassian Andor. (Spoiler alert: If this series were a direct sequel to the movie, it would include far fewer characters.) Since his name is in the title, Andor appears as the protagonist, and the events trace back to both older adults and childhood adventures. Disney+ typically debuts new TV episodes once a week, and while a few series exceptions have been released with a bonus episode (notably Marvel’s WandaVision), Andor is the first to approach an “excess” release week. Wednesday’s three-episode debut feels like a major admission from Lucasfilm: “Hey fans, please watch all three episodes before you jump to judgment.” Advertisement Expand / You won’t see a lot of droid antics in Andor, but the new droid B2EMO has some key moments. Lucasilm I am grateful that I did. Andor takes so long to get its bearings, mostly because its opening episodes plow ahead with a whole new cast of characters surrounding the familiar face of protagonist Diego Luna. Trailers have suggested that we’ll eventually see characters from Rogue One, Star Wars: Rebels and other entries, but first, we get to watch Andor embrace his destiny.
At least one part of the series so far has lost its way
Enlarge / Bix (Adria Arjona) has a long and fraught relationship with Andor to deal with in this new series. Lucasfilm If your preferred Star Wars adventures involve shady alley deals, dubious no-questions-asked favors, and cold-blooded murders, Andor wastes no time in carrying his dark heart. Andor begins the first episode on an investigative mission, and while he’s clearly been on his quest for a while, this TV series begins with his quest going awry. Within minutes, Andor returns to Ferrix, his real base, where he usually collects and sells scrap metal to make ends meet. It’s time to execute one last deal, he tells his few accomplices, and they need to tighten their alibis for it, just in case. And he would have gotten away with his plan, too, had it not been for a meddling middle manager at an Imperial business outpost. Deputy Inspector Karn (Kyle Soller) is the show’s first distinct new character, as he feeds on impotent rage while trying to make a name for himself within an otherwise bureaucratically constrained Empire. Karn alternates between obnoxious smugness and chest-inflating BS as the case may be, and his resulting impish demeanor is magnetic to watch as he foils Andor’s escape plan. Its place in history is probably as close as the Star Wars universe will ever come to the broken law enforcement ecosystem of some of modern television’s biggest hits.
