Andor’s most recent television adaptation of the Star Wars saga is currently more than halfway through its debut season; it will conclude the day before Thanksgiving next month. With its character-driven approach, attention to the inhabitants of a galaxy far, far away rather than cameos and easter eggs, as well as its exceptional direction and production design, Andor has surprised many fans. The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon are both fantastic shows to watch on television right now, but Star Wars: Andor eventually takes the top spot as the best show currently on the air.
The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi were all live-action Star Wars shows that debuted in recent years before Andor. But Andor stands out from the others significantly in terms of its direction, style, and dialogue. Though many Star Wars fans have already formed that conclusion during the airing of this first season, this isn’t to claim that Andor is necessarily superior to those other shows. Diversification of tales is essential to keeping the franchise current and vibrant, especially when a studio like Disney is striving for as much content as possible. Andor, to put it simply, is distinct from every previous Star Wars endeavor that has ever been made.
Andor is perhaps the best program on television right now for a lot of the same reasons that set it apart from shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Mandalorian. It’s interesting given that there was some crossover between the Diego Luna-led series and She-Hulk that it feels more like an HBO drama than a usual Disney+ series. She-Hulk, for better or worse, served as an example of the Disney+ narrative, whereas Andor felt new and sophisticated. This daring new turn for a brand that just keeps producing more and more live-action and animated stuff is wonderfully invigorating.
Andor, as mentioned, is more character-driven than the majority of other Disney+ programs. The show’s main character and lead, Cassian, spends a lot of time explaining how he came to be the selfless Rebel hero whom viewers witnessed sacrifice himself in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in 2016. Additionally, there is a genuine dedication to that character’s journey, which is a key factor in Andor’s success so far. Even after multiple episodes, Cassian still feels like a long cry from the character he played in Rogue One. He is far darker, troubled, ruthless, and selfish than most people would have anticipated coming into this series.
That is perfectly emphasized in the first season when Cassian shoots and kills a drunken man who bothered him and tried to create a fight, effectively carrying him out. This established the tone for the entire program and demonstrated how different this Cassian is, especially in light of the fact that Diego Luna’s character had unintentionally killed the man’s companion. The audience goes on an enjoyable and emotional journey as they see him gradually mature as a person. In the end, Tony Gilroy has a lot to do with the success of the Andor television series. With this project, the showrunner, who also co-wrote Rogue One, breathed new life into the Star Wars universe, opening up a plethora of new possibilities. There is definitely a place for some more serious stories as well, and Tony Gilroy is demonstrating exactly how compelling those can be. The Mandalorian-era episodes and the sequel trilogy plot will both continue, as they should.
Gilroy creates a dialogue that is reminiscent of that seen in popular prestige television dramas like The Americans, The Sopranos, The Wire, and more. Since A New Hope, which was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1978, Andor has seemed much more like awards season fodder. No matter how trivial a statement may seem, it always has a deeper significance, whether it has to do with the Star Wars universe or the lives of the characters. Nothing in Andor is drab, boring, or bland since everything has a function. Considering the nature of the franchise, it’s odd that the majority of the episodes haven’t even included action scenes, yet it works.
