Is “Andor” Star Wars’s New Best Series?

Andor is Disney’s brand-new Star Wars show and it is pretty awesome.

With the show following Cassian Andor, a secondary character, first introduced in Disney’s 2016 Rogue One: A StarWars Story, who we are already well aware dies at the end of the film, nobody was really expecting or asking for a whole 24-episode show explaining his backstory. You heard me right, this show will be running for 24 episodes, split into two seasons that will subsequently lead into the events of Rogue One. That being said, it is 100% the show we needed. Currently, only 6 episodes are out on Disney Plus, and so I am writing this article having only seen half of the first season, but I honestly cannot fathom this show taking a turn for the worst. So let’s dive into what I believe makes Andor one of the best Star Wars instalments from Disney.

This show is a lot darker…

It’s no secret that Star Wars has always been a family-friendly universe, with the highest rating it has ever received being only a PG-13. However, one of the things that makes Andor such a new and refreshing Star Wars series is the fact that it’s not afraid to introduce darker, more mature themes into this universe.

Rogue One was already a darker, and sadder film, with all of its protagonists dying in its conclusion, and many of them being morally grey individuals. So it only made sense that Andor would maintain this tone, and surprisingly it even took it a few steps further.

The show begins with Cassian Andor searching for his missing sister in a brothel on the planet Morlana One, however, when he is questioned by two corporate cops he kills both of them without hesitation. This sudden and ruthless act is something that we rarely see carried out by our protagonists, especially within the first few minutes of the show. Nevertheless, Cassian is consistently characterised as an individual who will stop at nothing to get where he needs to be, even if that means murdering a few people on the way. This morally grey archetype has been touched on in past instalments of Star Wars, the most notable of examples being with Han Solo, but has never been explored to the extent, or with the care that this show has.

The gorgeous design…

Star Wars has always had its iconic “look”, its dark vs light colours, vibrant and creative intergalactic planet scapes, and futuristic costuming all help to create what we all know and love as Star Wars. However, something that I really appreciate in Andor is not only the attention to detail it has in making this world feel lived in and genuine, but also its new and original aesthetic.

The opening ten minutes of this show capture an absolutely perfect, and breathtakingly originally aesthetic that is maintained throughout the episodes to come. I can only describe it as a cross between Blade Runner 2049 and Frankenstein. Its dark, jarring tone is something that contrasts what we’ve seen in previous Star Wars instalments greatly. Despite this, it is the perfect decision in reflecting the ark and characterisation of our protagonist, and making the story feel grounded and fresh.

The episodes I have seen have had three main colour palettes. The work environments and corporate establishments are mainly navy, beige, and metallic to reflect their oppressive, and controlling natures. The main mission, and the scenes featuring or focussing on Cassian himself mix deep LED purples and blues, with a naturalistic and childlike mixture of greens, browns, and reds. Finally, the governmental and city-based environments use white, gold, and delicate textures to convey wealth and status. These switches in pallets really connect the audiences to the different plotlines and make us feel as though we are familiar with the places and their inhabitants.

This is something that many shows from Disney’s Star Wars universe have been lacking. Listen, I did actually quite enjoy the sequels, but the aimless fan service of trying to make every set and prop a callback to the original trilogy, or the prequels, and the reliance on comfortable designs of battles and destinations that we’ve seen time and time again gets tiring after a while. How many times can we revisit Tatooine before we have to move on? Andor does make references to previous Star Wars elements, but they always come secondary to the actual story and aren’t thrown in so that audience members can go “Oh yeah I remember that one thing!”

The pacing is slow, but the payoff is huge…

Listen, if you’re looking for huge explosions, this may not be the show for you.

Andor is slow and meticulous in the crafting of its story, it lets us sit in scenes and environments for long enough to let us soak up the world and become familiar with its communities and backstory. It’s not going to be for the masses, we can already see this from its criminal lack of hype online, despite its excellent reviews.

Andor takes its time introducing us to characters gradually, never lingering on them long enough for us to truly understand what is going on but instead revealing it to us in slow and cleverly crafted scenes that are directed with care. The lack of jumpy cuts between characters on screen, slow and purposeful transitions and creatively shot battle scenes are such a refreshing change from what we’ve seen in some previous Disney shows.

The missions and adventures characters go on are slow, yes. However, because we have so much time to get to know the characters and their plan, understand each of their motives and backstories and witness them collaborate and interact with one another, it makes the final battles and their outcomes so much more satisfying and emotional.

Final thoughts:

Now don’t get me wrong, I am someone who really enjoys the direction Disney is taking Star Wars in general, with the Mandolorian, and even the sequel films (despite them having some flaws).

I do think though, that Andor is a show Disney desperately needed after the frustrating direction of Obi-Wan and The Book Of Boba Fett. And is such a wonderful lead-up to one of my all-time favourite Star Wars films: Rogue One? I am beyond excited to see where this show goes and have my finger crossed that it continues to be the amazing show it has set itself up to be because it couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.