If, like me, you grew up with the unique Star Wars films as a child then you’ll love Andor. It’s the backstory of Cassian Andor, a Insurgent Alliance intelligence officer we first met within the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story movie, and his 5 12 months journey from scavenger and thief to passionate revolutionary that leads as much as the occasions of the movie. In a method, his journey parallels Han Solo’s transformation from smuggler to Normal within the Insurgent Alliance.
Not like different current choices from the Disney Star Wars universe, like Skeleton Crew and The Acolyte, which whereas enjoyable are actually made for teenagers, Andor is a Star Wars TV present that’s aimed squarely on the Gen X viewers who have been there for the unique Star Wars trilogy.
Andor season 2 is about to launch on Disney+ on April 22 within the US and April 23 for these within the UK and Australia. Unsure if the new Star Wars Disney Plus present is for you? Listed below are three good explanation why you gained’t wish to miss it.
1. It captures the magic of the unique Star Wars
It’s arduous to elucidate what it was prefer to see the unique Star Wars in a cinema as a baby. From the opening shot exhibiting a fully big Star Destroyer chasing down a Insurgent Alliance vessel you have been transported to a different universe. All the things about Star Wars was plausible, from the grisly method a lightsaber may lower by way of flesh to the always malfunctioning droids. I’d by no means seen something prefer it earlier than and I didn’t need it to finish.
Trying again, and with the advantage of hindsight, I feel the Ewoks in Episode VI – Return of the Jedi have been a foreshadowing of the way in which issues have been going to go additional down the road with Star Wars franchise, however I wasn’t emotionally ready for the chasm of despair (Darth Maul apart) that the George Lucas’ Episode I, II and III movies have been going to create in my soul.
Positive, I can settle for that they have been made for youngsters who have been the identical age as I used to be once I watched the unique trilogy, however they have been very totally different movies and the truth that George Lucas himself had fortunately gone down the route of CGI-laden slop with zero emotional connection to the characters simply made all of it the more serious.
2. It’s a part of the Rogue One universe, the most effective Star Wars films ever made
When the third trilogy of movies kicked off with Episode VII – The Drive Awakens, I used to be once more. It had promise. It laid the groundwork for some fascinating plot developments and the characters have been intriguing. Then, Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One appeared out of nowhere filling within the story earlier than A New Hope began, and it had that very same thrill and pleasure that the unique Star Wars films had given me as a child. Issues have been trying up once more.
Sadly, Episode VIII – The Final Jedi and Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker appeared totally pointless and directionless, casually throwing away good story strains and demoting key characters to mere bit components, destroying my religion within the Star Wars universe.
Till, that’s, Andor, one of many way-too-many Star Wars spin-off reveals that Disney had invested in, appeared in 2022 and altered every little thing. I didn’t actually know something about Andor once I began watching it, however I used to be immediately hooked.
In a method every Star Wars TV present or film has its personal universe. Andor exists within the severe Star Wars universe of Rogue One. It’s not made for teenagers and it tackles the massive problems with life. We get to revisit the characters we met in Rogue One and discover out precisely how they bought there, what occasions formed their lives, and what sacrifices they needed to make alongside the way in which.
It is intellectual, however in a great way
It’s been famous that the primary season of Andor was a Marxist allegory. It follows a bunch of characters coping with an oppressive regime (the Empire) and we will watch how a revolution by the proletariat begins, however you don’t want a level in politics to understand the present. What issues is how nicely it’s made.
Collection one in every of Andor apparently price Disney a staggering $271.6 million, which was all cash nicely spent for those who ask me. It seems to be superb, the appearing is first fee, the plot is gritty, and the characters are plausible. Whereas it strikes at a slower tempo than the fashionable world typically calls for and expects, Andor delivers the form of emotional punch that you just solely get from sluggish burn introductions to completely fleshed-out characters that you just actually care about.
As a lot as I liked the unique Star Wars movies, the idea of the sunshine aspect of the power vs the darkish aspect that underpinned the entire trilogy was laughably simplistic. In Andor you might be requested to inhabit a world of complexity the place nothing is actually black and white. Good folks have to often do dangerous issues and dangerous folks can nonetheless have redeeming options.
If you happen to want additional persuading to hitch the resistance and battle the empire, the primary season of Andor has a 96% critics ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 87% viewers rating, and for those who haven’t seen it then there’s nonetheless time to observe it earlier than season two drops.