Andor — A New Hope

Andor Logo, Disney +, CC , via Wikimedia Commons

Many of us gave up on Star Wars a long time ago, and our hope was far, far away.

Mandalorian was… Alright, I guess. At least they used puppets. Yet, it fell short of its potential by about a million parsecs. It didn’t have the wit and grit of IV, V, and VI, in my opinion. There was an almost campy filter that harmed the dread we felt in the originals. And it’s not dread we want, but dread is what this galaxy would produce. Plus, it is a means to a fantastic underdog story.

The Clone Wars did a better job of embedding political treason, fantasy, and corruption into their mando plot, along with Emporer Palpatine going on one of the best murdering streaks the franchise has ever seen. Palpatine saying, “Get my ship,” still sends shivers down my spine.

Don’t get me wrong, Mandalorian had some great stuff. Moff Gideon, for instance, emanated power. The commandeered AT-ST was also great for suspense and dread.

Then we got Obiwan. Obiwan was just a laser light show with little to no heart. Not only did it seem like it was made for and by 4-year-olds with zero imagination, but it was also riddled with plot holes and horrible laser fights. And that’s not even mentioning the hilariously bad chase scene that was as disgraceful as it was funny. Ewan Mcgregor did not deserve such a contrived attempt at appeasement. There were absolutely zero new concepts developed, and it murdered many extraordinary mysteries in an attempt to answer them.

Every single gunfight in Obiwan was ridiculous. Yes, it’s almost canon that stormtroopers have no accuracy. But to this extent? A four-foot wide hallway, with 10 troopers firing? Our heroes are unscathed? How many times can this happen before we’re just bored?

What those unimaginative battles do is pull people out of immersion immediately. We think, “oh, there’s no imminent danger because real-world rules do not apply.” If no real-world rules apply to the fighting, then there is a lack of reference. In other words, there was nothing to fear and nothing to build intensity.

By this point, many of the original fans weren’t enjoying themselves or laughing. We had seen our beloved Sci-fi with a rich universe taken to one boring desert planet devoid of interesting life after another. We got to see the imaginative Felucia and Kashyyk for 5 seconds in the Revenge of the Sith while they spent the rest of the movie in one desolate landscape after another. There was also an epic space battle that focussed on people running down hallways rather than Star Destroyers broadsiding cruisers.

Felucia, Revenge of the Sith

In Attack of the Clones, we were taken to an ocean planet, but they couldn’t fit one sea monster in the plot. And we never saw beneath the waves or found out why the Kaminos suddenly preferred land to their evolutionary womb.

But years after those PG-13 rollercoaster rides were released, Rogue One came out. Rogue One was epic. Yes, they went to another desert planet, and yes, it pissed me off. But what else happened? We saw Jyn Erso make realistic choices amongst her paranoia. We saw Saw Gerrera take us into the mental mindset of a man who’s lost friends, sanity, and compassion fighting space fascists. We saw Moff Tarkin seize power from his creative coworkers. And we saw the empire stop at nothing to create their ultimate weapon. This was awesome. It had heart, imagination, and terrifying implications. Essentially, this movie created more trains of thought than it closed. It sets the stage for the Rebellion beautifully. All the while staying true to the originals.

This is in stark contrast to the Force Awakens, which was another PG-13 soup of CGI that shot dead more intrigue than it supported. Including Han. I know Harrison Ford didn’t want to do it anymore, but they didn’t have to kill him. Just get him to do the ol’ Danny Glover “I’m getting too old for this shit,” and that’s that. Or how about this? He’s just not in the movie? Regardless, he didn’t have to die in such a tackless manner. Again, just another plot thread forced to a conclusion we didn’t ask for.

But I don’t want to rant about mismanagement and producers thinking they can write anymore. And now, thanks to Andor, I don’t have to.

Andor Season One, Episode Three

Andor is a blazing comet I want to strap myself to every Wednesday. It has wit, it has grit, and it has people taking cover in gun battles. There is fear on the characters’ faces as they engage anyone with a blaster. Every character matters. Everyone in its realm has their own idea of how the universe should be managed. It’s a fucking masterpiece.

Andor’s acting is so natural because the writing is natural. The people trapped in the empire’s fists wiggle and squirm as best they can as the tide rolls in around them. Their dreams and aspirations are squashed under mediocre bastards’ boots. They have to give up everything to so much as spit back at their oppressors.

Everything in Andor fits perfectly. The costumes, mannerisms, and dark humour blend into the wonderful vistas. Even the cereal begs questions. There are aliens around every corner, and the spaceships actually seem like they have to fight against gravity.

Diego Luna (Cassian Andor) brings more angst and frustration to the screen than any other rebel in the franchise. He grits his teeth, lashes out at his friends in frustration and looks out for himself first–exactly what we see troubled people do in real life. His compassion is there, but if he didn’t bury it under pragmatism, he would have been killed long ago.

***Caution Andor Spoilers***

Then there’s Syril Karn, who looks frustrated and lost whilst petulantly by the book (a good little fascist). His team of corporate troopers are real to the hilt. They breathe, speak and die in understandable ways as our heroes barely escape their clever net. The diversions they fall for are not obvious. They all were doing what they should have been except the pencil pusher Syril who tagged along.

The Irish-sounding commander oozed training, drive, and ambition. He cared about his men and even panicked very briefly before falling back into his training and adrenaline.

These roles aren’t acted. They are lived and filmed. The mindset of this show’s talent is reminiscent of Alien. A movie where every actor is their own person, fully equipt with diverse reactions to a complex and unforgiving environment.

When watching Andor, it is hard to tell what is driving the story more, the plot or the actors. There is a seamless connection. Every character has unique problems and lashes out at them in diverse ways.

This is a Star Wars I’ve been waiting for since I was building imperial bases out of wooden blocks while watching A New Hope on a tube television. It has revolutionized the way I feel about Disney. Finally, a sci-fi that has you fearing weapons and desperately rooting for the heroes.

When Andor kills the other imperial on the catwalk in the first episode, I was sold. And it’s not because I want death in every scene. It’s because I’m sick of protagonists being fallibly “good.” You can see it on the other imperial’s face when he knows his actions have sealed his own fate. And does Andor hesitate? No, he blasts him. He blasts the authoritarian prick quickly and bolts. This is real, this is what someone would do.

Andor thinks quickly, pulls the trigger and gets out. Never have I seen a more realistic look into rebels, let alone a richer sci-fi.

The writers of Andor understand how it feels to be oppressed. And they blend that with a creative foreign environment.

This show is going to revolutionize sci-fi as we know it.

Its success will discourage anyone from letting unimaginative morons tamper with the goods again.

Thanks, Disney, for finally listening to the amazingly talented creators you have in your midst. These people know what the fans want because it’s what they want.

Andor is a galaxy with real physics, boundaries, and… Space ships, aliens, and laser guns. It builds on 80s Sci-fi’s success and drops us in the room.

I was about to cancel my Disney membership, but now that I know I’m supporting Andor and its team, I may buy more!

I obviously highly recommend Andor. It has shown me that there are still great minds in Hollywood; they were just stifled.