No Jedi, no lightsabers, no magic. Despite their profound influence and importance on the “Star Wars” universe, there’s no hint or any mention of it in, arguably, the franchise’s best show. It’s only revolution and defiance.
The show “Andor” serves as a prequel to a prequel; following the story of rebel Cassian Andor. His first appearance is in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” which concerns the Rebellion’s activity right before Episode IV. He works alongside fellow rebel Jyn Erso to find the Death Star plans in an attempt to help destroy it.
“I love watching these people become the people we know they’re going to be, and with this, we know how all of them die. We’ve seen Rogue One, we’ve seen Episode IV, we know where all of these pieces are leading, but it’s so fun to see all the pieces actually come together,” said English teacher Anakin Morris.
The show focuses on Cassian and his life before joining the rebellion. The first season came out Sep. 21, 2022 and received numerous accolades due to its masterful story-telling, acting, and set design. IMDB has the show listed for 84 nominations and 8 wins across a wide variety of award academies, which has caused it to gain so much attention.
The episode plots range from stealing credits from an Imperial garrison to escaping a maximum security prison with secrets hiding behind every corner, and the perspectives vary between Cassian and other characters of different jobs and social standings.
Cassian’s slow, yet incredibly powerful transition from a simple man living on an Outer Rim planet to one of the most important rebels is what made “Andor” such a success, along with their lack of attention to the “magical” aspect of the franchise. Its main focus is on politics and the impact of rebellion against a corrupt government.
“It made the universe feel bigger. We went to planets we’ve never seen, we saw people we’ve never met, there wasn’t, at any point, talk of the Force or lightsabers. It was just this galaxy far, far away with people like you and me,” Morris continued.
This perspective is commonly shared among “Andor” fans; it feels like a breath of fresh air to have such a successful project not have to constantly use the Force and Jedi to keep the audience’s attention.
It seems as if this positive trait will be carried on into the next season. The official trailer was released two weeks ago on on Feb. 24 without showing any signs of the iconic aspects associated with “Star Wars.” It showcases beloved characters, familiar settings, and an insane amount of action.
“I think what Disney needs to realize is that the majority of Star Wars fans are mature now, older. People who grew up with the original trilogy, the prequels, they’re all in their 20s or 30s,” said English teacher Emmett Phillips.
“I feel like Star Wars should make a more mature push, and this was their first attempt at making a more mature push that focuses on politics and the bureaucracy and the pencil-pushers of the Empire. They should lean more into that, especially in season two.”
Just based on the trailer alone, the second season appears to be shaping up well. Whether it turns out to uphold its predecessor or fail to continue the successful run the show’s had so far, fans are undoubtedly excited.
