Andor, directed by Tony Gilroy, is one of the shows in the Star Wars franchise that has gone largely unnoticed during its initial release. Despite its low coverage, it is one of the highest rated Star Wars produced under Disney, following closely behind the immensely successful show, The Mandalorian.
Andor is set five years before A New Hope and Rogue One, and follows Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna) through his first steps towards joining the Rebellion against the Empire as well as the first phases of the Rebel Alliance. The show displays the inner workings of the Empire and helps develop the world of Star Wars even further.
Andor shows a different side of Star Wars than we normally see from the franchise. The show brings in Cassian Andor, who was one of the supporting characters in Rogue One, and immensely builds upon his character. Andor also shows the nitty gritty of the Star Wars universe, and it isn’t afraid to show the darker side of characters both good, and bad. A key example of this is Cassian Andor who, in the very first episode, we see kill, lie, and scam people. Despite his villainous behavior throughout the show, the audience can’t help but root for him.
One of the biggest strengths of this show is its writing. Andor helps humanize a very large portion of the characters giving them motives for what they do. This writing helps the show in its portrayal of the moral gray area.
The other strengths of Andor are how it’s shot: the soundtrack and its pacing. Instead of one, long story, it is broken into small three episode arcs, creating a much more coherent plot while giving breathing room for development. The soundtrack of Andor also helps set the mood for scenes, some sending chills down the spine, making hair stand up, or making a stomach churn. As far as how it is shot, instead of using sets, a large portion of the show is shot on scene in real places which helps make it feel much more real. Even when the producers do use sets they put in so much detail to make them feel like real locations. For example, the town on Ferrix where a large part show takes place was built on a backlot instead of a sound stage.
Andor also makes many call backs to other media in Star Wars featuring some easter eggs to older games such as The Force Unleashed and Jedi Academy, as well as some references to Indiana Jones. It is a shame how little recognition this show has received. Although it may have a slow build up, the pay off is completely worth the wait. After the release of Kenobi and Book of Boba Fett, which were both received relatively poorly, Andor provided a much needed boost to the franchise and was a nice refresher. I hope that Disney will greenlight more projects similar to Andor, and I will wait patiently for the next season of Andor which may release some time in 2024. Overall I would give this a 9/10 and it is a much watch for anyone who watches Star Wars or is trying to get into the franchise.