Let’s be honest: you have to be a big fan to be excited, at first, by the prequel series of a spin-off interquel to ‘Star wars’, but it is precisely because of that definition of caboose and disadvantage that ‘Andor’ has had enough freedom to do, more or less, what he has wanted. And in a galaxy far, far away where we always seem to see the same planets, the same races, and the same hue, It is appreciated that someone has tried to turn the helm, Even if it’s just a mirage.
Cassian who?
There weren’t many who left ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ wanting to know more about Cassian Andor, the character played by Diego Luna, even though in marketing they insist on saying that it was a favorite of the fans. However, as much as there was no one asking for this series, it is unfair to value it for its little popular support: Nobody asked for a spin-off of ‘The Peacemaker’ when they saw ‘Suicide Squad’ and it is one of the jewels of the year, after all.
‘Andor’ has something that no ‘Star Wars’ series since ‘The Mandalorian’ has: own personality. The beginning of the first episode is more reminiscent, in fact, of film noir than of the multimillion-dollar saga, taking as the main character a loser with nuances and doubts in his personality, a mere survivor making risky decisions to save his skin. Suddenly, Cassian Andor becomes interestingwhether or not you’ve seen his debut film.
One of the great points in favor of ‘Andor’ is that You don’t have to have seen any of ‘Star Wars’ to enjoy it.. Luke Skywalker is not going to appear to comment on something, nobody talks about Master Yoda nor does it take for granted that the viewer already knows this universe very well: of course, if you know the saga (and have an open mind) you are more than invited to the party. In the end, You already know how this all ends.
You make your way to Andor
‘Andor’ has the same problem that ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ already suffered from: we already know the arrival point, and characters that are sure to survive, so action sequences or attempts to make us fear for their lives can’t be exciting no matter how well executed. And in the case of ‘Andor’, from a technical point of view, they have given everything with a more street series, dirtier and riskier, less designed for family enjoyment.
But, although it is one of the best examples of what should now be a saga sore by the bad memory of its last trilogy (which will be revalued over time), that it does not mean that he has totally learned from his mistakes in other of his series. As was the case with ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ or ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’, the episodes weigh him down like slabs and one cannot avoid the feeling that the same thing could have been told in half the time.
It is true that, although sometimes the elongated footage is noticeable, at least there is the satisfaction of verifying that, this time, the characters are not powerful Jedi who can change the course of history or evil Sith with the power to summon armies to the sound from your hand: from the first to the last, the protagonists of ‘Andor’ are galactic losers, cannon foddersecondary in their own lives who try to survive as best they can in a world full of geopolitical tensions that touch them sideways. The series has many nuances and is more interesting than the rest of the Disney + productions. It’s not perfect, but at least it tries to surprise.
Casi-an Andor
‘Andor’ puts him so hard and tries to make a difference with so much effort that during the viewing I thought I was liking it more than I really did, in hindsight, I verified that it left a mark. It is a product with soul, personality and that deals with much more adult themes than the rest of the saga in recent years, giving much more importance to politics than to fights or adventure. Neither does he fall into cheap nostalgia, nor does he try to buy the viewer with a couple of winks, nor does his tone ever change and he is out of place, but, and here is his biggest problem, seems ashamed to be part of ‘Star wars’.
Do not read this where it is not: there are laser shots, fights, and references to the Empire and the Rebellion, but the actors themselves in the interviews drop that sometimes they forgot that they were in a series of the galactic saga. It’s like rephrasing the famous “It’s not television, it’s HBO” with a “It’s not Star Wars, it’s Andor”: wants to be so own without betraying the spirit of the films that, sometimes, it falls into a contradiction. If it wasn’t ‘Star Wars’, it wouldn’t exist, but he’s embarrassed to admit that he’s part of ‘Star Wars’.
‘Andor’ is a rare bird, a franchised series that seems to both pay homage and feel regret about belonging to the franchise itself. Tony Gilroy, the showrunner, who comes from ‘Michael Clayton’ and the Bourne saga, he is more interested in leaving his mark than in writing another chapter of the galactic saga. Sometimes this works to the advantage of the episodes, which become resplendent, unique and different, but, sadly, at other times it creates an indecision in their plot that is divided between following the dictates of tradition or telling what the real thing gives them. win. One thing is clear: it is going to cause a schism between those who want to continue watching the usual ‘Star Wars’ and those who are open to new experiences, without realizing that, yes or yes, and for a long time, as in ‘Andor’, Both sides will be forced to coexist.