Well, I never thought I’d write about another Star Wars thing, but here we are.
Andor
Directors: Toby Haynes, Benjamin Caron, Susanna White
Writers: Tony Gilroy, Dan Gilroy, Beau Willimon, Stephen Schiff
Starring: Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgard, Genevieve O’Reilly, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, etc.
Music By: Nicholas Britell
Rated TV-14 (Contains fascism)
Streaming On: Disney+
In the early days of Emperor Palpatine’s rule, Cassian Andor is a simple man trying to make his way in the galaxy…and maybe find the sister from whom he was separated as a child. But when he sort-of-accidentally kills two corporate cops employed by the Empire, he catches the attention, not only of their over-zealous superior officer, but also of Luthen Rael, an aristocrat who is trying to undermine the Empire from within. Luthen needs some dirty work done, and Cassian needs cash, so the two strike a professional bargain that quickly lands Andor in far more trouble than he expected.
Recently, legendary comic book writer Alan Moore was in the news (as he periodically is) for saying that he believes superhero stories for adults are inherently a bit fascist. His actual take was a little more nuanced than that, but that’s the headline all the clickbait articles went with. Despite being an adult who enjoys superhero media, I feel like I understand where Moore’s coming from. Fascism, as an ideology, is all about making the world simple. There are good guys (our country, race, religion, etc.) and bad guys (everyone else), and our job is to defeat the bad guys by any means necessary. It’s a real easy concept to sell to the public, which is probably part of the reason fascism refuses to die even after it’s caused so much demonstrable harm to the world. This black-and-white, “bad guys vs. good guys” narrative is also the backbone of superhero media, even some of the movies that pretend to be more nuanced. We’re meant to root for the hero, no matter how violent he gets, and against the villain, no matter how justified his grievances are, because that’s how children’s stories work–and when adults continue to consume only that type of simplistic narrative, they can lose sight of reality’s complexity.
Sometimes we need a little more…grey.
So what does any of that have to do with Andor? Well, Alan Moore’s problem with superhero movies has been my problem with Star Wars for a while. This is a franchise that has always been marketed heavily to children, has never produced content above a PG-13 rating, and makes most of its money off toys and theme parks. It’s also a franchise that is primarily about, well, war. The very first movie featured genocide, torture, and some very grisly murders, and the “galaxy far, far away” hasn’t really lightened up since then. Ever since I was a kid, there’s been a weird tension about watching a series where a main character could murder a room full of children in one scene, and a funny, marketable alien or droid could do a Three Stooges routine in the next. The reason Star Wars is still perceived as “family friendly” is not because it’s nonviolent, but because the violence is mostly bloodless, the worst of it happens to characters the audience doesn’t care about, and the movies’ cinematic language always draws a clear line between the “good” violent people (Hollywood attractive, charming, relatable, etc.) and the “bad” violent people (faceless, deformed, wearing Nazi-inspired outfits, etc.). Some of the animated shows, and probably plenty of other extended material, have brought more nuance to the picture, but the main Star Wars movies have always been mainly about a struggle between pure good heroes, cartoonishly evil villains, and not much in between (aside from marketable alien sidekicks). While I’ve enjoyed a lot of things about the franchise, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enjoying all of it, I’ll be honest: I’m not comfortable with sanitised war stories. Not even for children, and especially not for adults. They send the message that war can be cool, or heroic, and that violence is okay as long as you’re on the right team. Kind of like…fascism.
Enter Andor. This series really came out of nowhere for me. I haven’t been excited about anything Star Wars-related since 2017, and I certainly wasn’t interested in the origin story of a one-off supporting character from Rogue One. And I’ll admit, the first two episodes didn’t grab me. But as the characters and their conflicting agendas developed, a very clear central theme began to emerge. When I say that Andor is the first Star Wars property that truly feels made for adults, I don’t mean that it’s more violent, sexy, or “dark” than other installments. I mean that it has something political to say, it takes time to explore that political idea from multiple angles, and it trusts its audience to connect it to what is happening in the real world right now without having it spelled out for them. While this isn’t the franchise’s first attempt to make a political point, it’s by far the clearest, most focused, and most tonally consistent effort thus far.
“I am the only one with clarity of purpose.”
The central question Andor asks of its audience is: What does it take to turn an ordinary person into a rebel?
After all, this is the story of a man who (spoilers for Rogue One) will end up giving his life to cripple the Empire. But in episode 1, we see that he didn’t start out as the heroic type at all. He’s already had a rough life, and while he’s no fan of the Empire, he’s more focused on his own survival than on the fate of the galaxy. When he first gets involved with the Rebellion, it’s for monetary gain more than any lofty ideals. The rest of the show portrays his gradual radicalisation through four multi-episode story arcs, each showing us, and Cassian, a different side of the Empire’s oppression and the growing resistance against it. We see a planet where the Empire has forcibly relocated the inhabitants, and thereby almost wiped out their culture and religion without making it explicitly illegal. We see a dystopian prison where inmates, many of whom were arrested on minor or nonexistent charges, are used as an expendable labour force by the Imperial military. And we see Andor’s hometown, where incompetent corporate cops are replaced by increasingly oppressive military forces who try to crack down on a few residents’ subversive activities, and only create more problems for themselves by doing so. The show’s writers make all these scenarios more believable by drawing inspiration from real-life revolutions and authoritarian regimes throughout history, from the early days of Communist movements in Russia to modern police brutality in America.
“The rate of oppression outstrips our ability to understand it, and that is the real trick of the Imperial thought machine. It’s easier to hide behind 40 atrocities than a single incident.”
If the description of the show so far doesn’t seem very Star Wars, I don’t think it’s because the show differs radically from the original ideas for the franchise. After all, George Lucas has said the original trilogy was partially inspired by the Vietnam War, and much of the prequel trilogy can be read as commentary on the Patriot Act and the war in Iraq. But Andor humanises the politics of Empire and Rebellion. There are no faceless, one-dimensional characters on this show. Just as one example, I present my personal favourite Imperial character in the series: Dedra Meera, a rising star in the Imperial Security Bureau who spends her first few episodes being slighted by her co-workers for the unforgivable crime of being both competent and female. The show kind of has us rooting for her at first, as we see her struggle to prove herself in a sexist environment. But when she finally succeeds, and gets the chance to work in the field, we see that she’s possibly the most sadistic and evil person on the show–at least, when she’s on the clock. Recognising the humanity of the people within the Empire doesn’t lessen the impact of its evil; if anything, it makes it even more horrifying as we see what people like us (with feelings, loved ones, hopes and dreams) are capable of doing in the name of “order” or “justice” or “just doing their jobs.”
Likewise, Andor acknowledges that revolutions aren’t often accomplished by morally pure heroes. Luthen and the other leaders of the Rebellion in this show are ruthless, lying constantly, deliberately provoking the Empire to greater atrocities, and even directly sacrificing the lives of their comrades, all in the name of their cause. Every character on the side of the Rebellion, from wealthy Senator Mon Mothma to Cassian’s aging mother Maarva, has to wrestle with the sacrifices they believe are necessary to gain freedom, and their decisions often have high casualties. The main thing that separates them from the pawns of the Empire is that they are fighting for people rather than power.
“Tell him he knows everything he needs to know, and feels everything he needs to feel. And when the day comes, and those two pull together, he will be an unstoppable force for good. Tell him I love him more than anything he could ever do wrong.”
Andor is an artistic triumph on every level. It’s filmed on location in real, beautiful landscapes and meticulously-constructed, lived-in sets. It has not one, but two, of the most gorgeous spaceflight scenes in Star Wars. There is obvious thought put into the composition of each shot, so that many character and setting details can be communicated without words. Every actor is bringing their A-game, and with a cast that includes Stellan Skarsgard and Andy Serkis, that’s saying a lot. But even the lesser-known actors, like Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, prove they can hold their own, delivering powerful emotional performances and some of the best monologues in recent sci-fi. The writing is consistently thoughtful and thought-provoking, creating characters who feel real and live in a world that seems like it could really exist (apart from the faster-than-light travel and sentient droids, that is). But Andor‘s greatest success, and what really makes it stand out in an already-great year for TV, is that it illustrates what rebellion against tyranny really looks like.
Rebellion is old women using their last days to organize and inspire the next generation. It’s young, idealistic men writing down their political philosophy. It’s freedom fighters committing acts of guerilla warfare. It’s people in positions of power using their wealth and influence to empower those “beneath” them. It’s obedient tools of Empire realising that the system will kill them unless they break it. But most importantly, it’s communities of people coming together to support each other in the fight against tyranny. Every revolution is a group effort, and it’s only made possible when people from all walks of life decide that the common cause of freedom is more important than the differences dividing them.
“One way out!”
Cassian is the best possible protagonist for this type of story, because he’s not “special” in the way the protagonist of a sci-fi epic would usually be. He’s not a “chosen one,” he’s not significantly more badass or leadership-oriented than any other character, and in a show packed with inspirational speeches, he doesn’t give a single one. Instead, his strength is that, wherever he goes, he recognises the strengths in other people. He encourages and supports the rebels who seem to be on his side, and by doing so, he eventually comes to realise that he’s on their side. Diego Luna’s wonderfully understated acting sells this transformation brilliantly, aided by camera techniques that constantly push the audience to identify with him. Like “Hadestown,” Andor shows that rebellion against a dehumanising system can only work if it comes from love and solidarity.
This show probably won’t work for everyone. The first two episodes are admittedly slow, and I imagine die-hard Star Wars fans might have mixed feelings about a series that eschews so many hallmarks of the franchise. But if you want a show that will make you feel fired up to fight fascism, this is the best one I’ve come across in a long time–and it’s certainly the best option available on Disney+. I haven’t even talked about the lovely score, or my favourite stuttering droid, B2EMO, or the iconic Coruscant fashion on display in many episodes.
“I show you the stone in my hand; you miss the knife at your throat.”
Of course, Andor isn’t entirely without flaws. I wish it had more aliens. And…that’s it. That’s the only flaw.
I don’t know if this series signals a much-needed change in direction for Star Wars, or if it’ll prove to be a singular diamond in the rough. But I do know that I’m incredibly impatient for Season 2. And in the meantime, I feel like fighting the Empire.
“The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is a mask of fear. Remember that.”
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Wizard at the Clicks 