Andor: Season 1

  

Based on: Star Wars by George Lucas

Created by: Tony Gilroy

Starring: Diego Luna (Cassian Andor), Kyle Soller (Syril Karn), Adria Arjona (Bix Caleen), Stellan Skarsgård (Luthen Rael), Fiona Shaw (Maarva Andor), Denise Gough (Dedra Meero), Genevieve O'Reilly (Mon Mothma), Faye Marsay (Vel Sartha)

At one point, I told myself that I really only enjoyed Star Wars iterations that included the force or lightsabers. This series has proven me wrong. 

So I realize I tend to start off these blogs with criticisms just to get them out of the way, so I'll keep that trend going. The only thing I didn't appreciate about this show was the way it jumped settings drastically a few times. I felt like I was only really getting used to a certain place/plot when it would shift hugely, and I'd have to re-familiarize myself with what was going on. It started with a few episodes on Cassian's home planet, then it moved to a rebel force training in the wilderness for several episodes, then it shifted to an Empire prison where it spent several episodes, and then it spent the last 2-3 episodes between locations because I think Cassian was moving around a lot. 

Other than those things, I really appreciated how much it departed from classic Star Wars stories with gang leaders or localized rebellions. Instead, I would define it more as a classic dystopian sci-fi that just happens to be set in the world of Star Wars. There were multiple factions on multiple worlds all coordinating a rebellion together. There was deep secrecy, people living multiple lives, and people killed or reputations destroyed along the way. Cassian himself was a very intriguing character to follow, especially seeing how he adapted himself to all those drastically different situations I mentioned above, skillfully navigating delicate environments to further the goal of the rebellion against the watchful empire. 

Toward the beginning of the season, Cassian is integrated into a wilderness team training intensively for a high-risk mission 

Beautiful visuals as Cassian pilots a rebel ship into space under the cover of an atmospheric phenomenon, executing the above team's mission

The other character I most enjoyed watching was Mon Mothma. (I initially thought she was a character original to this series, but Wikipedia has just told me she was introduced in Return of the Jedi. So a long time ago 👀) She was fascinating because she was a high-society, upper-class senator who lived the definition of a double life. Her primary role was the face of politics, presenting a well-polished front for her circle and appearing to perform her function without wrinkle. Instead, however, her real effort and energy was put into funding (and perhaps coordinating?) the rebel efforts. She made regular stops through the season to an antiques dealer where she and the shop owner spoke in riddle and between the lines about the coordination efforts. The dealer owned a special radio set that he used to communicate with other efforts throughout the galaxy. In one of my favorite scenes, she recruited another senator to her cause who she believe was as dedicated to rebellion efforts as she was. Their exchange in dialogue, and the moment of realization in the other senator's face when he realized how deep she was talking, was exciting. 

Mon Mothma at one of her many socialite parties 

One episode in the season gained instant lauding online for its excellence and thrill in payoff, and I agreed. The season spent several episodes at the Empire prison while Cassian got his bearings in this new life and began devising a rebellion. In this episode, Cassian had finally got his section "supervisor" on board with the idea and concocted a real plot, and they executed the plan. It went across flawlessly and it was thrilling to watch as the prisoners slowly took control of the massive prison space in a localized effort that rapidly spread as each section was captured by the prisoners. The entire episode was exhilarating as it took the entire hour to depict the whole operation. 

Cassian and his prison supervisor Kino Loy (Andy Serkis), plotting how to escape

Another aspect of the series I loved was the way it gave a lot of screen time to the workings of the Empire. It focused on two characters, Syril and Dedra, one a high ranking and one a lower ranking employee of the Empire. It followed their careers as the rebellion developed and how they each responded, attempting to fight back in their own ways despite ironic pushback from higher-ups. 

Overall, even though the pacing was a bit slow and I couldn't always see where the plot was going, it was a really enjoyable and fresh take on Star Wars. I do admittedly miss the sabers and force, but I'm excited for the new doors that might open in the success of this very different take.