It’s been almost three years since the “Star Wars” saga hit theaters. The film was The Rise of Skywalker, which ended not with fanfare but with noise, the third trilogy in the series. Instead of the celebration that accompanied the first adventure created under Disney’s wing, 2015’s The Force Awakens, there was a sense of relief.
The origin of the note was the “middle film”. Many fans (I definitely don’t count myself among them) turned up their noses at The Last Jedi, which director Rian Johnson took a different tack than JJ Abrams suggested in the previous production. Ultimate Sin: The series’ great hero, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), returned as a reclusive character broken by guilt and failure.
The shell of Star Wars showed an unprecedented rift, exacerbated by the failure of 2018’s Han Solo. When JJ Abrams returned with The Rise of Skywalker, the film felt less like the end of a cycle and more like it more like a patchwork quilt, a piece of entertainment made out of patches. So the series created by George Lucas seemed destined for the shipyard.
Around that time, the Disney+ streaming platform was rolling up its sleeves for launch. The opening shot needed to make an impact, and the “Star Wars” branding seemed the obvious choice. The Mandalorian premiered in November 2019 and was the brainchild of filmmaker Jon Favreau. Suddenly, fans of the galaxy far, far away didn’t seem like orphans anymore.
In eight episodes, all the wonder, emotion and sense of adventure that characterized the series was back, spread out in an episodic format that didn’t take long to cover the series’ cinematic sins. “Star Wars”, it seems, had found a new home.
The public success was soon met with critical acclaim. Unlike the characters in the new trilogy, who never really bonded with their audiences, The Mandalorian brought a collection of characters that felt more Star Wars than ever.
Not that television, with George Lucas at the helm, is excluded from the series’ plans. In 2009, four years after the prequels ended with Revenge of the Sith, the producer set up a writers’ room to write a hundred episodes of a new series and expand the universe beyond life’s Darth Vaders.
“Star Wars Underground” was supposed to have bounty hunter Boba Fett as its anchor, but Lucas saw the proposal as a dive into the dark corners of the world he created. The idea failed because of the astronomical costs, which were prohibitive for an independent production company like LucasFilm.
However, in 2012, Disney put $4 billion in Lucas’ hands and bought off the production company and all of its products. The new management ignored the filmmaker’s draft script for new films, hired JJ Abrams and the rest is history. The Mandalorian, on the other hand, seemed to be closing.
Since then, “Star Wars” has only existed on television, more precisely on Disney+. The Mandalorian had an equally acclaimed second season and spawned an honest but less than impressive spinoff series: The Book of Boba Fett. ObiWan Kenobi bridged the gap between television and the brand’s legacy, but ended up being a compilation of great moments in an uneven season.
‘Andor’ does not skimp on action
Image: Lucas Film
Then came Andor. I finished watching the last episode of season one and here I am, still affected, weaving these lines. There is no product in the entire “Star Wars” universe that translates the concept of “Star Wars” as well as these twelve episodes, centered around a minor character in a movie that doesn’t even have the right to be that good .
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the first in a series of anthologies that promised to expand the brand’s scope beyond its main saga. The idea comes from the opening text of A New Hope, the very first film in the saga that transformed cinema and pop culture in 1977.
Rather than portraying Jedi Knights, exotic creatures, or the mystique of the Force, Rogue One was an uncompromising war film in which a reluctant team led by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) must steal the Empire’s plans for its super space station Empire, battleship, the death star. His deputy on the mission was a Rebel Alliance captain, spy, and assassin Cassian Andor.
I’m not going to talk about the tragic ending of “Rogue One” here (oops…) but it is the context for the placement of “Andor” which takes place years before the events of the film. The task of creating and producing the series was given to writerdirector Tony Gilroy. That made the difference in the end.
Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård): professional rebel
Image: Lucas Film
Gilroy is no stranger to the Star Wars universe. In fact, he had been called upon years earlier to solve the very narrative problems faced by director Gareth Edwards in Rogue One.
Ultimately, Gilroy rewrote Act III, cutting out entire scenes, rearranging the order of events, and shooting perhaps the best Darth Vader scene ever. By eliminating the most iconic elements in Star Wars, he has rediscovered the heart of the saga.
“Andor” has the same footprint. It’s a spy series, a look at the political steps required to unleash a rebellion within an authoritarian regime. No fantasy, no supernatural powers, no big space battles. A story that isn’t afraid to delve deep into the sacrifices it takes to stand up to the Empire.
Over 12 episodes, Tony Gilroy and the extraordinary team he assembled built the personality of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna, nothing short of extraordinary), from his indigenous origins to the reasons that led him to not become a calculating thief but to become aware of its role in undoing the damage caused by a military dictatorship.
Instead of noble knights, “Andor” is populated by people who don’t hesitate to pull the trigger in the name of the cause. Starting with Luthen (the spectacular Stellan Skarsgård), one of the Rebel Alliance’s architects, who operates under the facade of an antique dealer. Or Senator Mon Mothma (Geneviene O’Reilly), who slowly realizes what it takes to believe in and finance a rebellion without losing her position as Senator of the Empire.
From outstanding supporting actors to weighty actors like Forrest Whitaker and Fiona Shaw, there is no wasted character, no expendable narrative arc. Throughout the series, Andor rocks the Star Wars universe with intrigue, betrayal, torture, sex and death it is definitely a more mature series and not suitable for children. Despite the careful production, which brings breadth to the galaxy and a certain sense of desolation and defeat, the big draw is the text. Every line, every resolution, every character movement is a new wonder. Pay attention to the fate of Kino Loy (Andy Serkis, a surprise) and you will understand.
Andy Serkis meets Diego Luna in the dramatic arc of Andor
Image: Lucas Film
LucasFilm is in constant mutation. His next film, Rogue Squadron, with director Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), was pulled from the schedule. Damon Lindelof, Shawn Levy and Kevin Feige would be working on solo films set in the Star Wars universe, but no movement is coming. Taika Waititi, who made Thor: Love & Thunder this year, will reportedly be the name behind the next cinematic adventure in the saga. When? Who knows.
Meanwhile, the television is on fire. Ahsoka brings adventures of the Jedi created for the animation The Clone Wars, which debuted in the flesh in the second season of The Mandalorian, defended by Rosario Dawson. Hayden Christensen returns as Darth Vader, with Mary Elisabeth Winstead and Ray Stevenson taking on other roles. premiering next year
Also in 2023 “Skeleton Crew” with Jude Law at the helm will be streaming. Set a century before the events of The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte began filming last month. The third season of The Mandalorian already has its feet in the door to premiere in February.
To leave no doubt that “Andor” is part of the “Star Wars” universe
Image: Lucas Film
It’s odd that “Star Wars” should be thriving on television, considering that one of the inspirations for George Lucas to create “Star Wars” was the very series that catered to children’s and teenage matinees in the 1930s and 1940s Time rocked us in theaters to savor the nuances of new worlds and characters and pay even more attention to the story.
As “Andor” shows, “Star Wars” doesn’t necessarily need the visual spectacle to survive. A good text comes first. It is not for nothing that the series with Diego Luna is the brand’s best product since “The Empire Strikes Back”. Good characters pull us under their spell and take us with them into a good story.
Star Wars’ level of excellence has been raised yet again. Keeping the ball in play is the challenge. All of this without the need for nonsense like Easter eggs or fan service to please a more childish portion of followers. Interestingly, “Andor” has a postcredits scene at the end of its final episode. Believe me: it’s creepy!