When “Andor” originally debuted, the prequel series to a prequel movie set after the prequel trilogy wasn’t heavily promoted by Disney+. With no adorable Baby Yoda a la “The Mandalorian,” only the most devoted fans tuned in. However, as critics quickly discovered, “Andor” contained something far better than plush puppets. For the first time in the franchise’s history, a show took the premise of the original 1977 “Star Wars” film and used it to seriously explore the question of how someone becomes radicalized.
As critics quickly discovered, ‘Andor’ contained something far better than plush puppets.
Due to a variety of factors and 2020 shutdowns, “Andor” wasn’t released until 2022. Season 2, which premiered its first three episodes on April 22, took another three years. But the series hasn’t lost a step, broadening its focus from the individual to the collective as it portrays an entire population teetering on the edge of rebellion. I’d argue that the episodes we’ve seen suggest “Andor” is the best “Star Wars” series ever made. And it’s an incredibly well-timed reminder of how relevant the franchise’s story of democracy vs. authoritarianism actually is.
Over the course of nearly 50 years, George Lucas’ “Evil Empire” has stood in for many things. But “Andor” is the clearest use of the “Star Wars” mythology yet as a critique of our own government, concurrent with the events being allegorized. (One could argue — and people have — that “Return of the Jedi” had Vietnam War overtones, but it came out in 1983, long after the war ended.) “Andor” is showing how the wheels come off a fictional democracy just as the wheels appear to be coming off a very real democracy most thought was indestructible.
The result is a show that hits far too close to home. The series’ Mexican-born star Diego Luna (who also has an executive producer credit) plays an undocumented immigrant on the run from the British-accented white men of the Empire, falling in and out with random groups of would-be rebels in various stages of radicalization. Midlevel government stooges root out the undocumented under the guise of “the census.” They may not wear vests emblazoned with “ICE,” but comparisons to reports on the nightly news are too obvious to miss. The well-dressed and privileged citizens casually discussing the demolition of an entire planet while snacking on the most fantastic hors d’oeuvres feels similarly pointed. (The camera makes sure to linger over the delicacies as we hear the diners casually discussing genocide.)
Disney is releasing the series in three-episode groups over four weeks. This is partly due to the show’s structure, which focuses on different vignettes around the galaxy, tracing the threads of the growing crisis to its explosive center. But it also means that Disney+ may be trying to downplay criticism. (April and May are some of the most crowded months of the television calendar, making “Andor” one of many high-profile series currently trying to get traction in the entertainment sphere.)
It’s also possible Lucasfilm was never expecting ‘Andor’ to become such a runaway success, political themes and all.
It’s also possible Lucasfilm was never expecting “Andor” to become such a runaway success, political themes and all. Not that anyone has said a bad word about the show — when you have a hit, you smile and tell everyone how much you believed in it from the get-go. The show had early support from Luna, who was eager to reprise his popular “Rogue One” character. Perhaps more importantly, the show was greenlit in 2018, before Lucasfilm released “The Rise of Skywalker,” a sequel that took what had been a successful trilogy revival of the franchise and destroyed it by capitulating to small but vocal pockets of reactionary fans.
There is now nothing else like “Andor” in the “Star Wars” pipeline.
In fact, there’s barely anything in the pipeline. Since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, two dozen projects from high-profile writers have been triumphantly announced, only to be quietly canned. Meanwhile, the feature film count since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” stands at zero. We are in a moment when the “Star Wars” story is more relevant than it’s possibly ever been. We need more powerful characters standing up for democracy and against injustice. This isn’t a long time ago or in a galaxy far, far away. “Andor” shouldn’t be the outlier; it should be the new standard.