Disney+ Star Wars: Andor with Diego Luna (1 Viewer)

[The Drifter]

I first saw Andor S01 about a year ago, and ATT felt it was the best live-action Star Wars TV series ever. I recently finished my first re-watch - and my opinion has definitely not changed. If fact, I like the show even more after this second viewing. And, while most of the other SW live action & animated series are great - Andor is on a whole other level. This is a brilliant, fascinating, and extremely compelling series. There are so many great elements here & so much to appreciate/analyze. And, this is one of those shows that rewards the viewer on each subsequent viewing. In fact, this is one of the best seasons of any TV series I've ever seen - period.

A lot of my enjoyment/appreciation of the series is because it's set during the OT era (even though it's somewhat before ANH), and that's my favorite SW era/time period.

I like how it delves into the beginning(s) of the Rebellion & how some of those involved are not above doing almost anything to get what they need/want re: the cause.

Also, it was fascinating to see the detailed depiction of multiple levels of the Empire, including: The fascist & arrogant commanders/upper-level officials, the administrators, the foot-soldiers/troopers, and the low-level bureaucrats.

I also liked the exploration of different cultures/societies, especially those on Aldhani, Kenari (Andor's home world), and Ferrix.

Very well-written plot re: having Cassian Andor getting pulled into something much bigger than himself (i.e., the Rebellion)

Spoiler: SPOILER

when he was initially simply trying to track his long-lost sister down (Episode 01). Also interesting was that his killing of the two bullying soldiers/guards (one of which was obviously in self-defense) started a chain reaction that initially resulted in his working for the Rebellion as a mercenary, and then ultimately taking steps to actually join them - in the final episode.

 

[The Drifter]

Each episode of Andor was excellent. Some of the many stand-outs:

Reckoning (Episode 3): Amazing & extremely tense episode in which The Corporate Security soldiers go to Ferrix to search for Andor. The animosity/hatred that the native populace had for these soldiers is palatable & very evident - especially once they start marching through the streets. I liked how the natives used the chimes?! to signal each other that the soldiers were coming.

Spoiler: SPOILER

One of my favorite sequences was when one of the CS soldiers was trying to take off from the ship-yard, and the mechanic(s) had connected his ship to a strong line/cord - so that it ultimately crashed. Great scene!

The Corporate Security here are obviously patterned after the militaristic Corporate Sector Authority (CSA). The CSA were the main & recurring antagonists in the excellent Han Solo Trilogy novels by the late Brian Daley (1979-1980). Note that these novels are now considered "non-canon" and are in the "Legends" category.

Aldhani, The Axe Forgets, and The Eye (Episodes 4-6): Great story-line here that involved robbing the Imperial vault(s) on Aldhani.

Spoiler: SPOILER

Very clever how the Rebels were able to time the robbery with the viewing of The Eye light-show, that happened at the same time each year & drew the natives to a specific location on the planet.

One of my favorite scenes was right before the raid/operation, when Andor explained to the rest of the group that, yes, he was only doing the job for the money & that they shouldn't be surprised or upset by this, etc. This brutal honesty here was necessary, and seemed to help the group trust & respect him at least somewhat more - when they had been uncertain/mistrustful of him prior to this admission.

The plot in these episodes (re: a small group of commandos who are sent to infiltrate an enemy fortress/facility) reminded me somewhat of classic World War II movies like The Dirty Dozen & Force 10 from Navarone.

 

[The Drifter]

Narkina 5, Nobody's Listening, and No Way Out! (Episodes 8-10): Very disturbing that Andor got arrested & taken to a high-security prison - when he hadn't done anything to deserve this (i.e., he was just in the vicinity where criminals were running away from the authorities). Unfortunately, this was very true to life. However, in the context of the story-line - it was very ironic, given that he was actually wanted by the Empire.

And, it was completely believable that Andor was captured without flagging the legitimate "search" that was going on for him, given that he gave them a false name & looked slightly different than the original picture(s) that were being circulated of him (i.e., being clean-shaven vs. originally having a beard).

Very good detail(s) re: the prison & how the floors were electrified, thereby giving the Imperials/prison officials the upper hand at all times. This was given that the prisoners were always barefoot & weren't wearing any kind of protective foot-wear - vs. the special boots/shoes the Imperials were always wearing.

Spoiler: SPOILER

The prison revolt sequence was amazing & very well-done. It was great to see how Andor galvanized an initially reluctant Kino Loy (Andy Serkis) & the other prisoners into attacking their captors & taking over the facility. This was after they found out that no one was ever getting out/leaving....even after their "sentences" were seemingly completed.

The white & spartan industrial/assembly lines that the prisoners were working on strongly & intentionally reminded me of similar industrial/assembly line scenes in THX-1138 (1971 original; 2004 Director's Cut), starring Robert Duvall & Donald Pleasance. This was George Lucas' first film, and was an excellent & underrated sci-fi/dystopian drama; I prefer the Director's cut to the original, however.

Another THX reference: In an episode 7 crowd scene when Luthen Rael's assistant Kleya is walking through Coruscant streets, the letters "L", "U", "H" with some numbers following them (which was obviously some kind of designation) were called out over a loudspeaker; in THX, LUH 3147 was THX's female roommate/girlfriend.

Andor Pays Homage to George Lucas's Other Sci-Fi Classic

Andor's dystopian Imperial prison and the series' showstopping escape draw inspiration from a noted George Lucas film. It just isn't Star Wars.

www.cbr.com

 

[The Drifter]

One last episode review & additional thoughts re: this amazing series:

Rix Road (Episode 12): Incredible final episode, focusing on Andor going back to Ferrix

Spoiler: SPOILER

to attend Maarva's funeral - but having to remain concealed, since he knew the Imperials were waiting for him. Excellent tense sequence when the Imperials & the Ferrix natives "squared off" in the town square, which led to the huge riot/battle. Great urban battle sequence, and I felt like the whole series was leading up to the events in this episode.

All of the actors/actresses in Andor were excellent in their roles. There were a lot of familiar faces here, and some I had never seen before.

It's also nice to see a SW series that's not even partially set on Tatooine, since I've gotten tired of seeing that planet featured in SW films & TV shows.

Looking forward to Andor S02. Glad this is the final season; the show is so good that anything beyond 2 seasons would probably dilute this amazing series. So, I look forward to a definitive ending - which will presumably lead up to the events in Rouge One (2016).

Spoiler: SPOILER

Re: S02 - I hope we find out what happened to Andor's younger sister (that he was searching for in Episode 01). Did she stay on the planet they grew up on, or did she eventually make it off-world?! Is she even still alive?!!

 

[Sam Favate]

Season 2 is definitely the last one. Both Gilroy and Luna have repeatedly said so.

 

[Alex...]

 

[Alex...]

4K UHD Incoming April 30th

'Andor' Gets Gorgeous 4K and Blu-Ray Collector's Edition Steelbook Release

The critically acclaimed 'Star Wars' series comes home with new art and special features in April.

collider.com

 

[Sam Favate]

I've said this before and will again, but Andor (at least, season 1) is the best Star Wars has ever been.

The 4k set is a day one purchase.

 

[Philip Verdieck]

It's also nice to see a SW series that's not even partially set on Tatooine, since I've gotten tired of seeing that planet featured in SW films & TV shows.

This * 1000. If Disney could forget that Totooine existed for the next 5 years, it would have no negative effects on the SW universe.

 

[Alex...]