Andor is one of the best things to happen to Star Wars in a very long time. Built upon the solid foundations of Rogue One, the show has shown us the galaxy when the Empire was at its most powerful, while any would-be rebels are isolated cells acting under the radar. The downbeat, slow-paced, and character-focused series isn’t for everyone – and has a notable lack of space wizards swinging glowing swords – but for diehard fans it’s a dream come true.
Now, Reddit user cheapfrozensushi claims to have identified one of the big reasons it’s so compelling, saying that “Andor feels like Star Wars the way the original films posited its universe to be, not what its brand became.”
This means grimier things like brothels, a careful outlining of the structure of Imperial bureaucracy, the Empire as an efficient and scary machine, and that it shows how the Imperial system co-opted existing economic systems.
They also point to the way it takes the concept seriously, criticizing other shows for metafictionally poking fun at Stormtroopers:
“Having stormtroopers be an in-universe joke is at odds with the films. The Empire as nothing more than Saturday Morning cartoon villains with the most outward malice and power-grubbing – is at odds with the films.
When Rebels quip about stormtrooper aim [there’s Mayfield’s “I wasn’t one, jackass!” from Mando for example], or action sequences as just “goons in hallway while The Hero shoots em up” – it feels disingenuous to me. Comedians or character actors hamming it in roles isn’t accidental either. These are blatant attempts at recapturing the Star Wars™ charisma and fun. Implementing elements without understanding the formula.”
The replies agree, with a user referencing the concept of ‘Flanderization’, named for The Simpsons‘ Ned Flanders’ character gradually growing more and more exaggerated and broad over time:
“It basically comes down to Star Wars often suffering Flanderization. Andor is definitely not flanderized, but it’s also not really the same tone as the OT either. The escape from the Death Star isn’t played as nearly as nerve-jangling for our heroes as it would be in Andor, for example.”
But there are disagreements as, let’s face it, Andor isn’t really that much like the original trilogy in tone:
Can anyone really accuse A New Hope of presenting a “gritty” universe?
We can see both sides of this argument. Andor clearly is quite different from other Star Wars media, to the point where if you removed the TIE Fighters you’d have a show you may not even recognize as Star Wars. We love that it takes the struggle against the Empire seriously, even going so far as to have a character outline his political and philosophical reasoning for opposing fascism.
Whether Andor really takes us back to the core of what Star Wars “should” be is up for debate. If anything, it feels more similar to the old Expanded Universe books and comics, which were allowed to move away from the core story and experiment with darker stories and more adult themes.
However you feel about the debate, we’re lucky to have Andor. We have six episodes left to go of the first season, with the second batch of 12 episodes expected in 2024.