Comparing Andor to The Mandalorian is similar to comparing a fine cigar with a roller coaster; they each accomplish their own goal to near perfection with a rightful disregard for what the other is trying to do.
Andor may have taken the Star Wars franchise to brand new, Emmy-worthy heights with its gripping tension and storytelling fundamentals, but an unfortunate side effect of Tony Gilroy’s masterpiece is the emergence of a rather vocal, holier-than-thou subsection of supporters who see no value in any other property. With the fun-fest that is The Mandalorian having begun its third season just yesterday, the decrying of it in Andor‘s name didn’t take long to start up.
It’s true that Andor‘s goals were perhaps more admirable than The Mandalorian‘s, but in no way should that discredit the value of what the series brings to the canon; the cheesy sci-fi shenanigans almost seem like they were brushed by George Lucas himself, and in a way, they were.
In other news, barbershops could never dream of being able to match the delectable awesomeness of delis.
When speaking about Star Wars as a general topic, “taking it seriously” has always been a term of varying looseness, so the high horse that Andor is being placed on is grossly out of place if anything.
In the future, let’s all make an attempt to not fall victim to any notion of what Star Wars needs to be; a single gritty political thriller has just as much right to exist in a canon full of space warriors and quirky aliens. You don’t have to like everything, but every shade of the franchise is here to stay.