As someone who hasn't really enjoyed any Star Wars movies or TV shows in about two decades, I've been sitting on the fence through the passionate debates that have been swirling between fans around the direction of the franchise for the last couple of years.
Some fans malign the changes since Disney bought out George Lucas, some are upset about the changes Lucas himself made, and others are just keen to see endless prequels and spin-offs about random characters hit Disney Plus.
I can't really be called a Star Wars fan, so I was happy not to have a "take" — opinions about the franchise are a dangerous thing judging by the discourse online — so I'm pretty annoyed at Andor season 2 by somehow drawing me back into this franchise that I'd last felt passionate about 20 years ago.
A long history of lightsabers
Two decades ago the Star Wars prequel trilogy was newly out, annoying fans of the original trilogy. I was too young to see any of the films in cinemas but I still managed to watch them at home on VHS tape and, in that unquestioning way that juvenile boys do, I loved all the laser fights and sword fights and space fights.
For a few summers I was nagging my parents to buy me toy lightsabers (which admittedly didn't last very long), bought a John Williams songbook to learn on piano, and was sneaking over to a friend's house to play Revenge of the Sith's tie-in video game. Then 2005 ended and so did 2006 and my interest in the franchise faded; The Force Awakens in 2015 nearly revived my passion but The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker felt so disjointed from Awakens and each other that I stopped myself before getting too invested. And no, before you jump to the comments section, it wasn't because of the politics of the series.
In fact since 2005 the only thing that's really engaged me in the Star Wars realm are its video games; I spent years on the Battlefront titles on my old PS2 (and one summer on the PS4 reboot) and have also wasted many hours on Jedi: Fallen Order, Force Unleashed and the Lego games. But I can easily tell you that I enjoyed those titles despite the Star Wars branding, not because of it.
Because I occasionally pick up Disney Plus deals (and because my job is literally to write about streaming services and their Originals), I've tested my fair share of the spin-off TV shows; I'm pretty sure I finished The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Boba Fett one, and definitely saw at least one episode of Ahsoka and some of the animated ones, but as you can tell from my language, none of them really sparked anything in me.
That changed on Wednesday, May 7, and if you've noticed my big omission from the paragraph above (or remember from several paragraphs ago when I name-dropped it), you'll know exactly why that is.
Prequel to a movie you've forgotten
Andor is an origin story for a character from the Rogue One movie, but the show works best when it's ignoring everything to do with that story. I don't remember much from the film, and it seems that series creator Tony Gilroy is more focused on telling an interesting story than simply setting up ideas from the movie.
Since its first season landed in late 2022, people have gone on and on about how Andor is the jewel in Disney Plus' crown of Star Wars live-action shows, telling more grounded stories that comment on real-life politics. And that's definitely true, with way smarter people than I drawing all sorts of parallels between the first season and real-world (well, mainly American) issues.
Admittedly only I binged the entire 12-episode run in the several days leading up to a season 2 panel I attended for What to Watch, but it was one of the most enjoyable work-related-binge-watches I've been on in a while.
Then Andor season 2 came out in April and while I don't need to watch it for What to Watch, I'm currently enjoying another Disney Plus trial thanks to my phone contract, so decided to watch it to see how it stacks up.
If you're not 'in the know' on how to watch Andor season 2, it's been releasing in chunks of three episodes each week, with the individual trifectas representing one year in the life of the titular character Cassian Andor. By nature of this format it's been quite episodic, but it lets us watch the fermentation of various plans over many years, instead of the rushed style that movies require.
Andor's 'Red Wedding'
Wednesday, May 7 brought the release of the third batch of episodes in the UK (the day after the US release, if you're wondering why I'm talking in Wednesdays instead of Tuesdays) which show tensions building over the past six episodes explode in a dramatic style. This is the last paragraph that doesn't contain spoilers, so if you want to watch it, stop right here!
Andor season 2 part 3 shows the Empire finally enact its plan on the planet of Ghorman, which it wants to strip mine for a precious resource and leave it barren; after nurturing the rebellion on the planet they use a protest as a "false flag" attack and massacre the townspeople participating in the protest.
The allegory here isn't particularly subtle. I'd always felt Andor to be a little heavy-handed in its politics (even if I agree with the points it's making).
But I've enjoyed plenty of movies and TV shows that make good political points in a range of ways, without being able to call myself a true fan of it. So why's Andor different?
That's because of its characters, or possibly even character (singular). Through Andor season 2 we've been seeing a fascinating character arc and relationship play out that climaxed in episode 8 of the season, and it's simply some of the best writing and acting I've seen on TV in years. It reminded me of the glory days of Game of Thrones when you'd endlessly put your heart behind a certain character only for them to drop dead an episode later.
This character is Syril Karn, played by Kyle Soller (who's so good in the role that I didn't even realize that he was also one of the leads in Bodies, which I covered extensively).
Karn begins the first season of Andor as a determined but undervalued (and pretty awkward) corporate security guard who makes it his mission to hunt down Cassian Andor; by season 2 he's undertaken a bizarre romantic relationship with Denise Gough's Dedra Meero who's a high-ranking military officer that also wants Cassian's head. She sends him to work in Ghorman as both a spy and an instigator to tempt the rebels to attack; he's basically her agent though he doesn't know to what extent.
How to write a character
I always really liked Karn's character, simply because I love characters who have a mission and take proactive steps towards their goals instead of endlessly hand-wringing about their doubts or shortcomings, as nearly all modern heroes do. The fact that my favorite character in Andor is working for the evil Empire isn't lost on me, but it's a testament to Karn's writing.
Through his stay in Ghorman, Karn's rough edges are worn down, especially in later episodes when he seems to develop an attachment to the daughter of the rebel leader. And as he leaves his comfort zone and sees more of the galaxy, he begins to empathize more with its peoples, and we see him begin to truly doubt the actions he's undertaking for the Empire.
That's doubly true in episode 8 where he realizes that Dedra is lying to him, immediately after she shows him her first true bout of public romantic affection — I'd come to really be attached to this weird romantic couple and seeing one get more invested as the other gets less is a heart-wrenching tragedy (even if, again, they're working for the bad guys).
Despite this, when Karn later sees Andor about to shoot Meero, he barely hesitates before engaging his much tougher and stronger foe — another case of a character working towards their goal no matter the odds. I have to admit that I was rooting for Karn in this fight and, looking online, I know I'm not the only one.
After Karn manages to win the fight and declines to shoot Andor, marking the beginning of his redemption arc... he's shot dead by someone else. No last words bleeding out, no regret from any characters — we don't even see Meero's reaction to the news, and spend only seconds with Karn's teary-eyed mother in a montage. It's an inglorious end to an inglorious character — but perhaps the most interest character that we've ever seen grace the screen in Star Wars, be it in the movies or on shows.
Right now, the day after watching the episode, I'm feeling the same mood I used to feel when a beloved character in Game of Thrones would die — reticence to return next week, but with the knowledge deep down that I would. Wishing I could see an alternative version of the show in which the character survived, but knowing that this was the more interesting decision narratively.
My original angle for this story when I first concocted it last week was going to be describing how Cassian Andor wasn't the main character of Andor season 2, until Karn's death ruined that idea. But it's definitely true that the titular character has been overshadowed in his own story, particularly with a lack of interesting drama having been bestowed upon him this season.
Honestly, though, I don't mind. Despite the title, I didn't come to Andor for Andor, and my interest in Star Wars isn't in the particular characters that Disney decides to release origin stories on. I'm drawn to interesting stories being told well, and Andor season 2 does that better than anything, Star Wars or otherwise, that I've seen in a long while.
So if this is the direction the House of Mouse is going in, I'm all for it, and I'm ready to call myself a Star Wars fan again. I just hope Disney decides to continue in this direction for future TV shows, instead of simple churning out more Mandalorian or incomprehensible action series.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
