Thoughts on Andor
Season 2 of Andor has received praise from both critics and fans alike. It finally seems to have put to bed the common argument that Star Wars as a franchise has traditionally been light on narrative depth, character development and the exploration of the themes that its main story is predicated upon. Andor shows the realities of opposing authoritarian regimes and exists within shades of grey, rather than purille, binary positions. Many have drawn parallels with the current state of geopolitics, especially that of the United States. I certainly found the second season of Andor to be engaging and thought provoking. I also enjoyed the performances of many of the British actors who by default are cast in all the major Empire roles. I thought Anton Lesser was especially noteworthy as a senior officer in the Imperial Security Bureau.
Season 2 of Andor has received praise from both critics and fans alike. It finally seems to have put to bed the common argument that Star Wars as a franchise has traditionally been light on narrative depth, character development and the exploration of the themes that its main story is predicated upon. Andor shows the realities of opposing authoritarian regimes and exists within shades of grey, rather than purille, binary positions. Many have drawn parallels with the current state of geopolitics, especially that of the United States. I certainly found the second season of Andor to be engaging and thought provoking. I also enjoyed the performances of many of the British actors who by default are cast in all the major Empire roles. I thought Anton Lesser was especially noteworthy as a senior officer in the Imperial Security Bureau.
Setting aside for a moment the praise for Andor, I do think there is a rather interesting fact that has contributed to the show’s mainstream and critical success. For this iteration of Star Wars to be embraced by a wider and possibly more cerebral audience, it appears to have shed many of the science fantasy tropes that have been integral to the franchise’s appeal for decades. Namely, the Jedi Knights, the Sith and the force. Andor leans into the technological aesthetic that is synonymous with Star Wars but ignores the quasi religious presence of the Jedi and the Sith. Their theological battles are conspicuously absent. What you are left with is a clever parable about an authoritarian regime, and the resistance against it. Although very entertaining Andor is far more akin to the BBC show Secret Army from 1977, than being just more Star Wars. There are also shades of John le Carré.
George Lucas dealt in clear archetypes and the medium of high adventure when he conceived and originally wrote Star Wars. I don’t believe he ever intended the source material to be anything more than “modern legends”. A vehicle for traditional morality tales. I do not doubt that he drew upon contemporary sociopolitical events for inspiration but I in no way think that Star Wars was intended to be a indepth exploration of them. Which is why Andor is such a different beast. It is a good show but it is effectively using the aesthetic and lore of Star Wars to pitch to an alternative audience and in a very different way. Just as Christopher Nolan’s Batman films took a stylised property with a broad spectrum of prior interpretations and crashed it headlong into “reality”. Andor is very much Star Wars evolved. However, will that ongoing process eventually be to the detriment of the original content?
Andor (2022)
Andor is not like other entries in the Star Wars canon. It explores the human, social and political consequences of rebelling against an oppressive, totalitarian regime. The writing is intelligent and well observed, choosing to focus on the average citizens of the Empire and the nature of their daily lives. Andor also explores the ineffectual politicians and the way the senate are self serving and ultimately impotent. The Emperor is remote and instead we see how Imperial colonialism works at a grassroots level. It is an all too familiar depiction, born out of historical fact, such as Vichy France during World War II. Petty thugs and aspiring psychopaths happily align themselves with their Imperial overlords and actively oppress their own people. As for the Empire, and in particular the ISB (Imperial Security Bureau) it is rife with infighting, personal fiefdoms and all the flaws of similar institutions from the real world.
Andor is not like other entries in the Star Wars canon. It explores the human, social and political consequences of rebelling against an oppressive, totalitarian regime. The writing is intelligent and well observed, choosing to focus on the average citizens of the Empire and the nature of their daily lives. Andor also explores the ineffectual politicians and the way the senate are self serving and ultimately impotent. The Emperor is remote and instead we see how Imperial colonialism works at a grassroots level. It is an all too familiar depiction, born out of historical fact, such as Vichy France during World War II. Petty thugs and aspiring psychopaths happily align themselves with their Imperial overlords and actively oppress their own people. As for the Empire, and in particular the ISB (Imperial Security Bureau) it is rife with infighting, personal fiefdoms and all the flaws of similar institutions from the real world.
Andor is by far the most nuanced and thoughtful entry so far in Disney’s Star Wars universe. However, although I and others are happy to heap praise upon the production it does have one particular Achilles Heel. Andor conspicuously highlights how puerile and unsophisticated all previous entries in the established canon are. When George Lucas wrote Star Wars it was designed to be a traditional high adventure. A mythology that dealt in archetypes, intended to convey a simple moral message. The baddies were bad and the goodies were good. Evil was defeated and the galaxy restored to order under the benevolent guidance of the New Republic. Lucas painted with broad brushstrokes and hence the realities of a revolution were not explored beyond a superficial manner. This approach worked fine for a self-contained trilogy of films pitched at a broad and youthful audience 45 years ago.
That audience has now grown up and some have become writers, producers and directors in the film and TV industry. Finally with Andor, the Star Wars franchise is being treated as more than just a big budget, science fantasy genre vehicle. Andor is essentially a political drama. If you took away the veneer of technology and the wider science fiction trappings this could easily be a drama about the Roman or British Empire and a critically acclaimed costume drama. I am reminded of how in 2006, the James Bond franchise was reinvented in a similar more adult fashion, with the release of Casino Royale. The caricature excesses of the Roger Moore era and the glossy, generic formula of the Brosnan period were laid to rest with a far more gritty, personal and character driven depiction of Bond. Very few franchises attempt such a revision and even fewer succeed if they try. Yet Andor has.
I am curious to see where Star Wars goes after this. Can this franchise sustain weighty dramas such as Andor as well as episodic, action fodder in the cliffhanger serial idiom, such as The Book of Boba Fett? Or are they destined to become ill suited bedfellows? Furthermore, does this more cerebral revisionist approach to the rebellion render the original trilogy obsolete due to their lightweight portrayal of political turmoil? Depending on how any future spinoff shows are presented and received, I suppose the fans will determine the answer. Personally, I would like more of this adult idiom, rather than a return to the established space opera genre. Star Wars has now undeniably changed, due to Andor. Although it has effectively solved the problem of the franchises’ simplicity, it may also have paved the way for further issues that will have to be addressed at a later date.