There are approximately 100 billion stars in our galaxy. Since there are enough sentient lifeforms in Star Wars to fill several million space cruisers, it's probably safe to assume similar numbers exist in Luke Skywalker's corner of the universe.
So, if we're playing the numbers game, it's increasingly unlikely that every Star Wars story told on screen thus far has been limited to a single 70-year period, and even more ridiculous than a single family (the Skywalkers). ) has influenced so many. people. crucial moments in history.
Andor is different though, and from what we've seen so far, it's the spectacle that makes this galaxy far, far away feel much, much bigger.
On paper, Disney Plus' new Rogue One spinoff didn't look particularly bold. After all, Lucasfilm's ongoing mission to fill in as many gaps in the Star Wars timeline as possible means that the prequels are just as ubiquitous as Stormtroopers. Also, like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Solo, Andor (read our detailed review) focuses on the exploits of an established character in this increasingly crowded section of the timeline between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Nonetheless, Andor's first four installments transcend those shackles to become the most sweeping entry in the Star Wars screen canon, and that's a pretty big deal for a 45-year-old franchise.
For all its wonderful qualities, Star Wars has traditionally been (lowercase c) conservative. The Force Awakens was a success in large part because it followed the narrative rhythms of the original film. Since then, we've seen time and time again that deviating from an established formula can be far from popular, whether it's fans of the original series who are disappointed in the prequel trilogy or an extremely vocal minority who dislikes it. tells the world how much. they despise Rian Johnson's wonderfully inventive The Last. Jedi. (The resulting course "correction" from The Rise Of Skywalker is arguably the worst thing to happen to Star Wars in the Disney era.)
While the excellent The Mandalorian felt like a breath of fresh air, its lone gunslinger themes echoed the Western vibe of A New Hope and almost quietly became the next chapter in the story of Luke Skywalker and the order. Jedi. . Even Star Wars: Visions, the animated series that gave filmmakers carte blanche to tell their own independent stories, was strangely reluctant to venture beyond the idea of Jedi and lightsabers. The notion of what Star Wars is has become remarkably limited, and many storytellers have been afraid to push it to the limit.
bourne again
On the other hand, the fact that aside from blasters and spaceships, Andor is nothing like Star Wars is one of the best things about it. Showrunner Tony Gilroy (who joined Rogue One for the reshoots and is widely credited for turning it into a classic) was clearly given no memos on how to stick to a plan, and the results are pretty inspiring.
Cassian Andor himself is an intriguing choice for a lead because we know very little about him beyond the fact that he will die on a picturesque beach in Scarif at the end of Rogue One. During this movie, we saw him execute a colleague and sacrifice his own life. for the rebel cause, but a two-hour movie couldn't do much with a big cast member.
So far, though, Andor promises to dig much deeper into the character than just revealing how he got his name. Unlike Han Solo, this is an origin story with an edge, a journey into the world of a loner living on the edge of the law on Ferrix's planet of nowhere. Just minutes into the show, Cassian Andor is a fugitive on the run after killing two security guards, one of whom was mercilessly shot in the head at close range. It's Star Wars made with an adult audience in mind, a fact made clear later when, in what we're pretty sure is the first in the franchise, a scene involves Bix and Timm about to have sex.
Even the narrative style feels more like an HBO drama than Star Wars. The camera angles and edits are jerky from Jason Bourne (probably not coincidentally, since Gilroy wrote those movies), while the narrative doesn't deal in easy answers. Indeed, one of the few criticisms of the early Andor installments is that so many new characters are introduced, whose motivations aren't entirely clear, that it's hard to keep track of what's going on.
However, by the third episode, the focus seems to be worth it, as you're completely immersed in a seldom-visited sector of the galaxy. Even the fact that Andor's childhood flashbacks in Kenari are unsubtitled proves to be a wise artistic choice. No one tells you why there aren't any adults around, or the causes of the mining disaster that nearly destroyed Cassian's homeworld (the yellowing skin of the poisoned Republic soldiers on the crashed ship is truly terrifying), but the fact that you're invited to draw your own conclusions seems like a milestone in a franchise that has long had a habit of explaining every bit of canon.
Proof of the future
Above all, he never gets the feeling that Andor would commit the capital sin of violating canon. Instead, what he does is delve into the hidden corners of Star Wars, bringing to light people and places that won't affect the larger narrative of the galaxy, but still have captivating stories to tell. This goes to show that being part of an established universe doesn't mean every release has to be tonally consistent, or even target the same audience.
Disney's stablemates Marvel seem to have realized they needed to expand the MCU's envelope as they go into Phase 5 and beyond, though even the darkest and most violent Moon Knight used to fall back on familiar tropes in a way that So far, Andor hasn't. In fact, Andor's gritty styles are arguably as radical as having She-Hulk talk to the camera.
And while this venerable old franchise is going to continue, it can't keep telling the same stories in the same way, especially now that new "products" are hitting our television screens with unprecedented regularity. Star Wars fans are passionate, but even they have limits. Former Disney CEO Bob Iger acknowledged this following Solo's disappointing box office performance when he told The New York Times (via Yahoo), that " I think we may have put too much on the market too quickly.The best way to counter franchise fatigue is to give them something different.
Although no one knew it at the time, George Lucas opened the door to an entire narrative universe when he made A New Hope, and Disney has only scratched the surface so far. The upcoming Star Wars The Acolyte TV show will cover new ground simply because it's set in the High Republic era (approximately two centuries before the Skywalker Saga) and trying new things should be the common thread for Star Wars as it approaches its 50th anniversary. birthday.
Andor's bold take on the George Lucas-created universe proves that it's big enough to support all sorts of genres, be it rom-coms, police dramas, or horror movies. It's also proof that you can do all of those things without losing sight of what makes Star Wars, well, Star Wars.
It's still a long way off, but Andor has shown us a glimpse of the future in this galaxy far, far away.
New episodes of Andor debut on Disney Plus on Wednesdays.