Andor Official "Andor" Series Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

I really hate to say this, but I was bored. These are just my initial impressions and I hope I become more favourable towards this show as it progresses (and possibly when I re-watch it). It had a really strong start with an excellent tone-setting opening scene, but then my interest kept dropping as the first three episodes went along. I thought it really dragged its heels in the first two episodes. Seeing daily life in the Star Wars universe was interesting to an extent, but I thought the break in status quo should have happened sooner. If this was a book, I don't think it would be a page turner. Despite Cassian being investigated throughout the first two episodes, I barely felt any tension.

I'll mention some things I liked because I don't want this to all be negative (the show doesn't deserve that). The actors are all great. I'm especially glad Diego Luna is back as Cassian. The attention to detail is reminiscent of Rogue One and continues to be impressive. It felt like a real, functioning universe. B2EMO is cool. I like his glitching speech. I like seeing life on a lesser Imperial world and seeing how local enforcement is delegated to local security forces.

Tony Gilroy has said that he isn't a Star Wars fan and, unlike in Rogue One, I thought it really showed here. It seems like he would rather be making Blade Runner or some other sci fi. I hesitate to say this because I do want variety in Star Wars. If we're going to have a bazillion Star Wars shows, I'd rather see a bazillion different Star Wars shows, even if some don't work for me, than a bazillion half-hearted clones of The Mandalorian.

There are a few little things that could have been done to make this feel more like it belongs in the Star Wars universe. Put a few damaged battle droids in the wrecked Separatist shuttle, use Star Wars swear words (e.g. "murglak" instead of "bastard", "poodoo" instead of "****"), have more aliens and more quirkiness in general. This show almost felt like it was above those things which is unfortunate.

I had high hopes for this show, but so far, I'm not feeling it.

 

I agree with you here, this was annoying. Like did Gilroy think that a character saying ***t in Star Wars would make it more adult, or what? Come on. Yeah, they speak English to us, but it's Basic to them with its own alphabet, and such, come on. It's supposed to be all different in a different Galaxy with its own lingo and world. That's what makes Star Wars immersive. But I guess he felt it was too "goofy" and not "grounded" enough for characters to say "stupid" made-up Star Wars lines. And yeah, it's so human-centric, and all the humans speak perfect British - kind of distracting. I don't think there was even one alien from George Lucas' Star Wars. One would think, a brothel would have some twi'leks. I guess not Just generic Star Trek/Babylon 5 aliens, no goofy painted people with tentacles on their heads!
I liked the third episode a lot more, and the CIS plot is kinda interesting, with them fleeing the Republic and having some sort of chemical/biological weapon on-board that got leaked and killed them all. Let's see where it goes, because Cassian blames the Republic for some reason, according to his bio.

 

no I’m good

I thought the forced f bombs in Picard were awful but I also hate sci fi gobbledeegook curse words

 

I don't understand the flashback scenes - where are they in the timeline, how many years back ? Also how did Cassian end up on his own , where were the rest of his tribe?

 

Assuming Cassian is six in those scenes ("I've been in this fight since I was six years old"), that would make it c. 20 BBY. That would be right in the middle of the Clone Wars, hence the crashed Separatist shuttle.

 

so he's 21 in this?

 

He looks way older then 6 years old, 10 to me.

 

Is it possible he’s in a rebellion against the mining operations on his planet before the Clone Wars?

Also we didn’t see many adults in his tribe. Is that something to do with the consequences of the uprising?

 

I haven't watched it yet. this isn't really one of those shows i felt i needed to watch as soon as i woke up, unlike the others shows. I dunno from what i have heard, it sounds like a slow burn of a show.

 

I didn’t watch yet, but I’ll take a slowburn approach with some nice Dennis Villaneuva Blade Runner/Dune cinematography, mood and score.

 

I don’t find the above criticisms even remotely relatable. Yes, it has a serious tone and we follow the daily activities of characters, which is quite different. This leads to the most three-dimensional depiction of Imperials (or imperial corporate security contractors, in this case) that we’ve ever seen. And then there is a mood to it that I suppose one could describe as Villeneuve-esque, and it works. But it absolutely feels like the GFFA. There is no mistaking this with another sci-fi world. And it is absolutely not “boring” in the least. Full of very real personal tensions and stakes.

And Good Lord was the dialogue good. There’s a conversation between the young commander of the corporate security forces in the sector, and an older vet, which is viscerally real. That short, stocky security officer character is an instant villain classic. One of the best written and best acted bad guys I’ve yet seen in Star Wars.

I feel bad for anyone who’s not able to broaden their view of what Star Wars can be, and enjoy this excellent drama just beginning to unfold. But to each their own! For me, Mando has a new friend at the top of my favorite genre shows list. Andor.


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Has…anyone else seen the first three episodes?


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I will always remember how when Force Unleashed came out, there were a lot of reviews going "star wars fans will love the story, but the gameplay is bad" where it was the other way around to me - I strongly disliked the story, but the gameplay was pretty fun.

Now, star wars is a pretty big tent with different people who like different parts of it - like, I have seen people say it isn't star wars without jedi, whereas many of my favorite bits of star wars didn't have jedi - but yeah everything I have heard about Andor sounds like it is going to appeal to a pretty big cross section of star wars fans, and it seems odd that many publications seem to assume the opposite.

Plus, more specifically, it does seem like there is tendency to treat the star wars fandom as all wanting the same thing, or being divided into a handful of camps who all want the same thing, rather than being a pretty diverse collection of groups, most of whom would like some variety rather than demanding the same thing all the time.

 

I'm glad to have a break from all the lightsabres but this isn't the sort of show I'll re-watch.

 

I enjoyed it, watched all three this morning. I get some complaints, they could've went more for characters we already know as far as alien species (a flash in ST, Solo, RO) like maybe Scanlan has his hands on it again, but the acting and script are great.

 

2 and a half episodes in. Love it a lot so far.

 

I’m confused though. There were…quite a few aliens in the first three episodes. More than I expected.

Also confusing: Where is everyone? There’s new Star Wars!


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So just to recap... we have Rey's parent's ship, Aki Aki, the load lifter guy from TFA just in the first three episodes. Anyone notice any other ST references? I guess Andor exists in the timeline where the ST does, right? Or they really aren't going to wipe it from canon and any suggestions that they would were just wishful thinking, amirite?

 

I watched all three episodes and loving it all. My speculation for rest of the season will be Cassian looking for his long lost sister.

 

Excellent start of the season. So far I have liked most live action Star Wars but not loved any of it. The first 3 episodes of this I loved and I also think it felt like Star Wars. The corporate sector guys were just amazing and there are some intriguing setups for the future.

Also looking forward to

Spoiler

Mon Mothma bits of the show.

This was already good and it has the potential to get even better.

 

It is slower than I’d hoped, but I like it, and a good foundation means I believe it will get even better as the season goes on.

Spoiler: Episodes 1 - 3

The constant, tension building movement that Gilroy pursued in his signature stories is back, and while it sometimes putters out here in long-format tv it mostly keeps things engaging alongside the big sets. When it all clicks together tension becomes an atmosphere, a looming intangible danger just off screen which could snuff out the heroes at any moment. In Bourne Identity it was the global spy agencies, in Michael Clayton the malignant elemental evil of corporate power, and in Rogue One it ended up being the Death Star which was no small feat considering Gilroy didn’t know he’d even be making a Star Wars movie till it was like halfway done already. With Andor, that looming off-screen leviathan is harder to define because the “world building” is even more abstracted than his usual action-thrillers. In broad strokes, you could say it’s the psychological weight of post-Republic oppression bearing down on everything. None of these characters are happy let alone optimistic, even the corporate police understand how unpopular and hopeless their mission is. Presumably the layers of this force-from-above will get peeled away as the Imperials enter the picture and our heroes move closer to the evil center.

Things will get progressively interesting, and Cassian will too I hope. Right now Diego is mostly operating on a single note, desperate frustration. He gets a few charming moments, particularly with some goofy loan sharks, but usually he's too wired for inward revelations. Adria Arjona feels likewise on-the-run at all times, even when she's just fixing an engine or finding intimacy in the wrong places. Kyle Soller makes an amusing model of the aspiring goon in way over his head, but Syril's commitment to being a "suite" - figuratively and literally - is a personality suppressor. When drama does happen in Andor it's usually through exasperated bursts to release-valve the Galaxy-sized pressure-cooker they're all trapped in. Fortunately that one-way-street is accompanied by intriguing flashbacks to Cassian's childhood as a marooned member of a Lord of the Flies situation. These jungle shots look excellent and the young actors deliver for some of the most interesting scenes of Disney live action Star Wars to date. Another wonderful feature is B2EMO who I'd say is already in the running for best Disney droid. His design is thoroughly developed, just broken down enough to tell a story all on his own kind of like Wall-E.

Production design is great across the board, a very welcome upgrade from Obi-wan. It's a very grim side of Star Wars, but the craft is there and the goal is serious. The detailed costume schemes and expansive sets between the scrapping town, corporate security and Kenari children appreciates Lucas' blending of sc-fi futurism and fantastic anthropology. Music is mostly perfunctory but occasionally quite good.

Andor doesn't have the constant special-effect delights of The Mandalorian but it does have more intricate characters and story. Right now I can't say which is better, but I'm liking what I see and we're just getting started.

 

Also a member of Bollie Prindels species! Not a ST creature but the small guys with the big eyes that Cyril scared are from Solo.

 

I knew I would like it but surprised at how good it was. Acting, visuals and dialogue were spot on as well as how the story played out over these episodes with clever use of flash backs.

Spoiler

One question is over Cassian's age, he looks a very old six on Kenari.

One thing that took me out of the picture was the younger Maarva. Looked like she had got lost on a trip to the Supermarket instead of being a professional scavenger.

 

A poor kid growing up in a weird vaguely defined industrial town supporting his mother and everyone just happens to be from the UK for some weird reason, but it’s not.

This show is Willy Wonka!

(The guy talking to Stellan Skarsgaard on the shuttle while landing on Ferrix reminded me of Grandpa Joe, along with the aerial shots of the city looking like the view from the great glass elevator at the end)