Lucasfilm’s artists have a saying: “To make Star Wars, one has to hate Star Wars.” Ok, maybe. HateThis is a little extreme.Thank you, Yoda). Modern makers must be unsatisfied by the 43-year-old franchise’s exploration of its vast potential, if they want to continue growing and satisfying their audiences over the long-term.
We’ve noticed the strange, anxious sensation of Fan service is a hallmark of the fandom Book of Boba Fett,Its plot was blown off-course, until it was practically MandalorianSeason 2.5. Obi-Wan Kenobi offered a tighter, better, more meaningful story — but given the actors and the timeline, often felt like one more prequel movie for the road. Revenge of the Sith 2.0Star Wars is not a new concept.
Here’s the Disney+ Star Wars series. Andor. It is technically a prequel. It tells Cassian Andor’s backstory (Diego Luna). Rogue One — a spy, haunted by his past actions, who helps Jyn Erso steal the Death Star plans. Diego Luna wants to tell you that this is not “Rogue Zero Point Five”.
Beginning five years before Rogue OneThe sprawling 24 episodes of AndorSplit over two seasons, this new Star Wars blend is something we haven’t seen before. Rogue OneIt is a beacon to follow AndorIt is not the territory.
“From the moment [writer-director Tony Gilroy and team] pitched me the idea, I was into it— it sounded really smart,” says Luna, also an executive producer on the project that has taken four long, hard, COVID-filled years to bring to screen.
Giving so much space over to the story of one character we saw die an unknown, with no Jedi or Skywalkers in sight, “just triggers creativity in a different way,” Luna adds — allowing for more mature and, for many, more satisfying themes.
“It’s different,” Luna insists. It’s supposed be different. It must deliver the Star Wars action-adventure you expect. It can also be more gritty. You might find it more like a spy thriller. It can be political, dark and character-driven. You can let yourself go there.
Our reviewer observed that AndorIt takes a while to get going in the first two episodes.. Scene-setting is a big part of Cassian’s story. It starts with his childhood on an Indigenous planet, which was interrupted by the Empire. Then, he enters his adulthood where he becomes a murderer in the proto-rebel underground while searching for his tribemates.
Keep your patience. This is building towards something bigger. These two strands will be merged in a satisfying fashion before the end of episode 3. This is Cassian’s story so far. He keeps getting pulled deeper into a galactic maelstrom almost by accident. (One of the reasons to watch is another). Andor: Stellan Skarsgård.)
“Why did he have all the energy of someone who had been migrating like a refugee?”
Luna says, “Cassian’s a character that has been forced into movement.” “In Rogue OneYou all know that nobody has his accent. [Luna’s own]. Although he feels like he is part of a team, he clearly stands out. From where is he? What was he leaving behind? Why was he able to have the energy of someone who had been migrating, as a refugee? Cassian was fighting to keep something from being taken away.
Star Wars is a series that takes time to talk about refugees experiencing anger, frustration, loss. This is definitely a new and timely episode in the galaxy. Somewhere, you can imagine those old Lucasfilm artists — and perhaps the ghost of Yoda, who explicitly encouraged the next generation of Star Wars to grow beyond him — nodding with approval.
