When George Lucas first started envisioning the story of Star Wars, he researched kids’ films to understand “how myths work,” he told The Atlantic in 1979. He seemingly wanted to build a sci-fi fairy tale, the kind with dichotomies—good versus evil, right versus wrong, light versus dark—that children could easily grasp. The heroes would be obviously gracious, self-sacrificing, and resourceful; the villains would be mean, ruthless, and destructive. The resulting blockbusters about the epic clash between the noble Jedi and the abhorrent Sith offered wholesome entertainment. And it all began with the idea to make “a real gee-whiz movie,” as Lucas put it.
The Disney+ prequel series Andor, which debuts Wednesday with three episodes, exists unmistakably in the Star Wars universe—but it’s not at all “gee-whiz.” Although the story traverses some of the same distant planets and star systems as the films, many scenes take place in dingy hideouts or rusty warehouses, or inside the homes of those trying to avoid persecution by the militaristic Empire. There are alien species and droids aplenty, but no Jedi or Sith Lords (or merchandise-friendly Baby Yoda types) appear in the first batch of episodes screened for review. The series observes a familiar setting from an unfamiliar ground level: Most characters are trying to save their own skin, not the entire galaxy. A show that’s more concerned with portraying life under an oppressive system than with inspiring awe, Andor is an unusually mature entry in the Star Wars franchise. It’s a confident and sophisticated drama that asks for—and rewards—a grown-up kind of patience.
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Article URL : https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/09/andor-star-wars-disney-tv-show-review/671497/