‘Andor’ explores morality of rebellion in most grounded ‘Star Wars’ project yet
Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) facilitate the rebel cause against Imperial control in “Andor.” The show’s second season closes out character arcs and sets up the events of the original “Star Wars” story. Jalyn Cronkrite | Contributing Illustrator
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“Rebellions are built on hope,” is echoed by characters in Season 2 of “Andor” and its predecessor, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” While “Andor” showcases the hope necessary to fuel rebellion, it argues rebellions are also built on sacrifice.
When Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) debuted in “Rogue One,” he was nothing more than an interesting side character. Gareth Edwards’ film was fantastic, but it was a one-off “Star Wars” story, or so we thought. Now, “Rogue One” and “Andor” have made an astounding impact on “Star Wars” lore.
“Andor” should’ve flown under the radar as just another “Star Wars” spinoff, one of the many of the Disney+ era. But Tony Gilroy’s masterpiece is too good to go unnoticed. The show provides a shockingly nuanced insight into the Rebellion and masterfully comments on the dynamics of authoritarianism.
“Rogue One” and the two seasons of “Andor” (its own sort of trilogy, if you will) strike a unique narrative intimacy — an impressive feat considering the vast “Star Wars” universe and the growing audience fatigue around these stories. Every moment, every death and every decision is grounded and consequential.
While most of “Star Wars” follows the grandeur of the good vs. evil battle, “Andor” lacks lightsaber duels and commits very little of its runtime to fights in space. Instead, its intrigue comes from following morally ambiguous characters close-up.
Season two builds on the successes of the previous season to close out the established character arcs and tee up the events of the films and shows it precedes. Along the way, it tells a memorable, politically-charged story.
“Andor” paints rebellion as a costly endeavor, contrasting the heroic portrayal presented in George Lucas’ original films. In its mission to remove the Empire from control, the Rebellion forces morally bankrupt, broken people to sacrifice everything for the fight and act as corrupt as their enemies. It’s a real portrayal of the cost of war.
Andor, played by executive producer Luna, is a complicated protagonist of the Han Solo variety. After a healer labels him as a “messenger” halfway through the season, he fulfills his destiny of torch-bearing the Rebel mission throughout the galaxy. Well-written, complex characters surround him, including Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), the willingly unethical Rebel leader who delivers scene-stealing quotes every time he’s on screen.
Ilana Zahavy | Presentation Director
“Andor” Season 2, like the season that came before it, is structured and released in four groups of three-episode arcs.
The first section builds on the compelling character arc of Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), crumbling under the pressure of her double life as a rebel, and the workings of the Imperial Security Bureau on Coruscant. But its most powerful storytelling occurs on Mina-Rau.
The survivors of last season’s finale on Ferrix — undocumented migrants without visas — panic as the Empire begins inspecting the planet. Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), haunted by the ghosts of her torture last season, is sexually assaulted by an Imperial officer attempting to take advantage of her undocumented status. It’s an uncomfortable scene, and a statement from the showrunners that “Andor” isn’t afraid to tackle the realities of tyranny.
The second arc brings the plot to Ghorman, the wealthy planet the Empire targets to mine kalkite, a mineral it needs to power the Death Star. In these episodes, the Empire plans a propaganda campaign exploiting the Ghorman Front — the planet’s rebel group — to justify enacting martial law.
On the other side, Luthen sees Ghorman as an opportunity to sway public opinion toward the Rebellion. When Andor asks Luthen, “And if it goes up in flames?” he responds coldly, “It will burn — very brightly.”
Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) and Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), two of the most unique characters in the show, maneuver a web of spies and double agents under the backdrop of tapped radio lines and fabricated state-run media stories.
The third arc is the peak of the season. It shows the Ghorman Massacre, a peaceful protest which the Empire purposely escalated into a battle, and the political fallout. The massacre is a heartbreaking depiction of a government unchecked. While “Star Wars” shootouts are usually fun, this one — with images of the Empire gunning down unarmed civilians — isn’t.
Mothma gives a speech on the floor of the Imperial Senate during the fallout of the crisis. O’Reilly delivers with stunning tension, and the speech is franchise-defining, the thesis of the show’s anti-fascist message. It is one of the final nails in the coffin for the Imperial Senate, which the Empire dissolves soon after, killing its counterfeit democracy once and for all.
“The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil,” Mothma says in her speech. “When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest.”
The final arc propels the story toward the events of “Rogue One.” The show depicts how regular people across the galaxy’s heroism and sacrifices act as a domino effect. This sequence of sacrifices retroactively kickstarts the events of the original “Star Wars” story, giving new weight to outcomes audiences have known for decades.
“I burn my decency for someone else’s future,” Luthen prophesied in his iconic Season 1 monologue. “I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see.”
