Andor is a piece of art and anyone who says otherwise is willfully shooting themselves in the foot. SW isn't a genre, it’s a universe and many different genres, themes, characters, and stories have yet to be discovered in that universe. If someone wants the 'feel' of the old movies there is good news, the old movies still exist, so literally go watch them again. As horrendous as some of the Last Jedi was I have grown to appreciate that Rian was also trying to make something new, his execution in some of that 'newness' was very questionable but the stuff that worked really worked. This misguided unconscious consensus of SW fans that we need to ‘recapture’ those feelings from the first films has led to an over saturation of bad SW trying to live up to something it shouldn’t even need to. Every SW project doesn’t need the same themes, characters, and feeling as the OG trilogy, that'd get repetitive and very boring. Most new projects have virtually become parodies of the source material where nothing is left but references cameos, and generic mic-drop lines that fit in any situation. I love Andor not just because it is full of heart, nuance, and complex storytelling in a thematically dark setting but also because of what it represents: innovation of SW and a new hope that future SW projects don't have to be self referential, sloppily written, poorly executed, mass produced projects rather than pieces of art that stand on their own merit. Disneys and the fans problem has been thinking that SW is a genre and everything must fit into very confined rules. If someone thinks Andor is too boring they need to consider spending less time feeding their dopamine receptors with stuff like Tik Tok and take the time to pay attention to what’s happening between action sequences. They’ll realize that that there is a lot of nuance and character work happening, it is a masterclass of writing and direction. If someone thinks Andor doesn't feel like SW they need to reframe how they understand the IP, it is not a genre of itself. The themes, characters, settings, sounds, textures, virtually everything is straight out of the Lucas doctrine and what story he was trying to tell. If someone thinks Andor stands shoulder to shoulder on equal footing as Obi Wan, Ahsoka, or Boba Fett they need to try and summarize one of those shows and try to summarize Andor, the difficulty to do so for Andor succinctly is indicative of the complex level of detail and care. Andor is lightyears ahead of those shows in virtually every cinema or storytelling criteria. Anyone who loves Andor should be promoting it and recommending it to everyone they know. Systems either change or die and there is only one way out of this SW slump of bad media.
Listen, I have my enjoyment with some of the other stuff that has been made under Disney live action, movies or animated and I think there are ways to look into how we can fix some of the issues it does have. Some of those issues you mentioned in your comment and I'll tell you what, I am pinning it for that reason. Not because of what you said but how you said it. Again I think we might disagree on a few things but the way your phrased your points came out of good faith on talking about the actual things we see and not the contrived talking points of certain people in the fandom. I felt every point in your comment and it felt real, nothing fake but also reasonable in your way of putting it. I appreciate it!
People hate lack of continuity and plot holes. Andor has no problem with that, the sequels and other shows do. That's why fans are upset at many projects.
While most of these are valid points, the idea that Rian Johnson should deserve "appreciation" is a joke. It's one thing to say that we shouldn't try to "recapture" the feelings of the old movies but it's another to flat-out spit in the face of people who have been fans of the OT characters for decades. TLJ is a complete abomination, so bad that TROS was never on my viewing agenda and it still isn't. RJ can take a long walk off a short pier. I do agree with most of what you said about Andor though, it feels like it's straight out of the Star Wars universe and the writing and world building is fabulous. Can't wait for season 2.
Of course it's art, it's a creative process with an outcome, that doesn't make it good or great, personally I think Andor is good but isn't great. As for Rian Johnson and TLJ it was an experiment and it failed, it failed spectacularly, it damaged his reputation which was pretty good, I mean he got the gig in the first place so there's that but it is the movie equivalent of lying down on the floor and some how managing to fall off. Andor is a step in the right direction and as an older fan I appreciate what it's trying to do but that doesn't mean I don't see its flaws, and it has them, quite a few but the good carries it over the line, you're right that there's a lot to explore in the SW universe but whatever Disney choose to do they need to go all in on the darker themes as well as the hopeful, trying to make a show to capture everyone will always fail, lock in your target audience and make a show they will like and pull no punches, until Disney decide to do that SW will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Rian Johnson was not "trying to do something different" He just wanted to "subvert expectations" he literally said he wantes to divide the fanbase because having a crowd half hating the movie and half loving the movie is the type of goal he wants to achive with his movies
Andor is the closest thing we have gotten to an Expanded Universe show. It's the true evolution of a franchise that has been stuck in the past for most of the Disney years.
"I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else's future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? Everything!" - probably one of my favourite bits of dialogue on all of SW. Andor is hands down the best thing to come out of SW in many years. I was at the celebration panel in 2023 which was fantastic and I seriously cannot wait for season 2.
@@joelreis5366 you're right and valid point. Lonnie could be an interesting character in season 2 and whether he sticks with Luthen. My gut tells me that the ISB will figure it out
The start of the at quote is the very reason I said what I said in the video about Luthen being a terrorist he’s using the terrible tools of his enemies to hurt the people that will help his cause.
@@filmobsessednerd it's such a brilliant scene delivered by a brilliant actor in Stellan, which tells us a lot about Luthen. Any time he was on screen, I was completely captivated. Oh man if, which I seriously think they will find out Lonnie is a double agent, they are going to make the Bix torture experience seem like a picnic compared to what they will do to them - they won't go for him straight away in the hope that he leads them to Axis, but he is in for some serious damage
Luthen is an accelerationist, while Mon is an incrementalist. These are always the allied yet opposing forces of any resistance or rebellion movement, and Andor explores this excellently. Add in Sol Gerrera, the extremist, and you’ve really explored all angles of organized resistance. What makes Cassian so compelling, and Jen from the movie, is that they aren’t idealists. They’re like most people, looking out for themselves and trying to make their way through a bad system. Circumstances place them in a position to take a side and take action, and only when they learn to care about something more than themselves do they become committed to the ideal. Damn good writing!
Luthen is not an accelerationist, he is violently opposed both in method and ideology against the empire. Accelerationist doesn't just mean make things go faster, it is to intensify the internal contradictions of the system by progressing/heightening/accelerating the system till something new is created immanently. If Luthen was an accelerationist you would more likely see him working within the empire, spreading its ideology.
@@stefdelev MAGA is a revolutionary movement. Just because they're not the good guys doesn't mean they're not revolutionary in their aims. Read project 2025.
That's what sets apart Andor, from other Disney SW projects: It's not enough for its writers to have good intentions & politics, they need to weave and represent all of that through the dialogues, all the characters motivations/actions, while simultaneously not compromising the worldbuilding or credibility of other storylines. Being earnest and forthcoming can too easily devolve into becoming too convenient, obsequious or superficial. Which benefits no one.
If I may add a point to what you’re saying that I think might exemplify what you’re trying to speak to more, it is the idea that it’s not even the fact that the other Star Wars live action shows had done a terrible job at exploring political elements/commentary of the world, it was more so that they didn’t understand the realities of the very franchise they were in. Shows like Boba Fett and Obi-Wan for example don’t really have any political elements to them at all. They feel way too small in size with how they’re shot and made through their story. They feel like shows that were trying to make a story that would not connect as well if you made it in television format as well. I don’t know if you’ve heard about the movie edit that was made out of the Obi-Wan show, but it made the show way better.
@@filmobsessednerd Using multiple Directors require both an overseer that keep visual/acting consistency but also writers that can give an interesting "angle" to each individual episode, while serving as building block for the rest of the show. When its lacking, you get a strongly uneven series. Andor feels cohesive. The quality of Fett's final episodes don't match its earlier parts, and feels cheaper than the Mandalorian inserts. Compare the Bill Burr arc (S2), to all Mando S3 and it feels like a completely different production. You read the ideas and pathos discussed in interviews by the main Director/writer of The Acolyte, and almost none of that is present in the final product. It's as if they are talking about a different show. Such dissonance can't be attributed to small mistakes, but fundamental issues, starting from the original script.
@@Martell_Dog listen, I am not going to sit here and act like I stand on a pedestal defending everything Disney or Lucasfilm does. I recognize that TV is not their strong suit at all. We got that report last year that for a while under the leadership of Bob Chapek since February 2020 they didn't know what they were doing on the television side of the company. Marvel suffered from that and I feel Star Wars did too. Boba Fett came out in 2021 and Obi-Wan in 2022. So they were under his tenure. I think with new leadership in place now we might get back to what we want to see more of.
@@filmobsessednerd Yeah, every franchise can be "saved", if it releases a string of products that is liked by at least portions of its fandom. SW insistence in creating media attached to known characters/story/timeliness is just not a sound approach. If they want to experiment, they need to go without safe rails. Just a strong, well planned script with new characters in a different region, and start building from there.
Luthen knows he's a terrorist - his monologue in the lower levels shows he knows the ambiguity of his actions and the fact that history will probably not remember him well... and he also knows his strategy is entirely necessary.
I think it's more than him thinking history won't remember him well - we have the benefit of seeing the fall of the Empire and knowing that he isn't remembered. He doesn't know that yet. But he does know that he SHOULDN'T be remembered. It's a nod to how real-life political movements that celebrate their dark past tend to continue it, while movements that whitewash or disavow their dark pasts are typically the ones that are able to move past it and truly be better than what they fought against.
We all expected Stellan Skarsgård to turn in an amazing performance in this show, but let's have a round of applause for Genevieve O'Reilly. Who knew when she was cast for the prequels that she would get the opportunity to explore Mon Mothma in such an intimate and challenging way? She has knocked it out of the park.
Hell ya! Someone finally said it other than me! She's AMAZING in this show. Her scene with her old senator friend when she reveals the details about the "charity fund" was so good.
@@filmobsessednerd The bit in the car where Mon frames her husband for the missing money -dang!! good script, very well acted by Genevieve O'Reilly! You see that Mon is just as cold and cunning as Luthen but in her own way.
I'm looking forward to season 2 as well but I'm nervous. My theory is that Andor was good because there was no executive meddling. It was seen as lower profile and therefore not worth their attention. Well, it did well and now it might have their attention.
Until Andor came along, I had always said that Rogue One was the best way to reboot the franchise. Bravo to Gilroy for putting out an engaging story which compliments the series perfectly.
Interesting... I never thought about Rogue One as a film that would "reboot" the franchise as more of it just being the story that set up the original 1977 film.
What Tony Gilroy did for Star Wars is what Alan Moore did for comics with Watchmen. Years from now more essays and dissertations will be written about this series. Both are twelve part series with each three episodes providing a beginning, middle, and end to a section. Gilroy references Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo in Andor and it is magnificent. What an amazing series, I cannot wait until the next season.
I particularly really liked the new Watchmen series. That and Andor or sort of similar with each other in someways. I hope Andor goes down as one of the all-time shows that gets taught in classrooms.
I love this series so much. It's so far beyond in skill and execution than the majority of nearly all modern dramas. The "What do I sacrifice?" monolog is up there with Rutger Hauer's "Tears in Rain" monolog in my opinion. The acting is amazing too, even smaller roles like Syril's mom are so damn good.
@@Degarth well by comparing to Andor standards is a little different I’d say. It’s all about separating things as best as possible and viewing them through their own lens’s.
I love how Luthen's strength of conviction is sought after and relied on in the story with the characters he interacts with. Kleya butts heads with Vel, almost pining for his attention. Mon questions him for her own mental security, while he goes 'You already know what the plan is'. Lonni wanted to leave, but Luthen's starkly honest monologue keeps the ISB informant in the game. Not to mention that even Cassian recognizes that steel, to the point he outright proclaims without hesitation that he'll kill Skeen for the possession of the Kuati Signet, already respecting the rebel leader enough to ensure he gets back something he said he valued more than what anyone can offer for it. Then of course, more direct scenes where his command is thoroughly established. How nobody discusses him seemingly when he's not present, how he gives Vel a ultimatum, giving her a choice... but not giving her a choice as he knows what she wants to do and wouldn't give up on pursuing even if it meant altering the plan for the heist suddenly. He's a great addition to the universe and helps give the Rebels a proper chess master which is essential at this period as they attempt to form the basis of the Rebel Alliance. Great video. I love this scene, though to be fair there isn't a scene I don't like in this show. Gilroy is going to blow my socks off next season, I am sure of that.
Thank you man much appreciated! I think to your first point about the Kuati Signet I never thought of it that way about him wanting it back and that he'd kill for it because of Luthen. I always interpreted it in the sense that it was just worth a lot of credits too but I like that addition to its importance. Like I said in the video, Luthen might be one of the most important characters in Star Wars during the OT trilogy time period of the Rebels and Empire war. He knows so many things and so many people that he's risk that would cause a lot of harm if captured or if he wasn't pleased like how he wasn't pleased with Lonni after he told him he wanted out. I love your breakdown! Would love to see you come back for more on my channel you have a good mind on you with the way you structure sentences.👍
Ironically, Andor was the one show that nobody expected anything from, but it is by far the best SW live-action series to date, in every aspect. I hope S2 will be released soon.
Absolutely spot on and this is a thing I've shared since the start. Lucas' initial vision was crystal clear to me as a kid in the 80's and I'm glad that it took somebody like Tony Gilroy to expand on that. Something Dave Filoni missed. Many fans only look at the franchise at surface level and they miss things like this. The simplest of things that are easy to view and in clear sight. But to some, because it's not lighsabers or Jedi -this often falls on deaf ears. Season 2 can't come soon enough!
I appreciate you saying this but if I may, I want to add something to your Filoni point. I don’t believe Filoni missed the idea of what George was going for, I think Filoni just more so focused on the kid aspect of what George has always said about Star Wars. He said openly that Star Wars is for kids, Filoni took that to heart and given he has worked on animation his whole life he knows that stuff more. George was a big factor in making shows like clone wars that had its more light hearted and silly elements that even the OT trilogy was known for. I think you can have both Andor like stuff and Filoni type of stuff for Star Wars.
Andor is brilliant and everything I'd like to see for future Star Wars. The concept was supposed to be about fighting the evil of tyranny. Use of the force was secondary.
As an original fan back to 1977, none of the stuff from '83 onward has ever been what Star Wars is about for me. Andor is really what I wanted from Star Wars back in 1999, and pretty much the only kind that's going to interest me moving forward.
Lonni... one of the most underrated heroes of the Rebellion. Luthen meant what he said when he talked about Lonni's investment in the Rebellion being epic. I wish Ebon Moss-Bachrach's character could have stayed in the show longer, but I guess therein lies the beauty of it. None of the character deaths were wasted. Every sacrifice had to be carefully calibrated and weighed to justify its worth... there is so precious little to put in play yet so much to lose. Every single move in this chess game makes the eventual blowing up of the Death Star all the more significant beyond an onscreen CGI scene, as the weight of each additional sacrifice finally pays off. And all that without a single lightsaber, topless Sith, or Mandalorian. The combination of great acting and greating writing is nonpareil. My only regret is that I already know how it all ends with Rogue One.
Andor is much more important to disney in the sense that it shows them how they can tell adult stories and underlying themes that don't condescend the audience, while also telling stories aimed towards family and kids in particular in the form of Kenobi. It's interesting because Andor is the closest Star Wars has ever come to being Star Trek in asking deep philosophical questions. Andor is important in that it's showing you the function of the empire; in many respects the order 66 coup was a silent transition - the war went on above the skies of coruscant, the outer rim planets continued to be lawless as we see in the mandalorian, but for corsucant life goes on and even on ferrix, life continues apace for Ferrix so long as - and this is key - life continues unabated, and undisturbed. Everyone on Ferrix was content to continue to contribute to the empire, everyone on corsucant was content to continue to ignore the political machine so long as their lives were unaffected, and Luthen is important as an antaognist because he's doing the one thing that's crucial to igniting rebellion; the importance of survival and self interest should never be ignored. It's with perhaps some degree of prescience that he moves cassian into place for him to see how oppressive the empire truly is; how insiduous the plans of the empire and by extension the sith are in opressing dissenting voices within the regime; for cassian being imprisoned may well have been a catalyst, but it I maintain that it was the death of maarva: ua-cam.com/video/TaKrm5txGCQ/v-deo.html that galvanised him and resolved him in the cause. Maarva's speech is just as important as this monlogue by Skaarsgard: ua-cam.com/video/-3RCme2zZRY/v-deo.html - in fact I would argue that these two scenes are probably the most important purely because it shows a man describing the moment the act of rebellion was set in motion, with Maarva's eulogy being a signal fire into momentum. Andor is...Poetry. It's showing the movement and poetry in moving will into motion, and motion into violence for a cause; demonstrating that sometimes...Most of the time an act of rebellion for a noble cause will not, often cannot be peaceful. As a young Briton that grew up as a soldier's son, I never saw that when it came to ireland - in my 40's I see that now. I see it in my own country, those same echoes. Finally, I leave you with my third favourite moment: ua-cam.com/video/-asb8zTiuZ4/v-deo.html
How Star Wars Theory doesn't like Andor, I'll never understand. Touts himself as a SW diehard, but in the end all he wants is a bubblegum lightsaber coloring book version of SW.
Lmao you wouldn't believe me when I say I have an ungodly annoyance for that dude these days. I used to watch him and loved his videos. He has turned into a grifter so fast the likes of which I haven't seen since Anakin turned to the darkside. Not to be on the nose but that's the truth. I don't trust anything he says anymore. He affiliates himself with the worst of the worst people and so ya I can't take that seriously. When he said "bricks and screws" was a problem of Andor boy I was off the rocker laughing my ass at that.
Despite a few personal critiques of "Andor," I must acknowledge that this series honors George Lucas' vision of "Star Wars" in a way no other Disney production has achieved. It even goes beyond the "Star Wars" universe, with subtle references, such as those to "THX 1138." For this, I owe Gilroy and the entire team my deepest gratitude. Amidst many disappointments, the second season of "Andor" remains a promising beacon for future "Star Wars" projects.
They need the people that made Andor to be making Star Wars. They captured the essence of Star Wars so well and then elevated it to new heights with great acting and writing. This show made me fall in love with Star Wars again.
Andor is what happens when you put a huge budget in front of great screenwriters and actors instead of CGI. Finally made me feel like Star Wars has grown up, same as it's audience. 10/10 show.
This makes me think of Emperor of Dune. The Golden Path pushes people through suffering, controlled and so detaching of what was before, that it will never enable such suffering in the future. It's a very interesting thought, also considered in Foundation: is a shorter period of suffering, more intense, but also more memorable, better for humanity than a slow and more banal type of suffering?
An audacious excursion behind enemy lines, in order to provoke an overreaction which would show the hand of the oppressors, causing PR disaster and garnering more support for resistance... is prescient to say the least.
I think your take on Andor is a very cogent one. Every revolution; every civil war; every first act of rebellion: this is a watershed moment in history. There will only be before, and after. September 11th, 2001 was one such moment. There will be others. Andor was an excellent dissection, as a work of fiction, of the start of a revolution. Well done, Disney. Seriously...an excellent work.
I know what you mean, the first four times I watched the show I never truly realized how much this scene hit. That’s how good the show is! When I can pick up on something like that after a 5th watch, you know it’s doing something good.
One of my favorite episodes of Rebels is when the crew of the Ghost are tasked with getting Mon Mothma out of Coruscant after she names Palpatine traitor to the Empire on the Senate floor. I am really hopeful we get to see that speech in the next season. Genevieve voiced her in Rebels as well. Mon sitting in her literal ivory tower with her chandelier shaped like a sun above her, wearing all true white(not ISB white)like only very few characters(Ahsoka, Leia)are allowed to wear and contrasting that with Luthen in the bowels of Coruscant wearing all black and speaking of a sunrise he knows he'll never see was such a phenomenally written scene. She is not willing to compromise what she believes in for her goal and ultimately she sees the Empire destroyed without personally having had to compromise that. Luthen lost sight of what it meant and in the end he will become the same thing he was trying to destroy just like Saw. When Saw has the moral high ground over you, you should know you're in the wrong lol.
Awesome breakdown! And also thank you for mentioning the episode in Rebels when Mon gets out for good and escapes with the crew. I do not think that scene will be shown but like you said we might get the speech portion and then when she’s about to escape it’ll cut to black and the next time we see her is on like Yavin 4 for example.
Luthan did what he did not so much as to gain power in itself, but as he said it was a slow process of their will and determination being stripped in the guise of safety. He knows all too well, that he'll pay for what he did. That's my take on it.
I think this is a great point! The idea of him paying for what he did might end in his death. I would not be surprised if he did die in this final season.
Andor is some of the best of Star Wats EVER. This is re watchable over and over and will age extremely well. I will probably watch this every election year for the next 25.
actually Luthen was entirely aware that he was a terrorist I'm the Empire... he was aware there was no ambiguity as he states in his monologue that he was using his enemy's methods, and he felt the enemy was irredeemable... (or words to that effect)
Technically, you are right about the one part about using the tools of his enemy, which he speaks to in that speech with the undercover ISB guy on his side
And this is exactly why it's so confusing when Star Wars "fans" get mad at "making Star Wars political." It's always been political. And Andor really gets it.
I totally agree. This show had some of the best dialog between characters you can watch in any series to date, regardless of genre. It is by far the best Star Wars show ever done. If it wasn't for this show, I would have given up on the whole franchise by now.
I’ve never given up on the franchise and I don’t plan on doing so, but it is certainly a series that I think everyone should be happy to know exists no matter where you stand on loving or not liking Star Wars as a whole. Whether being a casual fan or a hardcore one.
@@filmobsessednerd Just to explain a littler further... I grew up with the original films. Then I read a few Star Wars comics, but I simply couldn't imagine that what happened in those comics had anything to actually do with the world in the films, it just didn't match up. So I disassociated the comics and also the Extended Universe books and such in my head from the "real story". When the prequels came I was very excited at first, because finally we would get some "real" Star Wars again!
@@54tisfaction I think that’s what makes fans like you so interesting is that you have different views of what sides of the franchise work and you’d consider real Star Wars. Lucas himself doesn’t consider any of the books and EU stuff canon or real to his films. At the time of the prequels lots of people didn’t even consider that real Star Wars.
This show definitely had great writing and great, nuanced actors with relatable motivations. The coldness of the world, the seeming powerlessness of the characters, it has an amazing atmosphere. This is only possible when people actually understand the source materials and the intentions and don't try to make it “their own”. It fits into the greater story seamlessly.
Technically speaking they did make it "their own". Lots of the characters in this show are new and to the making of the writers. Same with some of the elements of the story.
Andor was really needed as a series. Since the original movies there had been a growing undercurrent in fandom saying that the Empire were actually the good guys and the Rebellion was evil. It was most often jokes like pointing out all the janitors that were killed when the Death Star blew up, but the idea kept gaining traction with idiots bring up more 'evidence' that the Empire was better for the galaxy even though the movies clearly showed them torturing people and murdering billions. Andor showed those idiots what life would be like under the Empire with all the injustice and tyranny. It's been noticeable how all those fan theories about how the Empire were the good guys have stopped since Andor aired.
Ya it's very clear that the Empire are not the good guys, they are in fact the bad ones. However, that doesn't mean there aren't bad guys within the Rebellion. I don't think the rebels in a New Hope were bad they were simply trying to stop this giant ass space station from blowing up their planet.
@@filmobsessednerd Sure, Lucas wrote "There are heroes on both sides" in the starting scroll of RotS. There were good and bad individuals in both the Rebellion and Empire, but the Empire would naturally by tyrannical and evil overall since it was run by a Sith Lord. It was just really weird seeing fans who started to forget what the Empire meant for the average person until Andor showed them in an amazing and undeniable way.
Star Wars is at its best when it’s not trying to be the best “Star Wars” story but when it tries to relate real world themes events and feelings to the audience.
Hands down the best Star Wars TV show to date, I wish they would take it to five seasons like they planned. Can't wait till the second season drops. Outstanding writing and acting, they really pull you into the characters unlike the other Star Wars shows.
This is the correct take. Anyone who says "keep politics out of Star Wars" is not a real Star Wars fan. To be fair though, those people are so daft that they probably played Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and don't think it's political.
Andor is the best Star Wars, with Empire Strikes Back and then A New Hope the closest 2. Everything else is far behind. Andor is a labor of love, tended to with incredibly high-level intellect, creativity, and judgement.
Outside of the original trilogy, morality is examined quite effectively in Star Wars films. Rogue One was a great example. Lives had to be expended sometimes sadly in the name of the greater cause. Andor shooting an informant in a back alley to protect the information he was given from that informant tell us what horrible things have to be done for victory over tyranny.
I've watched Andor 4 times now and I think I'm about to do it again next month. It's So good! Not just the writing but the quality of cinematography with the lighting, choice of color of costuming depending on the character and the color lighting for each character, the scale, depth and color of set pieces and the color grade. Just so good!
Loved Andor so much! The characters, story, music, action, underlying political themes, and so much more. I've watched it 4x over. Can't wait for season 2.
This show is a gesamptkunstwerk. From the writing, the acting, the costume designs (Mothma’s looks could be worn today and nobody would bat an eye) and even the music. I hope everyone involved in making this are involved with S2 (and nobody more…)
Interesting work lol. Also yes, everyone is coming back including the composer who made I think one of the best musical scores in history, Star Wars or not. I have that on my Spotify it's so good.
Tony Gilroy, Beau Willimon, et al, know what George Lucas knows so well. Story has to have a THEME, just like music. The Disney productions (minus ANDOR, ROGUE ONE, and THE BAD BATCH) are like symphonies that have no concept of theme. Theme is the reason the story exists and is being told, it's what the hero will learn or tragically not learn, and it's the point the audience takes away. One of my favorite examples of thematic writing in general is in Episode 1 of ANDOR. Cassian has a casual conversation, ginning up an alibi for himself with Brasso. As he's leaving for work Brasso lobs some closing comments to Cassian to come back to work and he finishes with "Make yourself useful!" The first season is about how Andor, a petty thief-survivor, becomes a Rebel. What could be more useful than fighting a rebellion against the Empire? Fantastic.
Like honest trailer said, Cassian was more young Stalin than young solo with this heist. And it's a good comparison of two rebellious movement acquiring funds by stealing from garrisons.
You are so right! This show is so layered. This is such a complex and mature show. This scene has so much going on in terms of stakes. I really appreciate how you dissect this scene. Andor is such a great show because it is so mature. Sadly, I think people aren't used to this level of sophistication and so don't appreciate it. Too many people are brought up on formula Hollywood that I fear they miss the real treasure that Andor is for people and our culture. Andor is finally Star Wars grown up. You are so correct, Star Wars always had a political bent. During this time of genocide this show is more important than ever.
Even a great show like this for its ability to be complex was still being hated on before it came out and I would still say even now after it’s come out. When I see people say it’s boring or too political like I said in the video I just think they have no idea how to break things down and understand the layers of great storytelling.
you're right. That dialog has heft and sharp edges. It does the lifting for the series by outlining the stakes of the conflict and frames the choices in the show between advancing and retreating but never going back. If Space Florida taught Andor anything, it's that he couldn't go back to the way things were.
Funny that this came out today. I just finished my first rewatch of Andor. It really is one of the best executed “shows” that I have seen. I am someone that has a disorder that requires me to watch basically everything Star Wars and it’s insane to think that some of the other D+ shows are considered to be in the same universe
Yes, that scene is crucial and you break it down expertly. I, too, am one of those who are in awe of Andor. I'm a novelist (Dutch), and I can recognize first-rate writing when I see it. Season 2 is certainly something to look forward to!
You’re right! I don’t think people understand how hard it is to write good speeches. They can easily come off as cheesy and some would not take it seriously but Andor finds a way to write them so well.
Andor is truly a remarkable series and clearly one of the best well-written series in the Disney Era. Lucasfilm could and should learn a great deal from Andor and figure out to get their act together and make great Star Wars.
For me Disney has been having its ups and downs with Star Wars, I like and love some stuff and then others are more meh. Any person who asks me which stuff is which on my feelings I won’t sugarcoat it and tell you exactly how I feel.
@@filmobsessednerd Here's the whole thing, it's just 26 points on what a Revolutionary is and their duties; Luthen's Monologue is almost a poetic summary of these points. 1. The revolutionary is a doomed man. He has no personal interests, no business affairs, no emotions, no attachments, no property, and no name. Everything in him is wholly absorbed in the single thought and the single passion for revolution. 2. The revolutionary knows that in the very depths of his being, not only in words but also in deeds, he has broken all the bonds which tie him to the social order and the civilized world with all its laws, moralities, and customs, and with all its generally accepted conventions. He is their implacable enemy, and if he continues to live with them it is only in order to destroy them more speedily. 3. The revolutionary despises all doctrines and refuses to accept the mundane sciences, leaving them for future generations. He knows only one science: the science of destruction. For this reason, but only for this reason, he will study mechanics, physics, chemistry, and perhaps medicine. But all day and all night he studies the vital science of human beings, their characteristics and circumstances, and all the phenomena of the present social order. The object is perpetually the same: the surest and quickest way of destroying the whole filthy order. 4. The revolutionary despises public opinion. He despises and hates the existing social morality in all its manifestations. For him, morality is everything which contributes to the triumph of the revolution. Immoral and criminal is everything that stands in its way. 5. The revolutionary is a dedicated man, merciless toward the State and toward the educated classes; and he can expect no mercy from them. Between him and them there exists, declared or concealed, a relentless and irreconcilable war to the death. He must accustom himself to torture. 6. Tyrannical toward himself, he must be tyrannical toward others. All the gentle and enervating sentiments of kinship, love, friendship, gratitude, and even honor, must be suppressed in him and give place to the cold and single-minded passion for revolution. For him, there exists only one pleasure, one consolation, one reward, one satisfaction - the success of the revolution. Night and day he must have but one thought, one aim - merciless destruction. Striving cold-bloodedly and indefatigably toward this end, he must be prepared to destroy himself and to destroy with his own hands everything that stands in the path of the revolution. 7. The nature of the true revolutionary excludes all sentimentality, romanticism, infatuation, and exaltation. All private hatred and revenge must also be excluded. Revolutionary passion, practiced at every moment of the day until it becomes a habit, is to be employed with cold calculation. At all times, and in all places, the revolutionary must obey not his personal impulses, but only those which serve the cause of the revolution. 8. The revolutionary can have no friendship or attachment, except for those who have proved by their actions that they, like him, are dedicated to revolution. The degree of friendship, devotion and obligation toward such a comrade is determined solely by the degree of his usefulness to the cause of total revolutionary destruction. 9. It is superfluous to speak of solidarity among revolutionaries. The whole strength of revolutionary work lies in this. Comrades who possess the same revolutionary passion and understanding should, as much as possible, deliberate all important matters together and come to unanimous conclusions. When the plan is finally decided upon, then the revolutionary must rely solely on himself. In carrying out acts of destruction, each one should act alone, never running to another for advice and assistance, except when these are necessary for the furtherance of the plan. 10. All revolutionaries should have under them second- or third-degree revolutionaries - i.e., comrades who are not completely initiated. These should be regarded as part of the common revolutionary capital placed at his disposal. This capital should, of course, be spent as economically as possible in order to derive from it the greatest possible profit. The real revolutionary should regard himself as capital consecrated to the triumph of the revolution; however, he may not personally and alone dispose of that capital without the unanimous consent of the fully initiated comrades. 11. When a comrade is in danger and the question arises whether he should be saved or not saved, the decision must not be arrived at on the basis of sentiment, but solely in the interests of the revolutionary cause. Therefore, it is necessary to weigh carefully the usefulness of the comrade against the expenditure of revolutionary forces necessary to save him, and the decision must be made accordingly. 12. The new member, having given proof of his loyalty not by words but by deeds, can be received into the society only by the unanimous agreement of all the members.
This scene absolutely chilled me and confirmed that Andor is a work way above the rest of all today’s science fiction canon. Andor is just magnificent.
What an amazing series! Each character is so believable. So complex and nuanced. Take Luthen. His obsession with defeating the empire at all costs makes him walk dangerously close to the line between being a freedom fighter and becoming the next tyrant. The next emperor. If there "are no rules" then how does that make the rebellion any different than the empire?
I think it's best to only have 2 I don't want them to overdue do it. The only reason I'd say I would've wanted a 3rd season is because I would want that K-2SO and Andor relationship built up more.
“I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? Everything!” This moment alone should have made Andor the most-watched Star Wars series ever. And yet they went and made the Acolyte.
@@filmobsessednerd Right. I’m just saying: how do you go from writing like that to green-lighting “the power of one; the power of two; the power of many” and “strike at me with all of your strength” if you’re Disney? It’s asinine.
Great video. I think Gilroy has really synthesised 19th and 20th Century struggles against imperialism into a broad set of characters that show the intrinsic logic of empire and resistance: there are essentially repeated character roles and motifs that recur. He broadens out what George was doing really clearly. I think you can read Luthen, Saw, Mon and the rebels into that group that lead that operation in that country last year: Luthen’s speech particularly. They would prefer to be doctors, teachers, engineers, raise families, but history has made them into what they are: history has forced recurring character roles and motifs upon them, including, as Mandela said, the tactics they are forced to use to illicit any change in their situation. And their Aldani has now lead to massive suffering, that was always there but is now intensified, as Luthen says, but also the growing overreach of the imperial outpost that they exist to destroy. It’s just brilliant writing and tells the story of the thing that Luke dreamed of leaving Tatooine to join - the thing that inspired and made a romantic rebel of Luke.
I love Andor! For me it honestly is single handedly saving the Star Wars franchise. I grew up with the original trilogy. I hated the prequels originally. Spin-offs like the Clone Wars cartoon series have brought a bit of salvation to the botched backstory of Vader with the prequels. I won’t even mention the Sequels. It destroyed the original trilogy story even more. Anyway, back to Andor. I love that you chose this particular scene. It really sums up the whole series. That everybody in the empire is basically being slowly boiled alive, like a lobster. Start cold and slowly raise the temperature and they don’t realize they are slowly being killed. And I agree it’s very similar to what happened in Nazi Germany. How did so many people not know what was really going on. I guess it’s similar to the Alt right Trump bullshit that’s happening in the USA too. How do they not know that the Alt-Right is fascism?? Anyway, great commentary on some great writing. Am really looking forward to season two of Andor. Hopefully it maintains the same integrity of writing and production and doesn’t get dragged down by Disney
You’re making excellent points about how good Andor is. I love the focus on the dialogue. Well done! But it must be pointed out that Star Wars was created in 1977, not 1979.
Tony Gilroy managed this much because he was just given a premise, time and money. What he brought was respect for storytelling and for a story he didnt knew much about. He was mocked for consulting wookiepedia, when all he wanted was good continuity from it. I don't care if no one watches it. Im just glad i got to watch good Starwars before its destroyed by Disney. Because lets face it, it's not Dave Filoni or Jon Favreau that will bring it back to its former glory. Tony Gilroy could have done it, but he's gonna walk after season 2 because he's making everyone at Lucasfilm look bad.
well you nailed that! there's nothing that i can add to really what you've already said without simply repeating what you've already said. also, totally agree with your comment about the political commentary. if you remove it then you rip the heart right out of it. you don't have to agree with the political ideas being portrayed in the art but at least acknowledge that the art could not exist without it.
I’d say that that’s a fair way to look at it. I mean, even if you don’t agree with it like you said, you can’t not acknowledge that it is based in some truth at the idea of how hard it’s been for many people and how the show exemplifies that to a great deal.
I say the quiet part out loud. ANDOR/ROUGE ONE IS THE BEST piece of media Star wars has. Better than empire strikes back/return of the jedi. I know without the original trilogy we wouldn't have this yada yada. But in terms of the continuity, without andor and rogue one the rebellion would have just fell apart. I recently rewatched it, shortly after acolyte. The difference in storytelling is just mind-blowing.
The quiet part? Lol you’d be surprised how many people agree that stuff like Andor and Rogue One are the best. Rogue One is my personal favorite film even though I recognize something like Empire might be a better overall film. I know OT trilogy purists will scuff at that but hey we all love what we love.
I completely agree when people say Star Wars was never political. It was always political. In fact I would go so far as to claim that if a story has any conflict based on any form of Good vs Evil, politics is going to involved in one way or another. When it comes to other series like The Acolyte I either fail to see the message or find it to be contrary to the narrative previously canonised.
Andor was superb. Shame most of the other shows aren't written nearly as well. Kind of excited about the rumor Tony Gilroy might have a shot at running Lucasfilm when Darth Kennedy finally evaporates. Subbed.
I really liked Ahsoka, some of Boba Fett, Mandalorian is great and then the animated stuff is superb. Tony Gilroy is not running a company he’s a creative first. Thanks for the sub!
I think a point to be made about recent complaints about political content in shows is the difference that is evident that is seen between andor and acolyte. On is broadly and conceptual political and has complex nuanced ideas. The other was written with the sole purpose of making “Star Wars” with a gay black non binary female lead doing provocative and edgy things. Entry level identity politics vs grand political ideological commentary. One aligns with the creators original intent and is made for all to enjoy and the other is the opposite.
I really do hate to be that guy, but if your sole purpose is to focus on a certain thing because a certain section of UA-cam and the online sphere deem it to be bad according to their view, then I don’t understand why you would have to get involved with them. The Acolyte is my least favorite of all the live action shows so far, but I in no way ever saw a single thing with the story of the show that signified that it was meant to be made in only prioritizing the look of the actors. Like, there’s a story in the show lmao. Are we all just gonna forget that? Not once does a character ever mention their race lol. If they did, I’d probably be agreeing with you but it just doesn’t happen.
Usually the best things that came out of the SW franchise were the games and expanded universe Lore. Andor is probably the best thing in film we got and it is a travesty that this show is so under rated.
I have to concur that Andor is probably the best live action TV show in last decade or so more. And aside from the original trilogy, I think that it is the best interpretation of what Lucas’s vision. Star Wars has always been political. Just watch the Clone Wars animated series, the material hits all kinds of issues that a society would have considered during a war from the use of child soldiers, ie Jedi padawans and clones whose average age was nine, to using hostages as human shields, wars crimes and slavery. Gilroy’s use of our collective history as inspiration for Andor was genius.
I have watched it three times so far and will be watching it again soon. I love the story and hope season two is still coming out. Thanks for the video and agree the writing is great.
A "terrorist" is generally defined as an individual or group that uses violence, threats, or fear to pursue political, religious, or ideological objectives, targeting _civilians or non-combatants._ The goal of terrorism is often to influence government policies, provoke widespread fear, or achieve social change by disrupting civil societies and institutions. At this point, the attacks of most of the rebels are on Imperial government facilities...this would be called "asymmetrical warfare." The exception is Saw Guerra, who _does_ attack civilians and non-combatants (I would contend that includes Cinta as well...I believe she killed the hostages). The actions of the Empire, responding to these attacks on their government facilities with action against civilians is actually more "terroristic." I hope I'm surprised, but I cannot imagine the second season being as good as the first.
Have faith in the team. All of the writers and show runners are returning. They’re actually going to condense what would’ve been two or three more seasons into one season which means there will be no filler. They are finishing the story with passion and enthusiasm according to the vision they had when they conceived and wrote season 1…being as emotionally impactful and logically detailed as they can. I’ve been keeping up with all the comments about the show from the people making it, and I’m really excited. I think it might actually be better than season one.
I mean ya Saw is definitely a terrorist no way around that he did really bad things especially if you read up on his lore during his time of the empire. The empire are also terroristic in their methods too but what Luthen does is no different even if at less of a fraction at times.
For me, the Top 3 first seasons of television are True Detective, Mad Men, and **Andor.** Twin Peaks and The Wire would round out the Top 5. Tony Gilroy also wrote/directed Michael Clayton, starring George Clooney. Interestingly enough, another story about a hardened cynic who is forced by circumstance to turn against the oppressive system he’s been trying to ignore. Dialogue is *very* similar to Andor, also.
You are describing G-az.a uprising and the overreaction that followed. We in the West are the empire, supporting all the atrocities. And yes, Andor is a very adult show. Mostly everything else in Star Wars in comparison with Andor seems to be made for children.
Andor is a piece of art and anyone who says otherwise is willfully shooting themselves in the foot.
SW isn't a genre, it’s a universe and many different genres, themes, characters, and stories have yet to be discovered in that universe. If someone wants the 'feel' of the old movies there is good news, the old movies still exist, so literally go watch them again.
As horrendous as some of the Last Jedi was I have grown to appreciate that Rian was also trying to make something new, his execution in some of that 'newness' was very questionable but the stuff that worked really worked. This misguided unconscious consensus of SW fans that we need to ‘recapture’ those feelings from the first films has led to an over saturation of bad SW trying to live up to something it shouldn’t even need to. Every SW project doesn’t need the same themes, characters, and feeling as the OG trilogy, that'd get repetitive and very boring. Most new projects have virtually become parodies of the source material where nothing is left but references cameos, and generic mic-drop lines that fit in any situation.
I love Andor not just because it is full of heart, nuance, and complex storytelling in a thematically dark setting but also because of what it represents: innovation of SW and a new hope that future SW projects don't have to be self referential, sloppily written, poorly executed, mass produced projects rather than pieces of art that stand on their own merit.
Disneys and the fans problem has been thinking that SW is a genre and everything must fit into very confined rules. If someone thinks Andor is too boring they need to consider spending less time feeding their dopamine receptors with stuff like Tik Tok and take the time to pay attention to what’s happening between action sequences. They’ll realize that that there is a lot of nuance and character work happening, it is a masterclass of writing and direction. If someone thinks Andor doesn't feel like SW they need to reframe how they understand the IP, it is not a genre of itself. The themes, characters, settings, sounds, textures, virtually everything is straight out of the Lucas doctrine and what story he was trying to tell. If someone thinks Andor stands shoulder to shoulder on equal footing as Obi Wan, Ahsoka, or Boba Fett they need to try and summarize one of those shows and try to summarize Andor, the difficulty to do so for Andor succinctly is indicative of the complex level of detail and care. Andor is lightyears ahead of those shows in virtually every cinema or storytelling criteria.
Anyone who loves Andor should be promoting it and recommending it to everyone they know. Systems either change or die and there is only one way out of this SW slump of bad media.
Listen, I have my enjoyment with some of the other stuff that has been made under Disney live action, movies or animated and I think there are ways to look into how we can fix some of the issues it does have. Some of those issues you mentioned in your comment and I'll tell you what, I am pinning it for that reason. Not because of what you said but how you said it. Again I think we might disagree on a few things but the way your phrased your points came out of good faith on talking about the actual things we see and not the contrived talking points of certain people in the fandom. I felt every point in your comment and it felt real, nothing fake but also reasonable in your way of putting it. I appreciate it!
People hate lack of continuity and plot holes. Andor has no problem with that, the sequels and other shows do. That's why fans are upset at many projects.
While most of these are valid points, the idea that Rian Johnson should deserve "appreciation" is a joke. It's one thing to say that we shouldn't try to "recapture" the feelings of the old movies but it's another to flat-out spit in the face of people who have been fans of the OT characters for decades. TLJ is a complete abomination, so bad that TROS was never on my viewing agenda and it still isn't. RJ can take a long walk off a short pier. I do agree with most of what you said about Andor though, it feels like it's straight out of the Star Wars universe and the writing and world building is fabulous. Can't wait for season 2.
Of course it's art, it's a creative process with an outcome, that doesn't make it good or great, personally I think Andor is good but isn't great. As for Rian Johnson and TLJ it was an experiment and it failed, it failed spectacularly, it damaged his reputation which was pretty good, I mean he got the gig in the first place so there's that but it is the movie equivalent of lying down on the floor and some how managing to fall off.
Andor is a step in the right direction and as an older fan I appreciate what it's trying to do but that doesn't mean I don't see its flaws, and it has them, quite a few but the good carries it over the line, you're right that there's a lot to explore in the SW universe but whatever Disney choose to do they need to go all in on the darker themes as well as the hopeful, trying to make a show to capture everyone will always fail, lock in your target audience and make a show they will like and pull no punches, until Disney decide to do that SW will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Rian Johnson was not "trying to do something different"
He just wanted to "subvert expectations" he literally said he wantes to divide the fanbase because having a crowd half hating the movie and half loving the movie is the type of goal he wants to achive with his movies
Andor is the closest thing we have gotten to an Expanded Universe show. It's the true evolution of a franchise that has been stuck in the past for most of the Disney years.
Ironic that it's a prequel.
Stuck in the past? Much of the Disney era has been set in a post ROTJ era.
Not sure about stuck in the past but the EU thing is something I didn't think about originally
@@banistersmind I assume he means thematically and creatively
"I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else's future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? Everything!" - probably one of my favourite bits of dialogue on all of SW. Andor is hands down the best thing to come out of SW in many years. I was at the celebration panel in 2023 which was fantastic and I seriously cannot wait for season 2.
And the last part of that speech is also amazing: "So stay with me Lonnie. I need all the heroes I can get."
@@joelreis5366 you're right and valid point. Lonnie could be an interesting character in season 2 and whether he sticks with Luthen. My gut tells me that the ISB will figure it out
The start of the at quote is the very reason I said what I said in the video about Luthen being a terrorist he’s using the terrible tools of his enemies to hurt the people that will help his cause.
@@dansparkes6628 they may figure it out and man the torture he’ll receive could be far worse than what Bix went through
@@filmobsessednerd it's such a brilliant scene delivered by a brilliant actor in Stellan, which tells us a lot about Luthen. Any time he was on screen, I was completely captivated.
Oh man if, which I seriously think they will find out Lonnie is a double agent, they are going to make the Bix torture experience seem like a picnic compared to what they will do to them - they won't go for him straight away in the hope that he leads them to Axis, but he is in for some serious damage
Luthen is an accelerationist, while Mon is an incrementalist. These are always the allied yet opposing forces of any resistance or rebellion movement, and Andor explores this excellently.
Add in Sol Gerrera, the extremist, and you’ve really explored all angles of organized resistance.
What makes Cassian so compelling, and Jen from the movie, is that they aren’t idealists. They’re like most people, looking out for themselves and trying to make their way through a bad system. Circumstances place them in a position to take a side and take action, and only when they learn to care about something more than themselves do they become committed to the ideal.
Damn good writing!
Can you identify 2 accelerationist movements today within the US that are enemies of each other?
Luthen is not an accelerationist, he is violently opposed both in method and ideology against the empire. Accelerationist doesn't just mean make things go faster, it is to intensify the internal contradictions of the system by progressing/heightening/accelerating the system till something new is created immanently.
If Luthen was an accelerationist you would more likely see him working within the empire, spreading its ideology.
@@MonstersNotUnderTheBed Not many revolutionary movements in the US still alive and kicking unfortunately
@@stefdelev MAGA is a revolutionary movement. Just because they're not the good guys doesn't mean they're not revolutionary in their aims. Read project 2025.
100% spot on. This is such a great comment.
That's what sets apart Andor, from other Disney SW projects: It's not enough for its writers to have good intentions & politics, they need to weave and represent all of that through the dialogues, all the characters motivations/actions, while simultaneously not compromising the worldbuilding or credibility of other storylines. Being earnest and forthcoming can too easily devolve into becoming too convenient, obsequious or superficial. Which benefits no one.
If I may add a point to what you’re saying that I think might exemplify what you’re trying to speak to more, it is the idea that it’s not even the fact that the other Star Wars live action shows had done a terrible job at exploring political elements/commentary of the world, it was more so that they didn’t understand the realities of the very franchise they were in. Shows like Boba Fett and Obi-Wan for example don’t really have any political elements to them at all. They feel way too small in size with how they’re shot and made through their story. They feel like shows that were trying to make a story that would not connect as well if you made it in television format as well. I don’t know if you’ve heard about the movie edit that was made out of the Obi-Wan show, but it made the show way better.
@@filmobsessednerd Using multiple Directors require both an overseer that keep visual/acting consistency but also writers that can give an interesting "angle" to each individual episode, while serving as building block for the rest of the show. When its lacking, you get a strongly uneven series. Andor feels cohesive. The quality of Fett's final episodes don't match its earlier parts, and feels cheaper than the Mandalorian inserts. Compare the Bill Burr arc (S2), to all Mando S3 and it feels like a completely different production. You read the ideas and pathos discussed in interviews by the main Director/writer of The Acolyte, and almost none of that is present in the final product. It's as if they are talking about a different show. Such dissonance can't be attributed to small mistakes, but fundamental issues, starting from the original script.
@@Martell_Dog listen, I am not going to sit here and act like I stand on a pedestal defending everything Disney or Lucasfilm does. I recognize that TV is not their strong suit at all. We got that report last year that for a while under the leadership of Bob Chapek since February 2020 they didn't know what they were doing on the television side of the company. Marvel suffered from that and I feel Star Wars did too. Boba Fett came out in 2021 and Obi-Wan in 2022. So they were under his tenure. I think with new leadership in place now we might get back to what we want to see more of.
@@filmobsessednerd Yeah, every franchise can be "saved", if it releases a string of products that is liked by at least portions of its fandom. SW insistence in creating media attached to known characters/story/timeliness is just not a sound approach. If they want to experiment, they need to go without safe rails. Just a strong, well planned script with new characters in a different region, and start building from there.
My own TLDR summary: get good writers who write at an adult level with sophistication and subtlety. There’s plenty of them out there.
Luthen knows he's a terrorist - his monologue in the lower levels shows he knows the ambiguity of his actions and the fact that history will probably not remember him well... and he also knows his strategy is entirely necessary.
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
I think it's more than him thinking history won't remember him well - we have the benefit of seeing the fall of the Empire and knowing that he isn't remembered. He doesn't know that yet. But he does know that he SHOULDN'T be remembered. It's a nod to how real-life political movements that celebrate their dark past tend to continue it, while movements that whitewash or disavow their dark pasts are typically the ones that are able to move past it and truly be better than what they fought against.
We all expected Stellan Skarsgård to turn in an amazing performance in this show, but let's have a round of applause for Genevieve O'Reilly. Who knew when she was cast for the prequels that she would get the opportunity to explore Mon Mothma in such an intimate and challenging way? She has knocked it out of the park.
Hell ya! Someone finally said it other than me! She's AMAZING in this show. Her scene with her old senator friend when she reveals the details about the "charity fund" was so good.
@@filmobsessednerd The bit in the car where Mon frames her husband for the missing money -dang!!
good script, very well acted by Genevieve O'Reilly! You see that Mon is just as cold and cunning as Luthen but in her own way.
@@helline9 I can't wait for that guy to get it since it seems like that's how she'll get out
Can't get enough of Andor or people analyzing Andor. Best written Live-Action series for Star Wars. Can't wait for season 2. Thanks for the video.
Yeah same, on my eleventh rewatch of this show, this show is the greatest masterpiece I've ever seen...
Best written sci-fi show in my opinion and I am including Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse.
@@phonzyyy7753 Boy, I feel bad. I've only seen it three times. I have some catching up to do before season 2.
Of course thanks for supporting! I can’t wait for the 2nd season too.
I'm looking forward to season 2 as well but I'm nervous. My theory is that Andor was good because there was no executive meddling. It was seen as lower profile and therefore not worth their attention. Well, it did well and now it might have their attention.
Until Andor came along, I had always said that Rogue One was the best way to reboot the franchise. Bravo to Gilroy for putting out an engaging story which compliments the series perfectly.
Interesting... I never thought about Rogue One as a film that would "reboot" the franchise as more of it just being the story that set up the original 1977 film.
You got to love how real this show feels
This guy only watched it five times, and he thinks he knows it well enough to make related content!
What Tony Gilroy did for Star Wars is what Alan Moore did for comics with Watchmen. Years from now more essays and dissertations will be written about this series. Both are twelve part series with each three episodes providing a beginning, middle, and end to a section. Gilroy references Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo in Andor and it is magnificent. What an amazing series, I cannot wait until the next season.
I particularly really liked the new Watchmen series. That and Andor or sort of similar with each other in someways. I hope Andor goes down as one of the all-time shows that gets taught in classrooms.
I also find Andor to be my favorite SW made so far.
In terms of overall favorite honestly, I won’t even hide the fact that it probably is my favorite as well
It isn’t just the best SW tv, it is the best tv.
I love this series so much. It's so far beyond in skill and execution than the majority of nearly all modern dramas.
The "What do I sacrifice?" monolog is up there with Rutger Hauer's "Tears in Rain" monolog in my opinion.
The acting is amazing too, even smaller roles like Syril's mom are so damn good.
lol there are some pretty good dramas made always find a way to look for as many as you can
@filmobsessednerd I don't feel like I missed any recent dramas that are substantially better than Andor and I definitely found a lot that are worse.
@@Degarth well by comparing to Andor standards is a little different I’d say. It’s all about separating things as best as possible and viewing them through their own lens’s.
I love how Luthen's strength of conviction is sought after and relied on in the story with the characters he interacts with. Kleya butts heads with Vel, almost pining for his attention. Mon questions him for her own mental security, while he goes 'You already know what the plan is'. Lonni wanted to leave, but Luthen's starkly honest monologue keeps the ISB informant in the game. Not to mention that even Cassian recognizes that steel, to the point he outright proclaims without hesitation that he'll kill Skeen for the possession of the Kuati Signet, already respecting the rebel leader enough to ensure he gets back something he said he valued more than what anyone can offer for it.
Then of course, more direct scenes where his command is thoroughly established. How nobody discusses him seemingly when he's not present, how he gives Vel a ultimatum, giving her a choice... but not giving her a choice as he knows what she wants to do and wouldn't give up on pursuing even if it meant altering the plan for the heist suddenly.
He's a great addition to the universe and helps give the Rebels a proper chess master which is essential at this period as they attempt to form the basis of the Rebel Alliance.
Great video. I love this scene, though to be fair there isn't a scene I don't like in this show. Gilroy is going to blow my socks off next season, I am sure of that.
Thank you man much appreciated! I think to your first point about the Kuati Signet I never thought of it that way about him wanting it back and that he'd kill for it because of Luthen. I always interpreted it in the sense that it was just worth a lot of credits too but I like that addition to its importance. Like I said in the video, Luthen might be one of the most important characters in Star Wars during the OT trilogy time period of the Rebels and Empire war. He knows so many things and so many people that he's risk that would cause a lot of harm if captured or if he wasn't pleased like how he wasn't pleased with Lonni after he told him he wanted out. I love your breakdown! Would love to see you come back for more on my channel you have a good mind on you with the way you structure sentences.👍
Ironically, Andor was the one show that nobody expected anything from, but it is by far the best SW live-action series to date, in every aspect. I hope S2 will be released soon.
Andor is goated. Best Star Wars we’ve gotten this century.
Absolutely spot on and this is a thing I've shared since the start.
Lucas' initial vision was crystal clear to me as a kid in the 80's and I'm glad that it took somebody like Tony Gilroy to expand on that. Something Dave Filoni missed.
Many fans only look at the franchise at surface level and they miss things like this. The simplest of things that are easy to view and in clear sight. But to some, because it's not lighsabers or Jedi -this often falls on deaf ears.
Season 2 can't come soon enough!
I appreciate you saying this but if I may, I want to add something to your Filoni point. I don’t believe Filoni missed the idea of what George was going for, I think Filoni just more so focused on the kid aspect of what George has always said about Star Wars. He said openly that Star Wars is for kids, Filoni took that to heart and given he has worked on animation his whole life he knows that stuff more. George was a big factor in making shows like clone wars that had its more light hearted and silly elements that even the OT trilogy was known for. I think you can have both Andor like stuff and Filoni type of stuff for Star Wars.
Andor is brilliant and everything I'd like to see for future Star Wars. The concept was supposed to be about fighting the evil of tyranny. Use of the force was secondary.
As an original fan back to 1977, none of the stuff from '83 onward has ever been what Star Wars is about for me. Andor is really what I wanted from Star Wars back in 1999, and pretty much the only kind that's going to interest me moving forward.
Lonni... one of the most underrated heroes of the Rebellion.
Luthen meant what he said when he talked about Lonni's investment in the Rebellion being epic.
I wish Ebon Moss-Bachrach's character could have stayed in the show longer, but I guess therein lies the beauty of it. None of the character deaths were wasted. Every sacrifice had to be carefully calibrated and weighed to justify its worth... there is so precious little to put in play yet so much to lose. Every single move in this chess game makes the eventual blowing up of the Death Star all the more significant beyond an onscreen CGI scene, as the weight of each additional sacrifice finally pays off.
And all that without a single lightsaber, topless Sith, or Mandalorian. The combination of great acting and greating writing is nonpareil. My only regret is that I already know how it all ends with Rogue One.
Andor is much more important to disney in the sense that it shows them how they can tell adult stories and underlying themes that don't condescend the audience, while also telling stories aimed towards family and kids in particular in the form of Kenobi. It's interesting because Andor is the closest Star Wars has ever come to being Star Trek in asking deep philosophical questions. Andor is important in that it's showing you the function of the empire; in many respects the order 66 coup was a silent transition - the war went on above the skies of coruscant, the outer rim planets continued to be lawless as we see in the mandalorian, but for corsucant life goes on and even on ferrix, life continues apace for Ferrix so long as - and this is key - life continues unabated, and undisturbed. Everyone on Ferrix was content to continue to contribute to the empire, everyone on corsucant was content to continue to ignore the political machine so long as their lives were unaffected, and Luthen is important as an antaognist because he's doing the one thing that's crucial to igniting rebellion; the importance of survival and self interest should never be ignored.
It's with perhaps some degree of prescience that he moves cassian into place for him to see how oppressive the empire truly is; how insiduous the plans of the empire and by extension the sith are in opressing dissenting voices within the regime; for cassian being imprisoned may well have been a catalyst, but it I maintain that it was the death of maarva: ua-cam.com/video/TaKrm5txGCQ/v-deo.html that galvanised him and resolved him in the cause. Maarva's speech is just as important as this monlogue by Skaarsgard: ua-cam.com/video/-3RCme2zZRY/v-deo.html - in fact I would argue that these two scenes are probably the most important purely because it shows a man describing the moment the act of rebellion was set in motion, with Maarva's eulogy being a signal fire into momentum.
Andor is...Poetry. It's showing the movement and poetry in moving will into motion, and motion into violence for a cause; demonstrating that sometimes...Most of the time an act of rebellion for a noble cause will not, often cannot be peaceful. As a young Briton that grew up as a soldier's son, I never saw that when it came to ireland - in my 40's I see that now. I see it in my own country, those same echoes.
Finally, I leave you with my third favourite moment: ua-cam.com/video/-asb8zTiuZ4/v-deo.html
Great breakdown I appreciate it!
How Star Wars Theory doesn't like Andor, I'll never understand. Touts himself as a SW diehard, but in the end all he wants is a bubblegum lightsaber coloring book version of SW.
Lmao you wouldn't believe me when I say I have an ungodly annoyance for that dude these days. I used to watch him and loved his videos. He has turned into a grifter so fast the likes of which I haven't seen since Anakin turned to the darkside. Not to be on the nose but that's the truth. I don't trust anything he says anymore. He affiliates himself with the worst of the worst people and so ya I can't take that seriously. When he said "bricks and screws" was a problem of Andor boy I was off the rocker laughing my ass at that.
Not everyone who loves Star Wars is smart. Only smart ppl like Andor.
Despite a few personal critiques of "Andor," I must acknowledge that this series honors George Lucas' vision of "Star Wars" in a way no other Disney production has achieved. It even goes beyond the "Star Wars" universe, with subtle references, such as those to "THX 1138." For this, I owe Gilroy and the entire team my deepest gratitude. Amidst many disappointments, the second season of "Andor" remains a promising beacon for future "Star Wars" projects.
They need the people that made Andor to be making Star Wars. They captured the essence of Star Wars so well and then elevated it to new heights with great acting and writing. This show made me fall in love with Star Wars again.
Andor is what happens when you put a huge budget in front of great screenwriters and actors instead of CGI. Finally made me feel like Star Wars has grown up, same as it's audience.
10/10 show.
This makes me think of Emperor of Dune. The Golden Path pushes people through suffering, controlled and so detaching of what was before, that it will never enable such suffering in the future. It's a very interesting thought, also considered in Foundation: is a shorter period of suffering, more intense, but also more memorable, better for humanity than a slow and more banal type of suffering?
I have not ready a single Dune book but I will take your word for this lol
An audacious excursion behind enemy lines, in order to provoke an overreaction which would show the hand of the oppressors, causing PR disaster and garnering more support for resistance... is prescient to say the least.
Yes it for sure is
Indeed! And this is why I truly wish more people watched this show *right now*. So many relevant parallels.
I think your take on Andor is a very cogent one. Every revolution; every civil war; every first act of rebellion: this is a watershed moment in history. There will only be before, and after. September 11th, 2001 was one such moment. There will be others.
Andor was an excellent dissection, as a work of fiction, of the start of a revolution. Well done, Disney. Seriously...an excellent work.
Thanks for the video, man! That scene is a masterpiece. It is so real that one self see this all days and people seems like not even notice.
I know what you mean, the first four times I watched the show I never truly realized how much this scene hit. That’s how good the show is! When I can pick up on something like that after a 5th watch, you know it’s doing something good.
One of my favorite episodes of Rebels is when the crew of the Ghost are tasked with getting Mon Mothma out of Coruscant after she names Palpatine traitor to the Empire on the Senate floor. I am really hopeful we get to see that speech in the next season. Genevieve voiced her in Rebels as well.
Mon sitting in her literal ivory tower with her chandelier shaped like a sun above her, wearing all true white(not ISB white)like only very few characters(Ahsoka, Leia)are allowed to wear and contrasting that with Luthen in the bowels of Coruscant wearing all black and speaking of a sunrise he knows he'll never see was such a phenomenally written scene. She is not willing to compromise what she believes in for her goal and ultimately she sees the Empire destroyed without personally having had to compromise that.
Luthen lost sight of what it meant and in the end he will become the same thing he was trying to destroy just like Saw. When Saw has the moral high ground over you, you should know you're in the wrong lol.
Awesome breakdown! And also thank you for mentioning the episode in Rebels when Mon gets out for good and escapes with the crew. I do not think that scene will be shown but like you said we might get the speech portion and then when she’s about to escape it’ll cut to black and the next time we see her is on like Yavin 4 for example.
Andor writers were fucking phenomenal
The writing in this show is next level legendary
Luthan did what he did not so much as to gain power in itself, but as he said it was a slow process of their will and determination being stripped in the guise of safety. He knows all too well, that he'll pay for what he did. That's my take on it.
I think this is a great point! The idea of him paying for what he did might end in his death. I would not be surprised if he did die in this final season.
Andor is some of the best of Star Wats EVER. This is re watchable over and over and will age extremely well. I will probably watch this every election year for the next 25.
I’m probably going to watch Andor twice a year at this point that’s how good it is
actually Luthen was entirely aware that he was a terrorist I'm the Empire... he was aware there was no ambiguity as he states in his monologue that he was using his enemy's methods, and he felt the enemy was irredeemable... (or words to that effect)
Technically, you are right about the one part about using the tools of his enemy, which he speaks to in that speech with the undercover ISB guy on his side
Andor is the application and extension of George's ideas in the hands of much better writers.
And this is exactly why it's so confusing when Star Wars "fans" get mad at "making Star Wars political." It's always been political. And Andor really gets it.
Exactly
Completely agree. Andor is what I was looking for from Star Wars.
Ikr. Wasted opportunities with Ashoka and acolyte. They weren't even cutesy like mandalorian. Money laundering like rings of power .
This is what happens when you let lose a top screen writer in Disney Star Wars amazing what top class writing does.
Andor and Obi Wan are the absolute best of the new Star Wars products out there! Both are a must see
I totally agree. This show had some of the best dialog between characters you can watch in any series to date, regardless of genre. It is by far the best Star Wars show ever done. If it wasn't for this show, I would have given up on the whole franchise by now.
I’ve never given up on the franchise and I don’t plan on doing so, but it is certainly a series that I think everyone should be happy to know exists no matter where you stand on loving or not liking Star Wars as a whole. Whether being a casual fan or a hardcore one.
@@filmobsessednerd I'm a hardcore fan of the movies I like, the rest I just treat as "associated merchandising". 😁
@@54tisfaction ok I guess to each their own then on that stuff
@@filmobsessednerd Just to explain a littler further... I grew up with the original films. Then I read a few Star Wars comics, but I simply couldn't imagine that what happened in those comics had anything to actually do with the world in the films, it just didn't match up. So I disassociated the comics and also the Extended Universe books and such in my head from the "real story".
When the prequels came I was very excited at first, because finally we would get some "real" Star Wars again!
@@54tisfaction I think that’s what makes fans like you so interesting is that you have different views of what sides of the franchise work and you’d consider real Star Wars. Lucas himself doesn’t consider any of the books and EU stuff canon or real to his films. At the time of the prequels lots of people didn’t even consider that real Star Wars.
This show definitely had great writing and great, nuanced actors with relatable motivations. The coldness of the world, the seeming powerlessness of the characters, it has an amazing atmosphere. This is only possible when people actually understand the source materials and the intentions and don't try to make it “their own”. It fits into the greater story seamlessly.
Technically speaking they did make it "their own". Lots of the characters in this show are new and to the making of the writers. Same with some of the elements of the story.
Andor was really needed as a series. Since the original movies there had been a growing undercurrent in fandom saying that the Empire were actually the good guys and the Rebellion was evil. It was most often jokes like pointing out all the janitors that were killed when the Death Star blew up, but the idea kept gaining traction with idiots bring up more 'evidence' that the Empire was better for the galaxy even though the movies clearly showed them torturing people and murdering billions.
Andor showed those idiots what life would be like under the Empire with all the injustice and tyranny. It's been noticeable how all those fan theories about how the Empire were the good guys have stopped since Andor aired.
Ya it's very clear that the Empire are not the good guys, they are in fact the bad ones. However, that doesn't mean there aren't bad guys within the Rebellion. I don't think the rebels in a New Hope were bad they were simply trying to stop this giant ass space station from blowing up their planet.
@@filmobsessednerd Sure, Lucas wrote "There are heroes on both sides" in the starting scroll of RotS. There were good and bad individuals in both the Rebellion and Empire, but the Empire would naturally by tyrannical and evil overall since it was run by a Sith Lord.
It was just really weird seeing fans who started to forget what the Empire meant for the average person until Andor showed them in an amazing and undeniable way.
Andor was immense man. Truly, in my opinion, the best piece of Star Wars media since RotJ
Star Wars is at its best when it’s not trying to be the best “Star Wars” story but when it tries to relate real world themes events and feelings to the audience.
Hands down the best Star Wars TV show to date, I wish they would take it to five seasons like they planned. Can't wait till the second season drops. Outstanding writing and acting, they really pull you into the characters unlike the other Star Wars shows.
This is the correct take. Anyone who says "keep politics out of Star Wars" is not a real Star Wars fan.
To be fair though, those people are so daft that they probably played Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and don't think it's political.
Andor is the best Star Wars, with Empire Strikes Back and then A New Hope the closest 2. Everything else is far behind. Andor is a labor of love, tended to with incredibly high-level intellect, creativity, and judgement.
What about Rogue One?
@@carlosm.8058 - I admit missing Rogue One. It is up there with these. But, that's it... no more misses😂
Outside of the original trilogy, morality is examined quite effectively in Star Wars films. Rogue One was a great example. Lives had to be expended sometimes sadly in the name of the greater cause. Andor shooting an informant in a back alley to protect the information he was given from that informant tell us what horrible things have to be done for victory over tyranny.
It's a great exploration of morality I agree
Andor helps me to understand some parts of middle eastern conflicts.
I’m not a starwars fan but I really enjoyed Andor, it felt real and grounded
I loved that scene and dialogue. It was perfect. That’s the plan.
I absolutely love Andor and cannot wait for season 2
I've watched Andor 4 times now and I think I'm about to do it again next month. It's So good! Not just the writing but the quality of cinematography with the lighting, choice of color of costuming depending on the character and the color lighting for each character, the scale, depth and color of set pieces and the color grade.
Just so good!
Agreed all around there man! It's god tier filmmaking that inspires me every day to be a filmmaker of my own.
Loved Andor so much! The characters, story, music, action, underlying political themes, and so much more.
I've watched it 4x over. Can't wait for season 2.
Only 4 times?
@@phonzyyy7753 Aahhh, now I feel even worse; ElanDarcy saw it more than I.
Agree on all of that!
This show is a gesamptkunstwerk. From the writing, the acting, the costume designs (Mothma’s looks could be worn today and nobody would bat an eye) and even the music. I hope everyone involved in making this are involved with S2 (and nobody more…)
Interesting work lol. Also yes, everyone is coming back including the composer who made I think one of the best musical scores in history, Star Wars or not. I have that on my Spotify it's so good.
Tony Gilroy, Beau Willimon, et al, know what George Lucas knows so well. Story has to have a THEME, just like music. The Disney productions (minus ANDOR, ROGUE ONE, and THE BAD BATCH) are like symphonies that have no concept of theme.
Theme is the reason the story exists and is being told, it's what the hero will learn or tragically not learn, and it's the point the audience takes away.
One of my favorite examples of thematic writing in general is in Episode 1 of ANDOR. Cassian has a casual conversation, ginning up an alibi for himself with Brasso. As he's leaving for work Brasso lobs some closing comments to Cassian to come back to work and he finishes with "Make yourself useful!" The first season is about how Andor, a petty thief-survivor, becomes a Rebel. What could be more useful than fighting a rebellion against the Empire?
Fantastic.
Like honest trailer said, Cassian was more young Stalin than young solo with this heist. And it's a good comparison of two rebellious movement acquiring funds by stealing from garrisons.
You are so right! This show is so layered. This is such a complex and mature show. This scene has so much going on in terms of stakes. I really appreciate how you dissect this scene. Andor is such a great show because it is so mature. Sadly, I think people aren't used to this level of sophistication and so don't appreciate it. Too many people are brought up on formula Hollywood that I fear they miss the real treasure that Andor is for people and our culture. Andor is finally Star Wars grown up. You are so correct, Star Wars always had a political bent. During this time of genocide this show is more important than ever.
Even a great show like this for its ability to be complex was still being hated on before it came out and I would still say even now after it’s come out. When I see people say it’s boring or too political like I said in the video I just think they have no idea how to break things down and understand the layers of great storytelling.
you're right. That dialog has heft and sharp edges. It does the lifting for the series by outlining the stakes of the conflict and frames the choices in the show between advancing and retreating but never going back. If Space Florida taught Andor anything, it's that he couldn't go back to the way things were.
Lmao good old space Florida is no different to real Florida😂
But you’re right I agree with everything else you said
Funny that this came out today. I just finished my first rewatch of Andor. It really is one of the best executed “shows” that I have seen. I am someone that has a disorder that requires me to watch basically everything Star Wars and it’s insane to think that some of the other D+ shows are considered to be in the same universe
I don’t personally believe it’s insane to think that some of the other stuff is in the same universe. But cool to see that you got another rewatch in!
Andor is a must watch! Season 2 will be fire❤️🔥
Yes, that scene is crucial and you break it down expertly. I, too, am one of those who are in awe of Andor. I'm a novelist (Dutch), and I can recognize first-rate writing when I see it. Season 2 is certainly something to look forward to!
Andor is amazing, some shows dream to have one memorable great speech yet Andor has so many, looking forward for the second season.
You’re right! I don’t think people understand how hard it is to write good speeches. They can easily come off as cheesy and some would not take it seriously but Andor finds a way to write them so well.
Andor is truly a remarkable series and clearly one of the best well-written series in the Disney Era. Lucasfilm could and should learn a great deal from Andor and figure out to get their act together and make great Star Wars.
For me Disney has been having its ups and downs with Star Wars, I like and love some stuff and then others are more meh. Any person who asks me which stuff is which on my feelings I won’t sugarcoat it and tell you exactly how I feel.
I watched Andor three times, great atmosphere!
The writers of Luthen must have read Sergei Nechayev's "The Revolutionary Catechism", because he embodies it so perfectly.
What are the similarities?
@@filmobsessednerd Here's the whole thing, it's just 26 points on what a Revolutionary is and their duties; Luthen's Monologue is almost a poetic summary of these points.
1. The revolutionary is a doomed man. He has no personal interests, no business affairs, no emotions, no attachments, no property, and no name. Everything in him is wholly absorbed in the single thought and the single passion for revolution.
2. The revolutionary knows that in the very depths of his being, not only in words but also in deeds, he has broken all the bonds which tie him to the social order and the civilized world with all its laws, moralities, and customs, and with all its generally accepted conventions. He is their implacable enemy, and if he continues to live with them it is only in order to destroy them more speedily.
3. The revolutionary despises all doctrines and refuses to accept the mundane sciences, leaving them for future generations. He knows only one science: the science of destruction. For this reason, but only for this reason, he will study mechanics, physics, chemistry, and perhaps medicine. But all day and all night he studies the vital science of human beings, their characteristics and circumstances, and all the phenomena of the present social order. The object is perpetually the same: the surest and quickest way of destroying the whole filthy order.
4. The revolutionary despises public opinion. He despises and hates the existing social morality in all its manifestations. For him, morality is everything which contributes to the triumph of the revolution. Immoral and criminal is everything that stands in its way.
5. The revolutionary is a dedicated man, merciless toward the State and toward the educated classes; and he can expect no mercy from them. Between him and them there exists, declared or concealed, a relentless and irreconcilable war to the death. He must accustom himself to torture.
6. Tyrannical toward himself, he must be tyrannical toward others. All the gentle and enervating sentiments of kinship, love, friendship, gratitude, and even honor, must be suppressed in him and give place to the cold and single-minded passion for revolution. For him, there exists only one pleasure, one consolation, one reward, one satisfaction - the success of the revolution. Night and day he must have but one thought, one aim - merciless destruction. Striving cold-bloodedly and indefatigably toward this end, he must be prepared to destroy himself and to destroy with his own hands everything that stands in the path of the revolution.
7. The nature of the true revolutionary excludes all sentimentality, romanticism, infatuation, and exaltation. All private hatred and revenge must also be excluded. Revolutionary passion, practiced at every moment of the day until it becomes a habit, is to be employed with cold calculation. At all times, and in all places, the revolutionary must obey not his personal impulses, but only those which serve the cause of the revolution.
8. The revolutionary can have no friendship or attachment, except for those who have proved by their actions that they, like him, are dedicated to revolution. The degree of friendship, devotion and obligation toward such a comrade is determined solely by the degree of his usefulness to the cause of total revolutionary destruction.
9. It is superfluous to speak of solidarity among revolutionaries. The whole strength of revolutionary work lies in this. Comrades who possess the same revolutionary passion and understanding should, as much as possible, deliberate all important matters together and come to unanimous conclusions. When the plan is finally decided upon, then the revolutionary must rely solely on himself. In carrying out acts of destruction, each one should act alone, never running to another for advice and assistance, except when these are necessary for the furtherance of the plan.
10. All revolutionaries should have under them second- or third-degree revolutionaries - i.e., comrades who are not completely initiated. These should be regarded as part of the common revolutionary capital placed at his disposal. This capital should, of course, be spent as economically as possible in order to derive from it the greatest possible profit. The real revolutionary should regard himself as capital consecrated to the triumph of the revolution; however, he may not personally and alone dispose of that capital without the unanimous consent of the fully initiated comrades.
11. When a comrade is in danger and the question arises whether he should be saved or not saved, the decision must not be arrived at on the basis of sentiment, but solely in the interests of the revolutionary cause. Therefore, it is necessary to weigh carefully the usefulness of the comrade against the expenditure of revolutionary forces necessary to save him, and the decision must be made accordingly.
12. The new member, having given proof of his loyalty not by words but by deeds, can be received into the society only by the unanimous agreement of all the members.
@@filmobsessednerd The whole 26 points in it.
@@noheroespublishing1907 oh jeez ok lol
Huge Andor fan, and I'm on the fan reddit page! Excellent scene analysis!
Thank you much appreciated!
This scene absolutely chilled me and confirmed that Andor is a work way above the rest of all today’s science fiction canon.
Andor is just magnificent.
Just finished my 2nd rewatch and wow. What a piece of art.
What an amazing series! Each character is so believable. So complex and nuanced. Take Luthen. His obsession with defeating the empire at all costs makes him walk dangerously close to the line between being a freedom fighter and becoming the next tyrant. The next emperor. If there "are no rules" then how does that make the rebellion any different than the empire?
Andor is a great show! It should've had more seasons.
I think it's best to only have 2 I don't want them to overdue do it. The only reason I'd say I would've wanted a 3rd season is because I would want that K-2SO and Andor relationship built up more.
@@filmobsessednerd yes there should be only as many seasons as the story can handle. It would've been nice to have a bit more of that great work.
“I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude.
So what do I sacrifice?
Everything!”
This moment alone should have made Andor the most-watched Star Wars series ever.
And yet they went and made the Acolyte.
I agree the quote is a godly piece of writing but that's not indicative of the Acolyte they are two completely different things
@@filmobsessednerd Right. I’m just saying: how do you go from writing like that to green-lighting “the power of one; the power of two; the power of many” and “strike at me with all of your strength” if you’re Disney?
It’s asinine.
Great video.
I think Gilroy has really synthesised 19th and 20th Century struggles against imperialism into a broad set of characters that show the intrinsic logic of empire and resistance: there are essentially repeated character roles and motifs that recur. He broadens out what George was doing really clearly.
I think you can read Luthen, Saw, Mon and the rebels into that group that lead that operation in that country last year: Luthen’s speech particularly. They would prefer to be doctors, teachers, engineers, raise families, but history has made them into what they are: history has forced recurring character roles and motifs upon them, including, as Mandela said, the tactics they are forced to use to illicit any change in their situation. And their Aldani has now lead to massive suffering, that was always there but is now intensified, as Luthen says, but also the growing overreach of the imperial outpost that they exist to destroy.
It’s just brilliant writing and tells the story of the thing that Luke dreamed of leaving Tatooine to join - the thing that inspired and made a romantic rebel of Luke.
Excellently put
Very well put breakdown and thank you for the support!
I love Andor! For me it honestly is single handedly saving the Star Wars franchise. I grew up with the original trilogy. I hated the prequels originally. Spin-offs like the Clone Wars cartoon series have brought a bit of salvation to the botched backstory of Vader with the prequels. I won’t even mention the Sequels. It destroyed the original trilogy story even more. Anyway, back to Andor. I love that you chose this particular scene. It really sums up the whole series. That everybody in the empire is basically being slowly boiled alive, like a lobster. Start cold and slowly raise the temperature and they don’t realize they are slowly being killed. And I agree it’s very similar to what happened in Nazi Germany. How did so many people not know what was really going on. I guess it’s similar to the Alt right Trump bullshit that’s happening in the USA too. How do they not know that the Alt-Right is fascism?? Anyway, great commentary on some great writing. Am really looking forward to season two of Andor. Hopefully it maintains the same integrity of writing and production and doesn’t get dragged down by Disney
In a moment, so may alt-righters cried out, and said "stop putting politics in Star Wars!" LOL.
saw you post on facebook! Andor is the best star wars...best tv and high art! love this video
Best Star Wars since the first two movies.
lol not a fan of Return of the Jedi?
You’re making excellent points about how good Andor is. I love the focus on the dialogue. Well done! But it must be pointed out that Star Wars was created in 1977, not 1979.
Yes you're correct on my mistake with the year of the original film. An honest one on my part.
Tony Gilroy managed this much because he was just given a premise, time and money. What he brought was respect for storytelling and for a story he didnt knew much about. He was mocked for consulting wookiepedia, when all he wanted was good continuity from it. I don't care if no one watches it. Im just glad i got to watch good Starwars before its destroyed by Disney. Because lets face it, it's not Dave Filoni or Jon Favreau that will bring it back to its former glory. Tony Gilroy could have done it, but he's gonna walk after season 2 because he's making everyone at Lucasfilm look bad.
Uh ok? I don’t agree with much of that at all. When was Gilroy mocked for consulting Wookiepedia?
well you nailed that! there's nothing that i can add to really what you've already said without simply repeating what you've already said. also, totally agree with your comment about the political commentary. if you remove it then you rip the heart right out of it. you don't have to agree with the political ideas being portrayed in the art but at least acknowledge that the art could not exist without it.
I’d say that that’s a fair way to look at it. I mean, even if you don’t agree with it like you said, you can’t not acknowledge that it is based in some truth at the idea of how hard it’s been for many people and how the show exemplifies that to a great deal.
I say the quiet part out loud. ANDOR/ROUGE ONE IS THE BEST piece of media Star wars has. Better than empire strikes back/return of the jedi. I know without the original trilogy we wouldn't have this yada yada. But in terms of the continuity, without andor and rogue one the rebellion would have just fell apart. I recently rewatched it, shortly after acolyte. The difference in storytelling is just mind-blowing.
The quiet part? Lol you’d be surprised how many people agree that stuff like Andor and Rogue One are the best. Rogue One is my personal favorite film even though I recognize something like Empire might be a better overall film. I know OT trilogy purists will scuff at that but hey we all love what we love.
Can't wait for season 2. This is such an awesome show.
I completely agree when people say Star Wars was never political. It was always political. In fact I would go so far as to claim that if a story has any conflict based on any form of Good vs Evil, politics is going to involved in one way or another.
When it comes to other series like The Acolyte I either fail to see the message or find it to be contrary to the narrative previously canonised.
I don't understand your points. Don't your first two sentences contradict each other?
@@filmobsessednerd Certain people say Star Wars was never political and should remain that way. I don’t agree. Sorry if I was vague!
@@titovalasques all good I was confused what you meant
It’s one of the best tv shows I’ve watched
Andor was superb. Shame most of the other shows aren't written nearly as well. Kind of excited about the rumor Tony Gilroy might have a shot at running Lucasfilm when Darth Kennedy finally evaporates. Subbed.
I really liked Ahsoka, some of Boba Fett, Mandalorian is great and then the animated stuff is superb. Tony Gilroy is not running a company he’s a creative first. Thanks for the sub!
I think a point to be made about recent complaints about political content in shows is the difference that is evident that is seen between andor and acolyte. On is broadly and conceptual political and has complex nuanced ideas. The other was written with the sole purpose of making “Star Wars” with a gay black non binary female lead doing provocative and edgy things. Entry level identity politics vs grand political ideological commentary. One aligns with the creators original intent and is made for all to enjoy and the other is the opposite.
I really do hate to be that guy, but if your sole purpose is to focus on a certain thing because a certain section of UA-cam and the online sphere deem it to be bad according to their view, then I don’t understand why you would have to get involved with them. The Acolyte is my least favorite of all the live action shows so far, but I in no way ever saw a single thing with the story of the show that signified that it was meant to be made in only prioritizing the look of the actors. Like, there’s a story in the show lmao. Are we all just gonna forget that? Not once does a character ever mention their race lol. If they did, I’d probably be agreeing with you but it just doesn’t happen.
Usually the best things that came out of the SW franchise were the games and expanded universe Lore. Andor is probably the best thing in film we got and it is a travesty that this show is so under rated.
Great commentary! LOVED Andor. Subscribed.
Thank you appreciate it!
Easily my favorite series on D+ and the best thing Disney has done with Star Wars...
I have to concur that Andor is probably the best live action TV show in last decade or so more. And aside from the original trilogy, I think that it is the best interpretation of what Lucas’s vision. Star Wars has always been political. Just watch the Clone Wars animated series, the material hits all kinds of issues that a society would have considered during a war from the use of child soldiers, ie Jedi padawans and clones whose average age was nine, to using hostages as human shields, wars crimes and slavery. Gilroy’s use of our collective history as inspiration for Andor was genius.
Also very good to point out! Clone Wars was filled with that stuff and shocker, it was made by George Lucas.
Best SW media since the OT!
🔥🤘 great video!
Thank you appreciate it!
In my opinion Andor is the best Star Wars since EP 6
I have watched it three times so far and will be watching it again soon. I love the story and hope season two is still coming out. Thanks for the video and agree the writing is great.
You’re welcome and thank you! S2 is still on the way next year!
@@filmobsessednerd Cool can not wait just wish it was soon only decent Star Wars there is.
@@derychweber6134 I don’t agree it’s the only decent stuff but I’m glad you’re excited still for it
@@filmobsessednerd Older stuff is still gold.
A "terrorist" is generally defined as an individual or group that uses violence, threats, or fear to pursue political, religious, or ideological objectives, targeting _civilians or non-combatants._ The goal of terrorism is often to influence government policies, provoke widespread fear, or achieve social change by disrupting civil societies and institutions. At this point, the attacks of most of the rebels are on Imperial government facilities...this would be called "asymmetrical warfare." The exception is Saw Guerra, who _does_ attack civilians and non-combatants (I would contend that includes Cinta as well...I believe she killed the hostages).
The actions of the Empire, responding to these attacks on their government facilities with action against civilians is actually more "terroristic."
I hope I'm surprised, but I cannot imagine the second season being as good as the first.
Have faith in the team. All of the writers and show runners are returning. They’re actually going to condense what would’ve been two or three more seasons into one season which means there will be no filler.
They are finishing the story with passion and enthusiasm according to the vision they had when they conceived and wrote season 1…being as emotionally impactful and logically detailed as they can.
I’ve been keeping up with all the comments about the show from the people making it, and I’m really excited. I think it might actually be better than season one.
I mean ya Saw is definitely a terrorist no way around that he did really bad things especially if you read up on his lore during his time of the empire. The empire are also terroristic in their methods too but what Luthen does is no different even if at less of a fraction at times.
The difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter is whose side you are on.
My god I can't wait for S2
Andor is better than the original trilogy. I said it.
Honestly, when it comes down to choosing what I would rather watch, 9 times out of 10 I am going with Andor.
I agree I am glad I am not the only one who thinks so
No it's not. Its disney 🌈 fan fiction thats extremely boring @jbone5830
Oooookkkkkkkk....... I'll watch Andor again!
Lmao YES! Yes you will watch it again I command you to watch it again lol.
For me, the Top 3 first seasons of television are True Detective, Mad Men, and **Andor.** Twin Peaks and The Wire would round out the Top 5.
Tony Gilroy also wrote/directed Michael Clayton, starring George Clooney. Interestingly enough, another story about a hardened cynic who is forced by circumstance to turn against the oppressive system he’s been trying to ignore. Dialogue is *very* similar to Andor, also.
I'll have to give that one a watch!
You are describing G-az.a uprising and the overreaction that followed. We in the West are the empire, supporting all the atrocities. And yes, Andor is a very adult show. Mostly everything else in Star Wars in comparison with Andor seems to be made for children.
One of the best series! Epic just like Rogue One!