I'm 61 years old and no TV show has made me think about it every day since it was aired like Andor has. An amazing show, and I'm glad you got it. I enjoy your videos/takes. Keep it up.
@@M3WDD we had the same thing in Glasgow - I was four at the time and I remember mum taking me one Saturday afternoon only to find our chances of getting in were roughly zero!
"How it reminds us that this universe should be regarded as the setting of the story, not the story itself" -- that one sentence sums up so much frustration and dialogue in the fandom in such a good way. And you're right.
“…only quiet if you aren’t listening; only boring if you aren’t noticing” There was a moment in Episode 2 when Maarva was grieving in Cassian’s room and the camera shifts to a close-up of her hand, it was then when I realized that ANDOR is not a show to be watched but a story to be experienced. Always looking forward to your poetic analysis of this show. Thank-you.
Your comment made me think of another line i heard somewhere, "The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear." In an age where some people are being the loudest they can be just to garner more pointless attention, it makes even more sense. I imagine those are the types that wouldn't approve of Andor's storytelling.
Star Wars is simply Iconic Space Opera at its quintessential finest. Star Wars transcends age, generations, race, language and national barriers. I’ve seen whole audiences cheer loudly in Los Angeles as John Williams’ score blasts through, just as I have seen an entire theater in Japan watch in complete and respectful silence in awe of the silver screen. Star Wars is part of the lives of many now. Andor is …. Andor is Art. Andor brings yet another facet to Star Wars and delves deep and clings tight. Andor is a Master Class in the slow build with many powerful payoffs. Side characters are given their own journey, you root for many, sometimes in conflict with others you already empathize with. Some of the monologues in Andor will stand up to any others in any medium. There are so many scenes in Andor that would put to shame some award winning shows. Andor is breathtaking, noteworthy, and what good well crafted storytelling is all about.
In an interview Tony Gilroy said, "I am 2 inches off the ground all the time," and so I loved hearing your thesis about this very thing. Kudos to you, sir.
Your timing is perfect…like you, Andor has absolutely stuck with me since its initial airing and its calling me for a rewatch. Your wonderful commentary has inspired me to kick that off today. Thank you!
I first watched StarWars IV,V, VI back in 1990 or 1991 at my Uncles house on his projection big screen (I was 5 or 6) I fell in love, I haven't felt like that about StarWars since.......Until Andor
You did it.. This is perfect. You answered the question that everyone who doesn't like andor askes "What makes Andor good?" It shows you How the world works and how the people in it suffered at the hands of the empire, and how the fire of the Rebellion started. Not for the Future of what could be, but at the base instinct of fighting back
Its about both dreaming of better, and rage against about what is. Nemek being crushed under the wealth of the empire is a bit on the nose, but still saying dreaming of the future isnt here isnt accurate
@@PropheticShadeZ Wow, Namek I forgot all about him, again what an incredible story. I have to rewatch this show. it's been about 2 years now. (I saw the "Z" in your name and read "Nameik" (the planet) instead of namek =p
Andor is amazing.... I especially liked the way they used The Barbican Center in London as Corruscant... every time I go to London now I can take a walk around Corrscant....
I lived in London from 98 to 02 and my dream was and always has been to live there but that dreams never gonna happen... they have some beautiful 2 bed lofts with these cool windows... but prices are way beyond me... some good Vids on UA-cam about the place.@@SpacemanSR
I've always been mystified why Star Wars spends so much time on the space wizards with their magical flashlights rather than the boots-on-the-ground, grime-encrusted people who make up so much more of the setting. The real people have real stories to tell, which we as the audience can more-easily empathize with; the magic wizards are interesting, but only in a spectacle-for-spectacle's-sake kind of way.
Very true! I think the critics who say that "Andor doesn't feel like Star Wars" don't understand that Star Wars does not need to be one sole genre. It is a massive universe ripe with potential to tell virtually anything, whether it's a slow-burn drama focused on realistic portrayals of everyday struggles or an action packed space opera focused on epic lightsaber duels. The EU is proof of this, with such a wide array of stories that put value into the "normal", non-Force using characters and their stories.
Thank u for this. I just rewatched it for the 9th time. I still get that feeling of inspiration. Of wanting to be better. Of wanting to make an improvement, internally and externally. Of wanting to go against the status quo and norms. This is only the beginning.
Andor continues to be a deep and rich well for analysis and commentary, which is unlike almost any other modern Star Wars product... I can't imagine going back to one of the other shows in a few years and finding a way to re-interpret its themes or messages. Almost everything else seems 1-dimensional compared to Andor, and one watch will show you all they have to offer.
A lot of current SW feels super under-developed, super 1-dimensional. I want all of the shows/movies in SW to be as well written and executed as Andor, but until then, I'll be sticking with more Andor analysis haha
@@SpacemanSR I'm on my 6th rewatch and I go back to yours, and many other creators', videos on it every time. Genuinely, thank you for the videos you and everyone else have done. They've been absolutely incredible and I can't get enough
Your way with words are as eloquent and beautiful as always Spaceman. Watching tremendous shows like Andor, it's easy to resonate with characters and situations but sometimes hard to understand why. Your ability to pull back the curtain and show us the rich tapestry of these worlds and characters is immense and underappreciated. Please keep making these!
Great insights, thank you for making this and sharing your thoughts. I love how no matter how many video essays I watch about Andor, everyone always seems to find new and meaningful things to recognize and bring to the light about this masterpiece.
When I first watched it, the slow pacing made me a bit bored at first, but I grew to appreciate it taking things slowly as it did. The repetitiveness of daily life is relatable and the story about regular people makes one care about what's happening.
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. The misguided unconscious consensus that we need to recapture those feelings from the first films have 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. Too slow for you? Take the time to pay attention to what’s happening between action sequences, you’ll realize that that there is a lot of nuance and character work happening that is a masterclass of writing. 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. 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. If someone thinks it 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. Systems either change or die and there is only one way out of this SW slump of bad media.
just watched this again and i literally cried dude thank you so much spaceman for saving my life and renting me that new ferrari you truly are my hero xoxo
I subscribed after your first Andor video and haven't been disappointed in your other productions. This is a great companion video to the original, and really voices why Andor sticks with us while so many other projects just slide off and fade into the background.
I think Nemik's manifesto epitomises this show. It's the most transparent example of what this show is about and the quality you can expect. It's so beautifully written.
I found your channgel through Andor video. And a thing happened when I dont have the words to describe something and the only one that comes to mind is special. Although I cant quite tell what it is about your videos that sets them apart for me I can definitely tell that they are special
Andor was beautiful but can we just talk about how amazing this video is for a second. How its designed is just spectacular. Keep up the good work! Damn splendid. You captured Andor in perfect words
Andor hands us a mirror and makes us experience for ourselves, that we would allmost certainly not have been Anne Frank, Stauffenberg or Solschenizyn, had we lived in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. But it also shows us that it is worth it to evaluate who we are compared to the characters of this show and what it would take to become one of the few heros with the courage to refuse to lie and comply, even if a gun is pointed straight at our head and the heads of our loved ones. It is terrifying, but it is also true. That's why it is so gripping.
Brilliant take, excellently delivered! Little diamonds like this popping up in my timeline every now and then are the only reasons why I'm still using YT :)
@@SpacemanSR I'm a first generation SW fan, been waiting for the franchise to become more mature since RotJ deeply disappointed me in '83 :) Now the SW allweekenders I have with my daughter start with Andor, and end with Rogue One, New Hope and Empire...
This is one of the best UA-cam videos I have ever seen. What an amazing and thrilling ride it was to watch and listen to the whole thing. Absolutely stunning
An absolute banger of a video!! The only two shows that have lingered with me for years after watching them are Andor and The Terror, and I feel as if you capture the reason why perfectly
Perfect synopsis! I'm confident Tony Gilroy & team will deliver via season 2's greatness. I seen an interview awhile back where Gilroy was explaining how much effort & time He put into season 2's script and loved the final result. He's a perfectionist and doesn't compromise quality. 🤣
Thats too kind friend, honestly I dont see it as anything complicated; just talk about what you love and allow yourself to be a little bit vulnerable. Enjoy being passionate about cool things and write what you feel!
Andor is a work of art. It’s a shame that it hasn’t gotten its due credit. It’s an absolutely wonderful show. If you are reading this and haven’t watched yet, do yourself a favor and go binge now. The first few episodes are slow but that’s because they are world building and it definitely pays off later in the show.
I’m no poet, I just wrote what is my opinion this show, It’s a masterpiece most call it slow, not all but some, Who don’t, Are so captivated, Even enthralled, By it, With it, We feel its power, Understanding the call, Been at that place, Have felt the claws, The Shock, The pain, Hateful, Enjoyed disdain, Sickening regrets, Fueled by rage, Shame and anger, Still can’t look away, The control, The order, The unkempt stains, Violence, Terror, Torment, Silent pain. Are those screams.? Do you hear them.? Hear the pain, Hear the fear, Those are kids, It’s depraved Tears escape. Payment to and for, The life for others, They matter more, Well aware the cost, You know you can’t, But still move on, Programmed yes, Though not by you, Sure and steady A steward of Man, Barring forward, Cold and wet, Still ever forward, The rain feels warm, It was never cold, Moving forward despite the weight, You survived, forgave, Remain Now come you, Faced to face, All those forgone years of hate, With what is andor, What is it.? Fate.? Half full memories, Perhaps dreams, All so vague, But when or why, will they remain.? Andor is pain, Andor is shame, It is dismay, hate, Rage; Even still love is seen, despite the bitterness, Fuck that rage, Depicting loyalty, Strength, And better days, Conscious, Courageous, Forgiving, Steady onward, Must go forward. Honor, Love, Respect, And virtue, it’s filled with loss, Yet it is still, So beautiful, My heart begins to fill, others may make the claim, It’s boring garbage, fit only for disdain, I smile inside silently glad, For they are those who never have, Had to bear, That just as many others continue to, Pray that God never minds explain, Why Andor justly is proclaimed, As good as Empire n all its fame, Andor is for those who live in pain, Proud are they who bear the weight, It’s easy now, Go ahead add more weight, I’ll take it all, If it saves another’s day, From even a moment of such pain, Through hard earned days, Praise be to God, Who showed that me how, To live with pain, and hate, Take it from others spare them, Save them be it in thy power, Even only for just one hour. … It’s my story, my feelings, my life, it’s what Andor means for me, and why I’ve watched it 20+ times now. I’m not a great poet, but that’s fine maybe it speaks to someone in the same way. As it speaks to me, Andor is above all my favorite piece of media(even beating the princess bride), it makes me cry, it hurts, and yet it’s still my favorite I wish I had a personal copy.
quite an achievement? gonna take an odd stance here and say that what an achievement this video is! it feels and flows effortlessly, as a contemplation and small mirror being put towards the aforementioned soul of the show itself. in mirroring with tis show it feels minimal, but honest, while still making it feel great just to see it. the central framing of 39,000,000 minutes is excellent, and kept me anticipating the next words despite this only taking up barely a hair more than .00002% of my 39,000,000. bravo on a simply stunning video about a simply stunning show
I’ve always thought that adult aged Star Wars fans are still children at heart. Those fans that don’t get Andor are just more childlike than those of us who love it.
This beautiful masterpiece shows us WHY normal people where willing to die defeating this horrific dictatorship. I mean Andor isn't arrested because of the huge bank heist they pulled NO he just gets swept up in a massive series of random arrests the empire made in MASS PUNISHMENT for the heist. Then the ISB devoted an frankly helarious amount of time to finding a guy that didn't realize was already locked up in a night inescapable death camp. And it turns out the real reason they were doing the mass arrests was disposable labor for the Deathstar. It's literally like the Nazi Slave Labor that built most of thier Wunderwaffen, bunkers and other fun stuff.
As a teenager, I would have doubtlessly felt different, but now - in my 40s - I honestly think that Andor is the greatest that has come out of the SW-"franchise". Very likely the greatest that SW can ever be!
As a prequel to Rogue One, the start of the rebellion, how appropriate AND0R is all about ground Zero. That 0 in the title logo is highlighted for a reason And the “nothing” guy’s name itself is the title for a reason. The rebellion in its essence is about countless nothings, countless Cassian Andors.
As demonstrated by Gareth Edwards in interviews about The Creator, he's a VFX guy who was just winging it and his story was all the worse for it. Full of plot holes. Gilroy did an amazing job examining this world and yet, we have The Madalorian and Grogu being slated as the next Disney Movie. Trash.
I'm interested to see what The Mandalorian will bring to the table for the movie, but I do worry that the quality of writing will be similar to what we have in the show and if thats the case, I may end up sitting it out. Never thought I'd say that about a Star Wars movie but man it just isnt the same when looking at Andor
I think this is a beautiful video, a fantastic piece of work and incredibly thoughtfully written. I don't want this to be in any way taken as a criticism or an insult, but I saw it and looked back through your channel and was disappointed because almost entirely, your work is about Star Wars. I'd be fascinated to see your thoughts in other genres if you chose to expand into other areas of cinema. Just my 10 cents, but this is work that put me in mind of Like Stories of Old, and that's great company to be in.
I know this will probably be considered sacrilege to some but over time as I think about Andor, the more I like a theory I read: What if “Andor” is how the universe exists in reality, a determined populace forced to soil their own souls in a bloody rebellion. Further, that people such as Luthen knowing the psychological toll the war would be on those trying to rebuild the world, invented the mythology & existence of the Jedi’s as saviors as a way to help people absolve themselves of moral uncertainty. After all, we have literally done the same thing to much of our own history in every culture by using mythology/religion to justify our actions as far back as is possible to trace.
Andor is what happens when you actually have something to say and are using Star Wars as the vehicle to say it. I dare say everything else in the Disney catalogue of Star Wars creation has been to make money or sell products. The difference in spirit, in tone, and in quality thus becomes quite apparent and jarring when you contrast it with those Star Wars products that were chiefly created to tell a story.
Not sure why but I don’t enjoy the show the first time around. Saw that a ton of people really liked it and gave it another chance. It felt so authentically star wars while also having writing and quality similar to other great shows like breaking bad and game of thrones. It was awesome.
Bravo! Dr.Spaceman. You nailed it. (IYKYK LOL) The question I have though, is how the hell did this show slip through Disneys' claws unscathed? And how can we make it happen more often?
What Andor effectively did, which I think is why a large segment of the Star Wars fan base dismisses the series, is that it relegates the Force to an obscure elite weapons system wholly distant from the average galactic pleb.
For a long time Star Wars live action media has been just space wizard entertainment. Rouge One was the first movie since the Original trilogy to give us mortar for the bricks of the universe. Watching duels between big wigs is cool but people need to be invested to carry the world forward. Showcasing the banality of evil, how everyday people are coopted into it and how cancerous it is to any state is gripping. Marva's speech gives voice to all the emotions we are feeling through out the season.
The way I like to judge new Star Wars media (or spinoffs/reboots in general) is by asking "If this released in a vacuum, without the context of the originals, how good would it be?" I think if Andor was the first entry in Star Wars, everyone would lose their minds.
to me the thing that makes Andor really stand out is twofold, (two related reasons, but I think they'd count as seperate still) at least if we ignore the obvious of it being more grounded, having good characters, etc. 1st : In most cases 'oppression' isn't remotely like oppression. In the scene on Aldani when the two empire higher ups are speaking about the native tradition of coming to see the eye at no point does he ever mention force, intimidation, or any other method of compulsion. The empire didn't need to force them to stop, the empire just had to make an easy way out, and they picked it themselves. They offered transport, and it got denied, and from there all they did was put rest stops along the route, and people willingly stopped. This isn't oppression, oppression is denying choices, all the empire did was give them more choices. They offered the choice to take a transport, and they offered the choice to stop and rest, but everyone involved made that choice on their own. 2nd : because this 'oppression' *_is_* a choice, you can just make a different choice. Nemik wasn't some prodigy, he wasn't some ultra genius, and he didn't have some special experimental navigator, he just had an old navigator and learned how to use it. The freedom and abilities that it offered weren't unavailable to anyone, people just choose not to take them in favour of convenience. Nemik didn't do anything special, he just made a different choice. Through people making simple choices like learning how an old navigator works the Empire was pushed to using more forceful factics and that spurred a rebellion. Luthen knew it would make things worse for people and he did it anyway because people weren't going to take action if it didn't get worse, not because they couldn't, but because they just didn't care to. Yes, real tyrannies will still use force eventually (as shown by the end of Andor) but that marks a dying tyranny because once you need to use force your people are already against you. Importantly however, fake-tyrannies that can't use force even if they wanted to, will just outright die here. (and that's the majority of shit we actually deal with day to day) Maintaining tyranny via force is inherently unstable since it breeds rebellion; once the idea begins to spread it can't be stopped. (that's not to say it doesn't happen or isn't happening, it is, but it's typically via a few more layers of abstraction to hide it away. "oh we won't ban you from doing this, we're just adding a tax to it" *_is_* still using force since, if you don't pay that tax, you've broken the law and will have money taken from you forcefully, will be placed in jail forcefully, etc.) In contrast, most tyrany is only rendered sustainable by the complacency of those they're controlling. They have the capacity to make a different choice, don't, and then get a worse outcome as a result. (This is a particularly ironic outcome since it often results in people only strengthening real force-backed oppression via more laws/regulations that often don't even work in the first place.) In short, Andor indirectly says what a lot of people don't want to hear; you lose freedoms by giving them away willingly, not by them being taken away. This theme is often overlooked, but frankly it's been pretty baked into the star wars universe, "so this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause". (the bit about the elected official Palpatine creating a tyrannical empire by abusing emergency powers aged particularly well if you ask me) There are cases where force will still be used, but the majority of the time force is not the optimal option because the majority of the time people would rather hand you the keys then drive themselves. (hell, the majority of the time it's not even an option. A Microsoft hit squad isn't going to knock on your door because you downloaded the Ubuntu installer. One of the few good things that goverments do tend to accomplish is filling the power vacuum and stopping other people from using compulsive force. This is where the whole 'monopoly on legitimate violence' schtick comes from.)
Ich liebe die Konsequenzen die jede Art von Gewalt und unüberlegtes Handeln mit sich bringt und wie sie Wellen schlagen die immer viel größer auf ihren Pol treffen
Yes you should. This is "Game of Thrones" level Star Wars unlike anything you've seen before ... and certainly not like all the other Disney Star Wars shows and movies (except Rogue One - but even that masterpiece looks completely shallow compared to Andor) It shows you how horrifiyingly "normal" the decision-makers in The Empire are ... basically space Nazis with family lives It also shows the true cost of trying to rebel against them. And not just in lives lost ..
Hey Spaceman, you might have to do a piece on the new Adam Sandler movie, "Spaceman" soon ;) Slow movie, good director (Chernobyl) but in the end it's a great film.
I'm 61 years old and no TV show has made me think about it every day since it was aired like Andor has. An amazing show, and I'm glad you got it. I enjoy your videos/takes. Keep it up.
Thank you for giving it a watch! I'm glad Andor resonates with you as well, I cant wait to make more videos on it
I'm also 61 years old. Very much feel the same about Andor. I queued three sides round the building to see the original Star Wars at my local cinema.
@@M3WDD Glasgow Odeon by any chance...?
@@Rendell001 ABC Chester...
@@M3WDD we had the same thing in Glasgow - I was four at the time and I remember mum taking me one Saturday afternoon only to find our chances of getting in were roughly zero!
Simply, yes. Andor is the soul, the pain, the suffering, and the reason for rebellion that we needed.
It is!
Andor was it's own thing while somehow honoring star wars 100%
100%
Perfectly said.
"How it reminds us that this universe should be regarded as the setting of the story, not the story itself" -- that one sentence sums up so much frustration and dialogue in the fandom in such a good way.
And you're right.
It’s a frustration I feel deeply
“…only quiet if you aren’t listening; only boring if you aren’t noticing”
There was a moment in Episode 2 when Maarva was grieving in Cassian’s room and the camera shifts to a close-up of her hand, it was then when I realized that ANDOR is not a show to be watched but a story to be experienced.
Always looking forward to your poetic analysis of this show. Thank-you.
it's a story to be felt, absolutely. Thanks for stopping by for a listen friend
Your comment made me think of another line i heard somewhere, "The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear." In an age where some people are being the loudest they can be just to garner more pointless attention, it makes even more sense. I imagine those are the types that wouldn't approve of Andor's storytelling.
BOOM! And there is it right there! 👏
Star Wars is simply Iconic Space Opera at its quintessential finest. Star Wars transcends age, generations, race, language and national barriers. I’ve seen whole audiences cheer loudly in Los Angeles as John Williams’ score blasts through, just as I have seen an entire theater in Japan watch in complete and respectful silence in awe of the silver screen. Star Wars is part of the lives of many now.
Andor is …. Andor is Art. Andor brings yet another facet to Star Wars and delves deep and clings tight. Andor is a Master Class in the slow build with many powerful payoffs. Side characters are given their own journey, you root for many, sometimes in conflict with others you already empathize with. Some of the monologues in Andor will stand up to any others in any medium. There are so many scenes in Andor that would put to shame some award winning shows. Andor is breathtaking, noteworthy, and what good well crafted storytelling is all about.
Wonderfully said and absolutely agree
Exactly it's Star Wars for intelligent adults, I really hope Gilroy's next project will be a Saw Gerrera series about his rise to power!
I'll never not click on an andor video
Love to hear this 🔥
In an interview Tony Gilroy said, "I am 2 inches off the ground all the time," and so I loved hearing your thesis about this very thing. Kudos to you, sir.
He's a genius, I'm just glad I can watch him work!
Explain pls
Your timing is perfect…like you, Andor has absolutely stuck with me since its initial airing and its calling me for a rewatch. Your wonderful commentary has inspired me to kick that off today. Thank you!
Thank you! Enjoy the rewatch!
I first watched StarWars IV,V, VI back in 1990 or 1991 at my Uncles house on his projection big screen (I was 5 or 6) I fell in love, I haven't felt like that about StarWars since.......Until Andor
Im the same way
I remember jumping over the sofa and shooting imaginary enemies
That was after I saw Andor episode 3 for the first time ...
Holy crap this is the best take on Andor I’ve ever seen. Proves I’m right to call it one if my favorite Star Wars stories.
You did it.. This is perfect.
You answered the question that everyone who doesn't like andor askes "What makes Andor good?"
It shows you How the world works and how the people in it suffered at the hands of the empire, and how the fire of the Rebellion started.
Not for the Future of what could be, but at the base instinct of fighting back
Its about both dreaming of better, and rage against about what is.
Nemek being crushed under the wealth of the empire is a bit on the nose, but still saying dreaming of the future isnt here isnt accurate
@@PropheticShadeZ Wow, Namek I forgot all about him, again what an incredible story. I have to rewatch this show. it's been about 2 years now. (I saw the "Z" in your name and read "Nameik" (the planet) instead of namek =p
Andor is amazing.... I especially liked the way they used The Barbican Center in London as Corruscant... every time I go to London now I can take a walk around Corrscant....
Thats so cool! I wanna visit it some day
I lived in London from 98 to 02 and my dream was and always has been to live there but that dreams never gonna happen... they have some beautiful 2 bed lofts with these cool windows... but prices are way beyond me... some good Vids on UA-cam about the place.@@SpacemanSR
I've always been mystified why Star Wars spends so much time on the space wizards with their magical flashlights rather than the boots-on-the-ground, grime-encrusted people who make up so much more of the setting. The real people have real stories to tell, which we as the audience can more-easily empathize with; the magic wizards are interesting, but only in a spectacle-for-spectacle's-sake kind of way.
Very true! I think the critics who say that "Andor doesn't feel like Star Wars" don't understand that Star Wars does not need to be one sole genre. It is a massive universe ripe with potential to tell virtually anything, whether it's a slow-burn drama focused on realistic portrayals of everyday struggles or an action packed space opera focused on epic lightsaber duels. The EU is proof of this, with such a wide array of stories that put value into the "normal", non-Force using characters and their stories.
Thank u for this. I just rewatched it for the 9th time. I still get that feeling of inspiration. Of wanting to be better. Of wanting to make an improvement, internally and externally. Of wanting to go against the status quo and norms. This is only the beginning.
Keep fighting the good fight!
Andor continues to be a deep and rich well for analysis and commentary, which is unlike almost any other modern Star Wars product... I can't imagine going back to one of the other shows in a few years and finding a way to re-interpret its themes or messages. Almost everything else seems 1-dimensional compared to Andor, and one watch will show you all they have to offer.
A lot of current SW feels super under-developed, super 1-dimensional. I want all of the shows/movies in SW to be as well written and executed as Andor, but until then, I'll be sticking with more Andor analysis haha
Andor haunts me.
Me too friend
This show honestly can't get enough praise.
I love that I started rewatching this show again over the weekend and suddenly there's another video from you about it. It truly has left an impact
I’ve been neglecting my Andor videos but I’m so happy to be back making them, just started my 5th rewatch! Love this show
@@SpacemanSR I'm on my 6th rewatch and I go back to yours, and many other creators', videos on it every time. Genuinely, thank you for the videos you and everyone else have done. They've been absolutely incredible and I can't get enough
ACTUALLY SAME
Your way with words are as eloquent and beautiful as always Spaceman. Watching tremendous shows like Andor, it's easy to resonate with characters and situations but sometimes hard to understand why. Your ability to pull back the curtain and show us the rich tapestry of these worlds and characters is immense and underappreciated. Please keep making these!
thank you for the kind words! More Andor videos will be coming!
Great insights, thank you for making this and sharing your thoughts. I love how no matter how many video essays I watch about Andor, everyone always seems to find new and meaningful things to recognize and bring to the light about this masterpiece.
You've captured the intelligent soulful reasons I have also now have enjoyed the art of this remarkable series, several times over now.
thank you for giving the video a listen!
Andor can be a show on its own that doesn't need a franchise, but I'm so glad that it is a part of SW universe.
100% agree, it's incredible science fiction, and the fact that it's also Star Wars is just perfect
Andor is best tv show ever for me.
Me too, I've never seen anything quite like it
Season 2 may put it there for me.
Dark was perfect in every way and time in my life for me. We'll see how the full picture goes.
When I first watched it, the slow pacing made me a bit bored at first, but I grew to appreciate it taking things slowly as it did. The repetitiveness of daily life is relatable and the story about regular people makes one care about what's happening.
Great video on an honest paradigm shifting series.
Also great use of Caleb Arredondo’s music.
Thank you for an actual video essay of one of, if not, my favorite shows. Too many UA-camrs create a review or summary disguised as critique or study.
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. The misguided unconscious consensus that we need to recapture those feelings from the first films have 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. Too slow for you? Take the time to pay attention to what’s happening between action sequences, you’ll realize that that there is a lot of nuance and character work happening that is a masterclass of writing. 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. 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. If someone thinks it 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. Systems either change or die and there is only one way out of this SW slump of bad media.
Thank you for checking it out!
Andor is so fantastically good that my brain didn’t register “Star Wars” until Luthen and Andor mentioned needing a speeder during their escape.
@5:39 Well said and so true. It´s how I remember feeling when watching Empire Strikes Back when that first came out
just watched this again and i literally cried dude thank you so much spaceman for saving my life and renting me that new ferrari you truly are my hero xoxo
I subscribed after your first Andor video and haven't been disappointed in your other productions. This is a great companion video to the original, and really voices why Andor sticks with us while so many other projects just slide off and fade into the background.
Thank you for enjoying the Andor content! It's some of my favorite to make
Season 1 was fantastic. Cant wait for more.
I can’t wait for season 2
I perosnally havent consumed any star wars content or watched andor. But I liked this very much
my guy
I think Nemik's manifesto epitomises this show. It's the most transparent example of what this show is about and the quality you can expect. It's so beautifully written.
"Andor was the skeleton in Star Wars' closet." This is outrageously accurate.
haha im glad you liked that one
It kickstarted deep changes in me too, about love, humanity and sacrifice for my kids future.
It’s truly incredible how it’s managed to change people
It is a tragic explanation of how tyranny can rule.
Very well made.
I found your channgel through Andor video. And a thing happened when I dont have the words to describe something and the only one that comes to mind is special. Although I cant quite tell what it is about your videos that sets them apart for me I can definitely tell that they are special
This is very kind, thank you for giving them a watch!
Andor was beautiful but can we just talk about how amazing this video is for a second. How its designed is just spectacular. Keep up the good work!
Damn splendid. You captured Andor in perfect words
Andor hands us a mirror and makes us experience for ourselves, that we would allmost certainly not have been Anne Frank, Stauffenberg or Solschenizyn, had we lived in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. But it also shows us that it is worth it to evaluate who we are compared to the characters of this show and what it would take to become one of the few heros with the courage to refuse to lie and comply, even if a gun is pointed straight at our head and the heads of our loved ones.
It is terrifying, but it is also true. That's why it is so gripping.
YES
Just recently finished andor and have been loving your videos on it. This one perfectly captures what makes andor so amazing
Thank you for Holding the Line!!! Perfection
Brilliant take, excellently delivered! Little diamonds like this popping up in my timeline every now and then are the only reasons why I'm still using YT :)
This is so kind, thank you for checking out the video! I love this show haha
@@SpacemanSR I'm a first generation SW fan, been waiting for the franchise to become more mature since RotJ deeply disappointed me in '83 :) Now the SW allweekenders I have with my daughter start with Andor, and end with Rogue One, New Hope and Empire...
This is one of the best UA-cam videos I have ever seen. What an amazing and thrilling ride it was to watch and listen to the whole thing. Absolutely stunning
Andor blu ray coming this month!!! YAAAAAAY!!!!!!
For real?! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
This is one of the most beautiful videos I've watched in years. Thank you
thats very kind of you to say, thank you for checking it out!
An absolute banger of a video!! The only two shows that have lingered with me for years after watching them are Andor and The Terror, and I feel as if you capture the reason why perfectly
Perfect synopsis! I'm confident Tony Gilroy & team will deliver via season 2's greatness. I seen an interview awhile back where Gilroy was explaining how much effort & time He put into season 2's script and loved the final result. He's a perfectionist and doesn't compromise quality. 🤣
I love how you express your thoughts on fictional stories in your videos. Can you give me advice on how to learn to analyze them like that?
Thats too kind friend, honestly I dont see it as anything complicated; just talk about what you love and allow yourself to be a little bit vulnerable. Enjoy being passionate about cool things and write what you feel!
Andor is Currently Peak Star wars
Agreed!
Andor is a work of art. It’s a shame that it hasn’t gotten its due credit. It’s an absolutely wonderful show. If you are reading this and haven’t watched yet, do yourself a favor and go binge now. The first few episodes are slow but that’s because they are world building and it definitely pays off later in the show.
1000%
I’m no poet, I just wrote what is my opinion this show,
It’s a masterpiece most call it slow,
not all but some,
Who don’t,
Are so captivated,
Even enthralled,
By it,
With it,
We feel its power,
Understanding the call,
Been at that place,
Have felt the claws,
The Shock,
The pain,
Hateful,
Enjoyed disdain,
Sickening regrets,
Fueled by rage,
Shame and anger,
Still can’t look away,
The control,
The order,
The unkempt stains,
Violence,
Terror,
Torment,
Silent pain.
Are those screams.?
Do you hear them.?
Hear the pain,
Hear the fear,
Those are kids,
It’s depraved
Tears escape.
Payment to and for,
The life for others,
They matter more,
Well aware the cost,
You know you can’t,
But still move on,
Programmed yes,
Though not by you,
Sure and steady
A steward of Man,
Barring forward,
Cold and wet,
Still ever forward,
The rain feels warm,
It was never cold,
Moving forward despite the weight,
You survived,
forgave,
Remain
Now come you,
Faced to face,
All those forgone years of hate,
With what is andor,
What is it.?
Fate.?
Half full memories,
Perhaps dreams,
All so vague,
But when or why,
will they remain.?
Andor is pain,
Andor is shame,
It is dismay,
hate,
Rage;
Even still love is seen,
despite the bitterness,
Fuck that rage,
Depicting loyalty,
Strength,
And better days,
Conscious,
Courageous,
Forgiving,
Steady onward,
Must go forward.
Honor,
Love,
Respect,
And virtue,
it’s filled with loss,
Yet it is still,
So beautiful,
My heart begins to fill,
others may make the claim,
It’s boring garbage,
fit only for disdain,
I smile inside silently glad,
For they are those who never have,
Had to bear,
That just as many others continue to,
Pray that God never minds explain,
Why Andor justly is proclaimed,
As good as Empire n all its fame,
Andor is for those who live in pain,
Proud are they who bear the weight,
It’s easy now,
Go ahead add more weight,
I’ll take it all,
If it saves another’s day,
From even a moment of such pain,
Through hard earned days,
Praise be to God,
Who showed that me how,
To live with pain, and hate,
Take it from others spare them,
Save them be it in thy power,
Even only for just one hour.
…
It’s my story, my feelings, my life, it’s what Andor means for me, and why I’ve watched it 20+ times now.
I’m not a great poet, but that’s fine maybe it speaks to someone in the same way.
As it speaks to me, Andor is above all my favorite piece of media(even beating the princess bride), it makes me cry, it hurts, and yet it’s still my favorite I wish I had a personal copy.
quite an achievement?
gonna take an odd stance here and say that what an achievement this video is!
it feels and flows effortlessly, as a contemplation and small mirror being put towards the aforementioned soul of the show itself.
in mirroring with tis show it feels minimal, but honest, while still making it feel great just to see it.
the central framing of 39,000,000 minutes is excellent, and kept me anticipating the next words despite this only taking up barely a hair more than .00002% of my 39,000,000.
bravo on a simply stunning video about a simply stunning show
I’ve always thought that adult aged Star Wars fans are still children at heart. Those fans that don’t get Andor are just more childlike than those of us who love it.
This beautiful masterpiece shows us WHY normal people where willing to die defeating this horrific dictatorship. I mean Andor isn't arrested because of the huge bank heist they pulled NO he just gets swept up in a massive series of random arrests the empire made in MASS PUNISHMENT for the heist. Then the ISB devoted an frankly helarious amount of time to finding a guy that didn't realize was already locked up in a night inescapable death camp. And it turns out the real reason they were doing the mass arrests was disposable labor for the Deathstar. It's literally like the Nazi Slave Labor that built most of thier Wunderwaffen, bunkers and other fun stuff.
Another one for the “Andor Video Essays” playlist! Very well done!
Thank you kindly! Glad you enjoyed :)
I love yours awarness of this masterpiece
Im glad you enjoyed! Love Andor
As a teenager, I would have doubtlessly felt different, but now - in my 40s - I honestly think that Andor is the greatest that has come out of the SW-"franchise".
Very likely the greatest that SW can ever be!
any Spaceman video is a W (and a video on Andor is too)
As a prequel to Rogue One, the start of the rebellion, how appropriate AND0R is all about ground Zero. That 0 in the title logo is highlighted for a reason
And the “nothing” guy’s name itself is the title for a reason. The rebellion in its essence is about countless nothings, countless Cassian Andors.
man your so underrated. Great video
Very kind of you to say, thank you friend
Andor beats the sequels, Kenobi and boba by a landslide
It’s head and shoulders above everything in the last 20+ years
@@SpacemanSR in my opinion not everything last 20 plus, but it’s definitely the best of the Disney era
Man I miss that voice in rlcs. Great video as always
star wars isnt a story, its a setting. 💯
As demonstrated by Gareth Edwards in interviews about The Creator, he's a VFX guy who was just winging it and his story was all the worse for it. Full of plot holes. Gilroy did an amazing job examining this world and yet, we have The Madalorian and Grogu being slated as the next Disney Movie. Trash.
I'm interested to see what The Mandalorian will bring to the table for the movie, but I do worry that the quality of writing will be similar to what we have in the show and if thats the case, I may end up sitting it out. Never thought I'd say that about a Star Wars movie but man it just isnt the same when looking at Andor
I’m a simple man. I see a new Andor video essay, I watch it
Every time I travel for business, this is my inflight entertainment.
I'm so glad to hear
I think this is a beautiful video, a fantastic piece of work and incredibly thoughtfully written.
I don't want this to be in any way taken as a criticism or an insult, but I saw it and looked back through your channel and was disappointed because almost entirely, your work is about Star Wars. I'd be fascinated to see your thoughts in other genres if you chose to expand into other areas of cinema. Just my 10 cents, but this is work that put me in mind of Like Stories of Old, and that's great company to be in.
Good editing, great storytelling, amazing video
THIS IS SO SAD. This man isn’t at 100k yet, can we get 75k subs in one hour?
Chat can we hit 100k by the end of the day?
You make fantastic videos. Keep it up spaceman 👨🚀
thank you!
This video was amazing man. So will written.
thank you for the kind words!
Yes I'm praying acolyte will adopt some more elements similar to Andor's story
I know this will probably be considered sacrilege to some but over time as I think about Andor, the more I like a theory I read: What if “Andor” is how the universe exists in reality, a determined populace forced to soil their own souls in a bloody rebellion. Further, that people such as Luthen knowing the psychological toll the war would be on those trying to rebuild the world, invented the mythology & existence of the Jedi’s as saviors as a way to help people absolve themselves of moral uncertainty. After all, we have literally done the same thing to much of our own history in every culture by using mythology/religion to justify our actions as far back as is possible to trace.
Andor is what happens when you actually have something to say and are using Star Wars as the vehicle to say it. I dare say everything else in the Disney catalogue of Star Wars creation has been to make money or sell products. The difference in spirit, in tone, and in quality thus becomes quite apparent and jarring when you contrast it with those Star Wars products that were chiefly created to tell a story.
its so sad how much the fandom just cares about cameos and their nostalgia bone being tickled instead appreciating something that CARES more
Not sure why but I don’t enjoy the show the first time around. Saw that a ton of people really liked it and gave it another chance. It felt so authentically star wars while also having writing and quality similar to other great shows like breaking bad and game of thrones. It was awesome.
Bravo! Dr.Spaceman. You nailed it. (IYKYK LOL)
The question I have though, is how the hell did this show slip through Disneys' claws unscathed? And how can we make it happen more often?
What Andor effectively did, which I think is why a large segment of the Star Wars fan base dismisses the series, is that it relegates the Force to an obscure elite weapons system wholly distant from the average galactic pleb.
Yep, and I love that it did that
@@SpacemanSR Me too.
I hope you’re making a dune 2 video essay!!!
Yep!
For a long time Star Wars live action media has been just space wizard entertainment. Rouge One was the first movie since the Original trilogy to give us mortar for the bricks of the universe. Watching duels between big wigs is cool but people need to be invested to carry the world forward. Showcasing the banality of evil, how everyday people are coopted into it and how cancerous it is to any state is gripping. Marva's speech gives voice to all the emotions we are feeling through out the season.
The way I like to judge new Star Wars media (or spinoffs/reboots in general) is by asking "If this released in a vacuum, without
the context of the originals, how good would it be?" I think if Andor was the first entry in Star Wars, everyone would lose their minds.
thank you, for your contribution.
Thank you for watching!
to me the thing that makes Andor really stand out is twofold, (two related reasons, but I think they'd count as seperate still) at least if we ignore the obvious of it being more grounded, having good characters, etc.
1st : In most cases 'oppression' isn't remotely like oppression. In the scene on Aldani when the two empire higher ups are speaking about the native tradition of coming to see the eye at no point does he ever mention force, intimidation, or any other method of compulsion. The empire didn't need to force them to stop, the empire just had to make an easy way out, and they picked it themselves. They offered transport, and it got denied, and from there all they did was put rest stops along the route, and people willingly stopped. This isn't oppression, oppression is denying choices, all the empire did was give them more choices. They offered the choice to take a transport, and they offered the choice to stop and rest, but everyone involved made that choice on their own.
2nd : because this 'oppression' *_is_* a choice, you can just make a different choice. Nemik wasn't some prodigy, he wasn't some ultra genius, and he didn't have some special experimental navigator, he just had an old navigator and learned how to use it. The freedom and abilities that it offered weren't unavailable to anyone, people just choose not to take them in favour of convenience. Nemik didn't do anything special, he just made a different choice. Through people making simple choices like learning how an old navigator works the Empire was pushed to using more forceful factics and that spurred a rebellion. Luthen knew it would make things worse for people and he did it anyway because people weren't going to take action if it didn't get worse, not because they couldn't, but because they just didn't care to. Yes, real tyrannies will still use force eventually (as shown by the end of Andor) but that marks a dying tyranny because once you need to use force your people are already against you. Importantly however, fake-tyrannies that can't use force even if they wanted to, will just outright die here. (and that's the majority of shit we actually deal with day to day)
Maintaining tyranny via force is inherently unstable since it breeds rebellion; once the idea begins to spread it can't be stopped. (that's not to say it doesn't happen or isn't happening, it is, but it's typically via a few more layers of abstraction to hide it away. "oh we won't ban you from doing this, we're just adding a tax to it" *_is_* still using force since, if you don't pay that tax, you've broken the law and will have money taken from you forcefully, will be placed in jail forcefully, etc.) In contrast, most tyrany is only rendered sustainable by the complacency of those they're controlling. They have the capacity to make a different choice, don't, and then get a worse outcome as a result. (This is a particularly ironic outcome since it often results in people only strengthening real force-backed oppression via more laws/regulations that often don't even work in the first place.)
In short, Andor indirectly says what a lot of people don't want to hear; you lose freedoms by giving them away willingly, not by them being taken away. This theme is often overlooked, but frankly it's been pretty baked into the star wars universe, "so this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause". (the bit about the elected official Palpatine creating a tyrannical empire by abusing emergency powers aged particularly well if you ask me) There are cases where force will still be used, but the majority of the time force is not the optimal option because the majority of the time people would rather hand you the keys then drive themselves. (hell, the majority of the time it's not even an option. A Microsoft hit squad isn't going to knock on your door because you downloaded the Ubuntu installer. One of the few good things that goverments do tend to accomplish is filling the power vacuum and stopping other people from using compulsive force. This is where the whole 'monopoly on legitimate violence' schtick comes from.)
I don't understand how your channel is so small man.
Thats really kind thank you, I'm very determined to hit 100k one day, thats the big goal!
Ich liebe die Konsequenzen die jede Art von Gewalt und unüberlegtes Handeln mit sich bringt und wie sie Wellen schlagen die immer viel größer auf ihren Pol treffen
W video I gotta check out Andor
Go check it out!!
Yes you should.
This is "Game of Thrones" level Star Wars unlike anything you've seen before ... and certainly not like all the other Disney Star Wars shows and movies (except Rogue One - but even that masterpiece looks completely shallow compared to Andor)
It shows you how horrifiyingly "normal" the decision-makers in The Empire are ... basically space Nazis with family lives
It also shows the true cost of trying to rebel against them. And not just in lives lost ..
Yapping level is insane
im a professional yapper, that revelation is more on you than on me
Bravo
thank you!
Terrific
Wow
Hopefully that means you enjoyed the video!
@@SpacemanSR hell yeah
If you liked _Star Wars: Andor_ you should try _Revolutionary Leftist Theory_
❤❤❤
Hey Spaceman, you might have to do a piece on the new Adam Sandler movie, "Spaceman" soon ;) Slow movie, good director (Chernobyl) but in the end it's a great film.
🎯
☮
WOW what a video. Appreciating all the intricacies of the first star wars project without an agenda since george.
Without an agenda? Did...did you watch the video you commented on?
@@jedidls the only agenda Andor has is to tell a good story.
Credit the music please.
Manifesto?
All we need is dune and andor
I cant wait for dune 2