Andor is exactly what starwars needed. The general concensus before the show came out was, "we don't need a story about a throwaway spinoff character". But it turned out to be a masterpiece. The tone and writing was very refreshing, especially after all the "mandoverse" shows that felt samey.
@@Starwars-Fanboy Completely agreed. It's so bizarre to think that the shows starring these well established characters have been poor in terms of quality and yet 'Andor' really shined through.
It's not bizarre. Boba Fett was a paper-thin character to begin with. They never should have tried to make a whole show about him. OWK is a great character but his story has been *completely* told. There's no more blood to squeeze from that stone. IMO, that is the main reason why those shows were creative failures.
The only reason why I don't count Andor ahead of Episode 4-6 is simply the fact that George Lucas' Fantasy has initially created the world that Andor utilizes as setting, and that I have big respect for this part of Georges work. But nothing in Star Wars ever before Andor has managed to get me tears in the eyes ... multiple times ... even when rewatching the same scenes ... I am still speechless when listening to especially those 3 speeches that even more elevate Andor above nearly every media thing we get to see. You really feel with Andy Serkins, with Marva, with Luthen ... and they have a power thats very rarely achieved ... and still with nuance, with brain, with passion ... I simply LOVE Andor. It brought so much more then I could ever have hoped for in Star Wars. If Season 2 keeps that level of quality, we have an eternal masterpiece, that has no reason to hide behind a "Lord of the Rings" and other rare movies of this genius. Just that it hides its move qualities in the framework of a series ... sadly excluding it from the Oscars it deserves. The force is with Andor. Forever.
@@That0therGeorge I would be surprised if they had such scenes, at all. At this point, the other shows feel like they're too afraid to treat their audience's intelligence with any form of respect. We get scene after scene of pointless action that have no real stakes. As much as I went rabid for Hayden's episode in Ahsoka, it was purely for nostalgia, and nothing else. It had a few cool lightsaber sequences, but I felt nothing for the characters except disdain for Thrawn's depiction. The Mandalorian season 3 had too much of pointless filler I couldn't even finish it. Season 1 had impressive highs, but major lows. Season 2 had that Bill Burr episode, but not much else. Luke Skywalker's entrance, I guess, but even that action scene was lackluster. Season 3 was just too much for me. Book of Boba Fett and Kenobi weren't even shy about being shameless cash-ins that solely exist for nostalgia. They had the chance to make a Logan-esque series about Obi-Wan's struggle with his failure, but we got another babysitting show in space. Boba Fett benefits from not being talked about, at all. With all that being said, if ever they did have those scenes, I'm sure they would have been pretty dull, pointless, and dumbed down.
Part of what made Andor so great was that absolutely nobody wanted a show about Cassian Andor, so we had no expectations and he made the perfect vessel to take us on a tour through the most real feeling Star Wars universe we've seen so far. There were no Jedi or Sith, no magical galactic powers, just normal people stuck in the middle of a changing galaxy. It was Star Wars for adults, and it was great.
Yeah it is weird to think, but 'Star Wars' seems to be much better quality wise when it focuses on random characters in the universe, as oppose to all of the well established ones.
Except they could still make star wars with Jedi and sith that is as good as andor if they just STOPPED WITH THE BULLSHIT FAN SERVICE. THAT is y andor is so amazing, it didn't cater to all the losers that just wanna get their member berries...I call them fake fans.
@@spicymchaggis6581ultimately i think that really depends on your interests and what you value in the media you consume. if you enjoy the adventure and explosive action of the star wars films, just something to sort of turn your brain off and just enjoy, then maybe this one isnt really for you. andor is a slow burn by design, it wants you to sit and think with what its saying y'know. its a political espionage drama. if you dont enjoy listening to people argue and debate with each other then you weren't the target audience. you not finding something to enjoy in the show doesn't make it immediately bad and boring by its nature. it just makes it a little boring to you and your reasonable companions.
Actually people loved Andor because it’s about Young Stalin. We’ve been taught all our lives that communism is evil, but when we see what communism actually is (without trigger words like “communism”) we actually love it. Most communist TV show ever produced in the USA.
I'm actually really bothered when people say Andor isn't Star Wars. It's the deepest anaylsis of the Star Wars universe we've ever seen in live action. It treats Star Wars with true respect because it's written and produced as if it's real - not just a fantasy story.
Absolutely. I understand that it doesn't have the same memorabilia and imagery as previous instalments, but to say "it is not Star Wars" is absurd to me.
If anything, I'd like to think that Lucas appreciates that someone recognized the heart of what he was trying to talk about, and did something new with it.
Nemik's words/writings on the nature of oppression and resistance is the most thoughtful Star Wars has ever been. I don't begrudge people loving their sci fi pulp fiction epic adventure story, but to see Star Wars attempt any kind of depth was a breath of fresh air. Nothing so pedestrian as the bad guys wear black and they're bad guys because they're evil. Really glad some Star Wars fan don't consider it "real" Star Wars, as I doubt I'd have enjoyed it if they were pandered to again.
This show makes you truly feel the Empire's presence like no other. In the first episode there isn't a single Imperial vehicle, trooper or officer on-screen, and yet their pervasive, oppressive influence over Ferrix is ever-present.
George Lucas avoided a very common pitfall when depicting a fascist regime. The OT wasn’t clean. Everything was filthy, grimy, and broken down except for the Empire. They(Sand Troopers)only get dirty when leaving their Star Destroyers. Lucas perfectly showcased thru simple art detection that under the Empire, the galaxy was rotting and falling apart. This series showcases how the galaxy is slowly being suffocated by the Empire.
The line that stuck more with me is the "I can't swim". It's got the same effective meaning of Kino knowing he won't escape in the plan he has helped craft, but just comes out of nowhere adding even more depth in the last scene you ever see him.
I feel like they absolutely are. Even though initial figures are important, I think they would definitely take the longevity of a project into account.
Andor and the first two seasons of Mando are literally the only Disney+ shows I've actually re-watched. Disney's problem isn't quality, it's consistency. For every Andor, there's a Kenobi and for every Mandalorian, there's a Book of Boba Fett. Then there are shows like Ahsoka, which was OK but **could have** been great, if only it had been given a decent run-time (8 episodes = not enough time to tell a meaningful story). It's extremely frustrating, it's like they **almost** "get it", but not quite.
You think there is any logic and care for fans at Disney? Everything they do is driven by the agenda, and Lucasfilm is firmly in the grip of a person who could care less about SW, what it means to fans, and even good storytelling. Which is why fans get the same poorly-written, mediocre, compulsory girl-boss dross piped down their throats every time. Word around the camp-fire is that Gilroy only agreed to do _Andor_ on the condition that he would have complete control of the production. And he got it, on the back of the success of _Rogue One_ and due to his very high standing in the industry. I don't think the lady-boss approved, so it was really no surprise that Disney didn't exactly go overboard promoting the show, and seems generally unconcerned with it in terms of PR.
@@Raygo. Hmmm ... your theory falls down on 250 million facts! If they didn't believe in the show, why did they spend $250 million on it? Why didn't they send Tony Gilroy away? "You're getting $20 million and 6 x 30 minute episodes ... and NO! You can't film it all in the UK! It's under covid lockdown ... you'll film it all here on The Volume in the USA! That's your lot! ... now go away!" Not two 12 x 1 hour episode series of sheer awesome, filmed on location and building awesome sets - with the most amazing writing and acting that Star Wars has ever seen! I believe that the Aldhani heist sequence is actually a documentary about how they broke into Disney's headquarters and stole the money!
@@jazzx251 I believe I mentioned Gilroy's high standing in the industry. I take it you will have heard of the _Bourne_ trilogy and its sequel? These movies were *_highly_* successful and made Gilroy into a very high-status player, not someone you just "send away" with a little list of boxes to tick. Most fans don't have any understanding of how things actually go down in the industry. Proven financial success + contacts + unanimous respect from peers and power-brokers = the chutzpah to dictate terms to Disney. Which is what Gilroy did, he's a very smart and cool cookie. There is such a vast mismatch of talent and integrity between him and the female Lucasfilm boss that I find it impossible to believe she took that lightly.
Honestly, I’m just happy that you didn’t completely brush off Syril’s character. More than a few video essays have literally brushed off his character as, “LOL, bootlicker” and left it at that. I love Syril as a demonstration of how an average person who wants to do good can be enraptured and taken by a bad system. It’s complicated, and I find that complication authentic to the real world.
Really appreciate this comment, thank you. I've actually had several people tell me that I'm wrong for describing his actions in the first few episodes as "good", despite the fact that I said there are many dodgy things that he does. The show is very complex and Syril's character is not simple.
@@That0therGeorge theres a difference between ethical motivation and moral motivation. I think that Karn is an ethical character (probably too rigidly so) but seemingly lacks the moral componenet. This doesnt mean he's evil - he like many living under the empires rule are ignorant to the true depth of its evils. He is a bit of a fetishist for the authoritarian trappings of the empire (his self tailored uniforms). This is why im fascinated to see where the relationship with Debra goes in S2. Karn is searching for a murderer to bring him to justice. Dedra is weilding the power of the state to crush dissent by any means necessary. Karn thinks their struggles are the same (Theres also undoubtedly a pyscho-sexual conponent Dedras sharply tailored uniform and his mother issues 😑). Will he continue to believe that as his ignorance about the true face of the empire is removed? Then we as the audience will understand if he is a moral character as well.
If Syril had been working for the New Republic nobody would call him a villain, he's a good inspector who seems to care for the lives of the men he commands
@@That0therGeorge Can I ask if you’ve noticed that themes/phrases pop up over and over in Andor and Rogue One? I think everyone noticed “Climb!” From Rogue One and the prison. But “One Way Out!l is mentioned in the prison but also the heist where the garrison commander and his family are talking back and Val cuts them off by saying, “There’s only one way out. We win, or everyone dies.” I keep meaning to rewatch more intently to see if these pop up anywhere else.
@@donkeysaurusrex7881 I actually didn't notice the "climb!" one, but yeah there were a few that I did spot. The series has done such a great job of always reflecting on the important moments, never letting a single line of dialogue go to waste.
What makes this show so great is it shows the real ground level cost of the rebellion. People die and are sacrificed in war. Something the OT just kinda glossed over
Exactly! I've seen some people say "Andor isn't great, it's just better than the rest of modern Star Wars" - but it's really not true at all. 'Andor' is such a great show in its own right.
@@That0therGeorge this show gave such a new breath of life to the franchise. Some of my favorite characters in Star Wars are from this show now. Very much looking forward to season 2 and i really hope other creators take note from this show for their projects
@@JamesEmery6 Yeah Syril, Kino, Luthen, there are so many fantastic, original characters in this show. I'm very curious to see how they wrap up and transition into 'Rogue One'. I'm also wondering whether or not they'll keep a similar structure to Season 1 with the 4 arcs.
@@JamesEmery6 Yeah it's very ambiguous as to what the sister means in the greater story. I couldn't tell if it was going to lead on to the greater narrative or just as a reason to have Cassian on Morlana One.
After the bad taste left by Bobba Fett and Kenobi. Andor was a breath of fresh air. The show wasn't good because what came before sucked like some say. The show is phenomenal due to its own merits. Every week my excitement for this show built up not because of laser swords and pew pew scenes but because of brilliant writing. Characters that felt real and an Empire worth fearing. Rogue One and Andor have a common denominator in Tony Gilroy. Lucasfilm got lucky when they got him.
Very well said. I find it baffling that people say "you only think it's good because the rest of modern Star Wars is bad". The show absolutely holds up on its own merits and I wouldn't have watched it multiple times if it was actually mediocre. I do like 'Rogue One' but I feel like it's definitely lower than 'Andor'. It potentially would've been better if Tony Gilroy was in charge of the whole project.
@@That0therGeorge Rogue One was the first SW property since ROTJ that actually felt like Star Wars in the classic sense. It had the grit, the evil, the heroism, the droids, and wisecracks that weren't written for 8yos.
fr people keep comparing it to the other shows i havent ever watched and it was one of the best pieces of media-not just star wars media- ive ever watched. might go back and watch bad batch just cause it looks pretty but the rest honestly look horrible
Andor S1 is one of the finest pieces of television I’ve watched. In terms of individual seasons, it’s honestly one of the first ones that come to mind for me when I’m asked “what is the best season?” Breaking Bad S5 and Fleabag S2 are hard to beat but this is pretty damn close.
Completely agree and it absolutely has re-watch value to it as well. Haven't seen 'Fleabag' yet, but yeah the final seasons of 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul' are going to be pretty difficult to beat.
I enjoyed the first season of Fleabag, not positive if I finished it but I’ll have to check out season 2. Definitely agree that this is one of the best seasons of tv I’ve seen. Up there with season 4/5 of BrBa, and in my opinion seasons 2/6 of Better Call Saul. With each weekly release I got more and more invested in Andor, I can’t say I’ve seen anything like it before. Anti-fascist art at its absolute finest
@@That0therGeorge Fleabag is a superb show, Phobe Waller-Bridge's masterpiece that she wrote and starred in, and got countless Emmy awards for. But, she's very much connected to Star Wars. She played the main woke droid in "Solo" She wrote the first season of "Killing Eve", another Emmy-award winning masterpiece starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh ... whose spymaster is Fiona Shaw! (Maarva) And, of course, she starred in the most recent Indiana Jones opposite Harrison Ford Some people hate her ... I can't see why (jealousy?) She seems like great fun! - a superb writer and actress at the same time ... a truly rare "Mary Sue" of TV (lol - that's why I don't hate on Rey - because these kinds of people DO exist in real life!)
Andor surprisingly and out of nowhere became one of if not my absolute favorite show OF ALL TIME! Between the writing, the acting, the music, and the sets….its second to none
@@That0therGeorge The show, no one cared about, yet celebrated in a small circle. What I find very interesting, that anyone I talked to who loved Andor were pretty "Meh..." on other shows (Obi, Boba) and vice versa! Yes, I know people who loved the Boba show. And yes, they though Andor is a slow, pointless "Meh.." not even finishing it.
His manifesto is excellent. I didn't include it in the montage, because it isn't quite a monologue in the same way that the others are. However, I did put an edited sequence of it on my secondary channel if you're interested. I agree that good writing is rare. Thankfully Andor's writing has been celebrated so much.
Andor treats Star Wars as true sci fi. I think thats a large contributing factor to its success and why it feels so *different* from everything else we've received. Its exactly what I've been looking for in Star Wars. Using the setting as a vehicle for the exploration of greater themes. Now only if we can get a detective murder noire set on Coruscant...
Yeah, 'Andor' is very mature and is everything I want to see from a science fiction series. And the detective murder noir story is definitely an idea I'm on-board with.
Mature writing, competent characters, nuanced plot. Who would have thought that well made tv series would have people appreciate that effort. Disney, do you see us now? Do you see us now!?
The other shows and films still feel like Star Wars to me, but in a cheap sort of way. They will focus a lot more on the superficial elements. Whereas 'Andor' is more like the original trilogy in terms of writing quality (even though it's telling a very different story).
There also the two most pointless stories ever written cause they're just leading up to a new hope. We know where they end before they even get written or filmed.
@@Infamous1892 by that logic every story about a living being is pointless, because it ends in death anyway. The journey is the interesting part here.
That can be partially explained through physical strength of the ewoks right? I find it more annoying when you have dozens of supposedly elite stormtroopers dying by the drove and killing only a few rebels....
The same ewoks that captured the main characters and nearly cooked them alive? Once the Imperials got over the initial shock of being ambushed, they were able to turn things around until one of the AT-STs got stolen!
12:57 One thing I'd like to add is that the prison is similar to the roundel on the flag of the Galactic Empire, and the prisoners swimming away from it makes it look like the roundel, the symbol of Imperial authority and control, is bleeding. It's like what Nemik writes in his manifesto "Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks. It leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear." The shot of the guards all cowering in a locked room during the prison riot also exemplifies this, as well as Captain Tigo watching one of his troopers get kicked from the bell-tower (anvil-tower?) on Ferrix. The symbolism in this show is something else. I think it's a little odd that you only really focused on Cassian's story, and didn't focus all that much of Luthen, Mon Mothma, or the ISB, since they make up really big portion of the show, though I did like your little segment on Syril. I think you're right that Syril just wants to do his best, but I'm not sure I would call him good. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, after all. Syril's pretty easy to sympathize with at first, especially given his relationship with his mother, but becomes firm in his authoritarian beliefs, and is kinda creepy in his obsession with Dedra and with catching Andor. He reminds me of a younger Inspector Javert from Les Miserables, in a way. I wouldn't describe Syril or Javert as good, but lawful. I think Chuck from Better Call Saul and Hank from Breaking Bad are very similar characters, though with quite a bit of difference and nuance to them, especially with both of them being family to the main protagonist. Anyway, I really enjoyed this video, and would love to see a more in-depth one covering the other characters of the story, if you have the time or desire to do so, of course.
That shot is incredible on its own anyway, but that is a really cool detail. The show is so rich with character that even the bell-tower guy gets his moment to shine haha. Syril is a superb character and yeah as I said in the video I don't approve of his actions, but I do believe there is a lot of good within him. I appreciate the feedback. Had this been a complete breakdown of 'Andor' then I would have also gone more in-depth with the characters that you had mentioned - Judging by your comment, I assume you've seen my BCS series? It would have been similar to that if I had chosen that route. My intention with this particular project was different as I wanted to go over the series as a whole, but mainly concentrate on my favourite parts such as my segment on Syril.
I’ve rewatched this magnificent series five times now, and its richness allows for new revelations each time. I think you are right to focus on Andor himself as his character arc is the central narrative thrust. I love the way the Empire is presented as a genuine threat, and how there are shades of grey, morally speaking, on both sides. Finding something this good in the modern SW franchise is, frankly, astonishing. Totally agree with you re. raising the stakes through careful buildup… the single TIE fighter that buzzes the heist crew was terrifying.
@@colleybri8912 Only five? Haha. Yeah I of course absolutely agree with you. I'm happy that my segment on slowly raising the stakes resonated with you. It's astonishing when you compare the scene on Aldhani with three tie fighters to any of the space battles in something like 'The Mandalorian'.
Cyril's initial motivations are understandable but yeah, he is definitely not "good." Cyril's boss who wanted the deaths glossed over was right and justified in the end; those security officers were where they shouldnt have been doing what they shouldn't have been doing, acting as petty thugs, and they died bc they were corrupt criminals who tried to shakedown the wrong man. Cyril supports law & order not moral good. He's a fascist.
Honestly i think Syril’s character if it has to be boiled down to a phrase would be incel fascist fanboy, but it’s still so much more complicated than that. Obviously when we first see him he’s trying super hard to use the very little power he has, and he has a moral code of “letter of the law,” even though the law is explicitly immoral, cause it’s fascist. As we go on in the show we just see him keep failing, and trying even harder to do well in the system, and fail again, and then he meets supervisor meero and he thinks that because he tries so hard and likes the empire that he deserves to “get the girl” even though she is pretty explicitly repulsed by this. He’s such an interesting character, and I can’t wait to see where they take him in S2 honestly
Definitely the best show, I really loved the ISB meeting scenes, seeing the inner workings and strategic thought process of them really made the empire feel strong aswel
And the fact that we saw everyone playing politics & trying to one up each other while furthering their career. That to me showed the inherent flaws in a totalitarian system. Outstanding writing.
Hi there, I've said this on several other Andor videos, but The thing that really got me was the part about the cultural genocide of the Dhani. The most interesting angle (from my point of view anyway) is that Aldhani was filmed in the Scottish Highlands (Cruachan dam actually exists and was the base there). Many of the peoples of that land were forcibly moved off it by landlords (a period known as 'The Highland Clearances') and ended up in factories in the lowlands. In fact, the very ruins of houses Cassian asks Vel about likely belonged to people who were forcibly removed from that land (their sheilings anyway). Add in the repression of the Gaelic language and culture (clothes, bagpipes) during this period in history and there's quite a direct correlation between the real and fictional cultures.
10:50 Andor avoiding the Empire and getting caught is ironic, but in a totally different way to me. Andor wasn’t arrested for the heist, he was arrested for a crime he neither committed nor witnessed. All he saw was the aftermath and was lumped in by a random Stormtrooper who thought he was suspicious. And the Empire is so bloated, their main intelligence service doesn’t even realize Andor is already in jail. They assumed he was still out and about working for Luthen. Their one correct assessment was that Andor would’ve showed up for Marva’s funeral but that only worked out because Andor had already broken out. That’s ironic.
I think it PERFECTLY bridges the concept that “the empire is incompetent” and “competent people work for the empire” the scale is simply too large to properly manage
Andor has 12 episodes yet all of them manages to progress the story. All the other Disney+ SW shows have just 6 episodes on average, and they still have the audacity to jerk us off with fillers.
By process of elimination, episode 7 of 'Andor' is my least favourite episode of the series, but even that episode does so much to progress the story. The series might be twice as long as some of the other shows, but it achieves 10 times as much.
Regarding filler episodes and Mando season 3 hate, some of what we saw (particularly the episode about the doctor getting mind-flayed) were meant to happen in the canceled Republic Ranger show. That episode was necessary for the overall MandoVerse.
The whole time I was watching Andor, I just kept thinking to myself…”this has no business being this good” Phenomenal story telling. A gem for anyone who finds it and gives it a fair chance.
@@That0therGeorge It is, and many would disagree. I like the OT, but it's too fairytale for me, and now that even superhero movies tend to be more realistic (as far as a comic book fairy tales can be made realistic) and noir it's long past due to update the SW.
I like how it's focused on the ordinary people, without plot armor. The rest of the Star Wars media is essentially rebel propaganda, killing orders of magnitude more inperials than they lose, hardly anyone important dying etc. The imperials being all inept despite stormtroopers apparently being elite Shock troops.
I watch these videos to hear other people who also appreciate the character nuances like Luthan’s facial expressions, the beach scene after Marva’s death, and the incredible dialogue. Somehow each episode got better.
Tony Gilroy was given a character in a movie he didn't write but had a role in completing, and wrote a brand new story of the character. Not someone that familiar with Star Wars, he left the "Star Wars universe" to those surrounding him to bring the story into the world we know. It was an interesting and very successful approach in giving us the end product.
I've seen people highlight Tony not caring much for 'Star Wars' as a negative. However, I feel like the franchise desperately needed a fresh pair of eyes. Too many of these Disney movies/shows have focused way too much on aping stories that have already been told. This universe has the potential to be so much more than that.
@@That0therGeorge I don’t think it’s that he didn’t like Star Wars. It is something that he just wasn’t into. He understands how it is an enjoyed franchise. Even George Lucas wasn’t a big sci-fi buff. He had an idea and ran with it. He probably expected to go on and make more Howard the Duck type movies.
Yeah, if people want to enjoy the previous SW shows then that is completely fine with me. However, I continually see unconvincing excuses for the poor writing within them.
talking of monologues, I'd also mention Nemik's manifesto. It is brilliant when Nemik says "and remember this: try." denying Master Yoda's "do or do not. There is no try."
My love for this show solidified after that one scene of senators dining and saying “im in danger of all this champagne” only to immediately cut to prisoners suffering and self deleting themselves. The duality and struggle is insane, best example of resistance for star wars hands down.
Yeah 'Andor' handled the political side of things really well. There are aspects of the Prequels that I like, but it is not explored enough in those films.
Andor is so great. Can’t wait for season 2. It wasn’t afraid to have him shoot an unarmed dude in the face to save the hassle. It has a total Blade Runner vibe in the beginning of the first episode.
It was indeed and I am very much looking forward to season 2 as well! The first episode certainly has 'Blade Runner' vibes, but I think that inspiration runs throughout the show. The music is similar as well. Of course, both are brilliant science fiction properties so it is absolutely a good thing.
It really is the best Star Wars, and I'm including the OT when I say that. The mature story it tells along with the worldbuilding it explores for the grounded characters we see just stays in my head. Andor is a great example at why themes in your story are important by how much they enhance it.
I think that is very fair. The issue I have is that the OT is so different, it's almost quite difficult to compare specifics. Both brilliant regardless.
I think Andor is more "Starwars" than most Starwars media out there. This show is a perfect representation of everything the franchise should stand for. NEVER have I felt more enthralled, engaged, and interested in a TV Show. The ending sentiment is 100% valid too, every aspect of this shows production is a masterclass in film-making, and the music totally does stand out.
Completely agreed. A lot of the themes and ideas are very Star Wars-y - it's just all shown from a very different perspective than we're used to seeing.
The original trilogy never really explored the empire beyond “big evil organization we have to defeat.” Andor really reveals why there was such a massive resistance to the regime in the first place. It showed how terrifying and oppressive life under the empire was for the common man, and how much the rebellion really sacrificed in their attempt to overthrow them
Who wanted this show? Me shouting from the rooftops since the release of Rogue One. My dream Star Wars show. And it turning out this brilliant and meaningful and powerful is everything I could have hoped for and more.
Hands down the highest quality story-telling ever in Star Wars. Great work spelling it all out, thank you! The only part I wanted to add was that when Andor is offered to split the haul, he has NO CHOICE but to kill him at that point. Because if he's willing to even make that offer, he's willing to kill both of them and take it all for himself. Cassian really didn't have any choice unless the choice was yes, and even then, he'd have to watch his back for when the other guy would strike at him.
Honestly my only flaw with the show was the LACK of silly looking aliens. That part didn’t feel very Star Wars-y. Those weird dudes in episode 11 were a blessing. And they could have made some of the other main characters some of the less abstract aliens. Zabrack, Mirialan, Twilek, Zeltron, Pantoran. Just give it a little more of that distinctly Star Wars flavour while not changing the writing at all.
@@That0therGeorge That's the definition of a classic. I truly believe that the delay to 2025 is because all of Disney's other Star Wars shows suck in comparison - and so, they will release them earlier to make some cash. Just like what happened with season 1. The writers/.actors strike didn't really affect Andor that much, it was mostly in the can. But the other Star Wars projects, with a later start time, were very much affected. The entire running order got delayed.
@@jazzx251 It does suck that there will be a 3 year gap between releases, but at the same time that makes me feel a lot more reassured about the quality of the second season.
I don't understand why people were so against this show being made. Anyone who grew up with the EU that became Legends knows exactly how good and interesting stories about random side characters can be. I'm currently listening to the newly re-recoded audiobooks of Rogue Squadron. These books are an excellent example of taking minor and unimportant characters in the background and giving them a unique and interesting story. Who the hell were Wedge and Hobby really? Just some pilots, Wedge being one that happened to have been around since the first movie. Wedge turned into one of the most beloved EU characters because of stories like this. Andor is a perfect example of the things that made the Legends era EU work so well. Expanding on a background character and showing how they fit in with the rest of the galaxy. Introducing us to new and exciting characters and terrifying villains. We need more things like Andor/Rogue One. We need more Season 1 and 2 of Mandalorian. Rogue Squadron deserves a Top Gun Maverick style movie/show! This show is a perfect example of why the original series and the best parts of the EU worked. Give us more interesting characters who aren't the space wizard monks or connected to a single family. The universe itself is whats so fascinating and fun to explore.
I am not too familiar with the EU to be honest, but even so i completely agree that no one should have ruled this show out, although I do understand looking at it at first and thinking "a whole show about the supporting character from Rogue One?"
Cassian Andor is by far one of my most favorite star wars character. He genuinely was just a man that wanted out and just stepped up the plate when the responsibility was put on him. Andor as a show, one of the most well-crafted shows I've seen in a long time, and I cannot wait for more to come out.
This may actually be my favorite piece of Star Wars media in existence. Which is very weird to say because it's such a departure tonally from the rest of the Star Wars Universe, and also because I do still love the original trilogy. But the performances, the writing, even the look of the show just hits the bullseye in the kind of TV shows/movies I enjoy watching. What an unexpected surprise the series proved to be.
All of the production elements compliment each other really well. It's difficult to say whether it is better that the OT considering how different it is, but it is up there without a doubt.
Great vid! For me, Andor is the most true to the original Star Wars trilogy that anything has been. Just like the original trilogy, it takes a seemingly random and unimportant character and puts them in a situation where they must discover who they are and what they stand for. We can associate with this individual, and the situations they find themselves in, and we hope that we would behave similarly. The broader backgrounds are an intriguing science fantasy scenario, where the various and subtle truths are slowly revealed over time. I really enjoyed that Kassian's character development was nuanced and that he was influenced by various events and individuals in his life. Andor also serves the long-form format well, especially by adding various layers to the Star Wars universe that we've never seen before, and previously only imagined: What is it like to live under the Empire? How is dissidence dealt with? How do you build such giant weapons? How does a rebellion form? The intrigue of each episode kept me watching, and the conclusion was deeply satisfying (except the Death Star reveal). I've always enjoyed reflecting on Star Wars and considering what would have happened if the Allies had lost WWII: would great individuals have risen up? Would a rebellion of common people have pushed-back where armies failed? But then, I really liked Rogue One. Despite its shortcomings, it felt like an interesting and relevant Star Wars story.
Thank you! I think 'Andor' is a lot more grounded that the OT, but you're right that there are some similarities. 'Rogue One' is a solid movie for sure. Unfortunately, that film just doesn't spend enough time developing its characters. That's one of the reasons why I love 'Andor' so much, it really suits the long-form TV format.
The fact that this show has FOUR amazing monologues amazes me to this day. Luthen's was harsh and real, Maarva inspired people to rebel, Kino showed how even prisoners could be strong and Nemik's manifesto is such a great way to show us what is worth fighting for
I see genius in the works of this show. Everything from the writing, casting, soundtrack is excellent. Best show in the Star Wars universe! A special high marks for the monologues on this show!
thanks for making this video showing how genius this show was. I cannot tell you how many times I've rewatched it. This was some of the best television (not just SW content) that I've ever seen. I cannot wait for season 2.
You're most welcome - thank you for watching it! 100% agreed with you. I don't know how high it would rank for me, but it is certainly on my list of favourite TV series.
This show is seriously one of the best I've ever seen. It's incredible how good it is. It reminds me of early GoT, the first few seasons of The Expanse, and Breaking Bad's focus on characters and attention to detail. There's excellent build-up, characterization, cinematography, music, set and costume design, dialogue, world building etc. etc. And I am glad to have a focus on politics, rivalries, grey morals, and so on, which we also saw was a focus in early GoT, and the story feels character-driven rather than plot-driven. If I am not mistaken they're also using more practical effects and real-life locations to make the series feel more real, and not having to rely on CGI as much. I can't even find many flaws with it, though I am biased as hell. Even the argument that it's slow I disagree with, because a proper time to build up the characters, their motivations and a story-payoff every 3rd episode is necessary imo. People say there's a lack of aliens, and that I can understand, but there's a lot of them if you look in the background.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Excellent review, you explained all of the aspects that I found amazing in Andor but couldn't put my finger on why exactly so very well, it was a blast listening to you analyze and explain it. You have another subscriber! :)
No, thank you! I really appreciate your kind words about my review. Thanks for subscribing as well, I look forward to seeing your comments in the future.
One scene that stands out, that is not a speech, is the first conversation between Mon Mothma has with Tay Kolma. The subtle context and acting in that scene is so good.
It’s different class. Just learned the Aldanhi heist was filmed about 40 mile away. From Glasgow , Scotland and I never knew it. I’m trying to organise a trip for my 55th birthday in June.
I loved Andor. I made a comment on a video about how the intro theme music of each episode combines and the likes and responses are still popping up over a year later, love to see people still talking about how great Andor is, even though I concede it’s not traditional Star Wars
Great video, i really enjoy the andor soundtrack so much i find myself listening to alot of it in my free time especially Syril Suite. Syril is a super interesting character and i hope they keep his nuance in season 2
I’ve made this comment elsewhere but one of the things I find really interesting about Andor is how much thoughtful and insightful criticism of the show there is and how that mirrors the quality of the show itself.
The brilliance of Andor S1 is that you can remove the Star Wars references to the entire season, replace it with more generic "Evil but overbloated Authoritarian Government" elements that controls everything and it would all still work. It's a story about how the seeds of a rebellion were planted and grown over time to the eventuality that leads to the downfall of said Empire.
Great Video and a fantastic breakdown . I absolutely love Andor it has now taken over from The Mandalorian as my favourite Star Wars TV media . One of the best things I really loved about Rogue One was the depiction via Cassian that the Rebels were not whiter than white and that Cassian made some very ruthless decisions in the name of the Rebellion this made such a refreshing change . One of the things I loved when watching the trailers for Andor was that how cinematic the show looked . The writing and pacing of Andor is amazing I love the slow burn it takes to develop its characters and storylines , the idea of breaking each story arc into 3 episodes was so good and paid off so well , I can remember whilst watching the first episode that wow this is a very different more grown up Star Wars bringing more adult themes into the story . I heard criticism that it was too slow but I loved its pacing . I thoroughly enjoyed the flashback scenes to Cassians childhood etc they worked so well . All the performances are amazing and if I had to choose a favourite performance I would really struggle as all the Actors gave it their all even the characters like Bix , Brasso etc who had relatively small roles were so great I would have to say it would be Stellans performance but it was a difficult choice . The cinematography was amazing from the industrial look of Ferrix to the beautiful scenery of Aldani and the sets of Narkina 5 were fantastic , and the work on ep 6 the Eye was amazing especially when the Rebels escape into the erupting eye and the Tie pilots scrambling to get into their ships with the eye erupting behind them - amazing . The other part of Andor I loved was the amazing score by Nicholas Brittell it so fitted the series and themes I especially loved the really catchy Niamos theme as well as the whole score . So all in all an amazing series which not a lot of people never really wanted but in my opinion turned out to be the best Star Wars TV show made , the effects are amazing , cinematography and sets were fantastic the performances were top class and the score was amazing an amazing show . P.S. does anyone else think that Joplin Sibtain ( Brasso ) would make a great Ben Grimm ( The Thing ) in the new FF movie .
Thank you very much! I enjoy 'Rogue One' quite a bit and I do like Cassian in that film, but I feel 'Andor' adds so much more to his character and does a better job with exploring some of the moral decisions that he makes. It sort of reminds of the criticism that 'Better Call Saul' would receive sometimes. Is the show slow paced? Sure, but the smaller details of the world are so thoroughly explored and it makes those eventual payoffs x10 more satisfying. The music is superb and all three Niamos tracks are awesome. It is an amazing show for sure. Yeah, I could see him making a good Ben Grimm.
Andor has actually turned out to be my absolute favorite Star Wars content except for Empire Strikes Back. I've liked a lot of different stuff, like Rebels and I didn't hate Obi Wan like a lot of people did, but Andor was awesome. It did a GREAT job of showing a realistic Star Wars universe. As you state, the "world-building" was amazing. Just to contrast it with another recent big production, say, Rings of Power - where the world-building (except for the Numenor set and Moria) was atrocious. It goes to show the difference in showrunners - one who knows how to put on a production (like Gilroy) as opposed to those idiots working at Amazon studios. The plot also felt well put together and the characters reacted sensibly to all situations. Unlike Episodes 8 and 9 where either large stupid detours happened, or world breaking (suicide star ships) actions or in instance after instance, they'd find exactly what they needed, even if it was under a random location in a huge desert - to move the plot along to a wildly random location in a galaxy of 100,000 planets or whatever. Ahem. Andor reminded all those "creators" at Lucasfilm that they can make new planets, introduce new characters, races, whatever - and the fans will love it if you just TELL A GOOD STORY.
That was a brilliant piece of work. I really enjoyed how you edited the clips to perfectly match your dialogue. And, by that, I mean I really appreciate the specific clips from Andor and other SW media that you chose to emphasize your points. Makes me want to go watch the Andor series for the 4th time around. It is quite literally the only enjoyable D+ SW series. The rest are laughably awful.
Thank you! I do try my best with the visuals. It's a very time consuming process making sure that every clip lines up exactly with the voiceover. I always believe it's worth it though and I really appreciate that you enjoyed it. There's still a bit of a wait until Season 2 and the other shows are indeed laughably bad - you may as well give it a re-watch!
The first few episodes of Andor seemed a bit slow to me. But this is common in British productions. But I stuck with it and the plot grew and grew and the end was incredibly powerful. Most impressive.
Andor is so good I cannot get my head around the fact that it flows from the same source as the insult to intelligence that is The Book of Boba Fett and Obi One. It's like if Ferrari also made Yugo.
Definitely subscribing to you with this one, out of all the andor reviews or explanations I've watched simply because I enjoyed the show you've mentioned so much more of the little details that some of which I hadn't even noticed myself. Off the top of my head I don't think I can name any other CCs that actually pointed out deeper details and the little things such as Luthen's long reaction to Marva's speech. Thank you for the lovely Andor review
Arcs 2 and 3 of Andor are my favorite live action star wars ever, not even close. It actually exceeds the writing quality of the animated shows (Bad Batch, Clone wars later seasons)
Best Star Wars i ever watched. The birth of the rebellion, political situation in background, common every day people fighting the opression. I loved it all, something i always wanted to see in this universe, especially the character of Luten Rael which is now my favorite character of all time in Star Wats. No one bits him in my eyes, never seen more charismatic character with so much passion towards one goal, to topple an empire down from all angles especially from within.
@@That0therGeorge I don't know to be honest, but he always seams he's one step in right direction. What i want to say here is Luthen is someone who already knows the game, knows the stakes and he's being playing it since day one the Empire took over and reformed the Republic into Empire. On the other hand we already know Andor' s end in Rogue One and Melchi too. No, im more concerned about his aid at his store. She seams more unstable element and he should pay special attention to her. While she might be dedicated to the cause, she is more of fanatic who enjoys killing on a side when he's not there to see. If anyone would mess up anything for him it would be her. From the first time i saw her character i was worried she would do something stupid to attract ISB. Oh and one of the scenes i liked was Luthen laughing in the back of his store when he heard Senator's driver about Aldhani heist. It was a briliant moment to show his character to us the audience.
@@savageaeternum6047I disagree with you about Luthren's assistant. She is totally level headed and she has Luthern's back to the very end. Remember, she was willing to go in Luthren's place to meet Lionel in case it was a trap. She is focused and dedicated to the cause. She is Luthren's right hand. I am curious to know her back story. And by the way, the actress who played her rocked the roll.
Storytelling can still be brilliant even if it's intended for children. But I would agree that the previous Star Wars TV Shows have a certain level of immaturity to them that brings down the quality. 'Andor' is certainly a breath of fresh air in that regard.
Andor is what I wanted from Star Wars back in 1999. I had grown up, and I really wanted Star Wars to have grown up with me. After all, old Ben's description of prior events in the OT (i.e. turning a good man to evil, and exterminating an order of knights) is heavy stuff and could have made a great story if handled properly. Well it took forever for grown-up Star Wars to get here, but so far it hasn't disappointed.
Lucas always said he intended the original Star Wars for children...but then again, The Hobbit was intended for children, too...just children from a different era where they weren't infantilized. Now we get adults infantilized through a lot of media. A New Hope was at times nearly as dark as Empire, if you grew up in that era you might not have recognized it, but then those like my son who grew up after the Prequel Trilogy may not notice it, either. A New Hope had smoking corpses of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, a man's throat crushed and his corpse tossed aside, the mention from the wise old teacher to the main character that his father was murdered by his former student, a woman in a cell full of men menaced by a syringe-carrying droid, the rather obvious fact that sentient droids are a slave underclass in the galaxy, a bar where life is so cheap and often lost that bloody limb-severing and Han shooting first draws barely a notice from the clientele, multiple heroic rebel pilots desperately getting blown to bits to allow their teammates a few more seconds to hit the target, and an entire world with billions of people annihilated in one swoop by the clearly fascistic villains. All from a film that was touted by its creator as "for children". I was 8 when I it was released and I adored it. As I grow older, I realize that part of the reason I loved it is that it was, indeed, for children, but it didn't talk down to me as a child. It let me face frightening moments and allowed me to overcome them through the meaningfully crafted narrative.
"Intended for children" is ridiculously condescending and too often used to excuse lazy storytelling. It's insulting to the natural perceptiveness and ability to learn that children possess, which is so often lost when they become adults. Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is. The very best children's stories are of dual nature: simple enough in presentation that they can easily grasp the message when they're young, but complex enough that they can come back to it as they age and unravel the layers and continue to find more meaning, more to love. Those are the stories that stay with you, that mean something, even if you're too small to understand why.
Like the pib: last wish, a story that works on several levels and keeps different audiences excited can be done. Still, going all adult is what SW was in great need of.
I really love the small detail with focus on Syril colleague in final episode after Maarva speech. Like, his expression says that he's processed the speech and all the action that came after the simmilar way Luthen did
I would not hesitate in calling 'Andor' the best piece of 'Star Wars' media since 1980.
What do you think of the first season?
Andor is exactly what starwars needed. The general concensus before the show came out was, "we don't need a story about a throwaway spinoff character". But it turned out to be a masterpiece. The tone and writing was very refreshing, especially after all the "mandoverse" shows that felt samey.
@@Starwars-Fanboy Completely agreed. It's so bizarre to think that the shows starring these well established characters have been poor in terms of quality and yet 'Andor' really shined through.
Andor’s creators made made one misstep. A tiny, simple, and *major* one. The name of the show. Andor is not an accurate name for the series.
It's not bizarre. Boba Fett was a paper-thin character to begin with. They never should have tried to make a whole show about him.
OWK is a great character but his story has been *completely* told. There's no more blood to squeeze from that stone.
IMO, that is the main reason why those shows were creative failures.
The only reason why I don't count Andor ahead of Episode 4-6 is simply the fact that George Lucas' Fantasy has initially created the world that Andor utilizes as setting, and that I have big respect for this part of Georges work. But nothing in Star Wars ever before Andor has managed to get me tears in the eyes ... multiple times ... even when rewatching the same scenes ... I am still speechless when listening to especially those 3 speeches that even more elevate Andor above nearly every media thing we get to see. You really feel with Andy Serkins, with Marva, with Luthen ... and they have a power thats very rarely achieved ... and still with nuance, with brain, with passion ... I simply LOVE Andor. It brought so much more then I could ever have hoped for in Star Wars. If Season 2 keeps that level of quality, we have an eternal masterpiece, that has no reason to hide behind a "Lord of the Rings" and other rare movies of this genius. Just that it hides its move qualities in the framework of a series ... sadly excluding it from the Oscars it deserves.
The force is with Andor. Forever.
When I realised that Andor made me excited seeing Mon Mothma talking about funding, I knew it was something special.
I feel like if it was in any other 'Star Wars' show a conversation like that would be so dull.
@@That0therGeorge I would be surprised if they had such scenes, at all. At this point, the other shows feel like they're too afraid to treat their audience's intelligence with any form of respect. We get scene after scene of pointless action that have no real stakes.
As much as I went rabid for Hayden's episode in Ahsoka, it was purely for nostalgia, and nothing else. It had a few cool lightsaber sequences, but I felt nothing for the characters except disdain for Thrawn's depiction.
The Mandalorian season 3 had too much of pointless filler I couldn't even finish it. Season 1 had impressive highs, but major lows. Season 2 had that Bill Burr episode, but not much else. Luke Skywalker's entrance, I guess, but even that action scene was lackluster. Season 3 was just too much for me.
Book of Boba Fett and Kenobi weren't even shy about being shameless cash-ins that solely exist for nostalgia. They had the chance to make a Logan-esque series about Obi-Wan's struggle with his failure, but we got another babysitting show in space. Boba Fett benefits from not being talked about, at all.
With all that being said, if ever they did have those scenes, I'm sure they would have been pretty dull, pointless, and dumbed down.
@@jeolban3287 Agreed with all your points about those shows.
@@That0therGeorgewe did have the correct writers for these tense political moments Beau Willimon who write house of cards
Andor was like a Star Wars mash up house of cards which was fantastic
Part of what made Andor so great was that absolutely nobody wanted a show about Cassian Andor, so we had no expectations and he made the perfect vessel to take us on a tour through the most real feeling Star Wars universe we've seen so far. There were no Jedi or Sith, no magical galactic powers, just normal people stuck in the middle of a changing galaxy. It was Star Wars for adults, and it was great.
Yeah it is weird to think, but 'Star Wars' seems to be much better quality wise when it focuses on random characters in the universe, as oppose to all of the well established ones.
Except they could still make star wars with Jedi and sith that is as good as andor if they just STOPPED WITH THE BULLSHIT FAN SERVICE. THAT is y andor is so amazing, it didn't cater to all the losers that just wanna get their member berries...I call them fake fans.
Lmao and it ended up being as boring as every reasonable person thought
@@spicymchaggis6581ultimately i think that really depends on your interests and what you value in the media you consume. if you enjoy the adventure and explosive action of the star wars films, just something to sort of turn your brain off and just enjoy, then maybe this one isnt really for you. andor is a slow burn by design, it wants you to sit and think with what its saying y'know. its a political espionage drama. if you dont enjoy listening to people argue and debate with each other then you weren't the target audience. you not finding something to enjoy in the show doesn't make it immediately bad and boring by its nature. it just makes it a little boring to you and your reasonable companions.
Actually people loved Andor because it’s about Young Stalin. We’ve been taught all our lives that communism is evil, but when we see what communism actually is (without trigger words like “communism”) we actually love it. Most communist TV show ever produced in the USA.
I'm actually really bothered when people say Andor isn't Star Wars. It's the deepest anaylsis of the Star Wars universe we've ever seen in live action. It treats Star Wars with true respect because it's written and produced as if it's real - not just a fantasy story.
Absolutely. I understand that it doesn't have the same memorabilia and imagery as previous instalments, but to say "it is not Star Wars" is absurd to me.
If anything, I'd like to think that Lucas appreciates that someone recognized the heart of what he was trying to talk about, and did something new with it.
Andor reminds me of the 30 years of reading Star Wars books I've read.
Nemik's words/writings on the nature of oppression and resistance is the most thoughtful Star Wars has ever been. I don't begrudge people loving their sci fi pulp fiction epic adventure story, but to see Star Wars attempt any kind of depth was a breath of fresh air. Nothing so pedestrian as the bad guys wear black and they're bad guys because they're evil. Really glad some Star Wars fan don't consider it "real" Star Wars, as I doubt I'd have enjoyed it if they were pandered to again.
To those people Star Wars is just a list of check boxes with stuff like
X Lightsabers
X Force
X Jedi
And so on
This show makes you truly feel the Empire's presence like no other. In the first episode there isn't a single Imperial vehicle, trooper or officer on-screen, and yet their pervasive, oppressive influence over Ferrix is ever-present.
Very good point.
George Lucas avoided a very common pitfall when depicting a fascist regime.
The OT wasn’t clean. Everything was filthy, grimy, and broken down except for the Empire. They(Sand Troopers)only get dirty when leaving their Star Destroyers.
Lucas perfectly showcased thru simple art detection that under the Empire, the galaxy was rotting and falling apart.
This series showcases how the galaxy is slowly being suffocated by the Empire.
“I burn my life to make a sunrise I’ll never see.” It’s forever engraved in my soul
Such a fantastic line.
The line that stuck more with me is the "I can't swim". It's got the same effective meaning of Kino knowing he won't escape in the plan he has helped craft, but just comes out of nowhere adding even more depth in the last scene you ever see him.
I hope Disney is keeping track of all the times this show has been rewatched. I cannot get enough of it.
I feel like they absolutely are. Even though initial figures are important, I think they would definitely take the longevity of a project into account.
Andor and the first two seasons of Mando are literally the only Disney+ shows I've actually re-watched. Disney's problem isn't quality, it's consistency. For every Andor, there's a Kenobi and for every Mandalorian, there's a Book of Boba Fett. Then there are shows like Ahsoka, which was OK but **could have** been great, if only it had been given a decent run-time (8 episodes = not enough time to tell a meaningful story). It's extremely frustrating, it's like they **almost** "get it", but not quite.
You think there is any logic and care for fans at Disney? Everything they do is driven by the agenda, and Lucasfilm is firmly in the grip of a person who could care less about SW, what it means to fans, and even good storytelling. Which is why fans get the same poorly-written, mediocre, compulsory girl-boss dross piped down their throats every time. Word around the camp-fire is that Gilroy only agreed to do _Andor_ on the condition that he would have complete control of the production. And he got it, on the back of the success of _Rogue One_ and due to his very high standing in the industry. I don't think the lady-boss approved, so it was really no surprise that Disney didn't exactly go overboard promoting the show, and seems generally unconcerned with it in terms of PR.
@@Raygo. Hmmm ... your theory falls down on 250 million facts!
If they didn't believe in the show, why did they spend $250 million on it?
Why didn't they send Tony Gilroy away?
"You're getting $20 million and 6 x 30 minute episodes ... and NO! You can't film it all in the UK! It's under covid lockdown ... you'll film it all here on The Volume in the USA! That's your lot! ... now go away!"
Not two 12 x 1 hour episode series of sheer awesome, filmed on location and building awesome sets - with the most amazing writing and acting that Star Wars has ever seen!
I believe that the Aldhani heist sequence is actually a documentary about how they broke into Disney's headquarters and stole the money!
@@jazzx251 I believe I mentioned Gilroy's high standing in the industry. I take it you will have heard of the _Bourne_ trilogy and its sequel? These movies were *_highly_* successful and made Gilroy into a very high-status player, not someone you just "send away" with a little list of boxes to tick. Most fans don't have any understanding of how things actually go down in the industry. Proven financial success + contacts + unanimous respect from peers and power-brokers = the chutzpah to dictate terms to Disney. Which is what Gilroy did, he's a very smart and cool cookie. There is such a vast mismatch of talent and integrity between him and the female Lucasfilm boss that I find it impossible to believe she took that lightly.
Honestly, I’m just happy that you didn’t completely brush off Syril’s character. More than a few video essays have literally brushed off his character as, “LOL, bootlicker” and left it at that. I love Syril as a demonstration of how an average person who wants to do good can be enraptured and taken by a bad system. It’s complicated, and I find that complication authentic to the real world.
Really appreciate this comment, thank you. I've actually had several people tell me that I'm wrong for describing his actions in the first few episodes as "good", despite the fact that I said there are many dodgy things that he does. The show is very complex and Syril's character is not simple.
@@That0therGeorge theres a difference between ethical motivation and moral motivation. I think that Karn is an ethical character (probably too rigidly so) but seemingly lacks the moral componenet. This doesnt mean he's evil - he like many living under the empires rule are ignorant to the true depth of its evils. He is a bit of a fetishist for the authoritarian trappings of the empire (his self tailored uniforms).
This is why im fascinated to see where the relationship with Debra goes in S2. Karn is searching for a murderer to bring him to justice. Dedra is weilding the power of the state to crush dissent by any means necessary. Karn thinks their struggles are the same (Theres also undoubtedly a pyscho-sexual conponent Dedras sharply tailored uniform and his mother issues 😑). Will he continue to believe that as his ignorance about the true face of the empire is removed? Then we as the audience will understand if he is a moral character as well.
If Syril had been working for the New Republic nobody would call him a villain, he's a good inspector who seems to care for the lives of the men he commands
The show can’t be praised enough. Very good cutting all the speeches together.
Agreed, it deserves all the love it can get.
And thank you, I'm happy you liked that section.
@@That0therGeorge Can I ask if you’ve noticed that themes/phrases pop up over and over in Andor and Rogue One? I think everyone noticed “Climb!” From Rogue One and the prison. But “One Way Out!l is mentioned in the prison but also the heist where the garrison commander and his family are talking back and Val cuts them off by saying, “There’s only one way out. We win, or everyone dies.” I keep meaning to rewatch more intently to see if these pop up anywhere else.
@@donkeysaurusrex7881 I actually didn't notice the "climb!" one, but yeah there were a few that I did spot. The series has done such a great job of always reflecting on the important moments, never letting a single line of dialogue go to waste.
@@That0therGeorge The "Climb!" was pretty much on the nose, but I may say this due to the reason of loving K-2SO and Tudyk's performance with it.
What makes this show so great is it shows the real ground level cost of the rebellion. People die and are sacrificed in war. Something the OT just kinda glossed over
I wouldn't say the OT glossed over it, it was just telling a much different story. I am glad that 'Andor' chose to explore it though.
"Many Bothans died to bring us this information."
Many rebel pilots die in dogfights, not to mention the losses on Hoth.
Not just perfect Star Wars, perfect TV
Exactly! I've seen some people say "Andor isn't great, it's just better than the rest of modern Star Wars" - but it's really not true at all. 'Andor' is such a great show in its own right.
@@That0therGeorge this show gave such a new breath of life to the franchise. Some of my favorite characters in Star Wars are from this show now. Very much looking forward to season 2 and i really hope other creators take note from this show for their projects
@@JamesEmery6 Yeah Syril, Kino, Luthen, there are so many fantastic, original characters in this show.
I'm very curious to see how they wrap up and transition into 'Rogue One'. I'm also wondering whether or not they'll keep a similar structure to Season 1 with the 4 arcs.
@@That0therGeorge hopefully we can get more info on Andor’s sister. Maybe a reunion of the two.
@@JamesEmery6 Yeah it's very ambiguous as to what the sister means in the greater story. I couldn't tell if it was going to lead on to the greater narrative or just as a reason to have Cassian on Morlana One.
After the bad taste left by Bobba Fett and Kenobi. Andor was a breath of fresh air. The show wasn't good because what came before sucked like some say. The show is phenomenal due to its own merits. Every week my excitement for this show built up not because of laser swords and pew pew scenes but because of brilliant writing. Characters that felt real and an Empire worth fearing. Rogue One and Andor have a common denominator in Tony Gilroy. Lucasfilm got lucky when they got him.
Very well said.
I find it baffling that people say "you only think it's good because the rest of modern Star Wars is bad". The show absolutely holds up on its own merits and I wouldn't have watched it multiple times if it was actually mediocre.
I do like 'Rogue One' but I feel like it's definitely lower than 'Andor'. It potentially would've been better if Tony Gilroy was in charge of the whole project.
@@That0therGeorge Rogue One was the first SW property since ROTJ that actually felt like Star Wars in the classic sense. It had the grit, the evil, the heroism, the droids, and wisecracks that weren't written for 8yos.
fr people keep comparing it to the other shows i havent ever watched and it was one of the best pieces of media-not just star wars media- ive ever watched. might go back and watch bad batch just cause it looks pretty but the rest honestly look horrible
Andor S1 is one of the finest pieces of television I’ve watched. In terms of individual seasons, it’s honestly one of the first ones that come to mind for me when I’m asked “what is the best season?” Breaking Bad S5 and Fleabag S2 are hard to beat but this is pretty damn close.
Completely agree and it absolutely has re-watch value to it as well. Haven't seen 'Fleabag' yet, but yeah the final seasons of 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul' are going to be pretty difficult to beat.
I enjoyed the first season of Fleabag, not positive if I finished it but I’ll have to check out season 2. Definitely agree that this is one of the best seasons of tv I’ve seen. Up there with season 4/5 of BrBa, and in my opinion seasons 2/6 of Better Call Saul. With each weekly release I got more and more invested in Andor, I can’t say I’ve seen anything like it before. Anti-fascist art at its absolute finest
@@That0therGeorge Fleabag is a superb show, Phobe Waller-Bridge's masterpiece that she wrote and starred in, and got countless Emmy awards for.
But, she's very much connected to Star Wars.
She played the main woke droid in "Solo"
She wrote the first season of "Killing Eve", another Emmy-award winning masterpiece starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh ... whose spymaster is Fiona Shaw! (Maarva)
And, of course, she starred in the most recent Indiana Jones opposite Harrison Ford
Some people hate her ... I can't see why (jealousy?)
She seems like great fun! - a superb writer and actress at the same time ... a truly rare "Mary Sue" of TV (lol - that's why I don't hate on Rey - because these kinds of people DO exist in real life!)
@@IHamilton9320S1 of Fleabag is ehh compared to S2 but proves to be a worthy foundation for what follows in S2.
How could u not include GOT season 3 in that list?
Andor surprisingly and out of nowhere became one of if not my absolute favorite show OF ALL TIME! Between the writing, the acting, the music, and the sets….its second to none
It really did come out of nowhere, what a show.
@@That0therGeorge The show, no one cared about, yet celebrated in a small circle. What I find very interesting, that anyone I talked to who loved Andor were pretty "Meh..." on other shows (Obi, Boba) and vice versa! Yes, I know people who loved the Boba show. And yes, they though Andor is a slow, pointless "Meh.." not even finishing it.
I think Nemik's monologue is underrated (though I do like all of them). Good writing is becoming increasingly rare in franchises these days.
His manifesto is excellent. I didn't include it in the montage, because it isn't quite a monologue in the same way that the others are. However, I did put an edited sequence of it on my secondary channel if you're interested.
I agree that good writing is rare. Thankfully Andor's writing has been celebrated so much.
Andor treats Star Wars as true sci fi. I think thats a large contributing factor to its success and why it feels so *different* from everything else we've received. Its exactly what I've been looking for in Star Wars. Using the setting as a vehicle for the exploration of greater themes.
Now only if we can get a detective murder noire set on Coruscant...
Yeah, 'Andor' is very mature and is everything I want to see from a science fiction series.
And the detective murder noir story is definitely an idea I'm on-board with.
Mature writing, competent characters, nuanced plot. Who would have thought that well made tv series would have people appreciate that effort. Disney, do you see us now? Do you see us now!?
Audiences can definitely spot hard work and 'Andor' truly excels with what it set out to achieve.
I hope Disney is taking notes as well.
Star Wars has been a part of my life since before I can remember, and I can say with full confidence the Andor may be my favorite Star Wars ever
It is a very special part of that series.
lol ai or some Disney campaign is writing these comments because andor was garbage and boring as shit
@@Scottadamsfan3481 competent writing is boring. Got it
@@Scottadamsfan3481 this comment is old but nah i disagree. i grew up on star wars and i can also say andor is my favorite star wars ever as well.
Andor and Rogue one are the ONLY product of Disney that actually FEEL like star wars. As well as being well written.
The other shows and films still feel like Star Wars to me, but in a cheap sort of way. They will focus a lot more on the superficial elements. Whereas 'Andor' is more like the original trilogy in terms of writing quality (even though it's telling a very different story).
While I loved Andor, I didn't much care for Rogue One. This actually made Andor that much better to me, because I went in with a huge bias against it.
There also the two most pointless stories ever written cause they're just leading up to a new hope. We know where they end before they even get written or filmed.
@@Infamous1892 that just means Andor and R1 must be amazing that so many people love them😊
@@Infamous1892 by that logic every story about a living being is pointless, because it ends in death anyway.
The journey is the interesting part here.
Andor perfectly captured the threat of the empire that has been lost since some teddy bears defeated a garrison of troopers in ROTJ
Very true.
That can be partially explained through physical strength of the ewoks right?
I find it more annoying when you have dozens of supposedly elite stormtroopers dying by the drove and killing only a few rebels....
The same ewoks that captured the main characters and nearly cooked them alive? Once the Imperials got over the initial shock of being ambushed, they were able to turn things around until one of the AT-STs got stolen!
12:57 One thing I'd like to add is that the prison is similar to the roundel on the flag of the Galactic Empire, and the prisoners swimming away from it makes it look like the roundel, the symbol of Imperial authority and control, is bleeding. It's like what Nemik writes in his manifesto "Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks. It leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear." The shot of the guards all cowering in a locked room during the prison riot also exemplifies this, as well as Captain Tigo watching one of his troopers get kicked from the bell-tower (anvil-tower?) on Ferrix. The symbolism in this show is something else.
I think it's a little odd that you only really focused on Cassian's story, and didn't focus all that much of Luthen, Mon Mothma, or the ISB, since they make up really big portion of the show, though I did like your little segment on Syril. I think you're right that Syril just wants to do his best, but I'm not sure I would call him good. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, after all. Syril's pretty easy to sympathize with at first, especially given his relationship with his mother, but becomes firm in his authoritarian beliefs, and is kinda creepy in his obsession with Dedra and with catching Andor. He reminds me of a younger Inspector Javert from Les Miserables, in a way. I wouldn't describe Syril or Javert as good, but lawful. I think Chuck from Better Call Saul and Hank from Breaking Bad are very similar characters, though with quite a bit of difference and nuance to them, especially with both of them being family to the main protagonist.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this video, and would love to see a more in-depth one covering the other characters of the story, if you have the time or desire to do so, of course.
That shot is incredible on its own anyway, but that is a really cool detail.
The show is so rich with character that even the bell-tower guy gets his moment to shine haha.
Syril is a superb character and yeah as I said in the video I don't approve of his actions, but I do believe there is a lot of good within him.
I appreciate the feedback. Had this been a complete breakdown of 'Andor' then I would have also gone more in-depth with the characters that you had mentioned - Judging by your comment, I assume you've seen my BCS series? It would have been similar to that if I had chosen that route. My intention with this particular project was different as I wanted to go over the series as a whole, but mainly concentrate on my favourite parts such as my segment on Syril.
I’ve rewatched this magnificent series five times now, and its richness allows for new revelations each time. I think you are right to focus on Andor himself as his character arc is the central narrative thrust. I love the way the Empire is presented as a genuine threat, and how there are shades of grey, morally speaking, on both sides. Finding something this good in the modern SW franchise is, frankly, astonishing. Totally agree with you re. raising the stakes through careful buildup… the single TIE fighter that buzzes the heist crew was terrifying.
@@colleybri8912 Only five? Haha.
Yeah I of course absolutely agree with you.
I'm happy that my segment on slowly raising the stakes resonated with you. It's astonishing when you compare the scene on Aldhani with three tie fighters to any of the space battles in something like 'The Mandalorian'.
Cyril's initial motivations are understandable but yeah, he is definitely not "good." Cyril's boss who wanted the deaths glossed over was right and justified in the end; those security officers were where they shouldnt have been doing what they shouldn't have been doing, acting as petty thugs, and they died bc they were corrupt criminals who tried to shakedown the wrong man. Cyril supports law & order not moral good. He's a fascist.
Honestly i think Syril’s character if it has to be boiled down to a phrase would be incel fascist fanboy, but it’s still so much more complicated than that. Obviously when we first see him he’s trying super hard to use the very little power he has, and he has a moral code of “letter of the law,” even though the law is explicitly immoral, cause it’s fascist. As we go on in the show we just see him keep failing, and trying even harder to do well in the system, and fail again, and then he meets supervisor meero and he thinks that because he tries so hard and likes the empire that he deserves to “get the girl” even though she is pretty explicitly repulsed by this.
He’s such an interesting character, and I can’t wait to see where they take him in S2 honestly
Definitely the best show, I really loved the ISB meeting scenes, seeing the inner workings and strategic thought process of them really made the empire feel strong aswel
It is certainly up there for me.
I loved those scenes as well. I especially loved Major Partagaz as a character.
And the fact that we saw everyone playing politics & trying to one up each other while furthering their career. That to me showed the inherent flaws in a totalitarian system. Outstanding writing.
Hi there, I've said this on several other Andor videos, but The thing that really got me was the part about the cultural genocide of the Dhani. The most interesting angle (from my point of view anyway) is that Aldhani was filmed in the Scottish Highlands (Cruachan dam actually exists and was the base there). Many of the peoples of that land were forcibly moved off it by landlords (a period known as 'The Highland Clearances') and ended up in factories in the lowlands.
In fact, the very ruins of houses Cassian asks Vel about likely belonged to people who were forcibly removed from that land (their sheilings anyway). Add in the repression of the Gaelic language and culture (clothes, bagpipes) during this period in history and there's quite a direct correlation between the real and fictional cultures.
Hello there, thank you for the comment.
The Scottish highlands are beautiful. Thanks for adding about the real world correlation, I did not know that.
10:50 Andor avoiding the Empire and getting caught is ironic, but in a totally different way to me. Andor wasn’t arrested for the heist, he was arrested for a crime he neither committed nor witnessed. All he saw was the aftermath and was lumped in by a random Stormtrooper who thought he was suspicious.
And the Empire is so bloated, their main intelligence service doesn’t even realize Andor is already in jail. They assumed he was still out and about working for Luthen. Their one correct assessment was that Andor would’ve showed up for Marva’s funeral but that only worked out because Andor had already broken out. That’s ironic.
I think it PERFECTLY bridges the concept that “the empire is incompetent” and “competent people work for the empire” the scale is simply too large to properly manage
Exactly as Andor told Luthen. They’re so fat and ignorant that they don’t even realize
Andor has 12 episodes yet all of them manages to progress the story. All the other Disney+ SW shows have just 6 episodes on average, and they still have the audacity to jerk us off with fillers.
By process of elimination, episode 7 of 'Andor' is my least favourite episode of the series, but even that episode does so much to progress the story. The series might be twice as long as some of the other shows, but it achieves 10 times as much.
@@That0therGeorge Episode 7 is the "half-time show" .... and a very good half-time show at that!
@@jazzx251 Agreed.
Regarding filler episodes and Mando season 3 hate, some of what we saw (particularly the episode about the doctor getting mind-flayed) were meant to happen in the canceled Republic Ranger show. That episode was necessary for the overall MandoVerse.
The whole time I was watching Andor, I just kept thinking to myself…”this has no business being this good”
Phenomenal story telling. A gem for anyone who finds it and gives it a fair chance.
It is amazing how good it is, especially when compared to the other SW shows.
@@That0therGeorgenot only shows. I dare say it's even better than the iconic fairytale OT
@@BoraHorzaGobuchul That is very high praise.
@@That0therGeorge It is, and many would disagree. I like the OT, but it's too fairytale for me, and now that even superhero movies tend to be more realistic (as far as a comic book fairy tales can be made realistic) and noir it's long past due to update the SW.
I like how it's focused on the ordinary people, without plot armor. The rest of the Star Wars media is essentially rebel propaganda, killing orders of magnitude more inperials than they lose, hardly anyone important dying etc. The imperials being all inept despite stormtroopers apparently being elite Shock troops.
I watch these videos to hear other people who also appreciate the character nuances like Luthan’s facial expressions, the beach scene after Marva’s death, and the incredible dialogue. Somehow each episode got better.
Well, thank you for checking out mine!
I'm happy that you appreciate those details in the show.
Tony Gilroy was given a character in a movie he didn't write but had a role in completing, and wrote a brand new story of the character. Not someone that familiar with Star Wars, he left the "Star Wars universe" to those surrounding him to bring the story into the world we know. It was an interesting and very successful approach in giving us the end product.
I've seen people highlight Tony not caring much for 'Star Wars' as a negative. However, I feel like the franchise desperately needed a fresh pair of eyes. Too many of these Disney movies/shows have focused way too much on aping stories that have already been told. This universe has the potential to be so much more than that.
@@That0therGeorge I don’t think it’s that he didn’t like Star Wars. It is something that he just wasn’t into. He understands how it is an enjoyed franchise. Even George Lucas wasn’t a big sci-fi buff. He had an idea and ran with it. He probably expected to go on and make more Howard the Duck type movies.
I kind of agree that Andor isn't 'normal' star wars. It's something way better. More down to earth, more comprehensive, more nuanced.
If the show "not being true Star Wars" means that it is actually good, then I completely agree haha
I'd argue that it IS "normal" Star Wars. The OG trilogy had very heavy anti-imperialist and anti-fascist undertones, very similar to Andor.
@@dense_and_dull exactly!
There is no reason for TV, not just Star Wars, to not be this well written. Andor is the best television sci-fi since Babylon 5
Yeah, if people want to enjoy the previous SW shows then that is completely fine with me. However, I continually see unconvincing excuses for the poor writing within them.
talking of monologues, I'd also mention Nemik's manifesto. It is brilliant when Nemik says "and remember this: try." denying Master Yoda's "do or do not. There is no try."
Yep, Nemik's manifesto is fantastic as well.
My love for this show solidified after that one scene of senators dining and saying “im in danger of all this champagne” only to immediately cut to prisoners suffering and self deleting themselves. The duality and struggle is insane, best example of resistance for star wars hands down.
Yeah 'Andor' handled the political side of things really well. There are aspects of the Prequels that I like, but it is not explored enough in those films.
Andor is so great. Can’t wait for season 2. It wasn’t afraid to have him shoot an unarmed dude in the face to save the hassle. It has a total Blade Runner vibe in the beginning of the first episode.
It was indeed and I am very much looking forward to season 2 as well!
The first episode certainly has 'Blade Runner' vibes, but I think that inspiration runs throughout the show. The music is similar as well. Of course, both are brilliant science fiction properties so it is absolutely a good thing.
The acting, the music, the story, the world building, the writing. Everything about this show is fantastic.
Indeed. All the elements compliment each other very well.
I cared more about a stuttering droid than any other character from all the other SW shows combined. And it’s not even close.
Same.
It really is the best Star Wars, and I'm including the OT when I say that. The mature story it tells along with the worldbuilding it explores for the grounded characters we see just stays in my head. Andor is a great example at why themes in your story are important by how much they enhance it.
I think that is very fair. The issue I have is that the OT is so different, it's almost quite difficult to compare specifics. Both brilliant regardless.
I think Andor is more "Starwars" than most Starwars media out there. This show is a perfect representation of everything the franchise should stand for. NEVER have I felt more enthralled, engaged, and interested in a TV Show. The ending sentiment is 100% valid too, every aspect of this shows production is a masterclass in film-making, and the music totally does stand out.
Completely agreed.
A lot of the themes and ideas are very Star Wars-y - it's just all shown from a very different perspective than we're used to seeing.
Hearing luthens monologue truly show he understands the horrors of the war he's trying too start
Yeah, it was very powerful.
This type of series is what reminds me that star wars still has hope to be salvaged and repaired
Absolutely.
The original trilogy never really explored the empire beyond “big evil organization we have to defeat.” Andor really reveals why there was such a massive resistance to the regime in the first place. It showed how terrifying and oppressive life under the empire was for the common man, and how much the rebellion really sacrificed in their attempt to overthrow them
True although I don't feel the OT had to explore that side of things. It was nice to see it in 'Andor' though.
Who wanted this show? Me shouting from the rooftops since the release of Rogue One. My dream Star Wars show. And it turning out this brilliant and meaningful and powerful is everything I could have hoped for and more.
I was never against the idea. It just seems random when it follows Boba Fett and Kenobi. But obviously I loved the end result.
Hands down the highest quality story-telling ever in Star Wars. Great work spelling it all out, thank you!
The only part I wanted to add was that when Andor is offered to split the haul, he has NO CHOICE but to kill him at that point. Because if he's willing to even make that offer, he's willing to kill both of them and take it all for himself. Cassian really didn't have any choice unless the choice was yes, and even then, he'd have to watch his back for when the other guy would strike at him.
It is an excellent show.
And thank you so much for your kind words!
The complete lack of jokes or quips or silly looking aliens sealed the deal for me. Best new star wars
Honestly my only flaw with the show was the LACK of silly looking aliens. That part didn’t feel very Star Wars-y. Those weird dudes in episode 11 were a blessing.
And they could have made some of the other main characters some of the less abstract aliens. Zabrack, Mirialan, Twilek, Zeltron, Pantoran. Just give it a little more of that distinctly Star Wars flavour while not changing the writing at all.
Using Andor as a vessel to show the start of the rebellion is genius
A lot of people will claim the show isn't even really about him, but I feel it is.
As you imply, he is at the centre of all events in the series.
For me, Andor was a masterpiece. And the final episode, man, I cried, I cheered, everything.
That series is a whirlwind of emotions.
Finally! More people are coming to Andor!
A year later and people are still always talking about it. Goes to show how fantastic it is.
@@That0therGeorge That's the definition of a classic.
I truly believe that the delay to 2025 is because all of Disney's other Star Wars shows suck in comparison - and so, they will release them earlier to make some cash. Just like what happened with season 1.
The writers/.actors strike didn't really affect Andor that much, it was mostly in the can. But the other Star Wars projects, with a later start time, were very much affected. The entire running order got delayed.
@@jazzx251 It does suck that there will be a 3 year gap between releases, but at the same time that makes me feel a lot more reassured about the quality of the second season.
Andor is like a great vintage of a great wine. It takes time and attention to be appreciated, but the payoff is measureless.
I don't drink, but shall take your word for it!
I don't understand why people were so against this show being made. Anyone who grew up with the EU that became Legends knows exactly how good and interesting stories about random side characters can be. I'm currently listening to the newly re-recoded audiobooks of Rogue Squadron. These books are an excellent example of taking minor and unimportant characters in the background and giving them a unique and interesting story.
Who the hell were Wedge and Hobby really? Just some pilots, Wedge being one that happened to have been around since the first movie. Wedge turned into one of the most beloved EU characters because of stories like this.
Andor is a perfect example of the things that made the Legends era EU work so well. Expanding on a background character and showing how they fit in with the rest of the galaxy. Introducing us to new and exciting characters and terrifying villains. We need more things like Andor/Rogue One. We need more Season 1 and 2 of Mandalorian.
Rogue Squadron deserves a Top Gun Maverick style movie/show!
This show is a perfect example of why the original series and the best parts of the EU worked. Give us more interesting characters who aren't the space wizard monks or connected to a single family. The universe itself is whats so fascinating and fun to explore.
I am not too familiar with the EU to be honest, but even so i completely agree that no one should have ruled this show out, although I do understand looking at it at first and thinking "a whole show about the supporting character from Rogue One?"
Andor was exquisite. Thankfully the complete opposite of the sequels in every way.
It was indeed.
“No LigHtSAbeRs!!!”
Star Wars is so much more, and Andor proves that. It’s phenomenal and I can’t wait to see how it sets up A New Hope
Exactly!
It will probably setup more for 'Rogue One' as that film is the sets up a lot for 'A New Hope'
Cassian Andor is by far one of my most favorite star wars character. He genuinely was just a man that wanted out and just stepped up the plate when the responsibility was put on him. Andor as a show, one of the most well-crafted shows I've seen in a long time, and I cannot wait for more to come out.
Good choice. He definitely feels the most real out of all the SW characters.
This may actually be my favorite piece of Star Wars media in existence. Which is very weird to say because it's such a departure tonally from the rest of the Star Wars Universe, and also because I do still love the original trilogy. But the performances, the writing, even the look of the show just hits the bullseye in the kind of TV shows/movies I enjoy watching. What an unexpected surprise the series proved to be.
All of the production elements compliment each other really well. It's difficult to say whether it is better that the OT considering how different it is, but it is up there without a doubt.
The single best thing of Star Wars ever made, nothing embodies Star Wars better.
It is between 'Andor' and the OT for me, both are different, both are brilliant.
Great vid! For me, Andor is the most true to the original Star Wars trilogy that anything has been. Just like the original trilogy, it takes a seemingly random and unimportant character and puts them in a situation where they must discover who they are and what they stand for. We can associate with this individual, and the situations they find themselves in, and we hope that we would behave similarly. The broader backgrounds are an intriguing science fantasy scenario, where the various and subtle truths are slowly revealed over time. I really enjoyed that Kassian's character development was nuanced and that he was influenced by various events and individuals in his life.
Andor also serves the long-form format well, especially by adding various layers to the Star Wars universe that we've never seen before, and previously only imagined: What is it like to live under the Empire? How is dissidence dealt with? How do you build such giant weapons? How does a rebellion form? The intrigue of each episode kept me watching, and the conclusion was deeply satisfying (except the Death Star reveal). I've always enjoyed reflecting on Star Wars and considering what would have happened if the Allies had lost WWII: would great individuals have risen up? Would a rebellion of common people have pushed-back where armies failed?
But then, I really liked Rogue One. Despite its shortcomings, it felt like an interesting and relevant Star Wars story.
Thank you!
I think 'Andor' is a lot more grounded that the OT, but you're right that there are some similarities.
'Rogue One' is a solid movie for sure. Unfortunately, that film just doesn't spend enough time developing its characters. That's one of the reasons why I love 'Andor' so much, it really suits the long-form TV format.
The fact that this show has FOUR amazing monologues amazes me to this day. Luthen's was harsh and real, Maarva inspired people to rebel, Kino showed how even prisoners could be strong and Nemik's manifesto is such a great way to show us what is worth fighting for
I see genius in the works of this show. Everything from the writing, casting, soundtrack is excellent. Best show in the Star Wars universe! A special high marks for the monologues on this show!
Yeah, every component in this show is so well executed.
Andor is incredible. Between Andor and Rogue One, at least we have two solid new Star Wars to enjoy.
Agreed. I'd love to see Tony Gilroy create some more 'Star Wars' media in the future.
Absolutely floored by the quality of thus show , Disney people , are you reading this ? We want more of this !!! not space wizards
This show succeeded because it showed us a side of Star Wars we haven’t seen before.
It was a side so many people wanted explored, but they put it off for a while.
thanks for making this video showing how genius this show was. I cannot tell you how many times I've rewatched it. This was some of the best television (not just SW content) that I've ever seen. I cannot wait for season 2.
You're most welcome - thank you for watching it!
100% agreed with you. I don't know how high it would rank for me, but it is certainly on my list of favourite TV series.
This show is seriously one of the best I've ever seen. It's incredible how good it is. It reminds me of early GoT, the first few seasons of The Expanse, and Breaking Bad's focus on characters and attention to detail. There's excellent build-up, characterization, cinematography, music, set and costume design, dialogue, world building etc. etc. And I am glad to have a focus on politics, rivalries, grey morals, and so on, which we also saw was a focus in early GoT, and the story feels character-driven rather than plot-driven. If I am not mistaken they're also using more practical effects and real-life locations to make the series feel more real, and not having to rely on CGI as much.
I can't even find many flaws with it, though I am biased as hell. Even the argument that it's slow I disagree with, because a proper time to build up the characters, their motivations and a story-payoff every 3rd episode is necessary imo. People say there's a lack of aliens, and that I can understand, but there's a lot of them if you look in the background.
Very much agreed. It is a mature show, just like the others you mentioned.
Marva's speech made me want to fight the empire myself. It was sublime writing
The speech was very powerful.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Excellent review, you explained all of the aspects that I found amazing in Andor but couldn't put my finger on why exactly so very well, it was a blast listening to you analyze and explain it. You have another subscriber! :)
No, thank you! I really appreciate your kind words about my review.
Thanks for subscribing as well, I look forward to seeing your comments in the future.
One scene that stands out, that is not a speech, is the first conversation between Mon Mothma has with Tay Kolma. The subtle context and acting in that scene is so good.
Oh yeah, their chemistry is brilliant.
its like the thousands of people who came together to make this show brought their 'A' Game 100% of the time.
Yep, everyone put their all into this series.
It’s different class.
Just learned the Aldanhi heist was filmed about 40 mile away. From Glasgow , Scotland and I never knew it. I’m trying to organise a trip for my 55th birthday in June.
@@ZanderFoulner It's a beautiful location. Hope you have a great birthday trip there, you'll have to let me know what it's like.
I loved Andor. I made a comment on a video about how the intro theme music of each episode combines and the likes and responses are still popping up over a year later, love to see people still talking about how great Andor is, even though I concede it’s not traditional Star Wars
Oh yeah, the conversation surrounding this show has not died down at all.
Great video, i really enjoy the andor soundtrack so much i find myself listening to alot of it in my free time especially Syril Suite. Syril is a super interesting character and i hope they keep his nuance in season 2
Every character was interesting. It goes to show that we don’t need the Skywalker arcs for a good story.
Thank you! And same here, I absolutely love the OST.
@roboliver623 Precisely!
I’ve made this comment elsewhere but one of the things I find really interesting about Andor is how much thoughtful and insightful criticism of the show there is and how that mirrors the quality of the show itself.
Best writing, best cinematography,best character arcs, best show ...first season was amazing...second will be epic.
Hopefully!
Don't get too excited
I've never been a star wars fan but I'm completely a Andor fan.
That's awesome to hear. It's a very grounded show that can quite easily appeal to most people.
You created a masterpiece of your own when you put those speeches together👏
Thank you, I'm really happy that you liked that section!
The brilliance of Andor S1 is that you can remove the Star Wars references to the entire season, replace it with more generic "Evil but overbloated Authoritarian Government" elements that controls everything and it would all still work. It's a story about how the seeds of a rebellion were planted and grown over time to the eventuality that leads to the downfall of said Empire.
Agreed, but I am still happy that it is set in the Star Wars universe
Great Video and a fantastic breakdown .
I absolutely love Andor it has now taken over from The Mandalorian as my favourite Star Wars TV media . One of the best things I really loved about Rogue One was the depiction via Cassian that the Rebels were not whiter than white and that Cassian made some very ruthless decisions in the name of the Rebellion this made such a refreshing change . One of the things I loved when watching the trailers for Andor was that how cinematic the show looked .
The writing and pacing of Andor is amazing I love the slow burn it takes to develop its characters and storylines , the idea of breaking each story arc into 3 episodes was so good and paid off so well , I can remember whilst watching the first episode that wow this is a very different more grown up Star Wars bringing more adult themes into the story . I heard criticism that it was too slow but I loved its pacing .
I thoroughly enjoyed the flashback scenes to Cassians childhood etc they worked so well . All the performances are amazing and if I had to choose a favourite performance I would really struggle as all the Actors gave it their all even the characters like Bix , Brasso etc who had relatively small roles were so great I would have to say it would be Stellans performance but it was a difficult choice . The cinematography was amazing from the industrial look of Ferrix to the beautiful scenery of Aldani and the sets of Narkina 5 were fantastic , and the work on ep 6 the Eye was amazing especially when the Rebels escape into the erupting eye and the Tie pilots scrambling to get into their ships with the eye erupting behind them - amazing .
The other part of Andor I loved was the amazing score by Nicholas Brittell it so fitted the series and themes I especially loved the really catchy Niamos theme as well as the whole score .
So all in all an amazing series which not a lot of people never really wanted but in my opinion turned out to be the best Star Wars TV show made , the effects are amazing , cinematography and sets were fantastic the performances were top class and the score was amazing an amazing show .
P.S. does anyone else think that Joplin Sibtain ( Brasso ) would make a great Ben Grimm ( The Thing ) in the new FF movie .
Thank you very much!
I enjoy 'Rogue One' quite a bit and I do like Cassian in that film, but I feel 'Andor' adds so much more to his character and does a better job with exploring some of the moral decisions that he makes.
It sort of reminds of the criticism that 'Better Call Saul' would receive sometimes. Is the show slow paced? Sure, but the smaller details of the world are so thoroughly explored and it makes those eventual payoffs x10 more satisfying.
The music is superb and all three Niamos tracks are awesome.
It is an amazing show for sure.
Yeah, I could see him making a good Ben Grimm.
Ditto ditto ditto!!!!
Andor has actually turned out to be my absolute favorite Star Wars content except for Empire Strikes Back. I've liked a lot of different stuff, like Rebels and I didn't hate Obi Wan like a lot of people did, but Andor was awesome. It did a GREAT job of showing a realistic Star Wars universe.
As you state, the "world-building" was amazing. Just to contrast it with another recent big production, say, Rings of Power - where the world-building (except for the Numenor set and Moria) was atrocious. It goes to show the difference in showrunners - one who knows how to put on a production (like Gilroy) as opposed to those idiots working at Amazon studios.
The plot also felt well put together and the characters reacted sensibly to all situations. Unlike Episodes 8 and 9 where either large stupid detours happened, or world breaking (suicide star ships) actions or in instance after instance, they'd find exactly what they needed, even if it was under a random location in a huge desert - to move the plot along to a wildly random location in a galaxy of 100,000 planets or whatever.
Ahem. Andor reminded all those "creators" at Lucasfilm that they can make new planets, introduce new characters, races, whatever - and the fans will love it if you just TELL A GOOD STORY.
It is difficult to top 'The Empire Strikes Back'. Plus the two are so different that it is hard to compare specific elements.
Nice work! thanks for putting it together
No, thank you! I had a lot of fun creating this and I appreciate you taking the time to watch it.
Brilliant breakdown! Andor is possibly my favorite of the whole franchise💖
Thank you so much! I might agree with that, obviously A New Hope and Empire are pretty fantastic as well.
No one wanted it but we needed it
True.
This is peak Star Wars period.
Yep!
Great video on a truly wonderful show.
Andor has given me hope for the future of Star Wars.
Thank you! And I'm glad you loved the show as well.
That was a brilliant piece of work. I really enjoyed how you edited the clips to perfectly match your dialogue. And, by that, I mean I really appreciate the specific clips from Andor and other SW media that you chose to emphasize your points. Makes me want to go watch the Andor series for the 4th time around. It is quite literally the only enjoyable D+ SW series. The rest are laughably awful.
Thank you!
I do try my best with the visuals. It's a very time consuming process making sure that every clip lines up exactly with the voiceover. I always believe it's worth it though and I really appreciate that you enjoyed it.
There's still a bit of a wait until Season 2 and the other shows are indeed laughably bad - you may as well give it a re-watch!
I've been patienly waiting for S2 since the minute of S1 ended.
Yeah it's a long gap, but oh well, at least we have something to look forward to.
Kino Loy is named Kino because his character arc is pure kino.
I like to think that as well.
The first few episodes of Andor seemed a bit slow to me. But this is common in British productions. But I stuck with it and the plot grew and grew and the end was incredibly powerful. Most impressive.
Happy you liked it towards the end.
You might find those first few episodes are better on a re-watch. I know I loved them more with each viewing.
Andor is so good I cannot get my head around the fact that it flows from the same source as the insult to intelligence that is The Book of Boba Fett and Obi One.
It's like if Ferrari also made Yugo.
It is staggering to think those shows share the same universe.
This show had such an impact on me, personally. I was not expecting it.
Same. A completely unexpected gem.
Andor: A New Hope
Andor Season 2: Return of the Jedi
Definitely subscribing to you with this one, out of all the andor reviews or explanations I've watched simply because I enjoyed the show you've mentioned so much more of the little details that some of which I hadn't even noticed myself. Off the top of my head I don't think I can name any other CCs that actually pointed out deeper details and the little things such as Luthen's long reaction to Marva's speech.
Thank you for the lovely Andor review
This was an incredibly nice comment to read, thank you for that.
& thank you for subscribing, I look forward to seeing you about in the future.
Andor is magnificent on every level.
It is indeed!
Arcs 2 and 3 of Andor are my favorite live action star wars ever, not even close. It actually exceeds the writing quality of the animated shows (Bad Batch, Clone wars later seasons)
I was not excited at all for andor I almost didn’t watch it but man that show was amazing it has in my opinion the top 3 SW speeches
Glad you decided to check out and loved the show as well!
Thank you for a wonderful analysis of what makes this show so great.
Thank you so much for the comment, very nice of you to say. I'm happy that you were able to get something out of my analysis.
the best star wars since the original series
Absolutely!
A competent Empire is one of the keys of this masterpiece. And no humor, just a little bit, like Empire Strikes back
Absolutely.
Honestly? This is the best Star Wars since ESB. Nothing else even comes close.
Very much agreed.
Amazing show!!!! Thank you for this video!
Agreed and thank you for watching!
Best Star Wars i ever watched. The birth of the rebellion, political situation in background, common every day people fighting the opression. I loved it all, something i always wanted to see in this universe, especially the character of Luten Rael which is now my favorite character of all time in Star Wats. No one bits him in my eyes, never seen more charismatic character with so much passion towards one goal, to topple an empire down from all angles especially from within.
It is very excellent.
Luthen is a superb character and Stellan Skarsgård was the perfect choice for that role.
@@That0therGeorge Indeed, very much so.
@@savageaeternum6047 Do you see him dying in Season 2?
@@That0therGeorge I don't know to be honest, but he always seams he's one step in right direction. What i want to say here is Luthen is someone who already knows the game, knows the stakes and he's being playing it since day one the Empire took over and reformed the Republic into Empire. On the other hand we already know Andor' s end in Rogue One and Melchi too. No, im more concerned about his aid at his store. She seams more unstable element and he should pay special attention to her. While she might be dedicated to the cause, she is more of fanatic who enjoys killing on a side when he's not there to see. If anyone would mess up anything for him it would be her. From the first time i saw her character i was worried she would do something stupid to attract ISB. Oh and one of the scenes i liked was Luthen laughing in the back of his store when he heard Senator's driver about Aldhani heist. It was a briliant moment to show his character to us the audience.
@@savageaeternum6047I disagree with you about Luthren's assistant. She is totally level headed and she has Luthern's back to the very end. Remember, she was willing to go in Luthren's place to meet Lionel in case it was a trap. She is focused and dedicated to the cause. She is Luthren's right hand. I am curious to know her back story. And by the way, the actress who played her rocked the roll.
Brilliant job, man! Bringing the speeches together was fantastic
Thank you! And I am happy to hear that you liked that section.
Funny how much better storytelling can be when it's not intended for children.
Storytelling can still be brilliant even if it's intended for children. But I would agree that the previous Star Wars TV Shows have a certain level of immaturity to them that brings down the quality. 'Andor' is certainly a breath of fresh air in that regard.
Andor is what I wanted from Star Wars back in 1999. I had grown up, and I really wanted Star Wars to have grown up with me. After all, old Ben's description of prior events in the OT (i.e. turning a good man to evil, and exterminating an order of knights) is heavy stuff and could have made a great story if handled properly. Well it took forever for grown-up Star Wars to get here, but so far it hasn't disappointed.
Lucas always said he intended the original Star Wars for children...but then again, The Hobbit was intended for children, too...just children from a different era where they weren't infantilized. Now we get adults infantilized through a lot of media. A New Hope was at times nearly as dark as Empire, if you grew up in that era you might not have recognized it, but then those like my son who grew up after the Prequel Trilogy may not notice it, either.
A New Hope had smoking corpses of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, a man's throat crushed and his corpse tossed aside, the mention from the wise old teacher to the main character that his father was murdered by his former student, a woman in a cell full of men menaced by a syringe-carrying droid, the rather obvious fact that sentient droids are a slave underclass in the galaxy, a bar where life is so cheap and often lost that bloody limb-severing and Han shooting first draws barely a notice from the clientele, multiple heroic rebel pilots desperately getting blown to bits to allow their teammates a few more seconds to hit the target, and an entire world with billions of people annihilated in one swoop by the clearly fascistic villains.
All from a film that was touted by its creator as "for children". I was 8 when I it was released and I adored it. As I grow older, I realize that part of the reason I loved it is that it was, indeed, for children, but it didn't talk down to me as a child. It let me face frightening moments and allowed me to overcome them through the meaningfully crafted narrative.
"Intended for children" is ridiculously condescending and too often used to excuse lazy storytelling. It's insulting to the natural perceptiveness and ability to learn that children possess, which is so often lost when they become adults. Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.
The very best children's stories are of dual nature: simple enough in presentation that they can easily grasp the message when they're young, but complex enough that they can come back to it as they age and unravel the layers and continue to find more meaning, more to love. Those are the stories that stay with you, that mean something, even if you're too small to understand why.
Like the pib: last wish, a story that works on several levels and keeps different audiences excited can be done. Still, going all adult is what SW was in great need of.
I really love the small detail with focus on Syril colleague in final episode after Maarva speech. Like, his expression says that he's processed the speech and all the action that came after the simmilar way Luthen did
Are you referring to Linus? If so then yeah he's great.
Fingers crossed the next season is just as great.🤞 They have to continue to fight against Disney's leadership
As long as Gilroy still has full creative control, then I'm sure it will be.