Andor, a Star Wars story worth watching

Just when I start to hate Disney they go and pull this on me…. 

I am talking of course about Star Wars Andor. 

Describe the show. 

The truth of it all is this show is actually really good. And go figure… It was created by the same people who gave us Rogue one.  Arguably the only good Star wars movie that Disney has released. 

Andor is what I expected from Disney when they bought the franchise.  

Like Rogue one, it is its own story.  It has its own chast of characters, its own plots, and does not have legacy characters, or nostalgia to carry it.  The Plot is its very own too, something unlike anything we have seen in the Star Wars world. There's no force, no lightsabers, or over the top heroes. 

This is a show with regular, average people living under the Empire and having to make tough decisions and sacrifices. 

It's a grungy and harsh world, a world that feels so real like you could actually visit it.  That's because they didn't use some warehouse with a giant green screen to make this show.  These sets are on location, or built and they are massively detailed and well thought out.  Each scene feels calculated and purposeful.  Like the set designers were treated as important as Kathleen Kennedy's ego… 

This show in every way is original and honestly you could take a few things out like the empire you might not even know this is even a Star Wars Tv Show.  

This is what I expected from Disney, This is what I hoped for with The Book Bobba Fett.  An original script, not relying on legacy characters, throwbacks to the original trilogy and fan fare. 

I desperately wanted a show that was dark, grungy, the underbelly of the universe that Bobba Fett would be caught up in… But instead we got an entire season on the outskirts of Tattoine… where Bubba fett is useless and dumb and they needed the Mandalorian to come in and rescue the show from itself. 

The Actors all seem like they wanted to do this show and take it seriously, the acting is actually good. More than I can say for past Star Wars shows… Kenobi. And each character feels well thought out, individualized, making the show more interesting and forces you to really pay attention. 

At any moment things can change or be revealed, this is not a show that you can casually watch. It makes you pay attention, and makes you think for yourself.  

Now with this all said there are some issues with it, and the one and really the only big one I can really say is its pacing is not very good.  

At times Andor feels like it drags on way too long, methodically taking its time to make its point. The show could have been tightened up in that regard but you can avoid this problem by simply watching it once all the episodes air. 

This is definitely a binge worthy show that I believe holds up better when you can watch multiple episodes in one sitting.  

It's a damn good thing they released three episodes from the rip because the first two were agonizingly slow and really could have been made into one episode.  

I was very critical of the pace and the fact that we get a lot of “walking around” scenes.  This was one of my bigger beefs with Kenobi, Bubba Fett, and the Mandolorian.  There's a ton of filler of just characters moving about. 

This can be useful to set the scene or the tone but it can be overdone and they do that a lot with these TV Series.  It is almost like these shows were really meant to be movies, but Disney wanted to stretch it out for content sakes. 

That said Tony Gilroy the creator of this show and Rogue one has hit a double with disney.  He is 2 for 2 and that comes as a little surprise really when you see his resume.  He's written movies like the Bourne Series, The Devil's Advocate, and Armageddon. 

Disney needs to give this man a corner office and leave him alone with a bottle of bourbon and a laptop.  Because he clearly shows that he gets what Star Wars is.  He Respects the fans and the legacy that George Lucas created.  He did not create Andor to necessarily be his mark on the Franchise but instead make something that pays homage to what came before him. 

This is the sum of a good writer who’s been hired to write something in a world that already exists.  He wasn't interested in piggy backing off existing characters, plots, or fan fare.  He set out to create a completely new cast and story within the universe that is Star Wars. 

And that's all us fans have ever wanted 

Take note Kathleen Kennedy… Take note Marvel. 

As fans of this created world we expect that you honor what came before by not destroying the amazing characters that were created, Like Kenobi has done.  Or feeding us full of bland empty characters that are simply put in place for marketing and monetizing.  

Don't force opinions on us, let us decide if we like a character or not or relate or not… REVA! 

And for God Sakes hire more people like this Guy that can actually WRITE!!!! 

With all that said it will more than likely fall on deff ears.  Disney is currently in shambles with their latest animated movie “Strange World” Losing over 100 million dollars… And dont get me started on She-Hulk… UGH.  

And Andor, well it came too little too late as most people have begun to give up on the Star Wars world on Disney+.  Most people I know haven't seen it and havent had the urge to, and that's too bad. 

If only Disney led with this series, it might have been able to learn quickly what works and avoid disasters like Kenobi and Bobba Fett.  

I really enjoyed this show and I will likely watch it again from start to finish to see what I may have missed the first go around.  If you haven't watched it I would highly recommend you do. Turn your cell phone off, grab your favorite snack and lock in. Enjoy this little Gem.  

Its not very often anymore that we great treated with this level of entertainment. 

Wrap up 

I give Andor an 8/10