Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) first appeared in 2016’s Rogue One. Andor,which is set five years prior to Rogue One,charts his progress from disillusioned thief to dedicated intelligence operative serving the Rebellion.Credit:Lucasfilm
Similarly,bothThe Rings of Power andHouse of the Dragon don’t want to merely appear familiar to viewers,they’re determined to evoke every element of Middle Earth or Westeros. In the case of the former it’s made for a dutiful rendering of Tolkien’s realm,while the latter is now a substantial failure that’s starting to resemble the failures of fan fiction. The unspoken aim is reassurance,not surprise.
Andor turnsStar Wars upside down. Our view of a galaxy far,far away has always been from the very pinnacle;the Skywalker family – a clan of all-powerful warriors who harness otherworldly powers – who determine the fate of trillions of lives through their personal endeavours and familial rifts.Andor is about how fragments coalesce – ordinary people,political discontent,career opportunities,the seeds of rebellion – and how those at the very bottom find a way to be seen and heard and felt.
Across two seasons of 12 episodes each,Andor will chart the journey of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) from disillusioned thief to dedicated intelligence operative serving the Rebellion. The character was central to 2016’sRogue One:A Star Wars Story,a film notable for mostly sidestepping the Skywalker clan and the mystical Force to depict the desperate endeavour that was required of those opposing the authoritarian Galactic Empire. The show charts Cassian’s five years prior toRogue One,and the work of those who wanted to launch an armed uprising.
“Revolutions are expensive,” notes one of those instigators,Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard),who sets Cassian on the path of an Imperial payroll heist that reached a thrilling climax in episode six. Throughout the series people act with purpose,with flawed intent and with recognisable hubris. The series has held onto a bit player,Syril Karn (Kyle Soller),a corporate security guard bested by Cassian,whose hatred and obsession are festering after he was subsequently fired. Waiting for them to cross paths again just adds to the tension.
Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in Andor.
This approach stems fromAndor’s creator,Hollywood veteran Tony Gilroy,who wroteRogue One and has also penned action scenes for Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne filmsand monologues for Al Pacino’s Satan inThe Devil’s Advocate. Gilroy is a master of his craft and has matched his guile and economy to genuine world-building.Andor,which was filmed in Britain,has an overwhelming physicality,with everyday objects and practical living spaces,and life and death stakes. The digital effects are seamless and the scale is telling:getting buzzed by a single TIE Fighter is more striking than a vast space battle.